903 kms in 15.5 hours, Lets Go !!!

Dhar's · 14th June 2007, 15:22

I appreciate, Technocrat. Great trip.
900kms in one day WOW.
Now Akroy and Technocrat is really inspiring me to make my dream trip. I'm waiting for my vacation.
Lack of power or not, the main concern on highways is that bigger vehicles ignore mere existance of us (Altos).

Technocrat · 14th June 2007, 15:29

@ravi: Yes it is possible. Yeah they shoudnt have Btw my Dad in Bhopal drives a VXi :( You can imagine how much frust I get after driving his car :P

@ad75: Thanks man

@Javed: Its very much possible, the key, like ak said, is to leave early because on highways its the towns & villages which slow you down so the early you leave the more time you save in getting out of a city.

@akroy: Yes Ac is less felt after 80 but while I can do 100-120 w\o ac with ac its more like 80-100 with same effort.

@sideways: Its my honour that you liked it :-) Did you say World tour? am I Interested? Ofcourse I am

But not in an Alto

@dhar: Thanks. dont worry there is nothing like that, its all upto how you drive, I have made busses & trucks give me way(p.s dont try this at home :P). Btw what distance\route are you planning ?

Dhar's · 14th June 2007, 16:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Btw what distance\route are you planning ?

Trivandrum - Pune. Already had a discussion with AKRoy.

vnabhi · 14th June 2007, 16:30

Nice write-up and pics, Technocrat. I admire your courage to drive alone.

Technocrat · 14th June 2007, 16:36

Good to know, All the best for your trip & let me know if you need any help

hvkumar · 14th June 2007, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by akroy

Ya it is done quit easily. People generally do Blr - Mumbai in a day...
But the catch is start your engine at 3AM, u will be in Pune before sunset with all your breaks....

Start at 3AM, Breakfast at Ranebennur A1plaza at 7:30AM, Lunch at Hubli/Dharwad at noon, Pune by 4-5PM...

Abhi

Bombay-Bangalore, 1050 kms, is a 12.5 hour drive, provided you leave by 300 am from Bombay so that you can get out of the South Maharashtra traffic during the day. This is without any breaks, except for the refuelling (3 times) and the random call of nature stops.

Similarly, Bombay-Delhi, 1,450 kms, is a 17-hour non-stop drive. All possible now thanks to GQ.

gt_bhp · 14th June 2007, 19:02

Great writeup Techno! Reading your's and akroy's posts makes one put all appreshensions behind and hit the long road!

typeOnegative · 14th June 2007, 21:15

Nice nice nice. Nice report and nice performance by the little workhorse. BTW, I was in Indore (my Mom's hometown) over the first weekend of June. Luckily the temperature was cooler ... can imagine that drive of yours.

Aditya · 14th June 2007, 21:50

Techno, you're one brave man - so many kms in the little Alto, driving alone. This car seems to be quite a useful tool. My brother bought an LXi a year and six months ago, mainly for driving in the city of Bangalore, but, every time there's a long weekend, he does some long distance touring in it. Supremely reliable, frugal and quite spirited for a 3 pot.

Technocrat · 15th June 2007, 12:23

@gt: Thanks man

@Typo-ve: Yes its a very good performer for its size. Lucky you we were boiling in Bhopal had faced the worst temp when entered MP :(

@Aditya: Thanks Dude. Yeah they say all good things come in small packages :P hey mine is also of similar age, Oct 2005 :-)

shrivz · 15th June 2007, 13:19

Great Report Techno..

Lets Go!!!!

humyum · 15th June 2007, 14:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Bombay-Bangalore, 1050 kms, is a 12.5 hour drive, provided you leave by 300 am from Bombay so that you can get out of the South Maharashtra traffic during the day. This is without any breaks, except for the refuelling (3 times) and the random call of nature stops.

Similarly, Bombay-Delhi, 1,450 kms, is a 17-hour non-stop drive. All possible now thanks to GQ.

Dude..how on earth is mumbai bangalore a 12.5 hour drive??its gonna take like 15 to 16 hours even if u only stop once in between for lunch.Have done it a lot of times with the only stop being Belgaum for lunch and fuel and my best time has always been around 16 hours.The roads aint all that good as construction is goin on still in many parts.

hvkumar · 15th June 2007, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by humyum

Dude..how on earth is mumbai bangalore a 12.5 hour drive??its gonna take like 15 to 16 hours even if u only stop once in between for lunch.Have done it a lot of times with the only stop being Belgaum for lunch and fuel and my best time has always been around 16 hours.The roads aint all that good as construction is goin on still in many parts.

Quite simple, I leave Bombay at 300 am, cross Kolhapur by 730 am (400 kms), Belgaum in the next 1 hour, and Bangalore at 330 pm. I have done this several times. I don't stop for food, carry it along, have it on board. Fuel halts are less than 5-10 minutes each. Nowadays, the greatest time-savers (apart from the GQ itself) are - early morning start, Pune expressway, Katraj Ghat bypass and Kolhapur bypass road widening and the Tumkur-Nelamangala toll road. Despite teh work on the Davangere-Chitradurga section, speeds are consistent. I have not been on the road after teh opening of the Haveri/ranebennur bypasses, I hope to save another 15 minutes there. With the entire work getting completed, hopefully, I will cut travel time by another 15-20 minutes. I keep up high speeds - cruising at 120 kmph plus.

Kumar

akroy · 15th June 2007, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by humyum

Dude..how on earth is mumbai bangalore a 12.5 hour drive??its gonna take like 15 to 16 hours even if u only stop once in between for lunch.Have done it a lot of times with the only stop being Belgaum for lunch and fuel and my best time has always been around 16 hours.The roads aint all that good as construction is goin on still in many parts.

Dude, Dont argue with Kumar Sir!! if He says 12.5 means he has done it & he mean it !!! FYI, He is a gem of a driver and "Guru of indian highways"...Just accept it as a benchmark....

I also agree, if u r a steady driver, u can easily do it, problem is that many people stop for no reason, pee-smoke anywhere without any plan and loose hell lot of time... I have personally done some long stretches pretty fast with steady driving...

Abhi

humyum · 15th June 2007, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by akroy

Dude, Dont argue with Kumar Sir!! if He says 12.5 means he has done it & he mean it !!! FYI, He is a gem of a driver and "Guru of indian highways"...Just accept it as a benchmark....

I also agree, if u r a steady driver, u can easily do it, problem is that many people stop for no reason, pee-smoke anywhere without any plan and loose hell lot of time... I have personally done some long stretches pretty fast with steady driving...

Abhi

Hey no offence abhi or kumar sir i was just

so i asked.Anways during the next bangalore drive from mumbai i will keep your timings as a benchmark maybe i ll make it somewhere close to how fast u reach.I have an 800 and thats always the weapon of choice so atleast i wont be able to do the 120+ speeds on a continious bases.
Anways got to say ur the perfect person for an india to thailand trip by car then

14th June 2007, 15:22	#31
Dhar's BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: QLN/TRV/DXB Posts: 420 Thanked: 626 Times View My Garage	I appreciate, Technocrat. Great trip. 900kms in one day WOW. Now Akroy and Technocrat is really inspiring me to make my dream trip. I'm waiting for my vacation. Lack of power or not, the main concern on highways is that bigger vehicles ignore mere existance of us (Altos).
	() Thanks

14th June 2007, 15:29	#32
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	@ravi: Yes it is possible. Yeah they shoudnt have Btw my Dad in Bhopal drives a VXi :( You can imagine how much frust I get after driving his car :P @ad75: Thanks man @Javed: Its very much possible, the key, like ak said, is to leave early because on highways its the towns & villages which slow you down so the early you leave the more time you save in getting out of a city. @akroy: Yes Ac is less felt after 80 but while I can do 100-120 w\o ac with ac its more like 80-100 with same effort. @sideways: Its my honour that you liked it :-) Did you say World tour? am I Interested? Ofcourse I am But not in an Alto @dhar: Thanks. dont worry there is nothing like that, its all upto how you drive, I have made busses & trucks give me way(p.s dont try this at home :P). Btw what distance\route are you planning ? Last edited by Technocrat : 14th June 2007 at 15:35.
	() Thanks

14th June 2007, 16:30	#34
vnabhi Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: DC -> DC Posts: 5,958 Thanked: 2,393 Times View My Garage	Nice write-up and pics, Technocrat. I admire your courage to drive alone.
	() Thanks

14th June 2007, 16:36	#35
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	Good to know, All the best for your trip & let me know if you need any help
	() Thanks

14th June 2007, 19:02	#37
gt_bhp BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 122 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	Great writeup Techno! Reading your's and akroy's posts makes one put all appreshensions behind and hit the long road!
	() Thanks

14th June 2007, 21:15	#38
typeOnegative Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Vikhroli, Mumbai, India Posts: 1,503 Thanked: 27 Times	Nice nice nice. Nice report and nice performance by the little workhorse. BTW, I was in Indore (my Mom's hometown) over the first weekend of June. Luckily the temperature was cooler ... can imagine that drive of yours.
	() Thanks

14th June 2007, 21:50	#39
Aditya Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 17,801 Thanked: 76,766 Times View My Garage	Techno, you're one brave man - so many kms in the little Alto, driving alone. This car seems to be quite a useful tool. My brother bought an LXi a year and six months ago, mainly for driving in the city of Bangalore, but, every time there's a long weekend, he does some long distance touring in it. Supremely reliable, frugal and quite spirited for a 3 pot.
	() Thanks

15th June 2007, 12:23	#40
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	@gt: Thanks man @Typo-ve: Yes its a very good performer for its size. Lucky you we were boiling in Bhopal had faced the worst temp when entered MP :( @Aditya: Thanks Dude. Yeah they say all good things come in small packages :P hey mine is also of similar age, Oct 2005 :-)
	() Thanks

15th June 2007, 13:19	#41
shrivz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pune, MH12 Posts: 604 Thanked: 96 Times View My Garage	Great Report Techno.. *Lets Go!!!!*
	() Thanks