[deepakhon]

16 average when you were doing pretty good speeds and that too with AC on for most of the time is pretty impressive!!

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

hey ...thats great .....16+ FE is awesome.....but how come u had no fuel ?????hehehhe.....where is the excel sheet????

Here is the excel sheet link

http://rapidshare.de/files/9523159/M..._2005.xls.html

I somehow remembered from last trip that petrol bunk was in middle of expressway whereas my wife remembered it correctly it was located at end of expressway...and I had a very little margin for error :(

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Wow man! you simple rock
So whats the route you will recommend to someone doing a delhi bombay

Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur.... etc.,
Do include the places where there is chance to miss out expressways and all.

I would recommend bypassing Ajmer, kankroli, Nathdwara and instead diverting for NH-76 towards Bhilwara immediately after Kishangarh exit. This route (NH-76) to Udaipur is slighthly longer but good 6 laned expressway makes sense.

Watch out for expressway signal while entering Chittorgarh, better instead stop and ask atleast 2 cabbies.

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by deepakhon

Rishi,

You have done it again. I really admire your enthusiasm to travel places. It also helps that your kids enjoy long drives too. But please no 180 kph with your kids inside.....

Cheers,

I promise no repeat of 180 with family...actually sealed expressway and zero traffic were really tempting but this is no excuse, I shall wait for my europe visit next year to drive once again on Autobahns.

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

Hey Rishi how did the car feel @180kph? What was the missus doing at that time? Last year while I was driving to South in my S10, near Karwar, I was edging past 140 and all hell broke loose. Your wife is pretty tolerant. Still... do let us know how the car felt at that speed.

The car was rock steady and since there were slight curves too on expressway, still i felt very confident. Even at that speed the handling was just perfect. I guess my H rated NCT-5 play a major role in this. Also Sedan (Petra) is much more stable at high speed than Saloon (Palio). I have a Palio GTX also with custom gear ratios so I have compared this aspect. In GTX, after 140 you start shying away.

Well the RPM was still 5200 and I was not even near the red line on techo...so I guess the top speed for GTX would easily exceed 200...I just now felt right pushing it beyond 180.

please also note that I mostly maintained 90-100 KMPH on empty roads and this 180 was one off. I took a calculated risk as this stretch was known to me and the road was sealed till 10-12 feet height on both sides. And do not forget suitable tyres...never attempt it with stock tyres (tubed).

[Floyd de Souza]

Rishi...I meant my wife went bonkers after 140..not the car...it was rock steady except for some steering wheel vibration which was probably due to me hitting a kerb in Mumbai. I should have got the wheels balanced and aligned before the trip. Anyway it is really reassuring to get that safe feeling even at 180..I doubt you will get the same feeling with a Jap/Korean car. What tyre size are you using?

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

Rishi...I meant my wife went bonkers after 140..not the car...it was rock steady except for some steering wheel vibration which was probably due to me hitting a kerb in Mumbai. I should have got the wheels balanced and aligned before the trip. Anyway it is really reassuring to get that safe feeling even at 180..I doubt you will get the same feeling with a Jap/Korean car. What tyre size are you using?

I am using 185/65 R-14, Goodyear NCT-5

[sreenivass]

Rishi,

I own a Petra petrol silver color , purchased in Dec 2004. I did up to 140 KMPH on trips to my home town on factory fitted 175/65R14 tires with alloys. Its amazing it never felt like 140 KMPH. If I remember correctly the RPM was below 4000, more like 3500. I am sure it could do a lot more even on 175/65R14s. Ofcourse 140 KMPH was not sustained speed, because I could not get long straight stretch of roads. I could sustain 100+ up to 120 for quite a few minutes before I see a buffalo or two crossing half a KM down the road.

The only complaint I may have is probably improvement in braking. I felt the braking distance could be better. Petra FE quickly gets affected by bad traffic because of its weight.

Regds

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor

No overheating at all. Even at 5200RPM at 180KMPH, the temp gauge was well below half mark. I used AC most of the times. I prefer to drive with windows closed on highways so use AC to optimize climate inside.