April 2002
I see the powers that be are pleading that we "Don't Drive Tired" on various motorways via overhead signs. Whilst I applaud the sentiment, do the panel feel that this will really make a tired driver pull over in the next services area for a kip?
I also wonder why these signs always seem to have their messages corrupted (certainly the ones on the M27 do anyway) - Is this a national problem or just confined to the south coast?
Phil T Read more
I have recently ordered a new car and when I asked the garage if they could ensure the number plates were plain with only the registration number on, I was told that their name and post code had to on, by law.
Is this correct and if so what is the reason behind it?
DH Read more
Local car spares place 2/3 Halford's price.
It's not often that I see a vehicle I have never heard of before, but at the local petrol station today I spotted a Fiat 128 pickup truck. I got talking to the owner, who told me it was made in South Africa in 1978. Pretty little truck, looked as though it was based on the old 128 Coupe, with a neat drop down tailgate and glassfibre top, also Cromodora style alloy wheels and a lovely raspy exhaust note, just like Fiats used to be before they became boring. The owner had driven it up from South Africa, and was preparing to drive it back again.
Anyone know any more about these? I'm pretty sure they were never sold in the UK. Read more
Many of 'em fitted with the 2.5L V-6 IIRC.
Kevin...
It may not have been the actual guidance system, but they are also fitted with ECM (electronic counter-measures) systems that have a wide bandwidth and are of sufficient power to wreck any low-power device at short range. The old Russian MIG-25's had radar that could kill a rabbit at one kilometre!
Reading Mens Health magazine, I note that a policeman advises that a safe distance between us and the car in front is one foot per mph in a speed limit, (his words) except on national limit roads, when it is one yard per mph.
On motorways he says the distance should be 2 seconds.
"When the car in front passes an overbridge, count 1,001, 1002. If you reach the bridge before you finish counting, you are too close".
At the Cheshire Show many years ago, Cheshire Police Road Safety Unit had a big placard advising on the "two second rule".
I had assumed that it works for all speeds. Any thoughts? Read more
Bikes stop faster because they are lighter (the simple laws of friction coefficients don't apply precisely to tyres). The corollary is that heavier vehicles (e.g. 4x4's and especially lorries) take longer to stop, so the Highway Code is only a guide. I suspect that 4x4's are involved in more accidents, as they also make their drivers feel invulnerable. Not a rant - just an observation.
Interesting accident stats here. Motoring link in first paragraph
www.icircle.com/html/FEELGOOD/General_health/ARTIC...l Read more
It seems from reading the Fifth Gear thread that some people can't receive ch5.
Dont despair as you may be able to receive it via a digital terrestrial decoder.
There will soon be some Free To Air decoders in the shops from Pace etc or try and get hold of an old ITV dig box. Read more
We're still steam driven - i.e. no digital. I recall that I really had to make a great fuss to get adequate service when the station opened (you'll remember that guys had to come and adjust sets). Now I wonder why I bothered, since there's so little worth looking at on that channel.
The front tyres on my Pug 405TD were replaced about 17k ago with Bridgestone 185/70 x14. IIRC
The nearside is down to the markers and the offside is not far behind.
The wear pattern is perfectly even across the tread, no scuffing or flatspots.
Tyre pressures have been maintained.
The car has not been hammered round corners.
Normally I would expect at least 25k from a tyre, are Bridgestones prone to rapid wear? Read more
What type of Michelins were they, Simon? My Xantia HDi 110 shot its fronts in 17k. They were some Michelin Rialto type, with a direction arrow. Ive just re-shod with Energys - I'd be interested to know if these are what yours had.
Ian
How much should I pay for a 2000 x with 19k on clock - silver and six cd changer. Seems good condition and fsh?
Any ideas?
Colin Read more
sorry about that double. Doing a Rita !!!!
:)).Phil.I
Autocar this week features a rarity for this magazine - a good article.
They looked for a car <500 quid that would top 150mph.
This week they found a 25 quid XJS and got 149 out of it.
Fantastic article. It reminded me of the epic motorcycle journeys & tests of the 30's and 50's where bikes we're tested at high speed over long distance and it wasn't a foregone conclusion that is was both safe and achievable.
The only way they could have improved the article would have been if the 149 had been clocked on a public single carriageway 'A' Road. ;-) As road tests of yesteryear were.
Still, you can't have everything! ;-) Read more
Very interesting, Charles. By coincidence, I stumbled across the following comparison between the Lightning and the American F-15 by a pilot who had flown both:
www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/memorie...l
Wonderful thing, the Web!
Browse
.jpg)
After a couple of 'dozing offs' when driving the M1 on business about 15-20 years ago, I've never been slow to pull over and kip in the car. Driving when tired is plain irresponsible.