Long distance drive
 

I will be going on a Christmas getaway next week, which I'll be driving from Brisbane down to Sydney in Australia, distance being approx. 900km, due to activities which I have booked in for the arriving afternoon, I'm hoping to complete the entire trip down without having to make any stops.

My car is a 2011 C220 CDI diesel, would it tolerate 10hrs of stable driving? Tyre is my major concern as I'm worried that it'll be more vulnerable to get a puncture if it is to remain hot from long hour driving, I'm currently running on Conti Sport Contact 3 tyres, which had came with the car since I purchased it in April this year.

It would be great if I can get some advises on such long distance drives :y

Thanks in advance!

Long distance drive
 

Hi,

I did 900 miles (1440 kms) from UK to the South of France this year in my remapped 2.5 year old C220 CDI and it never missed a beat in the whole trip there (and the one back 10 days later).

Last year I did UK to Lake Como and back with the same result. Never a problem. I usually do the stint in one go, although I have also done it in two bites of about 700 kms.

Although its not that hot in the UK, in the South of France and in Italy its usually 28 - 35 deg C and there's the climb over the mountains also. I wouldn't be worried if I were you, as long as the car's been looked after well. Oh by the way, I took a full size spare (the front slightly smaller tyre fits in the spare wheel well with only about 20mm sticking above the edge. Never needed it though) I run the same tyres as you..

No worries mate. 900 kilometers, or 540 miles, is a piece of cake for any car. That's just a grocery run here in Texas. We will be doing the Santa thing next week. Hauling presents to the four grandkids. 1,600 kilometers in a day and a half each way. I used to drive a 1961 VW Beetle in 1,300 mile 26 hour dashes. Cars are tough.

Wayne

where do you get your concern from???

just make sure tires are properly inflated, oil is not low and u have enough diesel......

Gashde,

Tyres are designed with a huge built in safety factor & can take long distance driving without a problem so long as they are correctly aligned, have the correct inflation & are above the wear limits. Think long distance trucks. I always put a couple more pounds pressure in for long highway trips to keep the tyres cooler & for better economy especially if you are loaded more heavily than normal. I run about 35 psi on trips then back off to 32 around town.

The last trip I did from Brisbane to Taree the car computer was reading 4.7 l /100 km at completion. There are a lot of road works so you will find that you are travelling at about 80 km/hr a lot of the time & getting good consumption.

You will travel down without refilling , in fact you could go a lot further . I have done over 1000 km on the 66 litre tank with some to spare .

Take a look at our Geelong to Gosford non stop instrument photo.

For safety reasons you should stop every 2 hours for a break.My wife & I just change drivers every 2 hours & pack a cut lunch & thermos !!

Gashde

You should have no problems. When I picked up my car in Sydney 2 years ago we jumped in and drove straight back to the Sunny Coast with an overnite in Coffs.

We now go down to Sydney and the Sth Coast every year in January and have not had a problem. In fact we leave in 3 weeks via the New England to Canberra.

Just enjoy the car and the trip and do what Carsy advises - don't drive tired!!

Thank you all for the replies, they certainly have put me at ease with my concerns, I suppose safety comes first after all so I've rescheduled my plan to make some stops along the coast line to enjoy the scenery! Very impressed with the numbers Carsy, I await to see how my car perform over this trip as it is my first diesel car!

:)

Update us on your trip when you get back .

Merry Christmas.