36 replies to this topic

[pusb]

 

 

Have you checked your speedometer against a what speed a satnav says, could be that it is out and you may be doing 55-60 instead of 65?

Each person and their car is different, I do 60mph when with slower minis and 70 when I'm by myself, but I have 1380cc so doesn't quite compare. I sit at 4k revs for hours on motorways and have had no problem.

 

I will check my speedo next time I travel, but is sitting at 4k ok in a 998cc engine? And isn't it really noisy?

 

 

You have to remember the original Mini was designed in the late 1950's when drivers were more tolerant of noise and high revs when cruising at higher speeds and motorways were few and far between.

If you have been brought up in the era of modern cars with 5 or 6 gears and low revs and noise levels when cruising on motorways then driving classic Mini's can come as a bit of a shock......

 

 

Your right with the 5th and 6th gears thing. If you go at 70 mph in a modern car, but keep it in 4th then the noise is very noticeable and tiring.

 

I do think its the lack of a 5th gear, rather than the actual engine that differentiates a mini from a modern car on a motorway.

[pusb]

Hi, today I was driving home from Minifest at Brandshatch, once I had gotten onto the motorway I got up to speed at about 3000 RPM, around 65 mph, and yet other classic minis were just flying past me, I was just wondering what everybody else does in the motorway in classic minis.

 

My mini has a 998cc engine.

 

Think you just need to hold the throttle down for a bit longer!

 

I had my 850cc up to 72mph once, so a 998cc Mini should easily do over 70mph I would've thought.

[1984mini25]

In my standard 998 I tend to sit at 65mph at 3.2k, I could easily do 70mph at 3.5k. But at 65mphg its a nice balance between revs, engine noise, fuel economy etc.

[Macker2]

In my standard 998 I tend to sit at 65mph at 3.2k, I could easily do 70mph at 3.5k. But at 65mphg its a nice balance between revs, engine noise, fuel economy etc.

I agree with 1984mini25 I have a mk1 850 and it will bob along at 65 all day. But I suppose it depends if your engine is just run in or done 200k.

[mini_man_dan]

Have you checked your speedometer against a what speed a satnav says, could be that it is out and you may be doing 55-60 instead of 65?

Each person and their car is different, I do 60mph when with slower minis and 70 when I'm by myself, but I have 1380cc so doesn't quite compare. I sit at 4k revs for hours on motorways and have had no problem.

 
I will check my speedo next time I travel, but is sitting at 4k ok in a 998cc engine? And isn't it really noisy?

I can't see why 4k for prolonged periods would be much of a problem, along as your engine is not knackered. You should keep to 65 mph if that's what you feel comfortable with and forget those shooting past.

My car has no sound deadening, just carpet on the floor so it's loud whatever speed. The noise level just stays the same after sixty, just the tone of the engine changes lol.

Edited by mini_man_dan, 18 July 2016 - 09:19 PM.

[CityEPete]

70 on the M5 yesterday - apart from when encountering all the morons sitting in the middle lane doing 65 in their modern cars, then I had to up the speed up with favourable winds and down hill slope to pass easily (haha kidding) from inside lane to middle to outer and then back again, just why????  Where is the middle lane hog fines when you need them?

 
Middle lane hogger's really annoy me as well on motorways, we also suffer round here with people who sit in the outside lane on dual carriageways doing 50 MPH, ready to turn right at the next roundabout in a mile or two, with no other traffic around. I used to sit waiting for them to pull over, these days I just undertake, which I know is illegal, but they never pull over
 
They make all these new laws, but police numbers are falling & the population increasing

It's perfectly legal 'to pass' on the inside in that instance, it's only 'undertaking' if you move back out in front of the idiot after passing on the left, it's in the highway code and actually swooping out to lane 3 and back to 1 to pass middle lane hoggers is classed as dangerous and uneccassary.

[Gerbil367]

 

 

70 on the M5 yesterday - apart from when encountering all the morons sitting in the middle lane doing 65 in their modern cars, then I had to up the speed up with favourable winds and down hill slope to pass easily (haha kidding) from inside lane to middle to outer and then back again, just why????  Where is the middle lane hog fines when you need them?

 
Middle lane hogger's really annoy me as well on motorways, we also suffer round here with people who sit in the outside lane on dual carriageways doing 50 MPH, ready to turn right at the next roundabout in a mile or two, with no other traffic around. I used to sit waiting for them to pull over, these days I just undertake, which I know is illegal, but they never pull over
 
They make all these new laws, but police numbers are falling & the population increasing

It's perfectly legal 'to pass' on the inside in that instance, it's only 'undertaking' if you move back out in front of the idiot after passing on the left, it's in the highway code and actually swooping out to lane 3 and back to 1 to pass middle lane hoggers is classed as dangerous and uneccassary.

 

No 'swooping' on my part, I don't think I indicated that was how I passed them - I did it in stages keeping an eye on traffic all the time.  The problem with passing inside (and this is why I dont like to) is that most people like these don't check their mirrors and often have a tendency to suddenly decide to change lane to inside with no warning - unless you have a dashcam, proving they were an idiot if there is a collision then becomes difficult - my dashcam is in my daily and I regularly see the 'undertakers' weaving in and out of traffic.

[CityEPete]

Yes you need to be super cautious as you pass, many reasonable drivers don't realise that it's legal to pass on the left so the crap ones have no chance!


We could do with some diving campaign adverts I think, so many drivers won't enter yellow cross hatching when turning right meaning only one car can turn on each cycle of the lights, perfectly acceptable if your exit is clear!

[JBW]

I now have dash cams in all my cars (cheap Ebay ones, but they work OK), other drivers do the most dangerous things, hopefully I'll never have to use them as evidence.

I don't consider myself a good driver, but an experienced one having driven up to 35k miles a year, dosen't mean I know it all, just able to anticipate a bit more.

[JXC Mini GT]

I now have dash cams in all my cars (cheap Ebay ones, but they work OK), other drivers do the most dangerous things, hopefully I'll never have to use them as evidence.

I don't consider myself a good driver, but an experienced one having driven up to 35k miles a year, dosen't mean I know it all, just able to anticipate a bit more.

I consider dash cams essential as there can be no doubt in apportioning blame should an accident occur, I have had only one occurrence when the other driver accused me of going through a red light, luckily I managed to avoid a head on collision, when I showed the other driver the footage he was most apologetic.

 

I would also agree with mini_man_dan that 4k revs on an engine in good condition for prolonged periods should cause no problems.

 

Personally I stick to cruising at 3 to 3.5k revs for long journeys as this means I can still hold a conversation without shouting and can still hear my music.

[tiger99]

Coming back on topic, a City E or HLE which is a high compression 998 with slightly more torque than standard and a 2.95 final drive will happily cruise at 70 all day. A standard 998 with higher final drive is not as happy. However I thrashed both varieties up and down the motorways with no apparent adverse effects.

[Hunter2]

Have done long drives in essentially standard 998 with 3.44, 1380 with 2.95 and 1098 with 3.65.

998 would sit comfortably on 60 mph at 3,600 rpm with 3.44:1 but begin to use a bit of oil rushing around at over 4,000 rpm. Incidentally the engine was built in July 1979 and the bottom end has never been torn down.

1380 with 2.95:1 would cruise at 70 mph with trailer in tow (uphill/down dale) and got slightly better fuel mileage than the 998 with 3.44 over a 7,500 mile trip all miles all driving (40.4 mpg/39.6 mpg).

The 1098 with 3.65:1 will roll comfortably at 63-64 mph (happy spot) but begins to use a little oil when revs get pushed upwards of 4 - 4,500 rpm. On the trip around Australia the engine used almost no oil...like about a pint...really! On the cross Canada/USA return trip in 2014, the 1098 only used oil in Michigan when we were in bumper to bumper, door handle to door handle freeway traffic moving over 70 mph. The speed dictated by the sheer volume of traffic.

[Shep76S]

75-80 on the speedo.

[Klevdo2202]

I think from memory a 3.44 diff at 70mph is 4000rpm

 

A 3.1 diff is 70mph at 3500rpm

 

Their the only two ratios I've tried. 

[Hunter2]

I bought a Garmin GPS unit and installed it in the OZ Van on getting there. Only problem, while I knew my exact speed the tachometer bobbed about erratically.

Knowing your speed in Australia can be very important as FINES are steep for offences...in my case $464 for being 20 km (12 mph) over the posted speed. Happened on a country road I had never driven on before or afterwards. Simply came around a corner with some brush blocking the view onto a speed sign...with nothing on the other side - roads, buildings, development of any kind. Lifted the throttle. big mistake I should have stabbed the brakes. Couldn't not pay the fine since the Van was still in my cousin's name and she was a senior member of the Queensland State Police.

Oh well....