Thread: The M1 in the rain..WTH- GC to Brisbane

Originally Posted by tombraider

Whats with this obsession with 2.7 tonnes???

Everyone quotes this figure and its WRONG....

Weights (kg)
Total TARE

2345 min

2440 max

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They arent ever heavier than 2440 max....

Unless loaded, but then a D2 or Defender easily get that heavy.

But Tare is calculated with only 5 gallons of fuel and without a driver.

Have 80 litres of fuel a driver and 1 or 2 passengers, a picnic hamper and you are just about spot on 2.7 tonnes on road.

Diana

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

But Tare is calculated with only 5 gallons of fuel and without a driver.

Have 80 litres of fuel a driver and 1 or 2 passengers, a picnic hamper and you are just about spot on 2.7 tonnes on road.

Diana

Discovery Series II TD5

weight: 2225kg (unladen), GVM: 2750kg - 2880kg,

2225 + 80kg (fuel) + 3 persons @ 75kg avg + picnic hamper.... 2550kg....

With Smaller Brakes

Add to that a long range tank, bullbar, winch, roof rack, draw system, dual battery etc... and a D2 is sitting +350kg

Or at 2900kg and then its OVER GVM and hence Illegal....

Add camping gear (150kg), Fridge 30kg, Food/Water, Recovery gear, extra fuel in the long range tank (+70kg) etc... And your well over 3.2t

At least the D3 has brakes to suit and a GVM closer to what we just got to!

So its not so bad really....

Hi Stevo, the M1 is probably one of the safest motorways in Australia.

The entire 8 lane section is concrete and probably one of the most expensive sections of road in Oz.

Concrete is, as pointed out in earlier post in this thread, is used in high traffic density areas and is the most expensive form of road surface.

The problem is that we still try to do it on the cheap, laying it only 8 to 10 inches thick while the Europeans lay it 22 inches thick.

At a 22 inch thickness, it is heaps dearer but lasts much MUCH longer before needing to be replaced.

The advantages of tarring over the concrete, as in most European countries is usually based more on whether conditions than anything else.

Because huge amounts of salt is used during snow seasons, dark tar responds better, with the salt, to melt ice build-up than light coloured concrete does.

Here in Oz, tar is usually only use as a noise deterrent but there are a few places where special forms of hi tech tar surfaces are place to increase safety.

A little trivia, Hitler built the worlds first modern concrete motor ways ( Autobahns ) as a means of creating work during the latter stages of the great depression in the late 1930’s.

Eisenhower actually built the the Interstate Highway system in the USA after seeing how well it worked in Germany during and after W.W.II.

Last but not least, I’m with RobHay on this one, you are actually supposed to drive to road and whether conditions.

If it’s raining so hard you can’t see, SLOW DOWN and if you didn’t and had an accident, I thick you will find that the law will come down on you, not the vehicle in front of you.

The only place I know of where it is actually an offence to slow down in adverse whether conditions is in California, not here in Australia.

Cheers

Heres another bit of useless info.

How many Gold Coasters have noticed how they are doing up the local roads on the west side of the M1 between Mudgeeraba and Nerang.

They actually joined up three separate sections of road at Worongary and are building 4 lanes from Worongary to Mudgeeraba.

All looks good but it’s all being done so this section of LOCAL road can be used as the north bound lanes of the M1 while they carry out upgrading of the M1.

I’m sure as hell glad I don’t have to travel to Brisbane every day because this section of road is going to be an even bigger nightmare than it is now.

Cheers

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Last but not least, I’m with RobHay on this one, you are actually supposed to drive to road and whether conditions.

Yes, indeed, There are no dangerous roads, only dangerous drivers. A famous GP driver said about the Nurburgring, that the track is not dangerous, only the drivers who try to lap it too fast.

Originally Posted by stevo68

G'day All,

Was going to write this up the other day but forgot, and notice I used WTH as opposed to "What the Fred" . Anyhoo, and someone on here might know why, but on the main stretch of highway, predominately the 110k zone, why on earth have they used that...what I can only describe as some sort of pale/concrete material as opposed to tar. Now the reason that I ask is that the other day and today, spent much of the trip, hands firmly gripped on the steering wheel and keeping a good distance from cars in front. Why? Well for those unfamiliar, in the teeming rain, you cannot see an F'ing thing. You may as well be driving blindfolded, the visibility is that bad.

Then, same rain, you hit a tar section and you can see quite clearly. I'm surprised there isn't more accidents. And whilst I am at it, frikin QLD drivers as soon as they hit the rain, jam on the breaks, great fun at 110k's an hr. The other day I thought there must have been an accident...but noooooo, it was a section of highway getting a bit of a downpour. Last not least are the moron's who do not turn on their lights in those conditions, one today almost had a black D3 up the jatzy......no lights on, like roger me silly . Ahhhh feel much better now, though would be interested in why they would use that sort of material when it is quite clearly hazardous in that type of weather,

Regards

Stevo

Quote: "frikin QLD drivers as soon as they hit the rain, jam on the breaks, great fun at 110k's an hr."
That's OK, in Sydney they speed up when it rains and becomes dangerous, Regards Frank.

Ok, firstly for the fuddy duddies , and I do get your point, though perhaps need to read my initial post a little more carefully, albeit I could have been clearer. Yes I do slow down, I do drive to the conditions, even then it is bloody perilous. If you noted, I did say that I kept a good distance from the vehicle in front, so if I needed to brake suddenly, I had a good distance to do so.

Secondly in relation to braking at 110km an hr, again should have clarified...one can be driving along, doesn't matter whether visibility is clear or not, might not even be raining on the stretch you are on...but generally you can see rain ahead, up here they literally hit the anchors. I've never come across that before anywhere else I have driven.

Lastly, I do not dispute whether it is a great stretch of highway.....in the dry. In the wet it is a terrible stretch of highway and hence the point of the thread. Same weather on tarred sections...not a problem, visibility is fine. Same weather on the concrete section whether doing 110 or 60kms and hr, visibility is shocking. Was interested to know why and have learnt a lot, so thanks to all for that,

Regards

Stevo

That concrete is very noisy - nearby residents have been complaining about it for ages.