Desert road trip in T5

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GregVandenbussche
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Desert road trip in T5

#1 Post by GregVandenbussche »

Hi,

for memorial day we did a 900 miles round trip from SF to Nevada desert, with 110 F in some area the car did quite well...25-30mpg with the DRLA, considering the altitude as well (7500feet compared to pretty much 0 in SF 8) ).
Here are just a few pictures of the car at the Gerlach playa, moonless night gave some pretty incredible sky sights! :P
First long drive with 19mm sway bar, camber regulator and RSR torsion bar bushing, the car is on rails!
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Bt5 Super - used to be fjord green, was painted brass, then brown... sadness

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Ashley Page
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Re: Desert road trip in T5

#2 Post by Ashley Page »

Sounds like a great trip.

Fantastic pictures too!

Olivier Baharian
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Re: Desert road trip in T5

#3 Post by Olivier Baharian »

If your trip is as incredible as your pictures, that must be a great experience!
24h Dubai - January 2015 on Porsche 991 Supercup with MRS team

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Brian R Adams
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Re: Desert road trip in T5

#4 Post by Brian R Adams »

Just think, that's the same playa where the current land speed record (and first supersonic record) was set.

Brian
Welcome to the era of policy-based evidence-making.

Difficile est saturam non scribere (Juvenal)

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GregVandenbussche
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Re: Desert road trip in T5

#5 Post by GregVandenbussche »

i have more pictures, need to get them out of the camera!
The playa surface was surprisingly uneven though, will not be really tempted to do a landspeed record on this surface, the other car (1966 plymouth vaillant) got stuck in the soft muddy floor, we had to digg it out for 1h...
Bt5 Super - used to be fjord green, was painted brass, then brown... sadness

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Brian R Adams
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Re: Desert road trip in T5

#6 Post by Brian R Adams »

GregVandenbussche wrote:The playa surface was surprisingly uneven though, will not be really tempted to do a landspeed record on this surface, the other car (1966 plymouth vaillant) got stuck in the soft muddy floor, we had to digg it out for 1h...
Funny, I almost mentioned it seemed awfully early in the season to be driving on the playa, even after a dry winter. Many a vehicle has been mired so deep there, a specialized (and expensive) local tow service had to be employed, and they have to wait until it dries out enough to attempt it. Just under the dry surface lurks something like axle grease. I once almost got stuck on the adjacent Smoke Creek Desert myself.

Most people are surprised how uneven the surface can be, but it varies. When they make speed record attempts, they have to carefully select the track, and I believe they do some grooming as well. I recall Craig Breedlove's jet car had very large solid alloy wheels with no tires, they looked like locomotive train wheels.

Brian
Welcome to the era of policy-based evidence-making.

Difficile est saturam non scribere (Juvenal)

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