900 mile road trip throguh Europe? Sensible idea in a 180SX? what would you take?

[Doug]

I'm considering a 900 mile road trip through Europe shortly with wife and son, essentially leaving the UK and going via Bruges, Antwerp, Endhoven, Dusseldorf, Cologne, then south along the Rhine to to Neuwied, then across to the Nurburgring and then home via Ghent and maybe some other places.

Total driving time is approx 16 hours according to Google Maps, total distance around 900 miles

I'm looking at taking my 180SX Type X. She is a 1997 completely stock engine wise apart from Kakimoto cat back, and I have some wheels and coilovers. Mileage is around 59,000 miles.

I'm fairly cofident she will make it without any bother, she did Japfest and back without fault and that was 200 miles for me.

What spares would you suggest I take with me? I'm thinking a basic toolkit (sockets, spanners, wheel brace, screwdrivers, pliers, duct tape, cable ties) and probably some tire weld in addition to the spare, a tyre inflator, a jack, and a big 5 litre tub of water and some oil for top ups.

Has anyone else done this sort of distance in their car and what problems did you encounter? Also anyone reccommend any nice driving roads around the Nurburg area ?

Cheers in advance

Doug

[AdamRPS13]

Mate i find your 900 miles rather amusing. I plan to do 3.5k miles in 1 week in europe in august in my 180! I also did 460 miles in 1 day when i bought the 180 last year, i bought it in belfast and drove it to the ferry port, and from scotland back to oxford, all in 8 hours with 1 fuel stop!

Basic tool kit, some spare hoses, jubilee clips, coolant, oil, fuses and the basic euro legal bits.

[zeppelin101]

No reason it won't do it... Probably depends on how it has behaved recently. For example, I don't trust mine to go 100 miles in one journey without having a ton of drama at the moment

[AdamRPS13]

No reason it won't do it... Probably depends on how it has behaved recently. For example, I don't trust mine to go 100 miles in one journey without having a ton of drama at the moment

I managed 10 miles on sunday, that's the furthest its gone since december!

[Doug]

Mate i find your 900 miles rather amusing. I plan to do 3.5k miles in 1 week in europe in august in my 180! I also did 460 miles in 1 day when i bought the 180 last year, i bought it in belfast and drove it to the ferry port, and from scotland back to oxford, all in 8 hours with 1 fuel stop!

Basic tool kit, some spare hoses, jubilee clips, coolant, oil, fuses and the basic euro legal bits.

Yeah I thought this might be the general consensus! Thing is I'm not used to having a reliable 200SX/Silvia/180SX as my past three have been pretty modified and of of course the candle that burns twice as bright last half the time! I have no reason to expect my 180 to give me any problems as she is standard engine wise and not giving me any troubles at all. Adam how are you going to do 3.5k in a week?!?! That's 500 miles a day, almost 9 hours solid driving a day. Your ar5e will be like a race jockey's.

[silverzx]

My biggest concern would be the welded, I assume your running an LSD though so as said, usual bits, oil, coolant, hoses, good socket/spanner set, blankets for if you break down, some breakdown cover.

[AdamRPS13]

Yeah I thought this might be the general consensus! Thing is I'm not used to having a reliable 200SX/Silvia/180SX as my past three have been pretty modified and of of course the candle that burns twice as bright last half the time! I have no reason to expect my 180 to give me any problems as she is standard engine wise and not giving me any troubles at all. Adam how are you going to do 3.5k in a week?!?! That's 500 miles a day, almost 9 hours solid driving a day. Your ar5e will be like a race jockey's.

My route is 3486 miles too and from my driveway, and its actually across 8 days not 7, most of it is solid motorway and me and my mates are doing the top gear roads in switzerland and just over the boarder into italy, visiting war memorials in france and visiting spa circuit, black forest in germany, luxembourg in the process of getting to switzerland!

[Gerry]

Doug if you can fit in Trier its a must,oldest town in gremany with a lot of roman history and ruins and great wine, travel along the Mosel to Bernkastel, Piesporter , Cochem lovley old towns .

[Doug]

Adam your route sounds epic mate.

Gerry thank you Trier has been added to the list!

Route now looks like this, going clockwise

[piman2k]

All joking aside that will be one boring drive, a lot of those main roads are dull. The roads around the ring I hear good things about.

No reason your car won't do it. Has it broken down in the last 900 miles?

[Doug]

All joking aside that will be one boring drive, a lot of those main roads are dull. The roads around the ring I hear good things about.

No reason your car won't do it. Has it broken down in the last 900 miles?

Yes I completely agree with you, that's kind of the whole point. I'm not going for a driving holiday blast as I'll be with my wife and young son. I'm going for the main stop offs along the way, and taking the most direct fatest route to hop between points. The only scenic part will be from Koln to Neuweid along the Rhein river.

[Chavbo]

If my old turd made it to the Ring and back via Dover and Spa, you shouldn't have a problem Roughly 1800 miles, I did have to buy another 5l tub of oil in Germany as it was leaking/burning more oil than it was using fuel...

I can't remember any specifically, but there are some nice driving roads around the Ring. They're all so nicely surfaced too, mostly.

Can't go wrong with the above, and plenty of zipties/gaffer tape. As long as you can reattach things to other things, you'll be laughing.

[Sibbers]

You'll be fine Doug. If the thermostats goes, fix it with chewing gum. I've seen you do that in about 15 minutes at a petrol station before now. Aside from anything it has an sr20 and it's a minter. I went to Wales in my s15 and plan to drive round Europe in a month or so. Long journeys are fine, it's the modifications that usually lead to despair and I suspect your over the 'make it fit' approaches of old when 20 pound notes were fewer and farther between.

It'll be fun even on boring roads, they're comfy cars with loads of room. Maybe not in the back.

[dorkidori_s13]

Doug, Ive been trying to get a hold of you regarding your bandoh spats for sale. Please check your PMs or your email address listed under your profile for your MSN account.

[Doug]

Well i made it there and back without fault. Did 1100 miles in the end. Took the car for a lap round the ring first thing Friday morning when it opened at 8am.

So different to doing it on a computer game. Anyone thinking about making the trip, DO IT!

Few snaps i took

[AdamRPS13]

Awesome mate car looks great too

[CMR]

Awesome, I will get there one day

[dorkidori_s13]

super jealous over here! running my S13 around the nurburgring would be like a dream come true! unfortunately, its on the other side of the world from me, literally!

now... about those spats Mr Doug! I kinda need a paypal address for you heh

[Sibbers]

Incredible pics, lovely motor and damn you did a lap on the ring! Was it super bumpy? Scary? Worried about crazies overtaking? What an awesome thing to do, nice one matey!

[fullmetalgasket]

The ring is as smooth as a smooth thing Sibbers (Apart from the bridge at Adenau - unless it's been re-surfaced again) it's in Germany remember

I missed this thread first time, any looked after S body would be fine on this trip for in case any other people are considering it - In the last 8 years my 180 has done The Alps (France & Italy), plus 4 trips to the 'Ring with 8 laps per trip and plenty of day trips around the local area, and I'm currently considering a Spa trackday later this year.
The only problem I've had in however many 1000's of miles that is was when I blew up the Aircon by turning it on at the top of the Small St. Bernard pass between France and Italy. 20 year old pipes, radiators and compressors didn't like how thin the air was at 2000+ meters and promply blew up
All the fittings are different to a UK 13 so it's still broken to this day