Lake District

[jimbo4861]

Hi

I have just returned from the Lake District (not in my bus!!) and I was wondering has any one took their buses up the Hard Knott Pass, or the Kirkstone, Wrynose etc my car even struggled on most of these and its a new Astra, I took a old Mark 4 Cortina up the Hard Knott about 25 years ago, but wondered if an old VW standard twin or single port powered? has made it.

Jimbo

 

[marco]

I managed no problem in my T4 with 6 people and all our camping gear, not sure I'd want to in an old bus though, especially with drums all round :shock:

 

[minty]

I go over kirkstone pass, via 'the struggle, quite a lot in my bus, also honister pass, it'll get up them no problems just take your time and whatever you do don't stop.. It's the going down bit you have to be careful of!!

 

[Tofufi]

I've taken my van over the Pyrenees. Twice. In the middle of summer. With 4 adults and their luggage.

At times, it was 30+ degrees C when we were travelling up steep hills going more than a mile above sea level.

A stock camper will go up almost any hill, just not necessarily quickly.

As above, try not to ride the brakes on the way down.

Despite using the gears to control my speed, I managed to cook my brakes going down one of the mountain passes. I managed to boil the brake fluid, resulting in no brakes. I'd expect the brakes to get hot far faster on a van with drum brakes...

 

[bananacustard]

I've driven a morris minor over Hard Knott pass years ago. Going up was no problem, just choose a low enough gear and plod steadily up (ignoring the queue in your mirror). Coming down was the problem with drum brakes all round, they were virtually non existent by the bottom :shock: .

 

[Clem]

I 'conquered' Mont Blanc last month, coming down was orrible!

Locally we have a 25% climb which about the same as Honister, it's tough but comfortably doable

 

[Ryanmck1984]

I went up and over kirkstone pass a few weeks ago. Cue us going 15mph, 2nd gear and a line of traffic behind us! :lol: :lol:

I gave the poor gal a rest when we got to the top.

 

[busdiver]

we did countisbury hill out of lynmouth last year up and down its a 25% gradient 1000feet over a mile and a half, cracking views mind you over the brizzol channel to wales, was a surprise because we had pootled through the village from the south turned over the bridge admiring the sea and WTF! there it is in front of you no run up 2 gear all the way, coming down choose a lowww gear and pray we have discs up front and it was nerve racking but ok

 

[Alex VW Heritage]

last time i did kirkstone was when i had the 1776cc and overtook several thing on the way up much to most people's amasement, I love the element of surprise :lol:

 

[marco]

last time i did kirkstone was when i had the 1776cc and overtook several thing on the way up much to most people's amasement, I love the element of surprise :lol:

Love it, got my T4 airborne coming down kirkstone once, probably what broke my eibach springs :mrgreen:

 

[Andy's van]

Been over heartside pass going to the lakes, pulled the anti rattle pin through the backing plate
on one of my rear drums, must have been on its way out anyway

Warped the front disks on an old mk3 golf i had going over honister pass

I now nurse the van and avoid huge hills

 

[Trikky2]

Did hardknott many years ago in the dormy when it was stock. No problems at all.
Tried to go up the tank testing ramp at Aldershot which was about 50 degrees. It stopped about half way up with wheel spin, slow wheel spin. :lol: First gear on a stock 1600 is very low.

Ps. Went back a few weeks later with a 1500 Beetle and it cleared it.

 

[gvee]

So what's the procedure when faced with such a downhill?

Sticking in a low gear is pretty obvious but that can only do so much on some of the steep'uns!

 

[busdiver]

i have found with the older engines staying in a low gear actually holds your decent speed, if you try that in a modern car the speed of the car easily overrides the gearing/engine resistance, my dad was taught to drive in the army (1950's) and was always told to use the engine and gear box to scrub speed brakes where for stopping, but engine breaking on modern car does'nt work as well.

 

[Tofufi]

i have found with the older engines staying in a low gear actually holds your decent speed, if you try that in a modern car the speed of the car easily overrides the gearing/engine resistance, my dad was taught to drive in the army (1950's) and was always told to use the engine and gear box to scrub speed brakes where for stopping, but engine breaking on modern car does'nt work as well.

Most cars with fuel injection (pretty much all modern ones) will cut the fuel supply completely when you take your foot off the throttle in-gear. This saves fuel, and significantly reduces the level of engine braking.

 

[Ryanmck1984]

The infamous Kirkstone pass...and yes that is some one cycling up it :lol:

 

[marco]

That's the easy way up , I've cycled up from Ambleside once :shock:

 

[aogrady]

we did countisbury hill out of lynmouth last year up and down its a 25% gradient 1000feet over a mile and a half, cracking views mind you over the brizzol channel to wales, was a surprise because we had pootled through the village from the south turned over the bridge admiring the sea and WTF! there it is in front of you no run up 2 gear all the way, coming down choose a lowww gear and pray we have discs up front and it was nerve racking but ok

That's local to me, it is a stunning view thats for sure, I regulary do Porlock and Countisbury if we are off around the moors, but i do it all in first gear, up and down, very controlably, but very slow.....folk can go past if they want, I aint rushing!





Cheers!

Alistair

 

[jimbo4861]

Thanks Guys

just wondered, I will have to have a go at some steep hills sometime looks like 1st gear then and a crawl, steepest I have managed so far is Symonds Yat view point, met another Bay halfway up.

jimbo