Discussion
Hi All
Looking for some wisdom from the (specialised) masses.
This summer I'll be taking the Caterham across The Channel and driving all they way down to the South of France. I'm going on the B roads to more or less Aix en Provence. I've got a month off work.
I have a K series 1.6, ex Academy, 6 speed. It has Yoko A048s.
Some questions
I don't have a roof or doors yet - of the two which is the most crucial or do I need both?
Are the tyres OK?
Should I stick a spare wheel on the back?
I have a feeling the that it will get insanely hot inside the car as I can feel it's warm even now. Any hints here?
What sat nav should I get for the French cameras?
Are there any peculiarities about the car set up for France (e.g., headlight realignment, etc)?
If I were to take a toolkit, what should be in it? Is there any point?
I'm with the AA for European and breakdown cover - any experience with this lot? Do I need anything more than this?
My insurer (REIS) covers me for 6 weeks in Europe - is there any way to increase this (REIS won't)?
Any other tips for long journeys - I'm looking to do the 800 miles over 2 or 3 days.
Any other pointers that anyone has would be great!
Cheers
Will
Looking for some wisdom from the (specialised) masses.
This summer I'll be taking the Caterham across The Channel and driving all they way down to the South of France. I'm going on the B roads to more or less Aix en Provence. I've got a month off work.
I have a K series 1.6, ex Academy, 6 speed. It has Yoko A048s.
Some questions
I don't have a roof or doors yet - of the two which is the most crucial or do I need both?
Are the tyres OK?
Should I stick a spare wheel on the back?
I have a feeling the that it will get insanely hot inside the car as I can feel it's warm even now. Any hints here?
What sat nav should I get for the French cameras?
Are there any peculiarities about the car set up for France (e.g., headlight realignment, etc)?
If I were to take a toolkit, what should be in it? Is there any point?
I'm with the AA for European and breakdown cover - any experience with this lot? Do I need anything more than this?
My insurer (REIS) covers me for 6 weeks in Europe - is there any way to increase this (REIS won't)?
Any other tips for long journeys - I'm looking to do the 800 miles over 2 or 3 days.
Any other pointers that anyone has would be great!
Cheers
Will
You don't "need" doors and a roof but both will make life more pleasant. Doors first as these will provide protection from a bit more than just rain. There are lots of cow pats and road kill on alpine road and bottles of piss on the péage and the front cycle wings are very short at times like these.
Roof....people will prattle on about half hoods. Get one if you like, then you too can kid yourself you're still dry as wave after wave of rain, spray and misery gets sucked in the open back of the car. What you'll then do is supplement your half hood with a draught excluder, in which case you might as well get a full hood at the outset.
Anyone who says a full hood is too fiddley and doesn't fit has a short attention span or a badly fitting hood or, usually, both.
Tools.....belong in the garage. A decent Leatherman, a handful of spanners, small socket set, bodge tape, tie-wraps, WD40, spare fuses and bulbs....that's about all you'll need. Maybe a spare set of clutch and throttle cables. You've got AA cover - use it. Oh yeah, AA cover....pretty good but expensive. I've used them in anger once and it was superb. One phone call and a recovery truck showed up, took my to Calais where I had a cabin to myself, a meal voucher for the ferry, and even got a call to the bridge (
) to take a sat phone call to tell me the (UK) AA were waiting at Dover for me.
That said, ADAC is the way forward, as is a TelePeage transponder thingy to avoid queuing at toll booths which are on the wrong side of the car.
Drink lots. Cooling airflow over the car will screen how dehydrated you are, which will in turn make you very, very tired if you're not careful.
Can't really comment on SatNavs, but in terms of other modifications I've never bothered. The French always seem to busy drinking red wine, shrugging their shoulders and watching pretty girls go by to worry about Les Rosbifs avec les petite Voitures drôle.
Roof....people will prattle on about half hoods. Get one if you like, then you too can kid yourself you're still dry as wave after wave of rain, spray and misery gets sucked in the open back of the car. What you'll then do is supplement your half hood with a draught excluder, in which case you might as well get a full hood at the outset.
Anyone who says a full hood is too fiddley and doesn't fit has a short attention span or a badly fitting hood or, usually, both.
Tools.....belong in the garage. A decent Leatherman, a handful of spanners, small socket set, bodge tape, tie-wraps, WD40, spare fuses and bulbs....that's about all you'll need. Maybe a spare set of clutch and throttle cables. You've got AA cover - use it. Oh yeah, AA cover....pretty good but expensive. I've used them in anger once and it was superb. One phone call and a recovery truck showed up, took my to Calais where I had a cabin to myself, a meal voucher for the ferry, and even got a call to the bridge (
) to take a sat phone call to tell me the (UK) AA were waiting at Dover for me.That said, ADAC is the way forward, as is a TelePeage transponder thingy to avoid queuing at toll booths which are on the wrong side of the car.
Drink lots. Cooling airflow over the car will screen how dehydrated you are, which will in turn make you very, very tired if you're not careful.
Can't really comment on SatNavs, but in terms of other modifications I've never bothered. The French always seem to busy drinking red wine, shrugging their shoulders and watching pretty girls go by to worry about Les Rosbifs avec les petite Voitures drôle.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 4th April 21:42
There are some legal requirements too such as having high visibility vests inside the car. There's plenty of advice on-line.
The advice about decent breakdown cover is spot on.
I keep a smallish bag in the boot with essential tools.
Driving in high temperatures can be hard work. I sometimes prefer using a half-hood as it stops the sun beating down on your head. But then would not want to be without the full hood when it really throws it down. You'll need to drink plenty when it's hot.
I don't like driving distances without doors. If you're not going to user doors there's no point having any sort of roof.
I prefer maps to nav. The journey is just as important as the destination. I like to drive for no m!ore than a couple of hours before a break.
For accommodation I recommend Logos De France.
Best of all be prepared for plenty of positive attention. The French love our little cars.
Enjoy.
The advice about decent breakdown cover is spot on.
I keep a smallish bag in the boot with essential tools.
Driving in high temperatures can be hard work. I sometimes prefer using a half-hood as it stops the sun beating down on your head. But then would not want to be without the full hood when it really throws it down. You'll need to drink plenty when it's hot.
I don't like driving distances without doors. If you're not going to user doors there's no point having any sort of roof.
I prefer maps to nav. The journey is just as important as the destination. I like to drive for no m!ore than a couple of hours before a break.
For accommodation I recommend Logos De France.
Best of all be prepared for plenty of positive attention. The French love our little cars.
Enjoy.
worth checking, but i'm pretty sure that having the camera feature on a sat nav is now illegal in France....certainly they were heading toward that a while back.
as the guys have said: spares for me would be anything that is transportable that can either be fixed roadside by yourself or by a local - in my case clutch + throttle cables and an alternator as mine is a dinky thing that would be hard to source, as well as a fan belt. amalgam tape/duct tape, cable ties.
tools - smallest selection of spanners that are relevant to the car.
spare wheel - no not for me.
weather gear - again not for me, as long as i have a half tonneau covering goodies on the passenger side that's good enough. sidescreens - only you know whether the buffeting is enough of a pain to warrant it?
if you like using sat nav then i'd get one that will allow you to plot the route on the pc ahead of going - that way you get to choose how to go from A-B-C....no idea which Garmins do this, tread carefully with ttom as the brand new ones dont have it ( barring the Rider)...but the older xxl's which are still in stock many places do allow for itinerary planning - up to 48 waypoints.
as the guys have said: spares for me would be anything that is transportable that can either be fixed roadside by yourself or by a local - in my case clutch + throttle cables and an alternator as mine is a dinky thing that would be hard to source, as well as a fan belt. amalgam tape/duct tape, cable ties.
tools - smallest selection of spanners that are relevant to the car.
spare wheel - no not for me.
weather gear - again not for me, as long as i have a half tonneau covering goodies on the passenger side that's good enough. sidescreens - only you know whether the buffeting is enough of a pain to warrant it?
if you like using sat nav then i'd get one that will allow you to plot the route on the pc ahead of going - that way you get to choose how to go from A-B-C....no idea which Garmins do this, tread carefully with ttom as the brand new ones dont have it ( barring the Rider)...but the older xxl's which are still in stock many places do allow for itinerary planning - up to 48 waypoints.
having done the journey before, you need doors Will. The roof is optional. Also ear protection and a hat is mandatory. The rest is just driving. Hi viz vests, bulbs, first aid kit etc. Recovery. Spare tyre? Nah. Never had a puncture in my entire (and lengthy) driving career. Poss take some engine oil.
Just normal stuff!
Bert
Just normal stuff!
Bert
1) Doors then roof. It's miserable being without a roof if you get a heavy shower. Either half or full hood will work fine. Someone more hardcore will be along soon to suggest aero & a helmet though.
2) 48s won't last big mileage. I got about 2k miles before being down to the wear bars. Maybe worth looking into a supplier somewhere on route if you don't want to change beforehand.
3) Can of tyre weld will be fine.
4) Wouldn't worry about it. Tillets will get hot if sat in the sun for a while, maybe best avoid speedos.
5) Recent thread on this in the Sat Nav section. Keep some Euros on you just in case. The Gendarmes drive some pretty obscure unmarked cars & get pretty upset if you overtake them in a spirited manner.
6) Set of those sticky beam diverters on the lights, thats all.
7) ^What they said. Just a few basics & roadside cover.
8) Never had to use them but don't imagine you need any more.
9) No idea about extending European cover but do tell your insurer when you're going, they'll issue a proof of European cover cert thingy. Keep a copy just incase the Gendarmes decide to have a chat.
10) Ipod with a decent set of in ear headphones. Plenty of suncream on your napper.
Enjoy yourself, despite the lack of comforts a Seven is a great car to tour in. Post some pics when you get back.
2) 48s won't last big mileage. I got about 2k miles before being down to the wear bars. Maybe worth looking into a supplier somewhere on route if you don't want to change beforehand.
3) Can of tyre weld will be fine.
4) Wouldn't worry about it. Tillets will get hot if sat in the sun for a while, maybe best avoid speedos.
5) Recent thread on this in the Sat Nav section. Keep some Euros on you just in case. The Gendarmes drive some pretty obscure unmarked cars & get pretty upset if you overtake them in a spirited manner.
6) Set of those sticky beam diverters on the lights, thats all.
7) ^What they said. Just a few basics & roadside cover.
8) Never had to use them but don't imagine you need any more.
9) No idea about extending European cover but do tell your insurer when you're going, they'll issue a proof of European cover cert thingy. Keep a copy just incase the Gendarmes decide to have a chat.
10) Ipod with a decent set of in ear headphones. Plenty of suncream on your napper.
Enjoy yourself, despite the lack of comforts a Seven is a great car to tour in. Post some pics when you get back.
I've been struggeling with the same issues when doing a round trip through france with my HPC.
On that I had the misses with me.
If you have a windscreen, you definitively want doors due to the drag.
If you have doors you don't want doors due to the heat soak from the tunnel.
So for the future I've now converted to aeroscreen and insulated the tunnel.
If it rains, we just go through it or park.
I drove around with a satnav, completely useless because they are unreadable when the sun shines.
I ended up with a Trippy II satnav which I find ideal and a must have for open top driving, actually for anybody touring. It's more a digital roadbook with nav capabilities. (Dakar driver got them too)
If you drive solely B-roads don't worry about speedcamera's they hardly exist on these roads. Be more aware of police with laserequipment. On the other hand I've been living in france and drove a lot, and if you pay a bit of road cleverness you hardly get into trouble. I 6 years I had 1 speeding ticket due to not paying attention.
Speeding tickets for foreigners are €90 regardless if you're 1-29kmh over the limit. +30kmh get's expensive €1300ish a few years ago.
earplugs, sunscreen, no spare wheel just a repairkit (motorcycleshops), Breathelizer, yellow jacket.
On that I had the misses with me.
If you have a windscreen, you definitively want doors due to the drag.
If you have doors you don't want doors due to the heat soak from the tunnel.
So for the future I've now converted to aeroscreen and insulated the tunnel.
If it rains, we just go through it or park.
I drove around with a satnav, completely useless because they are unreadable when the sun shines.
I ended up with a Trippy II satnav which I find ideal and a must have for open top driving, actually for anybody touring. It's more a digital roadbook with nav capabilities. (Dakar driver got them too)
If you drive solely B-roads don't worry about speedcamera's they hardly exist on these roads. Be more aware of police with laserequipment. On the other hand I've been living in france and drove a lot, and if you pay a bit of road cleverness you hardly get into trouble. I 6 years I had 1 speeding ticket due to not paying attention.
Speeding tickets for foreigners are €90 regardless if you're 1-29kmh over the limit. +30kmh get's expensive €1300ish a few years ago.
earplugs, sunscreen, no spare wheel just a repairkit (motorcycleshops), Breathelizer, yellow jacket.
Crossflow Kid said:
Roof....people will prattle on about half hoods. Get one if you like, then you too can kid yourself you're still dry as wave after wave of rain, spray and misery gets sucked in the open back of the car. What you'll then do is supplement your half hood with a draught excluder, in which case you might as well get a full hood at the outset.
OK- I will oblige by prattling on. The half hood can be fitted in seconds- a full hood can't. Th efull hood also makes the car claustrophobic and bloody noisy - but it certainly works very well once you've fitted the bEdited by Crossflow Kid on Friday 4th April 21:42
d thing on. The SBFS excluder on mine is a permanent feature - it detracts not an iota from the driving experience but with HH keeps me dry when it rains . Some folk revel in getting wet - I don't but chacun a son gout innit ? Used to use my daily. The full hood annoyed me one to many times so a half hood was purchased. You do a misting on rain when it rains hard, but I find it somehow refreshing. Keeps you a little cool.
The rain coming down the inside of the windscreen after it's gotten past the felt rain strip is annoying though. Keep a chamois at hand. The side screens can also mist up, it's useful to combat this as well.
I've got carpet on the transmission tunnel. This helps to take the edge off the heat but don't store any chocolate in the footwell.
RainX on the windscreen can help take the edge off for the wipers. Have you intermittent?
France require a few things. A disposable breathalyser, highvis easily accessible prior to exiting the car and a warning triangle. Bulbs also. A Google will enlighten you.
They take a dim view of any warning to speed cameras. Can get expensive. I always take a copy of important docs, ownership of car etc.
Dry bags are useful as can tie to bars. Saves unpacking boot for things. Pack boot items in bin bags or similar to keep dry.
Battery about to run out on phone now so that's it from me!
The rain coming down the inside of the windscreen after it's gotten past the felt rain strip is annoying though. Keep a chamois at hand. The side screens can also mist up, it's useful to combat this as well.
I've got carpet on the transmission tunnel. This helps to take the edge off the heat but don't store any chocolate in the footwell.
RainX on the windscreen can help take the edge off for the wipers. Have you intermittent?
France require a few things. A disposable breathalyser, highvis easily accessible prior to exiting the car and a warning triangle. Bulbs also. A Google will enlighten you.
They take a dim view of any warning to speed cameras. Can get expensive. I always take a copy of important docs, ownership of car etc.
Dry bags are useful as can tie to bars. Saves unpacking boot for things. Pack boot items in bin bags or similar to keep dry.
Battery about to run out on phone now so that's it from me!
Didn't take long for the half hood fans to rise to the bait 
The full hood isn't more claustrophobic than a half hood as it is quite a bit higher.
If it isn't a monsoon, the rain goes over the top while you're driving. If it is really wet, then the full hood works brilliantly. One day I drove from the south coast to Edinburgh in terrible weather with the full hood up and I arrived dry, cosy and with dry luggage. I did wear ear plugs but I use them with the hood down anyway
The full hood isn't more claustrophobic than a half hood as it is quite a bit higher.
If it isn't a monsoon, the rain goes over the top while you're driving. If it is really wet, then the full hood works brilliantly. One day I drove from the south coast to Edinburgh in terrible weather with the full hood up and I arrived dry, cosy and with dry luggage. I did wear ear plugs but I use them with the hood down anyway
downsman said:
Didn't take long for the half hood fans to rise to the bait
The full hood isn't more claustrophobic than a half hood as it is quite a bit higher.
Must admit I don't get the "claustrophobia" thing either.....the open bits of a half hood are out of the driver's field of view.....so how does that makes it any less claustrophobic? Weird.The full hood isn't more claustrophobic than a half hood as it is quite a bit higher.
No more noisy either. My custom ear plugs keep out the noise whether roofed in or not.
I do wonder if the fawning adoration of the half hood has more to do with them being seen as some sort of badge of seniority/experience than actual weather protection.
I've driven over 80,000 miles in my 7, all round the UK plus Alps/Dolomites trips and across the USA, longest day of 745 miles. My top touring tips are:
- Weather gear is good (doors and hood) - they make the long, wet days bearable. A tip for the hood is to unzip the rear window and roll it down.
- Sat Nav - I don't like them. I'd rather use maps and explore more, but that may just be me and my love of maps. Part of touring for me is poring over maps, planning a route, looking for interesting roads and places to visit. Regarding speeding, just don't be silly and you'll be fine.
- Tyres - I go for harder ones that can handle good mileage at the expense of track stickiness.
- Heat - keep hydrated. I hang a camelbak off the back of the seat so always have a cool drink available. A cap is also useful to keep the sun off your head - I came down with heatstroke in Texas after misjudging heat/hydration. With the doors on, undo the lower popper and push your elbow out slightly to get some more airflow.
- Spares - I keep a basic toolkit and socket set behind the seats, all the usual stuff listed above. Can of tyre-weld and a pump. Headlight deflector things (fit them in the Eurotunnel). Remember the hi-vis jacket and anything else mandated by the French.
- Mileage - you'll be tired after long days. Earplugs help a lot, or you can get ear-protector headphones to plug into your phone for music etc. Be conservative about fuel and treat petrol stops as rest too. I find stopping for petrol in France always attracted people who wanted to talk about the car so take longer than in the UK. I was properly exhausted after the 745 mile day (16 hours!) and pretty useless the next day too!
- Luggage - squashy bags are good. I use Ortlieb canoe bags that are waterproof and can be bungeed to the roll bars (at either side so preserving the rear view).
Edited by ewenm on Saturday 5th April 22:14
Crossflow Kid said:
I do wonder if the fawning adoration of the half hood has more to do with them being seen as some sort of badge of seniority/experience than actual weather protection.
Or it just might be some of us like them perhaps? Having lived with full hood for some time I changed to HH and haven't had the full one on since. Don't confuse fawning with liking .If you want to travel with full hood , no hood that's entirely up to you and if you don't like HHs that's fine too. Just a few additions:
If it gets really hot, anything in the car gets shot too - our water was undrinkable when the temp was over 40, so plan for frequent stops.
If you use a SatNav, TYRE (trace your route everywhere) is a program that uses google maps to plan the route and waypoints, then downloads it to a Garmin or TomTom. Just check it will handle waypoints if you get a newer tomtom.
If you use the euro tunnel, ask them to put you on the lower deck - fully laden you will probably ground out at the top of the ramp for the upper deck.
You can get a lot of additional storage using a Softbits' RE bag. This slots on top of the boot and carries a lot extra. It also unclips so you can carry it all to your room easily.
Steve
If it gets really hot, anything in the car gets shot too - our water was undrinkable when the temp was over 40, so plan for frequent stops.
If you use a SatNav, TYRE (trace your route everywhere) is a program that uses google maps to plan the route and waypoints, then downloads it to a Garmin or TomTom. Just check it will handle waypoints if you get a newer tomtom.
If you use the euro tunnel, ask them to put you on the lower deck - fully laden you will probably ground out at the top of the ramp for the upper deck.
You can get a lot of additional storage using a Softbits' RE bag. This slots on top of the boot and carries a lot extra. It also unclips so you can carry it all to your room easily.
Steve
The older style doors have a flap, that you can open fully and hold in place with a bulldog clip. It draws the hot air out from the foot well and keeps you much cooler, while the door retains some protection against buffeting.
This tip was orginally recomended by David Mirrylees, who started the Lotus Seven Owners Club and he travelled a great deal in the hot South of France.
Piers
This tip was orginally recomended by David Mirrylees, who started the Lotus Seven Owners Club and he travelled a great deal in the hot South of France.
Piers
I don't have a roof or doors yet - of the two which is the most crucial or do I need both?
Only you can know, but over 40mph I can't stand driving the car without doors (if I don't have a helmet on). Side screen wind deflectors can help a bit, but to be honest, you ideally want doors in case you hit something and it flings up into the cabin. We hit part of a dead sheep at the end of last summer, and god knows where the "bits" would have gone if we didn't have doors...
Half hood... I was on the full hood side for a long time. I finally made the switch, and the full hood hasn't been out of the bag since. The half hood takes a fraction of the time to fit, stops the steaming up and takes less space to store. We drove 1500 miles around Scotland with it last year, part of it in the pouring rain, and we were fine. My only complaint is if you're going down a B road with lots of little stones at the side, with the half hood they will bounce off the rear arches and into the cabin. But this would happen without the hood anyway. The half hood doesn't keep your boot dry either though, so keep your important things in waterproof bags.
Are the tyres OK?
No idea! We did our tour on CR500 and they were brilliant in all weathers. I've heard negative things about AO48 in standing water, so they wouldn't be my first choice of touring tyre.
Should I stick a spare wheel on the back?
Does your chassis have the attachment? Mine has the centre hole, but not the support for the bottom part, so I don't believe I can fit one. I would just get a new can of tyre weld.
I have a feeling the that it will get insanely hot inside the car as I can feel it's warm even now. Any hints here?
When you're moving it seems ok. Get stuck in traffic and you'll notice it! Just keep well hydrated and you should be ok.
[b]What sat nav should I get for the French cameras?
Are there any peculiarities about the car set up for France (e.g., headlight realignment, etc)?[/b]
Having camera locations could get you in trouble if you're stopped. Get some stick on headlight adapters, a high vis vest, 2x single user breathalysers and some headlight bulbs.
If I were to take a toolkit, what should be in it? Is there any point?
Take the basics. There's no point in taking things if you don't know how to use them, but a few spanners in the common sizes, a screwdriver set (and a short one for taking off the nosecone), duct tape and cable tires!
Any other tips for long journeys - I'm looking to do the 800 miles over 2 or 3 days.
Take plenty of breaks, fuel up when you see a garage and just stay alert!
Only you can know, but over 40mph I can't stand driving the car without doors (if I don't have a helmet on). Side screen wind deflectors can help a bit, but to be honest, you ideally want doors in case you hit something and it flings up into the cabin. We hit part of a dead sheep at the end of last summer, and god knows where the "bits" would have gone if we didn't have doors...
Half hood... I was on the full hood side for a long time. I finally made the switch, and the full hood hasn't been out of the bag since. The half hood takes a fraction of the time to fit, stops the steaming up and takes less space to store. We drove 1500 miles around Scotland with it last year, part of it in the pouring rain, and we were fine. My only complaint is if you're going down a B road with lots of little stones at the side, with the half hood they will bounce off the rear arches and into the cabin. But this would happen without the hood anyway. The half hood doesn't keep your boot dry either though, so keep your important things in waterproof bags.
Are the tyres OK?
No idea! We did our tour on CR500 and they were brilliant in all weathers. I've heard negative things about AO48 in standing water, so they wouldn't be my first choice of touring tyre.
Should I stick a spare wheel on the back?
Does your chassis have the attachment? Mine has the centre hole, but not the support for the bottom part, so I don't believe I can fit one. I would just get a new can of tyre weld.
I have a feeling the that it will get insanely hot inside the car as I can feel it's warm even now. Any hints here?
When you're moving it seems ok. Get stuck in traffic and you'll notice it! Just keep well hydrated and you should be ok.
[b]What sat nav should I get for the French cameras?
Are there any peculiarities about the car set up for France (e.g., headlight realignment, etc)?[/b]
Having camera locations could get you in trouble if you're stopped. Get some stick on headlight adapters, a high vis vest, 2x single user breathalysers and some headlight bulbs.
If I were to take a toolkit, what should be in it? Is there any point?
Take the basics. There's no point in taking things if you don't know how to use them, but a few spanners in the common sizes, a screwdriver set (and a short one for taking off the nosecone), duct tape and cable tires!
Any other tips for long journeys - I'm looking to do the 800 miles over 2 or 3 days.
Take plenty of breaks, fuel up when you see a garage and just stay alert!
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