Driving an Ultima at this time of the , what's the problem?
Discussion
Many have said that it is no fun to drive our type of cars at this time of year (I know the weather is very mild) but like the proverbial kid with a new toy, I was out in the GTW most of the day yesterday, mostly visiting pals to prove that after all this time the car does actually exist. I was aware that the car was likely to attract attention but people taking photographs! A mother and her small boy accosting me at the filling station and asking questions that I would not have expected a hardened PH
to have come up with and then waiting to watch me drive off! Talk about pressure......don't stall, don't stall, don't over rev, slip the clutch a little, don't wheel spin......my nerves, MY NERVES,......and all I wanted was some bloody fuel!
Anyway, as I was saying, the car behaved impeccably well. Yes it did slip and slide and the back end was particularly lively but after the initial 'Ut-all, the back end has broken away, wonder what will happen' moment had been and gone, it was easy to control and very predictable when it happened again.
I took my 83 year old Grandmother out for a blast followed by my Mum. My Dad said he would come out when it wasn't dark and was waffling on about the time when I took him out for a blast on my GSX1400 and we did 90 in a 30. Balderdash, I would not dream of being so irresponsible, NO, REALLY.(In the GTW by the way, not on the bike!)
I did enter a roundabout a little quicker than intended and locked the front offside wheel whilst getting a bit closer than I would have liked to a van, but it was no real problem.
All in all, a bloody good crack, but there are a few teething problems that need to be sorted now. Nothing major and most within my capabilities.
Don't get me wrong, I do respect the car and am aware of it's potential to cause a problem if I choose to be a little over zealous at this early stage of the game but it is by no means the uncontrollable beast that I had been prepared to try and man handle into submission at inception. Verdict; Well pleased (so far)
Edited by GTWayne on Wednesday 27th December 08:43
Hi Wayne, Glad your having fun with the GTW. I'm very jealous as the ProCharged CanAm is still a few weeks away from being back on the road. I've only a few small jobs left to do then it's off to the local rolling road to do some more mapping. I'll be driving mine through the winter months.
Regards Dave
"The video is on it's way but a few minor problems have hindered us so far."
The lack of a video camera?
“I took my 83 year old Grandmother out for a blast”
Ha ha Top man, what did she think? did she get in and out on her own?
“the ProCharged CanAm is still a few weeks away from being back on the road”
Been following your web site Dave, it all looks very nice.
Wayne’s car done Dave’s soon, I’m going to have no trouble get a lift down to Le Manns next year at this rate
The lack of a video camera?
“I took my 83 year old Grandmother out for a blast”
Ha ha Top man, what did she think? did she get in and out on her own?
“the ProCharged CanAm is still a few weeks away from being back on the road”
Been following your web site Dave, it all looks very nice.
Wayne’s car done Dave’s soon, I’m going to have no trouble get a lift down to Le Manns next year at this rate
Pilot Pete said:
"The video is on it's way but a few minor problems have hindered us so far."
The lack of a video camera?
“I took my 83 year old Grandmother out for a blast”
Ha ha Top man, what did she think? did she get in and out on her own?
“the ProCharged CanAm is still a few weeks away from being back on the road”
Been following your web site Dave, it all looks very nice.
Wayne’s car done Dave’s soon, I’m going to have no trouble get a lift down to Le Manns next year at this rate
The lack of a video camera?
“I took my 83 year old Grandmother out for a blast”
Ha ha Top man, what did she think? did she get in and out on her own?
“the ProCharged CanAm is still a few weeks away from being back on the road”
Been following your web site Dave, it all looks very nice.
Wayne’s car done Dave’s soon, I’m going to have no trouble get a lift down to Le Manns next year at this rate
Erm.... ---------->
Glad you're enjoying the car Wayne. I could'nt keep out of mine for ages! That's why I did over 5,000 miles in the first year.
My problem on driving this time of year is not pulling away at junctions or braking or even going round corners. It's overtaking other cars on single carrigeways that causes me concern, simply because my instinct on pulling out is to floor it, so I can get by before anything comes the other way. NOT recommended when the roads are cold and damp.....
gtr-gaz said:
....my instinct on pulling out is to floor it....
Watcha Gaz.
Not really done to much of that just yet but I have already experienced wheel spin under full acceleration in fourth gear at over 100 so will have to watch that type of situation for sure. I should think that type of result coupled with a direction change whilst overtaking is just asking for calamity.
I dug the snow from my road so that I could take it out one January, the car performed impecably in these conditions and I'd do it again if I still had it.... However the biggest problem with driving this time of year is how quickly things in the engine bay get surface corrosion from the salt/crud thats on our roads in the winter.... its very hard to keep on top of.
andygtt said:
salt/crud
Alright Andy, hope you and yours had a good Christmas.
Funnily enough, I was talking with our friend SSS today and he too mooted the exact same sentiment. I feel you both on this one and am dutifully obliged to abstain from continued winter use due to two very important points:
1/ I hate a dirty car (underneath and especially in and around the engine bay)
2/ I am the original lazy bastard and as a direct result will do (or not do in this case) anything to avoid making extra work for my self particularly in the cleaning department.
andygtt said:
However the biggest problem with driving this time of year is how quickly things in the engine bay get surface corrosion from the salt/crud thats on our roads in the winter.
Why don't they galvenise/zinkplate the chassis at Ultima factory? also I always found it strange to dril so many holes in the tube for the alu panels...they better could make a complete chassis galvenised or even better a complete aluminum chassis...yummie! more and more special carbuilders use this materials, its light too
GTRene
Went out for a drive yesterday as the weather was good (dry and bright but a little cold by way of road and tyres).Still popping round to friends and so on to show them the results so far and much to my satisfaction, everyone has been well impressed. Even took my wife out in it and she seems like she may go in it again (after saying that she would only ever go in it once, just to placate me). I am already getting tired of the interest the car attracts and really have to get used to people gawping at the car no matter where it is.
We were at a friends for dinner last night and I parked the car of road in a close visible from my pals front door. At about 9.30 p.m. I went out to fetch the car across so as to take my pal for a spin ( passenger No: 10 to date) and as I walked across the road a young fella was taking a photo on his camera phone. For a laugh I said "I will have to ask you for a Royalty if you take any snaps". He just looked a little awkward and started to move away. "I am only messing" I said and with that he said, "Can you start it up?". To this I replied "Yeah, if you give me eight quid as that is roughly what it costs to fire him up". With that he shrugged his shoulders and him and his female companion sidled off.
I do hope every encounter is not this dull or else I am going to get bored pretty damn quick.
Point is, I think that owning/driving an Ultima is one thing but the media attention that it draws is something totally different and although all I have spoken to in a similar position have commented on this unexpected but obvious phenomenon, I am coming to realise that dealing with this will be more of challenge than taming the GTW.
We were at a friends for dinner last night and I parked the car of road in a close visible from my pals front door. At about 9.30 p.m. I went out to fetch the car across so as to take my pal for a spin ( passenger No: 10 to date) and as I walked across the road a young fella was taking a photo on his camera phone. For a laugh I said "I will have to ask you for a Royalty if you take any snaps". He just looked a little awkward and started to move away. "I am only messing" I said and with that he said, "Can you start it up?". To this I replied "Yeah, if you give me eight quid as that is roughly what it costs to fire him up". With that he shrugged his shoulders and him and his female companion sidled off.
I do hope every encounter is not this dull or else I am going to get bored pretty damn quick.
Point is, I think that owning/driving an Ultima is one thing but the media attention that it draws is something totally different and although all I have spoken to in a similar position have commented on this unexpected but obvious phenomenon, I am coming to realise that dealing with this will be more of challenge than taming the GTW.
crafty said:
GTWayne said:
......Still popping round to friends and so on to show them the results so far and much to my satisfaction, everyone has been well impressed....
So you'll show all your other mates but not us.... I'm feeling left out ... where's the photos?
Don't be like that Grant, being involved with anything Ultima means being patient (as you well know!), and with regards to the impending photographic evidence, it is on it's way, HONEST!
I would have popped round to see your good self but I don't have the Sat Nav up and running yet and would not have a clue which road leads to Hong Kong from here
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