Driving through France to Italy...

General General Lotus Talk
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Hi guys,Thank goodness that the site is alive again!I am currently in Greta Yarmouth (work) and are going to be driving down to France and Italy this weekend. Final destination: Parma.On my way here I had the first taste of problems: the alternator band shredded [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/frown.gif[/image] , so call the AA, get towed and change it for not the proper one, but it did the trick). Now I have found the proper belt but need to find a good mechanic to change it.But going back to the original question:any tips and reccomended routes while driving through France? would be very bored to use the motorways constantly, and I have no radar/camera detector. Still, would like to get there as quick as I can.There must be some legendary twisty roads that I just cannot miss, right? [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]Any reccomendations?Cheers,Uldis

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We did this a few weeks ago (in the Scoob mind).Take the N504 West of Chambery. Great road. Also don’t use the Freijus tunnel, go over the mountains instead, doesn’t take much longer.N504 was great though, it winds, but it isn’t slow. Perfect smooth surface, like a racetrack.

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It’s a good job that you haven’t got a radar detector. If the French militia/junta see one in your car they’ll confiscate it and march you to the nearest cashpoint and fleece you big-style.Have a good run.Cheers, Tim

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UldisDon’t forget to drive on the right hand side of the road [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]Seriously though, I hope you have a great, trouble free trip [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]

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Thanks guys,This afternoon I head off to Kent to see about the installation of a Powerspeed exhaust (not designed yet so have to take maeasures, etc). Let’s see if I can get it.Then Sunday drive through France.Thanks for the tips guys,Uldis

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Community,Just came back from the (long?) drive through France and Italy.For the benefit of those planning a similar trip (allow me, I know that most of you have done it but…):-did the N504 west of Chambery. The road is great, but the ride was not so much. It was raining all the time and there were lots of slow traffic. Wet leaves as well while overtaking so it was very slippery [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/shocked.gif[/image] . Then a tunnel was closed so there was a very slow deviation. Have to try it some other time.-took the Frejus tunnel (wanted to know what it was about) and regret it. Think I got a picture taken there, there’s no indication ion the speed limit until after you pass a camera, then it says it should be 70 km/hr! I was going 80 and got flashed.-in France and Italy the car was always an attraction. Everybody looked at it and was more vocal than here!-apart from the broken alternator belt going to Gt Yarmouth, it behaved beautifully, no problems at all.-Optimax fuel is called Shell Super Plus 98 in France and Shell V-power in Italy. It is readily available in France, but not in the Autostrada in Italy, only in towns (something about not owning the rights to the Autostrada, more Agip than anything else)-the Agip fuel made the car lose power big time (and pink)-no problems whatsoever driving on the right or the left, didn’t get into any kind of dangerous situation.-average driving speeds in France (Motorway) was 90mph, in Italy it was 100mph. The fast guys in Italy were 110-120mph. Funny, I overtook (gently) a police car that was already going above the speed limit. It seems the limit in the Autostrada is a joke, but is very well respected in the secondary roads.-the Exige did 135mph maximum on its own (not downhill and wind in the tail). It is still the standard engine (no 190 mod), but I still think that it should have revved above 6200rpm. How accurate do you think the speedo is?-on the way I did the Alps through Sestriere, and it was wonderful ! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image] (got some footage of this, on the next days I’ll figure out how to get it in a computer). Highly recommended.-Motorway is not that bad if you can every once in a while speed a bit. I was doing the A1 on my way back at night at 100-110mph and think I managed to slow for all the cameras (didn’t see at least any flashes). Well, I’ll see if I get any fines in the mail (hope not)-did 3388 miles round trip with an average fuel consumption of 22.77mpg and spent 497 quid on fuel (you were right Pesky, there was an error in the formula, the best I got was 28.8mpg [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/blush.gif[/image] )-I still have my stock exhaust, since the Powerspeed guys needed more time to do it. But they looked at it and decided that the manifold was very well built, they would leave it alone. They could build me an exhaust after the manifld but now I have to find the time to take mine off and send it (or somebody has a std silencer with Cat lying around they they could copy dimensions from?)-the rear fog and reverse lights stood well the heat in their dual-sided foam (remember? rear vents opened?) still as strong as the first day. Overall had a very good time driving. The need to concentrate for so long on one thing tends to take your mind away from work. And I’ll always remember the Alps ride.Cheers! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image] [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image] [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]UldisPS-wish I could drive with earphones (anybody done this?), I was getting tired of the earplugs.

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Bad luck with the weather, was 28 degrees when we did it in September.That slow diversion due to the tunnel being closed was good fun I thought. Probably not with the leaves though…Ah, we did the Freijus tunnel on the way there, did the wiggly route on the way back.Temp of 11 degrees at the top (the same day as the 28 on the N504!)V-Power was available in the towns much more easily in Italy, but there were a couple of Autostrade ones. We were even more desperate for it having the Impreza as 95 means the turbo runs less boost. At least in France 98Ron was available everywhere. It was ONLY Shell in Italy, and it cost about the same as over here!

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UldisThanks for the write up of your trip. Glad to hear that your car ran well too ;DDid you drive ALL the time, or did you manage to do some sightseeing too [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]

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UldisI have a complete standard exhaust and cat in the loft if its any use to copy from … ?Good to see the Exige can handle a good tour of Europe !!

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quote:Originally posted by Uldis:PS-wish I could drive with earphones (anybody done this?), I was getting tired of the earplugs.Sounds like a great trip… would love to do something like it myself…Get yourself a set of Peltor headsets and intercom unit, turns the Exige into a 10DBa Rolls Royce… plus the added advantage of 1/ Being able to converse with your passenger. 2/ You can hear the stereo:- just wind the volume up to maximum and hey presto 20Db to the ears and 120Db outside. 3/ Takes 25 years off the apparent age of the average Exige owner (Pesky excluded), apart from looking like a complete tw*t you at least sound like a 17year old Nova driver… now those were the days sigh…

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Pesky,actually it was divided in steps: 1st the drive to Gt Yarmouth and work for 5 days there. 2nd the drive to Kent and stayed in Canterbury (nice place). 3rd wake up and go to Powerspeed, then the drive through France until Dijon, nothing special to see then, since it was raining heavily all the time.4th the drive from Dijon until Parma, here did some “moving sightseeing”, basically adimring the surroundings, but only stopping for fuel and food.On Parma I stayed 4 1/2 days diriving here and there, through the mountains and high speed in the Autostrada, nice!.On the way back it was also divided in steps:1st day from Parma to Dijon, “moving sightseeing” again, and the Alps were wonderful (did I mention that already?)2nd day from Dijon (very windy, the car kept changing lanes! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/shocked.gif[/image] ) to Pontleton, Newcastle, stopped at a B&B there and had a beer on a nice local pub. Nice place!3rd day through the ??? National park (A696 & A98) to Edinbourgh and Aberdeen, nice drive too.Miniman, thanks, would like to take the opportunity to use your exhaust so that I don’t have to dismantle mine and stay a few weeks without a running Exige. Can you give me a call at 07715-754054 so we can work out the details?, or email me directly.X111GED,don’t need to look any younger, I’m already young and beautiful [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/tongue.gif[/image], besides the police might stop me because I look too young to drive !!!Seriously, I’d like to consider a couple of good sound-isolating earphones [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/cool.gif[/image] . But, will the police stop me?Cheers !Uldis [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]

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Good manmarathon in an exige – LOUD [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/cool.gif[/image]