i was wondering how far can our datsuns go in a single trip...500kms non stop? i have a 1980 A12 B310 and is in good condition..everything is stock and has clocked 380000kms. overhauled once and is running great in streets.regularly maintained. never seen motorway and highways before but goin is goin to see them soon...if its possible

what should/shouldnt i do/check/keep in mind if i want my 25 year old car to travel long distance on straight long highways? or i better not drive it for long distance at all?

thanks in advance for all ur opinions and replies.

The first suggestion that i have is that you fill in your location detail in your profile so that we can see which country you live in & perhaps offer you advice for the region you are in.

As for your car, with a piddling 38,000 k [less than 24,000miles], hell, it's practicaly new. As long as everything is in good servicable condition, you should be able to drive it round the world with only regular servicing & maintainance.

I don't think that you should be taking on a 500 k trip as a non stop exercise as this would be a five hour journey at an absolute minimum, & you should be pulling up for a pit-stop & a break at least once along the way. Preferably about half way.

I could stretch my old 1200 ute out to a little over 400 k [250 miles] per tankfull when i had the GX & five speed in it, but it has a smallish tank, so you should be able to duplicate this without too much effort.

Happy Datsun motoring.

Dodgeman, you seem to have missed a zero in the figures. It's actually 380,000. A bit hard without the comma.

As far as distance, 500 km or a bit more will be your absolute maximum if you don't push too hard and keep out of the cities. Certainly take a break about mid distance as 5 hours or more in a small cabin is a bit tiring.

Keep an eye on your oil and water and you should be able to drive as far as you want.

If it does break down for any reason its simple enough for any competant handyman to get going again.

Enjoy the trip.

Quote: Oops, well i didn't miss by much, only 342,000 k.

The main comment is still valid, none-the-less. As long as everything is is sound, servicable condition, it will serve well for a long time, after all,... it is a Datsun.

if the car is in good shape and has tires and brakes, doesn't burn too much oil and isn't cranky then a long drive should be ok, if it's really hot out make sure the cooling system is ok.

thanks guys for all your advice..will take note of all that. well im from malaysia and in the west side of malaysia theres the north south expressway which .connecting all the states and to neighbouring countries like singapore and thailand. its around a thousand km in total i assume, from north to south.

might be impossible to travel all the way but if can travel to neigbouring states is enough.as malaysia is of tropical climate, so to travel around the airconditioning system needs to be switched on all the time to make sure that the cabin is comfy and not to stuffy.

according to some people, i should avoid switching on the airconditioning when travelling long distance.since the A12 only comes with only 1 cooling fan, it would be too stressful for the engine because the engine cooling system has to share it with the airconditioning system.is it right?

besides that, i've also found out that the rims (OEM steel 12') get unusually hot especially the rear after driving lets say around 50-100 kilometers at one time. i wonder what causes that.

Quote:

Tyres get hot if they are under inflated. What pressure are you running on the rears?

am using 210kPa if im not mistaken on 175/70/12. erm its not the tyres thats hot..its the rims...got something to do with pressure? i've always thought the brake is jammed or smth.correct me if im wrong

are the rear breaks dragging?