# M5 Motorhome Express



## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

Wow!
We were driving up the M5 this afternoon, heading north between Tiverton and Taunton, proceeding at a sedate 80 ('ish) in my Merc car when I had to do a double take in the rearview mirror. A motorhome coming up behind seemed to be gaining. Eyes did not deceive - he went past me at must have been 90+. Fiat but I could not see the coachbuilder name. Someone in a big hurry so hope you made it there in time, whatever it was!


----------



## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

alhod said:


> Wow!
> We were driving up the M5 this afternoon, heading north between Tiverton and Taunton, proceeding at a sedate 80 ('ish) in my Merc car when I had to do a double take in the rearview mirror. A motorhome coming up behind seemed to be gaining. Eyes did not deceive - he went past me at must have been 90+. Fiat but I could not see the coachbuilder name. Someone in a big hurry so hope you made it there in time, whatever it was!


At that speed and in such a vehicle, hope he got done and lost his licence. Absolute lunacy.
Gerry


----------



## philsil (Jul 24, 2007)

Are they not meant to go that speed? 

How many Ducatos, Transits and Vitos in white come screaming past?

Maybe it was stolen. did you get the number?

Our van has a Kenwood GPS and when we bought it the recorded top speed was (and still is) 94mph.

Go baby!

It will cruise quite easily at 82mph and give 24mpg

We replaced our Dethleffs Advantage A5251 for a Dethleffs Globebus I1 (7mpg better)

And our Subaru Forester was swapped for a FIAT 500 (15mpg better )(everything else 100% worse btw)

pootling around town, the 500. Anything else distance Fabio (our m/h)


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

£ to a p it was a dealer, delivering to a customer/ another depot. Seen that before with a m/home going to a show with me in a car having problems keeping up.

tony


----------



## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

Hacking up the M5 once in our Merc Scout with a dual motorbike trailer on the back in the outside lane when the wife reminded me
a We were doing 90
b We should not have been in the outside lane
c We had just passed a police car crawling in the inside lane.
d Had I forgotten the trailer?

And I was only passing these lorries constable!


A little more sedate with driving nowadays - unless on the track that is.

Yes Mercs (and Fiats it seems) do fly if you let them.

C.


----------



## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi.
Fiat 1-Merc 0.
It seems they have sorted the forwards bit,only reverse to go!! Could have been "Cleaning the injectors out"LOL.
Gearjammer


----------



## tonka (Apr 24, 2006)

GEMMY said:


> . Seen that before with a m/home going to a show with me in a car having problems keeping up.
> 
> tony


Bet this guess is right.... Whats on this weekend ?? Shepton !!


----------



## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

alhod said:


> Wow!
> We were driving up the M5 this afternoon, heading north between Tiverton and Taunton, proceeding at a sedate 80 ('ish) in my Merc car when I had to do a double take in the rearview mirror. A motorhome coming up behind seemed to be gaining. Eyes did not deceive - he went past me at must have been 90+. Fiat but I could not see the coachbuilder name. Someone in a big hurry so hope you made it there in time, whatever it was!


Lets hope a sudden change of direction or speed wasn't required. I wouldn't expect 3 or 4 tonne at that velocity would handle much better that a four poster bed on casters :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

Perhaps he was trying to reach a garage before the price of diesel went up again!!


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

alhod said:


> Wow!
> We were driving up the M5 this afternoon, heading north between Tiverton and Taunton, proceeding at a sedate 80 ('ish) in my Merc car when I had to do a double take in the rearview mirror. A motorhome coming up behind seemed to be gaining. Eyes did not deceive - he went past me at must have been 90+. Fiat but I could not see the coachbuilder name. Someone in a big hurry so hope you made it there in time, whatever it was!


I am not sure if this is a hypocritical post from an anti-motorhomer or someone who maybe was just hogging a lane and pi55sed a motorhomer off.

What was the point in stating what Brand of Vehicle you were driving?

Most cars will hit 80mph on the Speedo, majority with ease.

TM


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Jean-Luc said:


> alhod said:
> 
> 
> > Wow!
> ...


If that 3 or 4 tonne vehicle has Adaptive ESP and or a good alert driver, probably handle better than most lane hogging moorons driving any every day car.

Simples.

TM


----------



## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

My point was the irresponsibility of anyone driving at that speed in a vehicle designed essentially as a leisure facility. The motorway was in fact fairly quiet but even so, as another comment said, to lose control or have to deal with some external event at that speed in a vehicle not designed for speed would be facing a disaster of significant proportion.
My reference to the car I was driving was intended only to make the point that it was a car - not a Merc MH (as I notice you have, specified in some detail). Of course almost any car is capable of that speed - actually the Merc I was driving is a B class - that is one of the smaller, less powerful ones! Had I wanted to score points I would have mentioned that my other car would leave any MH travelling at 90+ wallowing in its wake - in fact my other car would leave just about any car on the road watching the dust trail. But even so, I drive it within sensible limits both of the car and the road conditions.
When that chip drops off your shoulder, make sure it does not clutter the highway!
Love
Alan


----------



## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

teemyob said:


> :


If that 3 or 4 tonne vehicle has Adaptive ESP and or a good alert driver, probably handle better than most lane hogging moorons driving any every day car.

Simples.

TM[/quote]

Hmmmmm, IMHO one of the biggest problems on the roads today and the cause of so many unnecessary crashes is drivers over reliance on on-board technology to keep their ass's out of trouble, in place of basic skills and understandings of the physics involved.


----------



## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

One significant factor which hasn't been mentioned - the legal speed limit, 70.


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Jean-Luc said:


> teemyob said:
> 
> 
> > :
> ...


Which is why I included the wording "and or a good alert driver"

TM

Hmmmmm, IMHO one of the biggest problems on the roads today and the cause of so many unnecessary crashes is drivers over reliance on on-board technology to keep their ass's out of trouble, in place of basic skills and understandings of the physics involved.[/quote]


----------



## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

I remember having to put my foot down going to catch the ferry in Wales to Ireland, I was driving nearly flat out on the motorway straights after the Sussex-Wales journey took 9 hours. We just made it by the skin of our teeth. Not a pleasant start to the holiday :roll:


----------



## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

Andysam said:


> I remember having to put my foot down going to catch the ferry in Wales to Ireland, I was driving nearly flat out on the motorway straights after the Sussex-Wales journey took 9 hours. We just made it by the skin of our teeth. Not a pleasant start to the holiday :roll:


In the words of the old cliché "better late than DEAD on time"


----------



## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi.
Watched a chap call "Tiffnal?",does sporty car tests,and he was testing a Transit PV and a Merc PV. If i remember correctly,he drove the Transit first and as he booted it around the circuit,nearly pulling the tyres off,he explained he had driven transits in his sporting days and felt quite at home,he then went around in the Merc,fitted with all the gismos,and went around faster,much to his surprise,i also recall a German lady racing driver going around a circuit in a van,and beating a well known sports car on time. Makes you think,we have just said goodbye to a Renault Master PVC,2.5/150,that could sit at 80mph all day,and often did not change into top till over 64mph,as i have said in a previous post,the Peugeot 2.2 i have now,allthough nice,is a pale imitation of its french cousin Renault!.
As regards the 70mph limit,don't you just wish you had a pound for every one doing over 70mph.on the m/way,you would be VERY rich,someone once wrote,"If it where not for the difference in traffic speeds,England would be gridlocked", makes you think.
Gearjammer.
PS. 80mph on the continent. In England,as long as i can travel at my speed,you can go at whatever speed you wish,or can afford,LOL.(As seen on Police 5)


----------



## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

bigfoot said:


> In the words of the old cliché "better late than DEAD on time"


Agreed.

I would say however, that I have had many £1000s spent teaching me to drive like a maniac at speeds far in excess of those achieved in a motorhome, including high speed convoy driving of 22' Merc Sprinters but safely and to the system of vehicle control.

TBH though, that occasion did NOT call for it and it was excessive in the circumstances. I was wrong to do it.

I normally plod everywhere at 55-60mph- it costs too much otherwise!


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*speed and fuel*



Andysam said:


> bigfoot said:
> 
> 
> > In the words of the old cliché "better late than DEAD on time"
> ...


I have said it before here.

Despite the cost of fuel rocketing. Do you see any slowing down of motorists or more sedate driving?. And I am sure the speeders don't all have company cars/expense accounts.

TM


----------



## JohnGun (May 15, 2009)

WHen we drive Stranraer to Folkestone, in the a class, I don't hang about and I make no apologies for it, I do however drive with extreme care and attention as I'm sure we all do in our pride and joy.


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Safe*



JohnGun said:


> WHen we drive Stranraer to Folkestone, in the a class, I don't hang about and I make no apologies for it, I do however drive with extreme care and attention as I'm sure we all do in our pride and joy.


Well put.

Very similar to what I mentioned earlier.

Who is the greater risk. The idiot on the phone in his / her Mini, sitting in the middle lane without a clue what is going on around them.

Or the 7,500kG LGV driver tootling along in the outside lane concentrating doing 70.

?


----------



## firewood (Mar 17, 2009)

doing over 70 in a m/home in the outside lane has got to be safer then some txxt doing 40/50 in the middle lane.
or even racing lorrys that take 10 miles to overtake each other


----------



## jud (Aug 15, 2009)

:roll: we are retired so have no need to speed 58m.p.h doe's us just that bit faster than the h.g.v's and it saves fuel and strain on the m/h :roll:


----------



## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

I can understand barrelling along at high speed if in need to catch a ferry or other 'appointment' which will not wait for latecomers, But why if just heading for home or a campsite or aire when the arrival time is usually not critical.

IMHO, when a person justifies driving overly fast (a speed which can attract points to the licence) and says they 'are driving safely and causing no risk to other road users', it is a very subjective opinion which is often clouded by an erroneous personal opinion of supreme excellence at the task. :wink: :wink:


----------



## CatherineandSteve (Dec 20, 2005)

Hi,

If you want speed, get one of these :wink:


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

CatherineandSteve said:


> Hi,
> 
> If you want speed, get one of these :wink:


Get one and it won't be long before it breaks.

Never again, I have owned two T5's. Dealer had them almost as many days as I did. My Brother is on his second and having the same issues. My mate had 3 and eventually got rid and now has a Vito.

TM


----------



## CatherineandSteve (Dec 20, 2005)

teemyob said:


> CatherineandSteve said:
> 
> 
> > Hi,
> ...


A lot like a Fiat then..... 8O :lol: :lol:


----------



## viator (May 1, 2007)

This kind of speedster appeals to me
viator


----------



## DJP (May 9, 2005)

Glad it was not the day before. I might have got worried if it was my van on road test having had a new clutch fitted (2years old and 12000 miles!).
Mate of mine says his 3.0 ltr Autotrail Tag axle was good for a short blast at 120mph (WoW remapped) on a recent visit to Spain! 
8O


----------



## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

I though if this thread when I read post by *ottostreet* HERE


----------

