Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

For a while now I have wanted to drive around Aust and see the outback. I am now sussing out the idea of taking a month off and making it happen. Unfortunately the GTR isn't up to the task so I was thinking of buying a late model STI or EVO and selling it after the trip. This raises the issue of finding 98 octane fuel and leads me to my questions.

1. How available is 98 octane fuel in the outback, looking to visit all the obvious places in NT as well as Broome area and a bit of WA.

2. Is it feasible/safe to load a few tanks of 98 unleaded in the back seat/boot to extend the range.

3. Are the STI/EVO as suitable as I seem to think they are? Just two passangers on the trip.

4. How feasible is it to have a car like this retuned specifically for 95 octane fuel?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/191464-drive-around-australia/
Share on other sites

better off in a disel landcruiser, although wouldnt be as much fun, its what i'd be lookin at.

no problem finding fuel, more comfortable (important on loooonnnggggg trips), and better range (long range tanks etc). not to mention you can take it to some harsher places. although sti or evo would be ok off road, for places like NT and up in WA, cruiser would be hell of a lot better, plus you dont fel as bad if u put soem scratches/dents in it

PS, you can get landcruisers with trims like winches, fridges, lots of good things.

also, trip is about seeing things, not driving a spots car, go the cruiser

Edited by VB-

Yeah dude, thats not a trip Id like to do in anything else but a diesel cruiser with the big long range tanks. Like it would be an awesome trip to do, my Dads best mate has done it a few times. But you wouldnt do it in performace car. Its not a place you want to get stuck. Remember wolf creek? :P

If you want to do much sight seeing go with a 4WD like the Landcruiser or something for the above reasons. Some of the really good places are 4WD only or recommended.

As for fuel outside Alice I think 98 octane is not available at many places. I always carry a jerry of fuel in the back seat on long trips, some say it is dangerous though..(but so is a fuel tank.)

Yeh, alot of up top, especially cape york and springs is pretty 4wd only, i've seen aboriginal blokes managed it in XF fords and crappy old holdens, but they're nutters, definitely would keep my gtr away from it ^^

theres plenty of paved stuff though if you dont want to go to the extremeties

Well if youre planning of staying on the highways go get a VT berlina;

Auto

Climate control

Cruise control

Does 2000rpm at 115kph

Great fuel economy

Heaps of space for all the things you pickup along the way

in regards to finding 98 octane.. a good solution would be to just carry around a box of GOOD octane booster. would at least ensure you could put in average fuel and still keep the motor alive!

a EVO etc would be good fun for sure.. but not too sure about the practicality ! get a stagea to do it in haha.. then you can sleep in the back - comfy to drive - but diabolical on fuel

Drove Sunshine Coast to Perth with a mate in our R33's, brought 100L of 98 in 5 jerry cans in the boot for the trip, got this on the way through Brisbane, but only really needed one spare just in case for the whole trip through to Port Augusta where it would have been better to fill them all up then due to the price, but Ceduna was the last chance of 98 before Norseman so we needed it for the whole Nullabor trip & some more... You can look on the BP site & see where you can get it, but the sort of trip it sounds like you want to plan you would be pushing it in a LOT of places.

But as already said it would be better suited to a 4wd or something, but the look on some peoples faces as 2 imports fly past them in the middle of the country was pretty cool :w00t:

PS Great Aussie Bight is fricken awesome, good for pics :)

Drove Sunshine Coast to Perth with a mate in our R33's, brought 100L of 98 in 5 jerry cans in the boot for the trip, got this on the way through Brisbane, but only really needed one spare just in case for the whole trip through to Port Augusta where it would have been better to fill them all up then due to the price, but Ceduna was the last chance of 98 before Norseman so we needed it for the whole Nullabor trip & some more... You can look on the BP site & see where you can get it, but the sort of trip it sounds like you want to plan you would be pushing it in a LOT of places.

But as already said it would be better suited to a 4wd or something, but the look on some peoples faces as 2 imports fly past them in the middle of the country was pretty cool :w00t:

PS Great Aussie Bight is fricken awesome, good for pics :)

LoL, I gotta ask dude, what else did you have in the car other than jerry cans full of fuel!? I mean they arent the most spacious of cars to start with, put all that in there... HAHA!

LoL, I gotta ask dude, what else did you have in the car other than jerry cans full of fuel!? I mean they arent the most spacious of cars to start with, put all that in there... HAHA!

lol all the fuel filled up the boot....(see pic) With the heat had to remember to relieve the pressure too, they blew up a fair bit & just squashed more hahah. Inside with me was a full suitcase, toolbox & spare things "just in case", some boxes & my mates pc tower, there wasn't much room once we got everything in :w00t:

fuel.jpg

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Can't remember the last time I saw a good, healthy battery dropping into the 9s during cranking,  Too many variables to say anything about it with any certainty though.  A float voltage of 12-12.2 is tired AF and given how AGMs handle high C rate and DOD, will just die faster and faster with each cold start.   
    • I find most vehicles dip into the mid to high 9 volt range, even with a good battery. Hitting the low 9s, and especially hitting into the 8s is pretty indicative of a dieing battery. The other part to look at is the battery voltage after the battery has been fully charged. They should be sitting at 12.8V, as lead acids are dieing, they head down low and lower. Often getting as low as 12.0 - 12.2. You'll start seeing this when the engine is cranking over slowly. Interestingly, depending on the vehicle, when batteries get really bad, you can see some REALLY funky things going on. From very low voltages, to higher than 16V too. Something I totally didn't expect! This part of the super low and super high voltages I've been seeing on motorbikes, I need to do some further studies on cars. I suspect cars will act a little bit different though for a couple of reasons.
    • Thanks! Supercheap has a sale on this weekend so might be a good opportunity to get a new one. I do have a decent multimeter so I'll give it a try either way.   Hah, you got me! I do not. All I know is that the battery holds charge and sits at an okay level before I start the car. Doing the full charge and rejuvenation cycle on a trickle-charger seems to not really make a difference to the cold start behaviour. I'll try and measure it during cranking and see what it does. It's likely terrible; it certainly feels terrible.  I'll be happy if it is really just the battery and I don't have to dick around with the alternator or starter motor.
    • how do you know voltage is fine?  quick easy test is connect DMM up and put it on max/min mode, remove fuel pump fuse, crank car for 3-5s, go check min voltage You'd be surprised how many "healthy" batteries are showing under 10v during this test in cold weather. 
    • Not properly. You need to be able to dissipate 100 amps or so to doing it meaningfully. You can do it indirectly by watching to see how far the voltage falls during cranking. Unplug the coils or something else to prevent it from starting so you can get a good couple or three chugs. It also helps if you have the multimeter set up reading before you start, and that it has max/min functions. So you can catch the real minimum without having to watch the screen, which often doesn't update fast enough to show the real max/min in dynamic situations. Or use a digital oscilloscope, which can be obtained for <<$100 from Aliexpress (although I'd argue for paying up to ~$200 for a nicer one). A >4 yr old battery will very likely be well down the path to the knackery. Many only last 5-6 years these days. The cold weather lately will definitely make it worse.
×
×
  • Create New...