Hello, the bus did fancy gap today in fine mettle. The L10 @ 320hp ran the course at 50mph in 4th gear @ 1950 RPMs. The pyro was steady and the temp gage never moved.
Best run for me , light traffic, and no idiots pulled in front and slowed down.
Yesterday the temperature inAtlanta was 112. Was glad to leave. Overnite thunder boomers in Carnesville ga flying J. Temperature at flying j went from 102 at arrival to 72 this am. One crack sizzled and I wondered about the steel sign.
The great adventure is on..I have heard no electrical power in some of Wva because of last weeks storm but that's tomorrow's drive..
Regards and happy bussin. Mike
As long as your generator is running (a novel event in my case but perhaps not so odd in your situation) you should be independant of the grid. Glad to hear you folks are mobile. Drive safe and we hope we'll see you somewhere along the road.
Fancy Gap is that the long climb leaving Va on I-77 not very high like 2500 or 3000 ft ?
Hello, Fancy gap is a six mile climb of about 1500 feet or so. The grade is 4.5 percent max.
West Virginia has some 11 percent grades in the mountains. FWiW.
Probably not impressive as some of the rocky mountain stuff . Last year we toured Colorado and Utah and parts of arizona and New Mexico.
Thanks Bob we are glad to be on the road again...
FWiW the engine seems to run best around 1900 to 2000 in 5th gear around 65 . I seem to have good control and response as the road changes. Maybe I am just learning to drive it properly.. I don't have the truckers grasp of road shifting and that sort of experience , so. I make my own way and learn as I go.
Regards from the road. Happy bussin. Mike
Mike
My L10 is not set up with the HP you have but I agree that 2000 is the SWEEEEET spot. I run a couple of 10,000 plus FT passes on two lane roads in CO and climb at 30 to 40 mph and have no heat issues AND the retarder on the downgrades gives a comfort level that is incomparable to the downgrade with the 8V71 and spicer going into Laughlin when I took her in for the transplant --- Always fun to be "On the road again" --- keep us posted on your travels.
Melbo
I chuckle at the comparisons between east and west. Having driven both, I have found 8% grades suck just as bad no matter where I am. LOL
We call something like Fancy Gap a rolling hill here ,AZ 68 going from Laughlin to Kingman on a 115 degree day now that is a climb lol I see the tour buses with the 60 series huffing and puffing on that one you start at 300 ft elv and up you go
Yup! Clifford, that's the one that ate the old 6-92 ;D
Havin' a blast in the summer sun! 8)
75 degrees where we are Van (inside)
Clifford, you know how I love the hot dry (cough) climate :o ;D
Fancy Gap is one of the few good grades here in the east for using to see how the rig handles full fuel for an extended period.
Far too many "grades" in the east are too short, or they are variable in slope, not letting the drive train just settle in and run and show what it is going to do to the cooling system over time.
As for location, most folks in the eastern part of the continent can readily detour to run it on their trip up or down from the sunny south, if it isn't their primary corridor.
Results can be readily compared between busnuts, and the mileage to turn around and run it again isn't unreasonable.
There are those who might have a desire to experiment different settings, driving styles or modifications, and that is easily accomplished without a long turn around time.
Perhaps a "Fancy Gap Cooling System Sorting-Out Rally" might be organized?
Run alongside the "Fancy Gap Largest Manhood Over-Compensation Rally", with speed of ascent the goal?
And for some real bravery, the "Fancy Gap Self-Taught Brake Adjustment Rally", with speed of descent the self-awarding disqualifier?
What a sight, as the history of motor coaching wheezes its way up and down all weekend!!!
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Oh, and for comparison:
If I remember correctly, no doubt posted someplace years ago,
My '75 MC8, 8V71, stock 270HP, HT 740, 3.7 diff... lightly loaded early partial conversion.
Hunkers down and climbs somewhere around 43-44 mph in 3rd gear.
A 98/99 MCI 102E3 Renaissance, seated coach, Series 60, stock 400 hp, B500, 4.56 diff... loaded with spring training baseball kiddies and their coaches.
Climbs at 50 mph in both/either 4th or 5th gears, doesn't matter, neither will pull faster.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
I just climbed fancy gap a few days ago with our MC-9. We have 8-71 with a 4 speed. We made it in third gear at about 43 mph. fortunately no over heat problems.
My old 8V-71N on the MC-5C was just a titch off governed speed in third, maybe 50mph. That's if I got a run at it. The other time I got baulked by a slow moving circus truck (a friggin mary-go-round, of all things) and spent the whole climb sitting on the governor in second at around half throttle and 25 mph. It just would not accelerate one iota in third, it would just lose speed, and I gave up trying and left it in second and read a book...
Brian
I live off 68 Golden Valley.Hill is just as steep going to Searchlite 163, about 12 mi each . towards Kingman they (GOV.) saved steepest part for last. Try to hit it @ daylite or disconnect toad. S>O>P for us (BOB)
In Northern California we call those speed bumps, LOL
Dave5Cs ;D
We go to Utah and Nevada to ride 4 wheelers and dirt bikes. The hardest pull we have is from Old Fort NC to the Tenn. line on Interstate 40.
Very few places to let the coach cool down.
uncle ned
IIRC, my 9 pulls Fancy Gap at about 35 at best, but I'm dragging my Silverado extended cab p.u. behind. No heating issues. I might get Marilyn to get in the truck and push next time! LOL
Dennis
Quote from: uncle ned on July 04, 2012, 08:23:26 AMWe go to Utah and Nevada to ride 4 wheelers and dirt bikes. The hardest pull we have is from Old Fort NC to the Tenn. line on Interstate 40.
Very few places to let the coach cool down.
Yeah and the section from about MM35 to the Tenn line (in the Smoky Mountains) has lots of sharp ups and downs with narrow lanes and no pull offs. Once you get up to about MM60 (i.e. the top of the Old Fort grade), it's not too bad past Asheville to MM35 but climbing Old Fort and the section in the Smokies is tough.
Just a little information.
My wife is from Mt Airy, NC. We have been there many times in the last 45 years. Many of her "kinfolks" live and have lived in the Fancy Gap area since the area was settled. Her maternal grandfather was a Jones. Ergo Jonesville, Va. They are buried at Cana, Va. He donated the ground for the church and cemetary.
The Fancy Gap I recall is on US 52 between Cana, Va. and Hillsvilles, VA. We were there last year and drove it a few times both ways.
It has been rebuilt several times over the years and trucks are now forbidden on it. I drove it in trucks in the late 60s and it was a bear!
I have driven it in the bus with the 92 and it's not so bad now.
I-77 was completed a few years ago and is a snap. I guess I didn't realize it is also called Fancy Gap.
If you get the opportunity, spend some time in Hillsville and drive the tow down "Fancy Gap". That will put a whole new spin on this story!
Mike, are you headed for Alaska still?