Road Trip #1 (Alsace-Lorraine)

[yellowdog]

At long last I got a chance to take my new baby out to stretch her legs.

Almost two weeks after the Maz arrived in Stuttgart, she and I were ready to hit the road. It took that long to clean the dirt that was caked on her both inside and out. She also needed some mechanical work. While more is still coming (both cleaning and repairs), I figured that it was time to test her out on something more than the short trips I have been taking around the area.

So when Saturday dawned bright and clear, I threw some maps into the car, tanked her up, and hit the road. From Stuttgart, I headed west towards Karlsruhe and then south to Strasbourg. The car was a champ on the autobahn which allayed my fears of mechanical breakdown (to be replaced by fear for my life from the German drivers who act like they would happily run over anyone in their way). Just past the Strasbourg exit, I peeled off and crossed the border into Alsace Lorraine (no passport needed) and the wine country near Colmar.

Once past Colmar, I went up into the hills behind the town to explore some medieval castles overlooking the Rhine Valley. The car had no problem handling the tight curves of the narrow road even though I had to put the right wheels into the grass on the side to make room a couple of times for the downhill traffic. I hiked over and around those partially rebuilt fortresses and through the woods along the ridgeline where I saw ruins that are little more than piles of mossy stones. From that you could get a sense of how much military history has taken place in the region over the centuries. Everywhere I went, houses, churches, and castles seem to be built on the foundations of something much older.

By early afternoon, with the weather still great, I was ready to move on. Next stop was the town of Walbach which is tucked away in a side valley in the hills west of Colmar. Surrounded by vineyards, it is a picturesque place dominated by an old Gothic church. Again the Maz handled the tight turns and narrow streets in the town very well given that in a couple of places there was very little room between the walls of houses on either side. I was dreading the sound of a mirror popping off!

I parked behind the church and followed a hiking trail that took me right through the rows of grapevines and past a grotto church. Then I had the chance to watch the grapes being harvested and even got a bunch of my own (makes the grapes you get in stores back home taste like cardboard). The view over this valley looked like something from a 19th century landscape except for the cars on the road. I followed the trail up into the forest and eventually came back down into the vineyards. I got back to my car determined to buy some local vino to take back to Stuttgart but by that time on a Saturday afternoon, every store was closed.

Empty-handed, I pointed the car's nose east back across the Rhine and then north towards home. Other than a long stau (German word for traffic jam), the trip home was pleasant. Total mileage was about 335.

Some observations:

*I am glad that I had a set of V (speed) rated tires mounted on the car before it was shipped to Germany. They grip the road very well.

*The car handled well even when my speed crept over 90 mph though I tried to keep her at around 80-85 most of the way. The only thing that was apparent at the higher speed was the hood rattling.

*I give the French highways very high marks for smoothness. The older sections of the German autobahns can have some fairly rough sections from years of repair patches. On one section it got so bad I stopped using my CD player because it was skipping so much.

*Did I mentioned that German drivers are aggressive? On a couple of occasions, when I was passing other cars but trying not to go over 90, I would suddenly find a Beemer or Merc trying to climb over me.

*The Maz got plenty of attention from other drivers and pedestrians in the towns. Many looks and a couple of pointers. One young French guy with a LeBaron came up to me at a rest stop to chat and take photos of the car.

*The temp gauge never went above the second mark so I will probably change out the thermostat soon.

All in all, a good first trip. The Maz performed very well. The only thing that would have made the trip better is if my wife could have been there too. Since she will be coming out in the near future, I will use this trip and those that follow as a chance to scout out the best locations for a second honeymoon.

[Guest LouZ]

Nice Story, Very well written, :cool:It sure gave the impression, you enjoyed yourself. Good luck, Lou

[yellowdog]

Nice Story, Very well written, :cool:It sure gave the impression, you enjoyed yourself. Good luck, Lou

Thanks.

[TwinCamFan]

Yellow, If you like to press the TC in the corners, a new rear sway (antisway?) bar from polybushings.com and a set of 89 Shelby Daytona rear springs works wonders for handling. Might as well throw a quaility pair of rear shocks on while you are there, there's only 2 bolts and you'll have one of them out already to do the springs. Also, Polybushings has brand new custom( but direct replacement) spring isolators (that rubber ring under the rear springs) to replace the originals that are undoubtedtly worn thru.

Alan

[yellowdog]

Yellow, If you like to press the TC in the corners, a new rear sway (antisway?) bar from polybushings.com and a set of 89 Shelby Daytona rear springs works wonders for handling. Might as well throw a quaility pair of rear shocks on while you are there, there's only 2 bolts and you'll have one of them out already to do the springs. Also, Polybushings has brand new custom( but direct replacement) spring isolators (that rubber ring under the rear springs) to replace the originals that are undoubtedtly worn thru.

Alan

Sounds like a plan for winter (while the Maz is under wraps).

Two questions:

1. What's a good source for the Daytona springs?

2. If I replace the rear shocks, do I have to do the front ones as well?

[Guest John W]

Yellowdog, suggest you check the shop mannul on water temp. From my experience the Maz temp gauge will run on the low side, within the first two marks. There may be others that have similar experiences---stuck in Granite Bay

[TwinCamFan]

Sounds like a plan for winter (while the Maz is under wraps).

Two questions:

1. What's a good source for the Daytona springs?

2. If I replace the rear shocks, do I have to do the front ones as well?

A local freind did some dealership digging and came up with a set of Daytona Springs a couple weeks ago. Listed as NS1 but he found some. Mine always come from a local Pick-Your-Part though Chrysler turbo cars are getting scarce:( If you can afford new QUALITY parts, thats always a plus. The brand new KYB stuts I had ready to swap to my car were softer/loose/lower quality than an pair of the PYP original 100K struts from the Daytona. Really:( I don't recommend those but maybe KYB has low level struts and premium struts, don't recal which I had but they are painted white.

The fronts are struts, if they are in resonable shape (did you do the 'bounce test'?) they are fine. Also they are easily 10X the work to do the rears as you need a spring compressor and some special tools to make the job work. I used the struts/springs off the same Shelby Daytona. Maybe too stiff for many drivers here. I don't feel like it is but a stock cushy TC ride substantially smoother. Yesterday I drove a new to me TC thats all stock 600+ miles ande it rides like butter. It is soooo vague though, I had to really pay attention to keep it in the lane, something I don't have to do with the suspension modded car.

I know I have one more set of Daytona Springs at the house, cant wait to install them on the new red/Gionger/black 16V car from that other thread. If I can dig around and find a second pair, we can probably work something out if a new pair elludes you. 2600 miles over the next 4 days on stock suspension:o...

Alan

[Guest LouZ]

Hi Alan,

I hope you enjoy your "Meet". KYB has a couple of different series shocks & struts. The ones I used were "KR-2" they definately were not white. I don't remember silver or red. When I do struts I also replace the mounts/bearings even low mileage units go bad just from age deterioration. My only experience was with the 2 '90s I did first. They had 90,000, & 120.000 miles respectively. The 23,000 mi "91 had all original. I replaced them all with the KYB Kr2s That took the suspension from real sloppy to a tight but comfortable, non jarring road touring ride. That I felt driver confidence in. The 16V I had was secure in it's handling so I didn't feel the need for a change. I am going to do the 22,000 mi. '89 soon using the same Kr2, KYBs that I have had good luck with.. Thanks, Lou