Guest vintage honeycomb Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Hello from Australia,I have been there before with this question but with a different car. I once owned a 1926 30E Oldsmobile and when having the engine rebuilt I asked the man for his opinion of what speed should this car be driven at for the sake of the engine. Well there was some thinking and after suming up the large 6 cylinder engine with it's counterweighted and "balanced" crank and other aspects of the engine it was decided "oh well it should be good for 50 to 55 MPH all day".Well, that lasted not much more than 3000 miles before it was back and due to being driven "too" fast it was again rebuilt. Apparently it was over revved and therefore un-able to keep the oil up to the mains etc. I sold it very soon after because it turned out to be a 35 to 37 MPH vintage car.Through a culling of cars within a very good friends vintage and veteran car collection we now own a 1926 Packard, 6 cylinder, series 3 on a 126 inch wheelbase, a 326. A lovely vehicle it is, but I don't wish to go through the Oldsmobile experience again, and come to dislike it!Can any 326 Packard owners please comment on the speed they would consider to be a good safe cruising speed for their Packard. I have already decided it seems happiest at between 40 and 45 MPH but because of past problems I wish to ask for for other opinions. I realise of course there are variations in what speed we can drive these cars at, things like road conditions, tyres and general condition. I guess I am talking average in all areas, if there is an average. After about an hour of driving the oil pressure settles at a steady 18 to 20 PSI, starting as high as 30 when cold.I have had a 1929 Packard 6 owner mention up to 55 MPH to me as their cruising speed, but this seems too fast as I also want to stop! Your thoughts please?ThanksGreg Queensland Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Harmatuk Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I have had a lot, and driven older automobiles all my life.Even with newer cars, with smaller engines, I always "drive with my ears". If you listen to the motor / engine, it will tell you what a comfortable RPM is.Bill H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vintage honeycomb Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Thanks Bill, very timely advice. There is a lot of my money and effort at stake here, with the advice I have had before I would like something more concrete to hang my hat on like, "I have owned this 6 cylinder Packard for 25 years and have always driven it at xxx speed". In this vintage car game we play there are far too many expensive guess' to be made, we all know people who drive their Model A Fords at 55 MPH and others who swear 50 MPH is too much. I simply seek advice from the people who know.The Oldsmobile engine guy is an engine man in his late 70's, I took his advice and even then I felt the Oldsmobile engine was over revving, turned out it was. I can feel and hear an engine singing when it is happy, but experiences are what I am calling for here with the Packard engine, there must be a safe and happy RPM and speed I should aim at. For example, I have been on a 3 hour run before and the Packard seemed happy at about 40 to 42 MPH, I had it out last weekend on a 2 hour run and seemed happy enough to sit up to 45 MPH.Not a great deal of difference in an hours driving but enough to maybe be critical to engine wear and life.Bill, thanks again for your quick response and advice, taken onboard.Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMc Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hi Greg,I agree entirely with Bill H and in the case of our 1920's Packard sixes the engine is best at no more than about 2000 RPM. We have driven our 1922 Packard over 20,000 kms over the last 25+ years with many long distance runs including to the Bay to Birdwood a few times, Broken Hill etc all to and from Sydney and the motor is still running fine and has never failed to get us home. The maximum cruising speed is about 78 KPH or 48.5 MPH which corresponds to about 2050 RPM.Our car is the Sport model which has a higher diff ratio than yours (4.3:1)and it has slightly larger wheels (34"OD). Your car probably has a 4.7 diff and 33" OD tires so at 2050 RPM its speed at 2060 RPM would be 43 MPH or 70 KPH. Our 1929 Standard Eight has counterbalanced crankshaft and it will comfortably cruise 1-2 MPH faster but as Bill said your ear will tell you. Also the cars need a while to warm up enough to be comfortable at these speeds.David McCredie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vintage honeycomb Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 David, thanks, that's what I was looking for, some real numbers. They give me something solid to work with. I mentioned earlier I needed something solid like "I have owned this 6 cylinder Packard for 25 years and have always driven it at xxx speed". 40MPH seems to about where I want to be to be safe.Christine and I are trading at Bendigo Swap this year, in the new pavilion I believe, if you are there.CheersGreg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Depends on how old the tires are, some weren't even safe in the driveway (not my quote). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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