Hi all, glad to have found this group!
Being short on cash this Xmas, I chose to drive my 1992 Mira L200 from Alice Springs to Adelaide, (Usually around 1600 km).
Temperatures were (low for here) but around 37-39 degrees. So I pulled out the air-con radiator before leaving (otherwise the car would have overheated). I split the trip over 2 mornings, leaving at 4 am daily. I left with 2 full jerrycans to avoid the exhorbitant fuel costs mid-way.
I travelled while outside temperatures were between 23-34 degrees, spraying myself with water from a bottle to keep cool, keeping windows closed but interior fan on. I was pretty comfortable, other than a paralysed foot on the accelerator to keep a steady 110 Kph.
Well, I can say that the average consumption was 5.1 l/100. The only time it was lower was between 3:30 and 5:30 am, when it was dark and I drove at 70-80 to avoid kangaroos: then I did a refill and had managed 4.6l/100.

Now the trip is over, I have already put larger tyres on my Mira:
replacing the 145/70R12s with 155/80R12s gives an 8.5% increase in radius.

I bought second-hand tryres, testing them in case the tyres scrubbed or the vehicle mis-handled. Fine all round; even better feel to the car. (I will possibly have to add larger shocks to cope with the extra 1 kg/wheel unsprung weight).
The change to gearing is dramatic; I no longer shift to 5th gear in city traffic at 60Kph as was intended for a shopping-car Mira(?). I can now do as low as 70 kph in 5th, as long as there's no hint at an uphill drive.

I'm now preparing my trip back. I've fitted a Uniden GPS301 (picked up for $100) just so I get a correct speedo reading. I've got a cruise control ready to squeeze under the bonnet for the next 1600 kms of straight road. (There is a real risk of deep vein thrombosis when you cannot move your feet around for 10 hours at at stretch.
I am watching these posts intently for advice on sensible modifications.

kind regards,

Steve Peters

Hi Steve, welcome.

That's quite an introductory story. I enjoyed reading it (particularly the 'roo bits :D ).

Welcome to the fun Steve :)

Welcome to our second home Steve.

Hi Steve... there was another user here for a while with a Mira. he was in Australia and was quiet the avid poster for a while. Unfortunately he seems to have vanished.

Anyway, hope to see more of you here :)

Steve's original post was actually in darvin's thread, but metro moved it to a more appropriate place!

Good to have you around, Steve!

Those cute fuzzy wuzzy kangaroo's wiil quite happily tear the front end off your car.
You definitely don't want to hit a big one at high speed.

It is not uncommon to have spot lights and spread beam lights on the front of a car if you do country trips regularly.

Spots to see where you are going and spreads to see whats going to jump out and kill you.

On the cross-country road trips I've done, it's the fuzzy wuzzy moose I have to watch out for :D

Trip Back less economical but more pleasant
 

Well, I'm safely back home in the desert. I don't know what to blame for the Mira's 5.97l/100Km; perhaps the extra weight, the cross-winds, or my new cruise control. However, the bigger wheels rolled quietly, the engine purred and both my feet tapped to the tunes on my stereo.
Once again I drove early mornings, heading deep underground when the day got hot at Coober Pedy. I surprised two kangaroos at 4:30 am but otherwise an uneventful but satisfying trip. (Also a boost to my local reputation as a eccentric!).
And of course I got to drive around the city cheaply for 6 weeks! -probably the best reason yet for taking the Mira.

Steve

Welcome Steve -

Here is the other Mira that Matt was talking about :

The Mighty Mira
https://www.gassavers.org/garage/view/107

CarloSW2