speeding tickets? each trip 1500 to 4000km, used to get one every second time or so at 200 baht. I am not alone at this speed, usually 3-5% of the motorists keep 140-160 kmh

I think on a decent highway, in daylight / good visibility, in a vehicle with decent brakes etc that its not a reckless / high speed.

Of course not flying through populated areas but open road its sensible enough.

160 kmh works fine unloaded, 5-700 kg load is 140 kmh. tryed to keep cruising speed 180kmh with better braking/handling cars, but safety margins where to small in LOS Highway traffic

<snip> but safety margins where to small in LOS Highway traffic

Really .... you think so ...

160 kmh works fine unloaded, 5-700 kg load is 140 kmh. tryed to keep cruising speed 180kmh with better braking/handling cars, but safety margins where to small in LOS Highway traffic

Interesting , what do you estimate your stopping distance is at 180KPH.

What about the motorbikes that are likely to pop out anywhere, they do not go to where they can legally do a U turn

160 kmh works fine unloaded, 5-700 kg load is 140 kmh. tryed to keep cruising speed 180kmh with better braking/handling cars, but safety margins where to small in LOS Highway traffic

Interesting , what do you estimate your stopping distance is at 180KPH.

What about the motorbikes that are likely to pop out anywhere, they do not go to where they can legally do a U turn

sorry for going off topic replying to this

my stopping distance on dry roads is approx 1/3 of the buses doing 120 kmh and my braking distance is approx 1/6 of the same buses (not to mention overloaded trucks), IOW approx 100-120 meters. I dont find that safe enough, so I prefere cruising 160 kmh. Still at risk to be rearended when stopping though

So far I have yet to hit a motorbike on Highway during my 8 years +400k km in LOS, most on Highways at these speeds, neither have I had any kind of Highway accident during my millions of km driving, except for a few reindeer scratches on icy roads. Most Highways always have an alternative path to avoid a crash, if driver is trained to find it.

Should ad I am an extremely experienced driver, +50k km a year since I was 18, travelling salesman on snow and ice, rally as hobby, later testdriver for a car maker +100k km/year.

I do not recommend my cruising speed to other motorists.

back to topic, shall we

well my Vigo 3,0D and Fortuner 3,0D, both auto and 4x4 manages same speed at 8-9 km/L, less expensive diesel, and Vigo loaded with bikes and stuff

speeding tickets? each trip 1500 to 4000km, used to get one every second time or so at 200 baht. I am not alone at this speed, usually 3-5% of the motorists keep 140-160 kmh

You cannot compare the fuel economy of a diesel engine to a petrol engine

Anywhere in the world you will find that most if not all commercial vehicles have a diesel engine.

They get a lot better fuel economy and are cheaper to maintain, and have a longer engine life

Regular unleaded fuel in some areas of Thailand is not easy to come across not even 20 months ago

I do not think people have the same problem finding regular diesel.

You cannot compare the fuel economy of a diesel engine to a petrol engine

Anywhere in the world you will find that most if not all commercial vehicles have a diesel engine.

They get a lot better fuel economy and are cheaper to maintain, and have a longer engine life

Regular unleaded fuel in some areas of Thailand is not easy to come across not even 20 months ago

I do not think people have the same problem finding regular diesel.

regular Euro III diesel (sulphur 650ppm) does not exist in Thailand any more. Lowest content of biodiesel is 3%, B5 is 5%

If you want no bio, Shell V-Power is a choise, its Euro IV spec (sulphur 50ppm) and synthetic lubricants have replaced sulphur. At a price