how the esprit really performs as a submerine

[david hopwood]

got a rare treat today driving to work i got to test out my v8 as a submerine .i ended up on a flooded road with no option but to go for it,as i watched the car in front drive through the deep water it must have covered 2/3 of the wheel (now this is for a normal car) now it was my turn .as i slipped the v8 into first gear and began to roll i now had two options do i blast through the water as quick as i can or crawl i opted to crawl the flood was about 70ft long as i drove through my eyes were fixed at the cars floor expecting to see the water gushing in through the bottom of the doors,but no.the esprit emerged from the other side and not a drop of water found in the car in fact when i arrived at work and inspected the car the only thing to seem to have suffed were the front fog lamps doing a goldfish bowl impression,so as a submerine i would rate the esprit 9/10

[Alan Paterson]

Now Dave,

Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but I really wouldn't have done that. I spent 6 months working for Vauxhall where I learned (and saw) that water ingestion equals new engine - not covered by any kind of warranty. I'm glad yours is okay, but if I saw a deep flood and I was out in my Esprit, I think I'd turn around and find another way. The cars behind me could honk all they liked.

Alan

[Simon350S]

Be pretty damned hard to ingest water in an Esprit,

1. Engine way out back so no chance of a bow wave infiltrating the bonet

2. Air intakes up high, have to submerge it to the windows if you want to get air in through the airbox!!!

Still wouldnt recommend it just incase it screwed round with anything electrical.

Some cars have their intakes either way down low by the bumper at the front, worst case scenario as the water just gets sucked straight in, others have them in the wheel arches and can get flooded by the delughe of water flung around by the wheel.

Always a good idea to find out where yours is just incase, someday, you need to cross a river!!!!!

Crossed a river in my old 205GTI once, air intake up high just under bonnet level, water came up to mid wheel height with no probs.... just took it very easy!!!!

Simon

[esprit22]

A few years ago I shot round a country lane bend (downhill) straight into a massive flood, a muddy wave went right over the esprit and the car just ploughed through it and came out the other side, no worries!

Only bad thing was that I had to spend all afternoon washing the ol' boy down!!!

[Advantage]

Only bad thing was that I had to spend all afternoon washing the ol' boy down!!!

Now that sounds rude!

[esprit22]

Well' it was a tad frightening!!

[peteyg]

I had exactly the same experience a few years back. Flood water about 18 inches deep ran for about 25 yards. Most cars in front were turning around and when it came to my turn the chap on the side of the road started shaking his head and waving a finger. Sod it, I thought and off I went...slowly does it, keep the revs up. No problem at all other than a slightly damp footwell. Also got a round of applause from the onlookers

Because the engijne is at the back, high intakes and no fans to spray water over the electrics the Esprit is the ideal semi-submersible

Pete

[robcun]

one time i saw a guy in a low sports car (not an esprit) waiting next to a flooded railway underpass in dulwich, london

it was alot deeper than he thought - about waist / stomach deep. everyone else is turning around but this dude is sitting there gunning his engine. then he goes for it full speed - in he goes - swoosh! a wave at least a foot thick shlurps over his roof and the whole car stops dead in the middle of the pond, water level halfway through his window. as the waves bounce back from the walls next to the road his engine glubs out and there he is just sitting there.

me and my friend were both totally soaked already so we wade in there to push the guy out. i knock on the glass and gesture "we will push you out" but the guy opens the door!! oops. his cars instantly floods with nasty brown water up to his tits...

then we pushed him out and watched the lake pour forth

the guy was standing there repeating to himself "will my insurance cover this?"

it was pretty funny

i ran a mega puddle once in iowa and made it - but fried my alternator (honda civic)

[neal]

Couple of years back I came across a flash flood in a hollow in the road. Continued slowly but it was a lot deeper than I expected - the water was washing up the bonnet to the bottom of the windscreen!

The car didn't miss a beat and no water got in to the cabin. However, it did leak into the headlights and blew the bulbs.

But I wouldn't recommend it - if the cats are submerged in water the sudden cooling and contraction of the metal casings could well fracture the monoliths. Luckily mine were both already hollow!

[jimmybondi]

got a rare treat today driving to work i got to test out my v8 as a submerine .i ended up on a flooded road with no option but to go for it,as i watched the car in front drive through the deep water it must have covered 2/3 of the wheel (now this is for a normal car) now it was my turn .as i slipped the v8 into first gear and began to roll i now had two options do i blast through the water as quick as i can or crawl i opted to crawl the flood was about 70ft long as i drove through my eyes were fixed at the cars floor expecting to see the water gushing in through the bottom of the doors,but no.the esprit emerged from the other side and not a drop of water found in the car in fact when i arrived at work and inspected the car the only thing to seem to have suffed were the front fog lamps doing a goldfish bowl impression,so as a submerine i would rate the esprit 9/10

David,

I think I would have done the same B)

But as my GF is stating repeatedly - I am insane - so ... B)