Driving a Pagoda on German Autobahn

[Matt113]

I plan on driving through Germany this summer but I have heard that it is illegal to drive on the Autobahn without a catalytic converter. Can anyone confirm if this is true?

Thanks.

[jaymanek]

How can that possibly be true given the amount of "oldtimers" on their roads!

[Matt113]

It was in an episode of the UK TV show "Wheeler Dealers" where the host drives to Germany to buy a 107.

[WRe]

Hi, this is not true!
But there are a lot of so called "low emission zones", even along the Autobahn (in and around big cities) where your car needs special stickers on your windshield (green ones) except classic cars which have an "H" on their registration plates in Germany.
Here you find some information: http://www.bmvi.de/SharedDocs/EN/Artikel/UI/low-emission-zones-faqs.html
But I don't know how foreign vistiors will be handled with their classic cars (> 30 years old) without this "H"-plate.
I would ignore it, I 've never been controlled.
...WRe

[Matt113]

Thank you WRe. Most interesting!

Matthew

[Peter van Es]

Foreign classic cars are ok in low emissions zones. Been there, done that!

[Matt113]

Thanks Peter!

[Cees Klumper]

And just remember, although it's not illegal to drive your Pagoda on the autobahn at speeds lower than 100 MPH, it's highly frowned upon!

[Flyair]

Peter,
and you forgot to ad... "Got the T-Shirt"

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Matt,

I don't recommend driving your Pagoda on the Autobahn, besides the highways and byways are so much more interesting so much to see and such nice places to stop.

PS. When I go to Germany I rent a VW Golf and find myself and most of the time between two trucks on the Autobahn [even if yo do not plan to be between two trucks in the right lane you soon will find yourself there] the problem is the truck behind you will close in on you and if you plan to overtake you best be sure you can. Even in my VW going 180 to 190 km/h checked my mirror all was clear half way thru the process of overtaking the truck in front of me there be a Porsche or a fast Benz/Bimmer behind me. Not a good feeling I assure you.

Do have a wonderful trip!

[jameshoward]

Having done the autobahn/pagoda thing quite a lot in the past 7 years, I'd echo Rolf's advice. It's a shitty place to be in a car like that and best avoided unless you really need to do it. It's extremely noisy in a pagoda and even with a heavy foot, you'll be passed all the time. The roads aren't great and the traffic jams can be utterly shocking and by far the worst I've seen in Europe or the UK, not least because many still have only 2 lanes given their age. I'm not sure how good the 'A' road network is where you're going. France has some excellent alternatives to the motorways, but my sense is that Germany's are less well developed purely because the autobahn network has been around for so long.

[Matt113]

Thanks James and Rolf. I have lived in the Czech Republic off and on for many years and must have done the trip to the UK at least 50 times, so I know the foibles of the Autobahn very well. I find a bit of Kraftwerk on the stereo works wonders........(although I have a MONO Becker radio, I also have a B&O BeoPlay that sits on the back seat and sounds great!). I usually stop off with friends who live near Frankfurt to break up the journey. Travelling on the weekends makes it much more pleasurable as there are almost no trucks.

Gute fahrt!

[Matt113]

ps I have a 3.27 rear diff, so noise and consumption are kept low.

[jameshoward]

So, Matt, forgive me, but if you're such an autobahn ninja, what's the purpose of your question?!

If in 50 passages you haven't been nicked, then surely you're better equipped than most to be able to advise rather than ask about this.

Anyway, sounds like you'll be fine.

[Matt113]

I have never driven my 113 on the Autobahn, just 'normal' cars.

[GGR]

With a 3.27:1 rear end you surely will be better off that with the stock ratio. I second comments made earlier about the German autobahn: they can be scary if not used to it. 

[Tom]

Matt,

I've spent a decent amount of time in my Pagoda on the Autobahn, primarily to drive from the port at Bremerhaven or sometimes Frankfurt to group events in France, Belgium, Germany and the UK.  I have a 3.27 yearend installed and it does make the ride more enjoyable.

I have generally been in a hurry trying to get to the events and then back to the USA so I did not have the luxury of taking the scenic route in my car-I needed the fast, direct routes. 

I always use the soft foam earplugs as I drive.  Even with the 3.27, the wind noise can wreck the nerves and I always felt more rested upon arrival with the reduced noise.

In the future though, it will be the scenic back roads for me!

Best,

Tom

[Flyair]

Let's be frank:

I always feel a pleasure while driving my Pagoda. If it is a beautiful countryside on a small road under blue sky etc etc the pleasure is really great. If it's on the German Autobahn, squeezed between trucks and slow cars, the pleasure is less acute, but still far from being painful.

In 2013, while driving to Willingen and back, we pushed our cars to 140-150 km/h (85-90m/h), and we were able to sustain the average speed on the central lane.



 

[GGR]

At a sustained 90mph on the highway with the stock rear diff ratio, one definitely needs the earplugs!

I tend to keep the hardtop on for long distances, it definitely reduces the noise inside the cabin.