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Anyone drove from SG to Bangkok before? Any advice?


Cheefarn
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Hi all

 

Just wondering if anyone had driven from SG to Bangkok before? According to Google Maps, it can be done and the distance is approx. 1850km.

 

I know logistically and financially it is really dumb and waste of time to do so as a flight to Bangkok is only 2 hrs from SG. and budget airlines $$ are cheap. But I just thought the trill of actually driving to Bangkok from SG, and that you are the only SG plate car driving around the big traffic jam city of the world, the feeling would be great haha.

 

I just wonder if there's any potential issues when crossing from Malaysia to Thailand borders. Is our insurance covered in Thailand? And I assume there's no problem using their fuel... Most of their cars uses E20 gas, meaning there's 20% Ethanol mixed into the gasoline. Their max grade gasoline is at 95 octane only. Their regular at 91.

 

I have a close friend in Bangkok but she has no idea if the idea is workable or not...

 

TIA

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I drove from SG to hatyai and phuket b4 not too bad nice road trip that u will rmb for life. if u need higher octane fuel u probably bring ur own octane booster...they do have e10 fuel as well. border crossing rmb to buy Thai car insurance near border b4 crossing and Thai custom is messy drive safe.....

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I drove to Genting-Cameroon-Penang-Ipoh-Alor Star and almost died....

 

if you got at least 2 more sub-drivers its ok....cost and concentration very important......must have determination also.....

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I drove from SG to hatyai and phuket b4 not too bad nice road trip that u will rmb for life. if u need higher octane fuel u probably bring ur own octane booster...they do have e10 fuel as well. border crossing rmb to buy Thai car insurance near border b4 crossing and Thai custom is messy drive safe.....

Their highest octane is 95, which is fine for us ya. Since I use 95 in SG also.

 

I guess just avoid E20 fuel and I will be fine. My g....close fren drives a Ford Fiesta 1.6L non ecoboost model. She uses E20 since day one to save cost. When I was there, I would refuel her car with 95 octane fuel. There's a immediate difference in power o/p and the car is smoother too

 

Ok about the Thai insurance, just show them my car's logcard right? The insurance is per day or per week?

 

How messy is their customs may I ask? Will one be expected to be stuck for 3 hrs in the q just like our stupid causeway? There's English signboard along the way right? Anything I should look out for?

 

TIA

I drove SG to Bangkok before....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in my pants.... :P :P :P

 

 

solly for ot

NB, not that kind of drove la... LOL

 

Ermm... when I was with my close thai female fren, I cant say for sure liao LOL

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TS. Don't worry about the petrol grade. I drove to Hua Hin and other parts of southern Thailand (Ko Samui, Phuket, Krabi, etc.....) in 2 of my BMWs & they are still running fine.

 

As for human congestion at the Thai customs, it's particularly crowded during weekends where bus loads of MY passengers descended upon the counters. So, on Friday & Saturday, it's crowded on the side entering Thailand & on Sunday, vice versa. Also, check the public & State holidays that allows a long weekend break.

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Supercharged

TS, this is a no-brainer advice but still need to remind you to apply for IDL.

 

Not sure if it still applies but if u are gg to enter Bkk itself, plse find out the timing cos we drove into a rd that was off limit to vehicles during peak hrs n got fine.

 

On the first and last day of the month, more drunkards driving cos payday.

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BTW, the risk of using E-20 is not really loss of power, but corrosion in case parts used in your car are not ethanol-ready, particularly those rubber, plastic parts in the fuel system and for most AD in Singapore, they will tell you it is not covered by warranty - doesn't mean it will not work in your car, but simply means local AD do not explicitly spec or test your car for this purpose so they cannot give any guarantee.

 

If you search online for your car make/model, it is most likely to have been used with ethanol fuel mix in many other countries. Although the spec is not entirely the same, it is unlikely they will produce much differently for the small Singapore market.

Oic. Me driving a FD1. Although made in Japan, there's so many Thailand made parts inside that I wonder if the engine was shipped from Thailand to Japan for final assembly

 

But its true there's noticeable difference in o/p when you switch from E20 to 95 octane in a Ford Fiesta.

 

Manufacturers made no reference about usage of E20 gas for our SG markets models, but if u check our Thai market FDs, their engines are exactly the same models as ours. and they can use E20 just fine. There is a sticker inside the fuel flap stating the car is E20 capable.

 

Hmm... got to study the side effect of E20 when used in non E20 certified engines.

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TS, this is a no-brainer advice but still need to remind you to apply for IDL.

 

Not sure if it still applies but if u are gg to enter Bkk itself, plse find out the timing cos we drove into a rd that was off limit to vehicles during peak hrs n got fine.

 

On the first and last day of the month, more drunkards driving cos payday.

 

Sure I will apply for IDL as per normal.

 

Hmm... my main concern upon entering Thailand (supposedly if I managed to get all the paperwork done correctly), is there any direct route to Bangkok? According to Google Maps, there seems to be no interstate highway from the border to Bangkok itself? There's only route A22 but its not continuous. And it doesn't look like an interstate highway from what I can see.

 

I am planning to chiong all the way to Bangkok to meet my ermm.. close fren, give her a surprise that I can fetch her in Bangkok in my SG car... haha. Therefore I don't think I will waste any time stopping at other cities.

 

FYI, in Bangkok, despite the servere traffic jams everyday, parking downtown is mostly free de wor. Or per entry at most. Yet they can manage traffic flow. So u know what kind of BS we need to endure everyday here in SG lor.

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TS, if in doubt, just head NORTH. Lol.

If u intend to drive without overnight stop all the way to Bangkok, it's foolhardy decision.

Which ever way, try not to enter Bangkok between 5-9pm.

Wise to stop overnight in Hua Hin or Chaam & drive up to enter Bangkok after morning rush hour jam.

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TS, if in doubt, just head NORTH. Lol.

If u intend to drive without overnight stop all the way to Bangkok, it's foolhardy decision.

Which ever way, try not to enter Bangkok between 5-9pm.

Wise to stop overnight in Hua Hin or Chaam & drive up to enter Bangkok after morning rush hour jam.

 

Noted. No no what I mean is that I wont be doing extended stops along the way. Google Maps stated one way trip from SG to BKK at approx. 1850km. and it said its doable in 25 hrs plus. So an overnight stay at Hua Hin shd be reasonable right?

 

I will be driving solo....:)

 

Hmmm.. their rush hrs seems to last one full day de. I was stuck in traffic at 1-2pm their time too. And my fren said its already considered smooth already... well WTF... OK lor...

 

To the uninitiated, my intention so far is so lame and silly right? Just buy a fking budget air ticket and rent a car at the airport, all done within 2 hrs. But the fun wont be there liao ya.

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(edited)

Yeah, the drive from SG to BKK is more than twice the length of NSHW. And the drive gets slower in Thailand, TS better to take at least one or two overnight stops.

 

 

true... hmm....

 

Seems like cant really chiong over there. My fren told me not to go beyond 100km/h even on interstate highway... I was under the impression she is a girl so she dare not drive fast... LOL seems like their police are quite strict? but I didn't encounter any so far

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true... hmm....

 

Seems like cant really chiong over there. My fren told me not to go beyond 100km/h even on interstate highway... I was under the impression she is a girl so she dare not drive fast... LOL seems like their police are quite strict? but I didn't encounter any so far

 

The whole route is mostly straight & level.

Tendency to chiong but keep in mind that the highway passes small villages; yes, it also cuts thru......hence, there's this wide grassy drain in middle of the highway for villagers to access other side of village on foot or motorcycles. Have to look out for motorists suddenly chiong out of nowhere (from the drain).

And don't play punk with their drivers, especially those in huge pickups!

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true... hmm....

 

Seems like cant really chiong over there. My fren told me not to go beyond 100km/h even on interstate highway... I was under the impression she is a girl so she dare not drive fast... LOL seems like their police are quite strict? but I didn't encounter any so far

 

I avg ard 100-110km/h when I drove there previously outside the towns. When near or in towns, slow down to 70-80km/h and look out for wild animals like dogs!!!

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