How much do you drive your Model T

[bdtutton]

As I read through the forums I am beginning to realize how much and/or how little people drive their Model T's. Some people treat their Model T's like daily drivers and others only drive them in parades. Some people worry about how many miles they can get out of a set of tires and others have 40 year old tires that have good tread and bad dry rot.

I drive my 1914 Touring car about 2000 miles a year, mostly to work.

How much do you drive your Model T??
What the average number of miles driven per year and where you drive your T?

[Chris Barker]

'26 Coupe
About 35000 miles in 22 years.
Used once or twice a week, mostly around Somerset, England.

[CatGuy]

Sadly I haven't driven mine since June of last year. It's just not in a good place in the garage to get it out quick and easy. May just have to sell it......

[Steve Jelf]

Until seven years ago I rarely drove more than a few miles. Then I got the Model T travel bug. Beginning in 2018 I think I covered over 2500 miles a year (except in 2020 when we all stayed home).

https://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG121_Model-T-Travel.html

[John Codman]

Not much since my wife died about two years ago. It just isn't as much fun anymore. Going for a ride in the T was about the only activity of mine that she really enjoyed. I'm also trying to maintain the house alone now. I think the forth of July was the last time that I had it out. At least for now I'm not planning on selling it.

[mbowen]

About 4500 miles on my ‘24 Touring since purchase in October of 2021, 2200 so far this calendar year, 1500+ since early July.

[Colin Mavins]

I wish it was more but between 500 and 700 hundred miles a year from April to October mostly just around Winnipeg

[Barteldes]

i have the dry rot tires lol but good tread. i drive about twice a week, sometimes more to the grocery store or hardware store both about a mile away. SO two miles a few times a week. I am reluctant to go on the big streets that surround my neighborhood. People are nutz!

[varmint]

In the past 8 years I have driven our Model T a total of seventeen feet, a little longer than this thread.

[Charlie B in N.J.]

Too many close calls outside the development I live in caused me to only drive in there. Could kill a good 40 minutes driving around but even that got old. I simply refuse to street drive a T.

[Jones in Aiken SC]

I live out in the country but the housing developments have been steadily encroaching with the corresponding increase in traffic. Over the last year I have probably driven my 26 Coupe less than 100 miles. Most of the time, I just run it back and forth on the county road in front of my place. Modern traffic scares me and has led me to the realization these cars were made for a different time when 35mph was plenty fast to be traveling. Sometimes I will get brave and cross a heavily traveled road near me and run it a few miles down a country road. When I first restored the car in 1980, I drove it everywhere and by 1990 or so I had put over 20,000 miles on it. Now I am restoring a 1912 Roadster which I have to admit will rarely driven, certainly not in city traffic. I will trailer it to places for displays, etc. A lot of my thinking is because I was in a terrible wreck in a 31 Model A Roadster that almost killed me. It was the other guys fault but I still paid a price. The Model A was totaled and I still hurt from the wreck.

[Lil Teezy]

I pretty much only drive my car in town where traffic is heavy but speeds are low, except for the recent addition of aggro commuters. There are a lot of bicycles, wild animals, high ass high people, seniors who drive really really calmly and lots of kids. Generally it’s hectic but most roads are under 35 mph and folks are usually patient and entertained.
It’s about seven miles, diagonally across the valley between my house and workshop, so two ways plus some errands is around twenty miles a day. That’s usually around five days a week, weather permitting. Weather permits here about 35 or 40 weeks a year, but when it’s bad at all, its all the way bad. I do go out in the snow and rain a bit but not much and my black steering wheel rim melts if it gets wet…
So roughly 3-4 thousand miles a year for the last four years? Other people seem to like it even more than I do, I’m always making someone learn to drive it and the amount of smiles per miles in public is beyond any calculation or estimate! As a lifelong skateboarder and bicyclist though, I admittedly have a penchant for playing in traffic and a diminished sense of self preservation when it comes to the fun stuff… The guys who helped me get mine going drive theirs even more and farther, but whether you drive them a lot or a little it’s always fun in a T! -Chris, in Boulder.

[Loftfield]

I empathise with Mr.Codman above. Used to drive a lot more than now, wife bedridden with dementia, not so much fun as it used to be, also can't leave the house for overnights. No more touring but do drive in parades and to a few car shows, also drive every Thursday about 15 miles round trip to Model T group lunches. Otherwise the odd trip to hardware store. When a few more local T's finish engine rebuilds and get back on the road we will go on short day-tours locally. No idea how far it all adds up.

[Norman Kling]

I drive mine at least once a month for an open house at the hisorical society museum. About 5 miles each way. This month I also plan to drive to a school for display with several other T's for kids who are studying history. This is about 15 miles each way. In June we drove in the National Tour. We drove about 90 miles a day through city streets or in the back roads in the mountains. I parked the T with the others who were using the hotel, but it is only about 15 miles from home so commuted in the modern car. I also drove in a local parade on July 4. Due to age of myself and Dolores, we haven't been going on overnight tours or locations where we need to trailer the car.
Norm

[Greg Griffin]

I got my '25 running on 3/16/23 with the odometer at 10,977. The odometer now is at 31715. (20,738 miles in 19 months.) Yes it is my daily driver.

[Declan]

Everyday to school

[AdminJeff]

Almost every day when it's nice out. Costco, Target, the grocery store, hardware store, you name it. Exiting Costco after loading cases of water, TP & paper towels is a sight to behold. I have a handicap placard (from my stroke) so that gets used heavily and those spaces are nice and big so no door dings. I just put on my 4th set of tires since 2017. The Laycock overdrive is a godsend.

I've only run out of gas once. Now a 2 gallon container rides on the back rack with me. I got tired of idiots (mostly kids) not understanding hand signals so I installed a set of blinkers front & rear after getting passed on the right while making a right hand turn. That was a close call I'd care not to repeat.
Jeff

[John Codman]

In fairness to the "idiots" who don't understand hand signals - When I was a child, not all cars had turn signals. Our '49 Plymouth didn't have them; eventually my older brother Frank installed an aftermarket system. As I recall, the Plymouth didn't even have a provision for them. I was required to use hand signals when I passed my driver's test in November of 1960. I don't think that Massachusetts makes you demonstrate them on a driver's test anymore, but I have been told that they are still shown in the driver's test manual. I would use the term "idiot" for the all-to-many people who won't even use the turn signals.

[Norman Kling]

I have to make a left turn to our gravel road from the two lane paved road. If no one is coming toward me and there is a car behind me, I pull into the oncoming lane before the turn, because many dolts driving modern cars think when I slow down and stick my arm out, that I am waving them to pass me!
Norm

[Jonathan.2909]

I don’t drive my T as much as I’d like but I have so much fun driving it and I’m trying to get out more.

[Oldav8tor]

12000 miles in five years. My area is great for Model T's - low traffic, people who enjoy seeing me on the road.

[mcnallyf]

I live in Maine, so I only get about 5 months of Model-T driving per year. But I got about 4000 miles this summer. 3000 miles on the '24 roadster, and 1000 miles on the '25 coupe.

[Dan Haynes]

I drive either the 1914 or the '15 almost everyday. I retired July 1st, 2023 and filled up the modern car with gas. Sometime in the fall of 2023 I filled it up again and now, in October of 2024, I still have more than half of that second tank. The Fords have gone through uncounted tanks of gas. The 1915 depot hack is on its 5th set of tires in 18 years and seriously considering Blockleys for the 6th set.

A month or so ago I replaced the disc wheels on the hack with my second set of Buffalo wires from Kevin Pharis and a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to putting in the Ruckstell I've had laid aside for it.

[Harvey Bergstrom]

We drive our ‘24 Touring every nice day we get & some not so nice days too. Acquired our car in ‘22 and worked steadily to get it restored in time for the Kansas tour June ‘23. Since then at least 4000 miles on the Henry T with 3100 logged since Feb. 26 of this year. A very mild winter allowed a lot of driving & even the short trips add up. Had 2nd tour in Michigan this passed July, so our second tour ever. We love our new retirement hobby, & especially the many friends we meet who share the same interest. Keep driving those Ts! If yours is like ours, the more you can drive it, the better it runs!