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road trip tips

kidSVT

CEG'er
Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Messages
347
Location
stewartstown, PA
Hello all, a 2 buddies and I are planning a road trip to San Jose, CA.. we miiiight be taking my car ('00 SVT), but I just wanted some tips/advice about roadtrips in general, the "do's and don'ts". And where is the farthest you've ever driven??
 
furthest i've ever driven was to grand rapids for SZ this year. 800 or so miles??

as far as tips...get plenty or rest, which i didn't and the last few hours of driving to and from were murder!

also had the worst case of butt-lock ever.
 
I've run back and forth from the Boston area to Missoula, Montana time and again. Its 2740 miles door to door, and I've done about 28,000 miles on that run. The longest I ever drove in a shot was 1700 miles -- from Missoula, MT, to Ft. Wayne IN. I don't recommend that. I emerged from that run with some wisdom that I may not have had prior.

Normally, I'd throw the stuff in the car -- many of these trips were done with a Deep Jewel Green 1994 5-speed Taurus SHO with a mocha interior, the perfect tool for the job -- fill the tank, grab a Lipton iced tea with lemon (only the kind in the glass bottle), ensure I had plenty of cigarettes, and hit the road. A note about packing -- the more I did this run, the more I realized the virtues of packing light -- no obstructed sightlines allowed; everything goes in the trunk.

I've left out the obvious, but mention them as a formality. Change your oil and filter before you leave. Driving cross country is an unbeatable opportunity to clean an engine. Having clean oil allows you to avail yourself of this. Your car will be faster when the trip is done, provided it is properly tuned. Make sure your coolant is fresh, too.

Don't push too hard. I normally divided my trip into three legs -- Boston to Ft. Wayne (970 miles), Ft. Wayne to Rapid City, SD (1100 miles) and Rapid City to Missoula (670 miles). Reverse for the trip east. I may have been a bit gung ho, too -- so keep that in mind. One time, I came back without a working starter. That required a few KOER refuelings and some creative parking at night so that I could do a rolling jump start the next day.

Most of all, enjoy it. If you're getting burnt out, stop and have a bite and a drink. I recommend eschewing coffee from your long distance lexicon. Also, no beers. Even one or two would have you feeling wiped out not far down the road. I never took the chance, for when your running thousands of miles, you are really on the road.
 
Music, food, drinks, tools, MAPS/ATLAS, CB Radio, Cell Phone
Check all fluids, change oil, top off the others.
Check all tires for proper inflation/tread, especially the spare tire
Plan your route ahead of time

Having a bunch of different music will definitely help keep you from being bored which leads a lot of the time (at least with me) to being tired.

Keep some snacks in the car to munch on, can also help when tired.

Tools in case something breaks

I suggest getting a cheap atlas from WalMart for $5, covers every state and lists all WalMarts in each state. Also, stop at the welcome centers at each state line and grab a more detailed free state map.

CB Radios can come in very handy. I have used mine to help avoid and get out of traffic jams. Truckers will also tell you where the cops are sitting. $35 at WalMart plus a $10 antenna.

Cell phone to make emergency calls. Even an old phone without a contract or current service subscription can make free 911 calls.

Furthest I've gone was from Wilkes-Barre to Nashville, Tennessee. My destination was Memphis, but I was rear ended on 40 W. Had to get a rental home, only it was a Sunday so it was hell trying to find a rental.

Also, I have driven from Wilkes-Barre to Detroit, Michigan, then immediately to Cincinnati, Ohio and back to Wilkes-Barre. I was picking up a front SVT bumper in Detroit, and a rear SVT bumper in Cincinnati. Did it in one day, well, I think it was like 25 hours or something. One lesson I learned is do not rely on coffee to keep you going. It got to the point where I was stopping at every truck stop and rest area to get another dose of caffeine. Pull over and sleep for 30 or 40 minutes or switch drivers and take turns sleeping.
 
I'd invest into a GPS unit. It doesn't have to be top of the line, but something to get you by. My entire trip up to Buffalo was me trying to confuse the GPS unit. The trip went by quite fast.

(Also, the one I was using told you how fast you were going and would tell you to slow down if you were speeding. With the female voice telling me to slow down, it was like actually having a female on the trip with me...what with the incessant nagging to slow down and telling me where to go):laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
Also, the one I was using told you how fast you were going and would tell you to slow down if you were speeding. With the female voice telling me to slow down, it was like actually having a female on the trip with me...what with the incessant nagging to slow down and telling me where to go:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

At least you didn't have to hear the classic female quote while traveling:

"Pull over and ask for directions!"
 
Thanks for the tips guys, they will defidently come in handy. I never thought of gettin a CB but that really sounds like it would come in handy. I think my friend is going to document our trip on his video camera.. this could be interesting.
 
At least you didn't have to hear the classic female quote while traveling:

"Pull over and ask for directions!"

No, but when I pulled over to pee at the rest stop on the thruway, I got to hear "Please get back on the road.......Please get back on the road."
 
It was my sisters. I forget the model...but I know the **** wasn't cheap (she threatened to break my leg if I broke it).
 
Oh, and it also had depth perception issues at one intersection by Shawn's house. Sitting at the light waiting to turn right all I hear is "in 100 feet please turn right."

Other than that, it worked like a champ.
 
I've read funny articles about people turning EXACTLY when the GPS unit says to....and then they crash into buildings, cars, people.....I love their responses "Well, it said to turn NOW, so I did...it's not my fault the GPS unit said to turn when I wasn't supposed to!"
 
yeah they're not perfect, but good enough. when i went to have a look at the volvo, my uncle let me use his garmin. i was waiting at a light, and it said to turn right...but what it meant was to go straight ahead onto a road that beared right, cause when i turned it started that "recalculating" crap.

other than that i had no issues.
 
http://www.wayodd.com/german-driver-follows-gps-directions-crashes-mercedes/v/5414/

A German driver followed a road under construction and crashed his Mercedes following his GPS Navigation system. The 80-year-old ignored several signs for construction.


His vehicle ran into several barricades and eventually crashed into a pile of sand before the man's journey ended. The driver and his wife were able to walk away from the crash uninjured.


A police spokesperson told Reuters, "The driver was following the orders from his navigation system and even though there was a sufficient number of warnings and barricades, he continued his journey into the construction site. His trip finally ended when he wound up crashing into a pile of sand."


The crash occurred outside of Hamburg, Germany.
 
doesn't matter if you're comfy or not...if you're tired, you'll fall asleep. part of the reason i really don't like driving long distances all by myself. i don't really sleep well enough as is, and i tend to get drowsy on the road (as those who were with my going to SZ can attest). the 2 hours by myself ont he way home were murder for me...i literally stopped at every rest stop it was so bad.
 
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