Road trip question
 

Hey guys,

I'm planning on going on a 22 hour road trip but I have some concern with the fuel due to our small tanks.

Has anyone brought one or two jerry cans in the trunk? If so how did you secure them and insure they don't stink up the car?

My concern is having accessible premium gas on the way and having the jerry cans would also reduce the down time. I plan on taking some fun roads that will be more remote than the main highways.

Also I'm going the end of October in the rockies. Should I be concerned about weather conditions at that time?

Any advice for this type of road trip will be much appreciated!

So what's your route? I just drove from Alaska through Canada to Washington, then to Southern California, over to Colorado and up to Alberta and back home. I'm full of input. Road trips rock!

On my road trips I never let the needed hit below the last quarter before I fill up. Better be safe than sorry. Specially on that long road in west TX of a whole lot of nothing!

There's a reason why most off roaders attach their auxiliary fuel cans outside and just pull them off when they need to fill up at baja and what not. Their is no way to seal the vapor/smell in without an issue of danger. You might want to pre-plan the route with gas stations along the way.

Dare I say maybe keep two or three bottles of octane booster?:[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lucas-Oil-10026-PK12-Octane-Booster/dp/B001OZL9OQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/178-9633922-8634542"]Amazon.com: Lucas Oil 10026-PK12 Octane Booster - 15 oz.: Automotive[/ame]

I have no clue how it will effect the engine, and I'm pretty sure no one else on the forum used it yet.

Can you just buy like a whole bunch of octane booster? Iam still on vacation and i drove over 24 h closes i came to out of gas was 1/4, no matter what you do dont put ethanol gas in i tried 94 w ethanol engine ran like shit, put 91 without ethanol and was way better. Now i have access to 94 pure and its way way better.

You're going to be driving without access to premium fuel for over 200 miles?

Just fill up with the lesser stuff if you have to, it won't hurt anything.

I doubt 200 miles will harm your engine. Lower octane fuel will cause knock, but 200 miles shouldn't even start to show symptoms, especially if they are highway miles at somewhat constant RPMs.

Planning is key my friend. If you plan correctly and take your time, you won't get frustrated with traffic and won't have many worries.

I am trying to plan a small road trip down to Atlanta from Philadelphia.

Good luck and be safe.

If you're on the highway you should be able to hit 300 miles per tank if needed. At this altitude, you don't need 93+ octane. The reduced air density allows for lighter octane, 91 is typically the max you'll find here.

Have you been calculating your ACTUAL mileage? (fill tank to full, then use as much as you can, then divide the miles driven by gallons required to refill).

October in the Rockies is a crapshoot, my snow tires are usually on before October ends. October is typically when the first snow hits the Denver area, but the hills may already have coverage by then. Usually the ground and climate are not yet cold enough for it to really stick to the roads around Denver, so they might be wet and slimy and sandy from mag chloride, salt, and sometimes small grain gravel.

If you're sticking to highways and major roads, I wouldn't worry about it. You can always plan a SAFE route, and then a FUN route (if time and conditions permit). If you're going to be travelling over any passes (Independence Pass or Loveland Pass for example) definitely check conditions of the pass before attempting the drive. Weather may be beautiful until you hit the pass at high altitude, then suddenly you' find yourself in blizzard conditions with 50mph winds.

What part of the Rockies will you be driving through? If you're interested, I may be able to recommend some roads if you'll be in any areas I'm familiar with.

I found at very high altitudes the car sucks balls, no power and it sucks a ton of gas

Agreed, the car had no power on the uphill at altitude, everyone and their grandma was passing me. But when I reached the top of the mountain for the downhill, the fun began passing everyone who passed me on the uphill!

I drove my car from West Tennessee to South New Mexico in one day. It was about 20 hours. Mine did fine so yours should too. Fill up when you get to a quarter of a tank, and use cruise control. Most importantly though, have fun. It's my favorite trip I've taken yet. Take a lot of pictures too. You'll regret it if you don't (like me). Good luck and be safe!

Make sure you check your tire pressure when you go above 500ft elevation, your tires deflate at altitude and then they repressurize at sea level, so then you have to let some air out when you return from the mountains.

Hi Chad ...... a road trip, what fun .... :clap:

I wouldn't worry about finding fuel, just don't let the tank get too low. I've traveled over 88,000 miles throughout the western US and Canada in a car with a smaller tank (MX5) and most always found premium fuel.

I would NOT carry extra fuel inside the car!

Have a fun trip!

humfrz

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps876d5702.jpg

how about .......5,000 feet ...... ;)

humfrz

I drove my frs from San Diego to Kansas City just fine driving through the Rockies there was no need to worry about gas stations there's plenty on the I-40 at least but it was during the summer but you should definitely keep and eye out on the weather because even though it was summer there was snow on the mountains luckily the roads were clear and it snowed a couple days before I got up there so there were no need for chains

That's actually backwards. The reduced ambient air pressure at altitude means the tires want to expand. Going the other way, the increased ambient pressure at sea level wants to crush the tire, so you need to add more pressure. What you measure inside the tire (or any bladder for that matter) is pressure differential.

You don't say which Rockies, but lets assume Canadian. You should check the snow tire/tire chain rules for B.C. As I recall the winter rules start October 1, for B.C.

There is Shell app that will tell you about fuel availability called Shell Motorist. The Gas Buddy App may also be of help with planning and prices.

That is actually scientifically incorrect :bs:. It is exactly the opposite, it's like putting a balloon in a vacuum chamber the balloon will actually expand:[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VhD0_aXEe4"]Balloon in Vacuum Chamber - YouTube[/ame]

Due to the fact the air pressure forcing into the tire decreases meaning the air within the tire can expand. At sea level the opposite occurs.

My record so far is 381 miles on one tank, and when I filled up it said I had just over a gallon left. That was averaging 31 MPG with maybe 2/3 freeway travel. You should be fine.

You really should also make sure all you're fluids are topped off and all the tire pressures are fine. Especially coolant, and oil, that's a no brainer.

i would start lookin for a gas station when u reach 200 miles, with that u still have over 100 miles left before u run outta gas... i think

Thanks for the lesson !

Finding fuel shouldn't be an issue, but I'd think the octane booster would be a better route than keeping a jug or two of gas in the car, especially if you plan on taking corners at speed. I haven't tried putting regular into my car, but my old 95 Trans Am ran pretty sluggishly if you put regular in it and it didn't have near the compression ratio these cars have. As long as you keep the car around 70-75 most of the trip you'll easily get over 300 miles from a tank.

I drove 328 miles with the gas needle went below the redline on premium gas 93.

about 900 feet above sea level, 80% freeway driving.

just FYI

^ Based on my calculation & experience. When our needle is sitting on the empty line. We should still have more than 6 liters of fuel left.

how sure are you on this??..

If this is true, that means we will still have 2 full gallons of gas at red line... which is another 40-50 miles of driving! that's...alot...

Can you prove this calculation of yours? It'll be awsome if it's true!

There's always going to be manufacturing variability for each car.
Nobody is going to be able to garantee your mileage.

Where's the pickup point, and how far above the bottom?
Going up hill or down when it starts gasping?
Any corners to slosh it all up one side or the other?

Bad idea carrying jerry cans on a long trip. They are designed to vent gas vapors. If you are that worried, get some octane boost you can use if you can't find premium - but that is unlikely.

I'm coming from eastern Canada and thinking of taking number 3 most of the way and then 33 through Kelowna. I have a lot of planning to do yet and i'm thinking of doing some backroads along the way if my fuel mileage permits it.

I'm most worried about my tire choice. I will have to look into the winter tire rules in BC as we don't have rules for that in Manitoba yet.

Thanks for all your helpful input! I'm coming from Manitoba and so far my plan is to take the number 3 across and then the 33 up through Kelowna.

I forgot about the winter tire rules in other provinces thanks for the heads up. I guess it would be best to have them on just in case. Is it true that they wear out quickly when driving on dry pavement though, or should i just not worry about it?

Again I appreciate all the advice.

Thanks everyone for the input, It's all really helpful as I'm a newbie with cross-country road trips. I will bring some octane boost just in case and forget about the jerry can idea lol. I will do some research on the roads that I'm taking to see if they all offer 91 no ethanol.

If you are coming from Winterpeg, then you know winter. ALWAYS take something for the worst.
Lived in Kelowna for 7 yrs. weather is unpredictable.
Pick up a set of chains, that gets you by the winter rule. Prefit them as you could be putting them on in the snow.
Standard winter survival gear, shovel scrapper
When winter and mountains involved, never take chances.
May be over kill but. I'd rather have than not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LOL yes I do know winter but I don't know mountains and much snow before the end of November. Would you recommend chains or just using winter tires for the whole trip?

Good call with the survival gear, I will make an exhaustive list to make sure I'm covered for worst case scenarios.

Oh ya, watch out for deer, elk, moose. Any critter. In the fog, heavy, saw the full size duel wheel pick up, front end completely smashed from love tap by an Elk. I had an 82 Supra and I felt tiny.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You could probably do all seasons with a set of chains. Still have some fun factor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I will keep an extra eye out for the wildlife.

My options for tires are:

1. Summer tires with chains in the trunk in case
2. Winter tires for the whole trip

What do you think would be the best of the two?

If you have a set of winters then winter tires and save on the money.
You will drop some mileage with winters.
It just occurred to me, call up the RCMP or CAA and ask them. They would give you the best advice as I haven't been thru there for a least 10 yrs.
I know that going up 33 from Kelowna is twisty with hills. It's on the way out to Big White ski hill.
The road thru Kelowna over the bridge is the trans Canada and can get steep for like 27 miles, I think.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's not the end of the world to not have 93 octane fuel. Half the country doesn't have it. I wouldn't bother with the octane booster. The car runs well enough on 91, you're just down on power a bit. The car has to be safe on 91 since that's the most common premium in the country.

Having driven across the country, I wouldn't worry about gas until you hit 300 miles on a tank. I've squeezed out just over 420 miles from a single tank. I was down to half a gallon of fuel (that Mojave desert... No gas out there...)

For tires, I'd say bring cables. Unless you're planning on living in snow, snow tires would be an excessive purchase.

Almost all cars have about 80km or 40-50 miles reserve after you hit the line or the light comes on.