Road trip questions thread

[xAgentzero13]

Originally Posted by F3dzo

Wallace, I did that from Miami to ny only stopping for fuel an a few hours of sleep in about 22 hour

It's definately not for the faint of heart.

Do you have anymore pics of your wheels?

[F3dzo]

[Tanuki]

I just drove 1,000 miles this last weekend. Broke it up between three days because we were site seeing.

I normally will drive from Salt Lake to San Diego in a day. It is fine and maybe just over 900 miles?

Honestly every person is different. I have been called "The Trooper" by many of my rock and roll friends, so I may not be your baseline.

I filled the car up at around 350 miles per tank or so just to play it safe. I averaged 85mph and got 34 mpg, but who knows if the computer is 100% accurate. I never actually calculated miles driven against gallons filled.

So my long distance trip tips:
Driving alone sucks but can be done, though you get tired faster
Music
Energy drinks are over rated, get a good rest before and in between drives.
Don't eat crap food. You will run out of energy and be gassy.
Cruise control is amazing.

Oh and I figured this baby out on my last trip. It is the ultimate drivers aid, but onlookers will laugh. Neck pillow!

[Tanuki]

Oh and I disagree with the need for tint. The car has enough for uv protection, and your really dont feel hot while going. I mean you do have ac.

[F3dzo]

Yeah you're right, if I was just sittin there tints would make a difference

[Tanuki]

I buy tint for nothing more than to preserve my interior against a long life of sitting outside, but never for me really. I enjoy visibility. I think the stock tint on this car is actually enough.

Also I would say to not drive at night. I have had some close calls. Day time driving is always easier and safer.

[civicdrivr]

I drove 1200 miles each way from Richmond VA to Kansas City in the beginning of June. It took 16hrs each way and I did it all at once.

I filled up 4 times on the way there, 3 times on the way back. I got gas when I would stop for food/to pee to limit stops along the trip, so there were a few fill ups where I wasn't on E.

The amount of sleep depends on the person. Long, straight highways will tire you out. If you get groggy, pull over and rest. Its not worth pushing through it if youve never done a trip like this in the past.

Its difficult to say how many hours a tank will last as there are tons of variables. The longest trip I've managed on a single tank was 392.5 miles @ ~70-80mph with the a/c on the entire time on 12.46 gallons. That was a freak occurrence though, I've never been able to come near that since. That tank lasted me about 5hrs.

I know people that have driven from San Francisco to NY in about 1.5 days. There were two people in the car and they would switch off though. I've known others that took 3 days on the same trip, but they were by themselves.

Just keep hydrated, eat, and stay rested for the drive.

Another thing I do for long trips is use my credit card for all expenditures. Just in case the numbers get swiped, they don't have the ability to wipe out my bank account at the same time if I were to use a debit card instead.

The good thing about driving west is that, depending on your speed, you should have an extra hour of sunlight as you go, due to the time zones.

[elenien]

I do SoCal to NorCal trips every few months that are about 433 miles. Usually takes me about 7.5-8 hours with a food stop and a stop for gas. I consider this a leisurely pace.

Everyone is different with long distance trips. You have to learn your own limits and don't be afraid to put your plans aside if you find you are getting tired. It is better to be delayed than fall asleep, which is much easier than some might imagine. There have been times when I've had to remind myself that no, it isn't fine to close my eyes for a minute

Many people find it easier to drive at night because there is less traffic. I've found I can't do that because my night vision isn't great, oncoming headlights hurt my eyes, and there isn't anything to look at but blackness. It works for a lot of people, but doesn't for me.

I have found that in general mental stimulation is important. Having other people in the car is good, but when that isn't possible audiobooks work for some people. My mother listens to talk radio. I personally find that too annoying, in that I want to stop and smash the radio after a time...

[F3dzo]

I just got word that my dad is willing to do the drive with me... This is going to help out the situation even more!

[FRiSson]

In addition to music, go to your local library and borrow some books on CD, or download some to your ipod.

You should be able to get 35+ mpg. So a little over 400 miles if you drive to near empty.

Stop every 2 hours just to stretch your legs. 10 hours of driving is about enough, or 600 miles per day is about enough. 6 days if you make a couple of scenic stops.

Make sure you get at one real meal per day. Just eating fast food will eventually just gum you up, mentally and physically. Stock your car with fruit and nut mix, jerky, bottled water and a few cans of caffeinated energy drinks for emergencies.

[wallace03]

Originally Posted by F3dzo

Wallace, I did that from Miami to ny only stopping for fuel an a few hours of sleep in about 22 hour

It's definately not for the faint of heart.

lol yea, i think some people are just built to be able to stay up. i actually only drove about 4hrs and my buddy drove the rest of the way. i didnt want to sleep because i was afraid he would fall asleep at the wheel, which was the reason why i even took over driving his damn camaro. Im not sure how people fall asleep at the wheel. you can literally die. its like if someone was pointing a gun at you and said "if you fall asleep, i will shoot you in the face" i think for 3000 miles you should stop at least once. somewhere in texas would probably be good.

[whateatsrabbits]

I think its different for all different people. For me after about 12 hours of driving I start nodding or getting restless and pulling over to a gas station every hour or so. I know its time to pull over when I start hallucinating, One time I saw a little green man running really fast in front of me, another time I thought every bush on the side of the road looked like a deer, Or the person your driving with starts to sound like someone else. Its good that your dad is coming, that way you can take turns driving/sleeping, and you can have conversations with somebody instead of yourself. If I were you I would plan on stopping to get some real sleep every 1000 miles, or 18 hours. And pretzels for snack food, they soak up the liquid...

[wallace03]

Originally Posted by whateatsrabbits

I think its different for all different people. For me after about 12 hours of driving I start nodding or getting restless and pulling over to a gas station every hour or so. I know its time to pull over when I start hallucinating, One time I saw a little green man running really fast in front of me, another time I thought every bush on the side of the road looked like a deer, Or the person your driving with starts to sound like someone else. Its good that your dad is coming, that way you can take turns driving/sleeping, and you can have conversations with somebody instead of yourself. If I were you I would plan on stopping to get some real sleep every 1000 miles, or 18 hours. And pretzels for snack food, they soak up the liquid...

This sounds amazing. also, i think you may need to see a psychiatrist

[elenien]

Originally Posted by wallace03

Im not sure how people fall asleep at the wheel.

It's called being too tired. Your judgement is impaired, and closing your eyes either seems perfectly logical or just happens without your consent.

One of the stupidest things I've ever done was tackle a 2 hour drive starting at midnight after a very long, exhausting day. I was so tired I had to fight to keep my eyes open, which only makes things worse. Thankfully there weren't many cars on the road and I just went to the far right lane of the freeway and drove as fast as I felt capable of (which wasn't very). I made it home but I should never have attempted it. Lesson learned