You're About To Drive Cross Country...

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Globalksp, your statement of "put on new brakes before you leave" is what has me concerned because in the rare time that new brakes have the failure to completely release and causes an over-heat problem it is right after the brakes were changed that this problem occurs.


Good catch! You're the second person to point this out and so I've decided against replacing the brakes before I leave. Even though they're getting close to needing to be changed, there is still plenty of pad life left.

And I can always downshift

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
I'd hop in and go. It's only 3000 miles. Why would 3000 miles in 2 days be more stressful on your car than 3000 miles in 2 months?


EXACTLY!

There is some extra stress of continued use, but I'm fully on board with this thinking.

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
You guys have no adventure.

Nothing wrong with OP’s car. I’d do this in my Jeep or truck worry free.

I in fact HAVE done this in an old Jeep Cherokee. Twice. And I have way more faith in the Fit than I did in those Cherokees (though, I do love an XJ).

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I also like paper maps if you're going to plan a detour and you are out of cell service, they tend to be a bit more conservative on what is actually a road suitable for a car. We ended up on a snowmobile trail shortcut following our GPS this summer in northern ontario, which turned out fine in the CRV, other than destroying our old thule bike rack from the bumps. But there were a few rocky climbs that would've stopped a low 2wd car.

to paper maps!!

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: Kawiguy454
Dont go without one of these... https://www.stopngo.com/

Easy to use tire plugger and get a 12 volt compressor at HF. I have one of these travel kits in every vehicle I own and it hase save me a couple of times. % min fix on the side of the road.


I don't have that exact kit, but I have plugs in the car's tool kit.

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
If you're staying on the Interstates, it won't be an adventure.
Mostly just a lot of sitting and holding the wheel.
Check all the car's fluids before leaving, and check the oil every morning on the way.
Make some stops to sightsee on the way.


The interstates are the fastest way to get places without ever seeing places. I'm planning on taking the interstates through the states I've been to (mainly east coast) in order to get to the Southwest with some extra time to kill. Then it's all roads that used to be taken right before the interstates were created. Those old 2 lane highways.

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: SirTanon
I forgot to add in my previous post, and I don't see that anyone else has mentioned this.. unless I just missed it but....

Before you go, double check your headlights are in good working order and are properly aligned. Also, make sure all your braking and turning indicators function properly. Nothing more annoying than a jerk cop with a quota tagging you because you have out-of-state plates and a burnt-out taillight.

-- Disclaimer -- not saying all cops are jerks, just the jerk ones, especially those who have nothing better to do than go after the out-of-state cars in order to bolster their quotas.


Excellent point.

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Rent a car. Lower miles-and your vehicle is a miserable highway cruiser.....


No. And yes, you're right it's terrible. But, it's what I've got.

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
make sure some albums are available offline


This is the most important advice given in this thread. Bravo.

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: VeryNoisyPoet
Cooling system and hoses are a big thing to check. Unless you want to be in the snail lane doing 20mph with the big rigs, climbing grades will stress your engine. Make sure hoses and clamps are solid and replace anything that's sketchy. Keep a container of water to add if you do end up boiling. You don't have lots of torque and will lose power at altitude so depending on grade and how much stuff you have, be ready to downshift and let the engine howl. Watch that temp gauge and back off if it starts shooting up. Definitely bring a spare couple qts of oil. Higher rpms from grades or from 80mph cruising will tend to cause increased consumption.

An alignment would be a good idea if you haven't had one recently. Highway driving can eat tires that otherwise would survive at tame local speeds. (I know from experience)

Check all exterior lights. Keep spares for each type in the trunk or glove box. Replace halogen headlights if over 3 years old - they could be quite dim by now!

Basic emergency and first aid kit plus emergency water and snacks. Fire extinguisher can never hurt.

Offline music and maps are essential. Large stretches of desert will have no signal for miles. An old fashioned road atlas is not expensive and could come in handy.

GasBuddy is your friend for finding the best options for fuel stops. Plan to fill up at 1/3 tank or when 100 ish miles of range are left to leave some wiggle room. Pay attention to octane if you fill up at high altitude. 85 works fine at 6k feet, but may not be happy when you descend that mountain into thicker air again.

Replace wipers if not done recently and get a couple gallons of "Bug Buster" type summer washer fluid. You will use a lot of it. Clean your all lights when you stop for gas - surprising how much crud gets splattered there.


Thanks for this. Curious to learn more about that octane "issue". Being the car it is, I always fill up with "regular" which I believe is 87 octane here in VA.

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: eyeofthetiger
I'd check Uship and see if there is anything that you can stuff in that hatchback and make some money.


Oh hey now!

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Globalksp
...
Being the car it is, I always fill up with "regular" which I believe is 87 octane here in VA.


Try to fuel from chain high-volumes stores. Just so you don't get surprises away from home....

 

[Globalksp]

Originally Posted By: eyeofthetiger
I am going to drive cross country and back next month in the Fiesta, just about 2300 miles round trip, with a crazy cattle dog in the back seat. I think I'll make sure to bring some bottled water, a dog bowl, and some cash money. I already keep an air pump, jumper cables, and first aid kit in the car. What else do I need?

edit: dog poop bags! ugh.


One of my first cross country trips was with my 2 year old Boston Terrier. It was fantastic.

Make sure they have enough room to lie down, turn around, etc. I was camping the whole way on that trip and the further into the desert I got, the less hospitable for dogs. Depending on the training of the dog, if he/she is a flight risk, a stake with a long length of rope will allow them to roam and not flee. Never needed that with my dogs, but you never know.

I do remember him getting stung by a bee or two during that trip.

Having a dog on board is great because you both will need to stretch your legs more often than you think.

I'd also suggest some kind of chew since I assume that dog is high energy!

 

[JimPghPA]

When I was in college back in the 70's I use to get summers off and work in the local steel-mill (J&L), to earn enough to pay for tuition and books. The steel-mill had three shifts, 4 PM to 12 midnight, 12 midnight to 8 AM, and 8 AM to 4 PM. We worked a week per shift and then rotated to the next shift for the next week. The first time you worked the 12 midnight to 8 AM shift every 3 weeks it was tough to stay awake the entire shift. I was working a 12 midnight to 8 AM shift and I had all of my work done except that I had to run some big steam-powered equipment that created a vacuum that pulled fly-ash from some hoppers, that required me to operate valves every half hour to select a new hopper to be emptied. I was sitting by myself in the lunchroom waiting for the time when I had to change the valves and my head went down a couple of times, and the next thing I knew my boss banged his hard hat on the table to wake me up. He asked me how long has it been since I switched the bins and I looked at the clock and said one hour and a half. He told me to go and switch them. I did not know it but there was a rule that they can't fire you if you fall asleep while still sitting up.

Anyhow what I learned from this is that if ever you are driving and your head and eyes drop and you ketch yourself and open your eyes and raise your head and continue driving, to immediately coast to a stop and pull off the road and take an hour or two nap right there in the car on the side of the road. This is because if you don't there is a good chance that you will completely fall asleep while driving.

For my last couple of years of college, I went to school in Harrisburg Pennsylvania which was a little more than a three-hour drive from Pittsburgh.I sometimes traveled home and back during weekends, and of course for term breaks. There were a couple of times during that commute when my head dropped and my eyes started to close. I always immediately pulled over and took a nap before resuming my travel.

So remember if your head ever drops, or you ketch yourself closing your eyes like you want to fall asleep, immediately pull over and take a nap.

 

[eyeofthetiger]

Originally Posted By: Globalksp
Originally Posted By: eyeofthetiger
I am going to drive cross country and back next month in the Fiesta, just about 2300 miles round trip, with a crazy cattle dog in the back seat. I think I'll make sure to bring some bottled water, a dog bowl, and some cash money. I already keep an air pump, jumper cables, and first aid kit in the car. What else do I need?

edit: dog poop bags! ugh.


One of my first cross country trips was with my 2 year old Boston Terrier. It was fantastic.

Make sure they have enough room to lie down, turn around, etc. I was camping the whole way on that trip and the further into the desert I got, the less hospitable for dogs. Depending on the training of the dog, if he/she is a flight risk, a stake with a long length of rope will allow them to roam and not flee. Never needed that with my dogs, but you never know.

I do remember him getting stung by a bee or two during that trip.

Having a dog on board is great because you both will need to stretch your legs more often than you think.

I'd also suggest some kind of chew since I assume that dog is high energy!


I'm ordering one of those rear seat covers for dogs with a front panel so he can't jump through the front seats, and side panels so he won't scratch up the door panels. I will also get some fresh moving blankets to spread on top so he has something good to shred. He's a shredder.

 

[VeryNoisyPoet]

Originally Posted By: Globalksp

Thanks for this. Curious to learn more about that octane "issue". Being the car it is, I always fill up with "regular" which I believe is 87 octane here in VA.


"Regular" is normally 87, but up at high altitude, I saw a few stations with 85 as "regular", 87 as "plus", and 91 as "premium".

At high altitude, air is thinner. This lowers peak combustion chamber pressures, so knock or pre-ignition doesn't happen as easily. Apparently it is cheaper to produce lower octane fuels, which can be sold at those high altitude places (for more profit $$$).

A naturally aspirated engine will do just fine running 85 instead of 87 at high altitude, but may encounter problems if it descends to lower altitude and thicker air without refueling to boost the average octane of the tank back up. Cruising will be fine, but accelerating to pass or enter the highway will be where the problems arise. Best case is poor power and fuel economy as the ECU tries to compensate, worst case could be damage if the engine is forced to run under sustained heavy loads with inadequate octane.

A turbocharged engine is a different animal, since the turbo system will compensate for thinner air and will maintain relatively high chamber pressure (and therefore power). Use of turbochargers and variable superchargers for altitude compensation as well as power boosting dates all the way back to aircraft in WW2. Turbocharged and high performance vehicles should always use the octane rating recommended by the manufacturer regardless of altitude since the engines are under more stress and operate closer to the point of pre-ignition by nature.

You should be fine with either 85 or 87 if you need to refuel in the mountains, but in your position I personally would pay a few bucks more and get 87. I forked over for the 91 when I did my cross country trip, since my car does take a power and economy hit on 87.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: VeryNoisyPoet
Originally Posted By: Globalksp

Thanks for this. Curious to learn more about that octane "issue". Being the car it is, I always fill up with "regular" which I believe is 87 octane here in VA.


"Regular" is normally 87, but up at high altitude, I saw a few stations with 85 as "regular", 87 as "plus", and 91 as "premium".

It's more complicated than can be explained in a simple way, but to some degree it's not necessarily any more or less expensive to make. The different fuels streams are just separated during the refining process and then blended to make the final product. There are chemical processes these days to more higher octane fuel, but technically they're doing that to as much fuel as they can.

The prices are more a supply and demand deal. But at higher altitudes, refiners can get away with selling fuel that they normally wouldn't be able to sell at lower altitudes. I mean - what would they do with it? Otherwise they would need to blend really high octane "blend stock" to boost the finished product to 87 octane. However, oxygenates help a lot.

 

[Chewie]

If you've got one handy, charge up your battery-powered impact gun and throw it in the trunk. Won't take up too much space, and if you end up needing to change a tire it'll be worth its weight in gold.

 

[eyeofthetiger]

Originally Posted By: Chewie
If you've got one handy, charge up your battery-powered impact gun and throw it in the trunk. Won't take up too much space, and if you end up needing to change a tire it'll be worth its weight in gold.


My problem is that I haven't bought one for wheel nuts, yet. I love my little 3/8" drive cordless impact. A simple $4 tire plug kit is also good ro have.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

I say check your belts, hoses, and spare tire, top up fluids and inspect for leaks, and go.

Pack washer fluid and a little oil, trans fluid, and coolant just in case, and maybe take a spare belt since that could strand you. I would also recommend against changing brakes before the trip if they're OK now. I like to travel with a trustworthy jack and a 4-way wrench or 1/2" drive torque wrench to make tire changes safer and easier.

More importantly, take drinking water, food, pillows, and blankets or a sleeping bag. Nights are still cold out West, and snowstorms are not unlikely on the high passes this time of year. Also remember your sunglasses and chapstick with sunscreen.

I saw a lot of the country in a 20-25 year-old slant-six Duster, sleeping in rest areas and roadside pullouts and sometimes campgrounds or even motel parking lots. No A/C and power nothing made a day behind the wheel a physical experience, but I didn't know any better until I finally traded up to a car that was younger than me. Your Fit should be miles ahead of the Duster.

The only thing close to a breakdown was when the points burned up. I swapped on my spare carb thinking that might fix it, but no luck. Finally had to call for a tow, but the guy didn't charge me for that since I could limp along behind him. He threw in a set of points and sent me on my way with a new lesson learned.

Regarding high-altitude octane, just use midgrade or premium if you have to fill up in the high country, so you won't have a tank of 85 when you get down low again. The octane starts to get lower in eastern Colorado and New Mexico, between about 3500-4000 feet. This will be most important going into Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert or back out onto the plains on the way home.

Finally, as somebody mentioned earlier, pull over ASAP and sleep if you get drowsy.

I wish I could do a trip like this about now. Have fun, take some pictures, and let us know how it went when you get back. If you're a carnivore, sample the various styles of barbecue along the way.

One more thing: If you plan to drive through some of the national parks, buy the yearly parks pass at the first one. I think it costs about $80, vs. $25-$35 each for a lot of the major parks.