I'm getting ready to venture across the states. East Coast to West Coast and plan to set a world speed record. Will Average 85+. Perhaps I saw Cannonball Run one to many times.
Please throw out any suggestions as far as what I should have done to the car before leaving. Best oil for Highway cruising, hoses, etc.-uknow -Anything you can think of. -Specifics Welcome. Thanks All!!

This could be a trip of a life-time for you. May I suggest you take your time and take the road less traveled? All the secondary roads go thru little towns. You meet good folks. You see neat sights. You eat good food. You laugh. You cry. You will come to be a new person by journey's end.

Take pictures. Record sounds. Keep a journal to record your thoughts, feelings, and new insights each day.

This is a great country. If you can, take some time to more fully appreciate its greatness. Vaya con Dios & Good luck.

a basic road kit
flares, flashlight (with spare batteries) gas jug (gas stations charge 15 bucks to buy one), jack, toolkit, and some fluids..brake, antifreeze/coolant, windshield washer concentrate, and a utility knife.

get a basic roadworthy test...tune up, check axles, check filters, transmission, and tires...

As a few personal things...
id add a few energy bars and a gallon or two of drinking water (bottled). (i have military MRE's) Something that wont spoil in the car.

a spare jacket and set of clothes

I believe in murphy;s laws so like a boyscout...be prepared.

All of this stuff doesnt require a lot of space...(about a duffel bag)


hopefully you wont need it...but hey it may save your life.
PB

PEPTO BISMOL

change most of your fluids as you'll hit several thousand miles.

* coolant, use a 60/40 or 70/30 mixture with the higher percentage as water. it's summer and your car will be at operating temperature most of the time. coolant isn't as good a conductor of heat as water, so the higher percentage of water will help keep your car running cooler.
* oil, i would use Mobil 1 15w50. again, summer = hotter temps, especially crossing some of the deserts. and again, since your car will pretty much be at operating temperature most of the time, no need for the thinner oil for cold temperature or cold circulation. the 15w50 protects better as well since it doesn't have the friction modifiers.
* check your tires and tire pressure, and fill it up possibly to 2 or 3 psi above the factory recommended. this will help for high speed cruising and the fully loaded car. remember to do this when the car has been driven less than 5 miles or so when it's cold. possibly get the tires balanced and rotated if they're still decent.
* check your trans fluid and make sure it's topped off.
* check your brake fluid and make sure it's topped off. also make sure your pads are good.
* replace wiper blades, might get caught in some of those sudden thunder showers in the desert or other areas.
* top off your wiper fluid and make sure the sprayers work. lots of places with lots 'o bugs.
* check power steering fluid level
* make sure AC is working and cold
* check cv boots and make sure they aren't torn
* check that all your lights work.

some tylenol. a visa for hotels, gas and food.

-V

btw, you didnt' say how many miles your car has!

On my trip 1/2 way across the country last year, I didn't carry any backup parts. I had and have a lot of faith in this car.

It's good to have:
Extra belts, Fix-a-flat, emergency lighting, Jumpers(I have both jumpers and the battery box that you charge up in your home with jumpers attached), music cd's, map, a planned route, money for tolls and food(I used the credit card for the gas to keep track of cash), a notepad to log your fill-ups and mileage range on each tank, a blanket just in case you can't get a room anywhere(that happened to me 2 years ago on the PA/OH border on RT70, so I had to sleep in my truck) and a bug screen wouldn't hurt either. Bugs big as horse would get clogged into the radiator. I also checked the web for construction zones for each state I was going to enter.

Just some ideas. Good luck with the trip.

spare cash for tolls and pay roads.

also bugs can be a pain to take off your paint when you wash. I heard this from a detailer. Spray a light coat of kitchen oil (pam etc.)over your front bumper and front of the hood. That way you can just spray off the bugs.

As for bugs use an air compressor and backflush the radiator. You'd be suprised how many bugs fly out the front.


If you have a cell phone bring it to call 911 when needed. Federal Communication Law requires all cell phones with power to be able to call 911. (you dont even have to have a plan. Just a cell phone with power.)

Ah the open road. I traveled across country in my car in September when I moved to California. Unfortunately I couldn't take my time, but I had driven across country before so it was ok. All I did was give the car a once over, and changed the oil. Philly to San Jose took ~48 hrs of driving, 3300 miles, and included all the bull$hit construction and confusing signs around Indianapolis, and all of the off highway driving I did in Indiana and Illinois (weekend of F1 at Indy, and some stupid game for University of Illinios, held me up several hours from finding a hotel w/ open rooms). I averaged ~70 mph and ~30 mpg. I wish I had my video camera, most of the pictures I took were out the car window. Have fun and take your time, America is beautiful...

Dude, 2 years ago I drove to OKC and RT 70 was a pain in the you know what. Madd switch overs to the other side of the road and driving in one lane behind turtles.

I agree with a lot the other posts here
- take as much time as you can afford,
and go on the back roads.
I went xcountry in '76
[remember the bicentennial?]
Awesome trip.

If you're just going for a speed record
well, for one thing you probably won't set one
[except perhaps a personal one]
and you'll miss out on so much.
And furthermore, you stand a good chance
of catching a ticket or two - even with a radar detector.

Ok, so maybe you don't have the time.
Like somebody else suggested, check for construction
and also check the speed trap web sites.

Another thought
- I used to tow a race car for this guy
and he had a CB and I heard a lot of "Smokey warnings".
Pretty useful. OK, so maybe this was 15 years ago,
but it might be worth it.
[Like I said, just a thought.]

I think everybody else covered the "what to take" bit pretty well.
The only thing I'd add to the list is some spare fuses in various amps.
You can get a little assortment box that comes with a fuse puller.

I keep one of these and some basic tools in my trunk all the time.
My Max has never let me down,
but I'd rather have whatever I needed
than be standing by the side of the road wishing I did.

Last thing:
Go through Montana - some of the highways have no speed limit
during the day it's whatever is prudent or something
[or is that Wyoming?]

And stuff I forgot to mention -This is a 97 SE 5 speed with 104K+. 17" Borbet's with Dunlop sp5000 235/45/17 - FSTB, RSB. I'll post an update once I'm there. I'll do a little sight seeing and give ya'll my review of the Bel 980 Radar detector to see how well it performs on the open road. Thanks!!!

wat they you get a ticket going at 85?

are you going by yourself or you driving with a partner?
Driving cross country has definetely been something I have wanted to do for the longest of times...but never had the time...
where are you departing from? and i hope you have a good and safe trip. tell me about it---I want to go one of these days...and tell us about the best back roads, good places to eat and what roads/towns to avoid.