17 States, 5800 miles in 7 days
10-15-2002, 12:34 PM
#1
17 States, 5800 miles in 7 days
I finally went on my first ever real road trip around the US. This one was to and from the Northeastern states.
The drive was definitely pleasant and the views were great especially with the fall foliage just reaching its peak. After going I-10 in Louisiana it was all scenic highways and routes. The best part of the drive in my honest opinion were the country roads where there were just twists and turns galore.
I'm also proud to say that i got a "This car climbed Mt. Washington sticker" after putting the max through a grueling 6,288 feet climb and decent in 2nd gear at an average slope grade of 12%.
The scariest part of that climb was during the last 2-3 miles up the mountain when fog and weather conditions limited visibility to 10 feet or so. Driving on a cliff doesn't help ease the situation either.
Now, as far as the Max goes. It was well-behaved and gave me no problems whatsoever. The full 15-hour trip halfway through the New England states didn't even bother the car in any way. I'm also happy to report that i've managed to get 530 miles of highway driving per tank of gas going 70 with occassional sprints to 90. The VQ also had a lot of power to spare in just about every road i've traversed. It's always fun to know you can easily tap power for passing slower vehicles even when in 4th gear (auto). In fact, even going up 9% grades for a couple of miles the Max never went out of OD to keep moving.
On the downside however i found out just how poor the handling is on this vehicle. Even with a newly tightened RSB and FSTB the handling is just not good enough although it helps a bit.
Going through twists and turns (especially near 360 degree turns) the Max exhibited what felt like a lot of sway and lean. The lack of steering/road feel doesn't help the matters much either. It was during these times that i wished i brought the RSX instead. And i felt somewhat humiliated by having to slow down on wet roads and going through the same turns due to the poor performance of the Potenza's. I can count numerous times when the wheels felt like or already gave up some traction in favor of hydroplaning or slipping. This was most especially evident while going through Smokey Mountain.
I can also vouch for that theory on pre-2k2 SE's having better suspensions. A couple of times i cruised with other stock pre-2k2 SE on the highway only to fall back significantly on sweeping curves when it feels like i'm going to lose traction due to really bad lean, and traction. (feels like the rear is going to lose it).
However, all in all. For the comfort and power the Max provides it just made the entire trip feel a whole lot better. There's definitely room for improvement but i'm not complaining much
For those curious, these are the states i went through (not including my homestate which is a 200 mile trip on it's own to Louisiana):
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachussets
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Georgia
I've seen a lot of Maxima's throughout the trip but none that was visibly modified in any shape or form. Though interestingly enough i saw a lot more of the new Honda Accords than i have Maxima's (all models combined). Go figure.
You can go here for some photo's took during the trip. I've got some in-car video clips of some roads including the one on Mt. Washington but none of which is long enough to warrant putting them online. Maybe when i gather enough footage i'll put them together into one presentation.
The drive was definitely pleasant and the views were great especially with the fall foliage just reaching its peak. After going I-10 in Louisiana it was all scenic highways and routes. The best part of the drive in my honest opinion were the country roads where there were just twists and turns galore.
I'm also proud to say that i got a "This car climbed Mt. Washington sticker" after putting the max through a grueling 6,288 feet climb and decent in 2nd gear at an average slope grade of 12%.
The scariest part of that climb was during the last 2-3 miles up the mountain when fog and weather conditions limited visibility to 10 feet or so. Driving on a cliff doesn't help ease the situation either.
Now, as far as the Max goes. It was well-behaved and gave me no problems whatsoever. The full 15-hour trip halfway through the New England states didn't even bother the car in any way. I'm also happy to report that i've managed to get 530 miles of highway driving per tank of gas going 70 with occassional sprints to 90. The VQ also had a lot of power to spare in just about every road i've traversed. It's always fun to know you can easily tap power for passing slower vehicles even when in 4th gear (auto). In fact, even going up 9% grades for a couple of miles the Max never went out of OD to keep moving.
On the downside however i found out just how poor the handling is on this vehicle. Even with a newly tightened RSB and FSTB the handling is just not good enough although it helps a bit.
Going through twists and turns (especially near 360 degree turns) the Max exhibited what felt like a lot of sway and lean. The lack of steering/road feel doesn't help the matters much either. It was during these times that i wished i brought the RSX instead. And i felt somewhat humiliated by having to slow down on wet roads and going through the same turns due to the poor performance of the Potenza's. I can count numerous times when the wheels felt like or already gave up some traction in favor of hydroplaning or slipping. This was most especially evident while going through Smokey Mountain.
I can also vouch for that theory on pre-2k2 SE's having better suspensions. A couple of times i cruised with other stock pre-2k2 SE on the highway only to fall back significantly on sweeping curves when it feels like i'm going to lose traction due to really bad lean, and traction. (feels like the rear is going to lose it).
However, all in all. For the comfort and power the Max provides it just made the entire trip feel a whole lot better. There's definitely room for improvement but i'm not complaining much
For those curious, these are the states i went through (not including my homestate which is a 200 mile trip on it's own to Louisiana):
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachussets
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Georgia
I've seen a lot of Maxima's throughout the trip but none that was visibly modified in any shape or form. Though interestingly enough i saw a lot more of the new Honda Accords than i have Maxima's (all models combined). Go figure.
You can go here for some photo's took during the trip. I've got some in-car video clips of some roads including the one on Mt. Washington but none of which is long enough to warrant putting them online. Maybe when i gather enough footage i'll put them together into one presentation.
10-15-2002, 12:43 PM
#2
It's chrome alright...
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,009
Re: 17 States, 5800 miles in 7 days
360 degree turns??? 
Cool trip... I used to live in Virginia and drove the coast to Maine a few dozen times. Not quite as long but still formidable. I live in NH now and still drive to Maine often....way northern Maine, Moosehead Lake... and have never enjoyed the trip as much as I do in my Max.
Cool trip... I used to live in Virginia and drove the coast to Maine a few dozen times. Not quite as long but still formidable. I live in NH now and still drive to Maine often....way northern Maine, Moosehead Lake... and have never enjoyed the trip as much as I do in my Max.
10-15-2002, 12:48 PM
#3
what the hell man, you go all that way and dont even visit Dirty Jersey???
and 12% slope is nothing, i drive down a 25% slope everyday going to work
still sounds like you have a good time, was there any reason to going, visit relatives or something?
longest road trip i have have ever done was Texas to Jersey, in a weekend
i would like to one day drive out west for a week or two
and 12% slope is nothing, i drive down a 25% slope everyday going to work
still sounds like you have a good time, was there any reason to going, visit relatives or something?
longest road trip i have have ever done was Texas to Jersey, in a weekend
i would like to one day drive out west for a week or two
10-15-2002, 01:04 PM
#5
Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 217
Thats AWESOME!!
I LOVE long roadtrips.
My best one was 6800 miles 'bout same # of states in 3 weeks.
that was going from Minneapolis to and thru much of teh west.
In mid summer too...
My recently fixe dAC was blowing Icecubes even in 115F in the sun.
But that was in 98 and I didnt know to put in a tranny cooler
.
I blame my tranny failure a couple of months later, on that trip.
But:
There is nothing like a trip invloling a man and his car (well maybe another good friend for man as well..)
Fred...
I LOVE long roadtrips.
My best one was 6800 miles 'bout same # of states in 3 weeks.
that was going from Minneapolis to and thru much of teh west.
In mid summer too...
My recently fixe dAC was blowing Icecubes even in 115F in the sun.
But that was in 98 and I didnt know to put in a tranny cooler
.I blame my tranny failure a couple of months later, on that trip.
But:
There is nothing like a trip invloling a man and his car (well maybe another good friend for man as well
..)Fred...
10-15-2002, 01:10 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 100
Originally posted by palmerwmd
Thats AWESOME!!
I LOVE long roadtrips.
My best one was 6800 miles 'bout same # of states in 3 weeks.
that was going from Minneapolis to and thru much of teh west.
In mid summer too...
My recently fixe dAC was blowing Icecubes even in 115F in the sun.
But that was in 98 and I didnt know to put in a tranny cooler.
I blame my tranny failure a couple of months later, on that trip.
But:
There is nothing like a trip invloling a man and his car (well maybe another good friend for man as well..)
Fred...
Thats AWESOME!!
I LOVE long roadtrips.
My best one was 6800 miles 'bout same # of states in 3 weeks.
that was going from Minneapolis to and thru much of teh west.
In mid summer too...
My recently fixe dAC was blowing Icecubes even in 115F in the sun.
But that was in 98 and I didnt know to put in a tranny cooler
.I blame my tranny failure a couple of months later, on that trip.
But:
There is nothing like a trip invloling a man and his car (well maybe another good friend for man as well
..)Fred...
10-15-2002, 02:51 PM
#8
2k2wannabe, yep a complete circle. I never thought there was such a thing when it comes to road ways but there sure was, a couple at least.
silverkorn, we had a couple more places to visit but had to cut short since we were behind schedule. Took us 2 days to get to Connecticut and went on several states/day. Got stuck behind some construction on the freeway a couple of times as well
25% is cool, but 12% average for 7-1/2 miles is cooler with the occassional slope you can't even see the road without peeking out the window And remember, it was also driving on the cliff which isn't even big enough for 2 way traffic.
palmerwind, i'd like to try a longer trip next time around. Though this time i'll make sure the max is on synthetic fluids through and through.
bwalsh, lumbee799: No tripod or special filters. Just my trusty Fuji Finepix 2600z and a steady hand
silverkorn, we had a couple more places to visit but had to cut short since we were behind schedule. Took us 2 days to get to Connecticut and went on several states/day. Got stuck behind some construction on the freeway a couple of times as well
25% is cool, but 12% average for 7-1/2 miles is cooler with the occassional slope you can't even see the road without peeking out the window
And remember, it was also driving on the cliff which isn't even big enough for 2 way traffic.palmerwind, i'd like to try a longer trip next time around. Though this time i'll make sure the max is on synthetic fluids through and through.
bwalsh, lumbee799: No tripod or special filters. Just my trusty Fuji Finepix 2600z and a steady hand
10-15-2002, 09:06 PM
#12
ive done quite a few roadtrips in my car also.
florida to utah. 2x
michigan to utah. 2x
florida to michigan 1x.
...then the smaller sub-10 hour variety:
utah to nevada. 5x (heh... i love vegas).
utah to colorado. 2x.
michigan to ohio. 2x.
michigan to illinois. probably at least 50x.
the longest ive driven is approximately 26 hours (no sleep) on my way to utah from florida (about a 30something hr drive). stops were only for potty breaks and fuel. i was too hyped up on caffeine to eat... heh.
this car just rools.
florida to utah. 2x
michigan to utah. 2x
florida to michigan 1x.
...then the smaller sub-10 hour variety:
utah to nevada. 5x (heh... i love vegas).
utah to colorado. 2x.
michigan to ohio. 2x.
michigan to illinois. probably at least 50x.
the longest ive driven is approximately 26 hours (no sleep) on my way to utah from florida (about a 30something hr drive). stops were only for potty breaks and fuel. i was too hyped up on caffeine to eat... heh.
this car just rools.
10-16-2002, 06:12 AM
#14
That sounds like a great time. I went up Mt. Washington in a Dodge Caravan with my family. This is the time when Dodge was having tranny problems with all of their vans. I was 14 at the time, so forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a sign at the bottom of the mountain that tells drivers to turn on their AC? In any case, my old man blasted the heat (to help relieve the engine) as we went up. That drive is STEEP. We saw a lot of overheated minivans on the way up 
It's cool to know that you're standing on the highest point on the east coast. How was the weather up there....let me guess..bad?
The pics that you took are great. New England is beautiful....
and so is your majestic blue
It's cool to know that you're standing on the highest point on the east coast. How was the weather up there....let me guess..bad?
The pics that you took are great. New England is beautiful....
and so is your majestic blue
10-16-2002, 06:39 AM
#17
T-Bone, they not only put signs these days but they actually give you a guide on what to do and what not do do while going through the mountain. It's further emphasized on the audio accompaniment. There's also signs everywhere reminding people to stop for a moment to cool the breaks. There's also a couple of spots where one can get "radiator water"
Weather was pretty bad as we went up, visibility was down to 10 feet or less due to extremely thick fog. I actually had to stop taping since all the camera could see was white everywhere. When you're driving on a cliff that gets reallllyyy scary.
Temperatures also went down to freezing, a near 30 degree drop in temp from the bottom of the mountain.
4DR, i'm not sure if i went through that particular road. But coming from Houston i extremely enjoyed the twisties
Weather was pretty bad as we went up, visibility was down to 10 feet or less due to extremely thick fog. I actually had to stop taping since all the camera could see was white everywhere. When you're driving on a cliff that gets reallllyyy scary.
Temperatures also went down to freezing, a near 30 degree drop in temp from the bottom of the mountain.
4DR, i'm not sure if i went through that particular road. But coming from Houston i extremely enjoyed the twisties
10-16-2002, 06:57 AM
#18
Re: Re: 17 States, 5800 miles in 7 days
Originally posted by 2003MaximaSE_TE
How the hell are you getting that gasmilage? I have a new 2003 with 4k on it and I am lucky to get 23 MPG.
How the hell are you getting that gasmilage? I have a new 2003 with 4k on it and I am lucky to get 23 MPG.
And since this is the first all-highway trip i had on the Max i was glad to know that i was able to go as high as advertised
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