Roadtrip Advice?
 

Hi first off I'm not sure which forum I should post this on so excuse me,
second I was planning to drive about 850km in one day in a 1995 nissan altima, The highways will be pretty much straight where im going. My concern is how safe is it to drive a far distance in a small car? anything I should be aware of besides the obvious. btw I have driven 8 hours straight in a 99 ford windstar last year.

thanks in advance.

I'm not sure your asking your question correctly. It doesn't matter what the size of your vehicle is. You can drive it anywhere and any distance if your vehicle condition is good. I drove my civic 1200 km in two days last year. No problems at all. just a little cramped but all good.

major things I will look at before leaving

all fluids topped up and its not leaking
tire is not leaking or puncture. have a spare wheel
make sure there is not engine heating problems
check eletrics. esp battery / alternator is not dying
bring yourself alot of cd's and fluids

Don't fall asleep!

just make sure you do all the regular maitenance and such. i drive from Vancouver to PEI every year. the first time i did the trip was with 2 friends and me in my 92 eclipse...not comfortable but definatly a fun trip. oh yea and thats about a 7000km trip.

*Only* 850km in one day? Pfft, lightweight... I've done over 900km in one day, Vancouver to Prince George, numerous times, and a couple times Vancouver to Calgary, and once Sacramento - Reno - Crater Lake - Roseburg for 950km... and that was in my '87 Accord. My buddy and I once delivered a 280ZX for a guy, Burnaby to Winnipeg... 2300km, 25 hours.

A friend of mine, when he got his new car once years ago (forget was it was, early-90s, some little Chevy thing), decided to go on a road trip, so four of them packed in, drove to San Franciso, had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, and drove back. That's about a 3100km round-trip in a little over 24 hours.

2300km in 25 hours? Soundy try 1000km in 7 hours, Calgary to Vancouver :D

hmm Check ALL vital fluids, top up or replace as necessary....

COOLANT (radiator & overflow tank)
Engine oil
Transmission fluid
Brake fluid condition
Top up windshield wiper fluid

actually get out and verify all lights work, don't want to get rearended in the fog or heavy rain

Verify tire pressure, set to about +2 psi what the door panel recommends.

You could also use this as an opportunity to run cleaner through your fuel system (Redline SI-1 works well)

Your altima in good condiiton will make the trip no problem!

drove 1600 kms in 15 hours goin speed limit.... TWICE beat that.

how long did that take u? LOL dayam

-perhaps a GPS would be handy as well? haha non car related issue i know


and maybe some gas in a gas container
just in case

I did over 10,000km in less than two weeks in 2007. Its no problem as long as you make sure your car is taken care of.

approx. 7000 in 49 hours, coast to coast

thanks alot for the replies.

Would you be planning to head to Banff?
I looked it up the other day and I think it's around 900km as well. lol.

Looking to maybe head there in the summer, pretty good experiences for you guys?

One big one I almost forgot... :eek:

A good radar detector is mandatory!

I've done 16 hours to San Jose in one shot in my '91 MR2 without issues.

With a second driver, we've done 6500 kms in 40 hours.. Vancouver to Vegas for dinner then over to LA and home... that was last Labour Day's road trip..

I drive between Vancouver and Kelowna 3 times a year and I get tired from it already..Its around 400kms. I'm a super-lightweight.hahaha

I can get there in around 3.5hrs, speeding of course.

You averaged 162 kph on you're road trip? Actually, if you did 6500 kms in 40 hours you'd have average faster then that because you'd have to at stop for gas at least 8 or 9 times if not more.

40 hours actual driving time not counting stops. There's a long stretch of the i15 starting in Utah that you can see for miles and miles... we pegged the car for several hours without running into highway patrol. Other than that, we were averaging 80-100mph depending on the car we're pacing... pick out the fastest car and keep pace with it.

i think i'll keep this thread in mind when my friends and I go on our road trip haha

21 hours each way, 2400km. In an 88 mazda mx6. 850km is chicken gonads. Don't worry about it.

You'll be fine. Just make sure you, any other drivers and the car are in good working order. There's some good, sound advice between all the e-penis posts in this thread. :)

anyone know an approximate of how long it might take to drive to calgary? ENDLESS said it was 7 hours but i'm guessing that's bookin' it, because i'll be in a van with other people

About 12 hrs at a leisurely pace with a few rest stops.

^That's about my average too. At ~1000km, figure you'll average 90km/h between freeways, construction zones, getting stuck behind trucks and campers, gas and food stops, etc.

alright, thanks for the info guys