Long distance driving questions.

For the t-storms, bring a camera!
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_H*

 

rain-x the windshield if you're into that. and get new wipers. we did that before driving from nc to wi in january and sure enough, we got rain/sleet/snow all the way up. that stuff made driving a lot less of a pain in the nice person.

check your tires and make sure they're still good, if you're thinking of replacing soon you might wanna do it before the trip.

are lulu and thelma going too? casper's regular cage folded nicely in the back, and a smaller travel cage strapped in the back seat easily.

 

I've done the trip from FL to Ca 5 times. if only I had my prius back then. Anyway. Take lots of water in the car with you because as you cross the desert you get really dried out and water at the rest stops is expensive, Plus you don't always want to stop just for water.

make sure your passenger has a pillow and lots of CD's or ipod.

I'm in Cali, Hollah!!!

 

Are you travelling I-40? If so, Tennessee is lo-ong. Eat bbq in Memphis. Indeed, it'll be monsoon season in New Mexico and E. AZ. That means rain (or worse) can boil up in the afternoons. OK and TX panhandle ripe for storms, including tornadoes. Find your weather radio stations which broadcast weather on the hour, usually an AM frequency If the sky is green get yourself and the girls to shelter, parking your Prius under shelter, too, as hail may follow.

If a bit of touring is possible, go south from Amarillo, Texas to Palo Duro Canyon (unless it's raining, when floods are probable) and then North in AZ to the Grand Canyon for a lovely bit of compare and contrast. Sedona, AZ is also worth a side trip S from Flagstaff.

We use sun shades for the back side windows in summer.

Have fun!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IAO @ May 9 2007, 12:59 AM) [snapback]438083[/snapback]</div>

i don't think casper would handle a plane ride very well either. a car ride will be fine for them if they like riding in the car. i got casper a keet sized cage and we strapped it in the back seat. she sat in the front with us during the day and slept at night. i brought lots of little treats and she ate just fine. she seemed to enjoy the overall experience.

i swear by it. a new coat will make the water bead up and roll off easily. i found out that it only lasts about 15 hours with continuous windshield wiper use though but hopefully you won't hit weather that nasty for that long.

the 40 psi sounds just fine, we ran 42/40 on our integrities and made many trips with them that way. had no problems with the tires on the trips, they wore out pretty early in the end but that doesn't seem to be very uncommon.

on storm safety and tornadoes: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MJGreen @ May 9 2007, 12:00 AM) [snapback]438061[/snapback]</div>

Take water yes, but GO EASY on it. Your gas tank bladder will outlast YOUR bladder, in most cases. Figure 500 miles before gasing up will work out to an easy 7 hours of driving.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 9 2007, 11:40 AM) [snapback]438263[/snapback]</div>

I used to use Rain-X all the time and had the same experience of it disappearing after a long day's driving in the rain. It seemed to rot the wipers more quickly than normal aging, so I left the parking area of the wiper blades free of Rain-X per an online tip.

The past 5 years I have been using Aqua-Pel. It lasts about 6 months - heavy wiper use or not. It seems to leave less of a water film when the wipers go across it and bugs and ice don't stick to the windshield. It does not seem to harm the wipers. Only drawback is that one application costs more than a whole bottle of Rain-X. Still, I tossed a nearly full bottle of Rain-X after I started using Aqua-Pel and will never go back. Some auto stores carry it (Pep Boys) and you can find it on-line.

If you have Rain-X on the windshield, you'll probably need to use a glass polish to get it off (best with a power buffer) before switching to Aqua-Pel.

- Tom

 

Most thunderstorms before August are more northerly than your route. In August, there start to be more in the Utah/New Mexico-Nevada-eastern California "belt". At the end of July, expect anything.

I made the trip many times from VA when I lived there. I enjoyed I-70 more than I-40, if only for the amazing sight of coming over a minor rise in western Kansas and suddenly having the entire Rocky Mt. Front Range before you. Nothing along I-40 is that scenic. I'd take I-70 to its end in Utah, then cut south to I-15, which takes you to L.A. or San Diego.

As I re-read your post, you don't say where in CA you're going: north or south. If you're going to the Bay Area, then you'll want to either take I-80 most of the way, or I-70 to Denver, then cut north to I-80 in Wyoming. Even better, if you have the time, is to get on U.S. 40 a few miles west of Denver (off I-70) and take it to Utah, THEN get on I-80 the rest of the way.

I support what others said about Rain-X. Also, if you're not a regular wearer of sunglasses (prescription or not), I'd suggest getting some, UV-rated and comfortable. Every late afternoon you'll be driving "into" the sun, and, of course, you can't darken your windshield enough to take the edge off it.

One last thing---again, if you have the time (this will take a whole extra day, or most of one). Just west of Denver, take a CO highway to Mt. Evans. That road is the highest paved road in the U.S. (14K+ ft.). You'll have to come back to I-70 the way you went. If you have breathing diffifulties at altitude, they have oxygen-dispensing machines spaced around the restaurant/lookout area at the top!

 

I'll suggest a portable pump and a tire plug kit. A flat tire in the middle of nowhere is nobody's idea of a fun vacation. I've heard of hanging wet towels from the side rear windows in the desert to reduce heat and increase humidity. Travelling at night and sleeping during the day may be less stressful. I would absolutely want a GPS unit with me. Good luck and enjoy the trip.

 

Wet towels will only force the AC to work harder, to remove the water vapor that the towels put into the air. Better for you to drink water so that your body (not a towel) gets evaporatively cooled.

And yes, you *do* want to use the AC instead of rolling down the window whenever the outside air is uncomfortably warm. The cabin AC also cools the big traction battery and its electronics (note the vent to the right of the rear seat); if they get too warm they will work less efficiently and reduce your fuel economy.

 

After about a hunfdred trips between LA and Vegas I can answer some of your LD questions. (Long Distance).

The A/C works in the desert and in the mountains. However large mountains will drain the HV Battery causing you to run on ICE only which WILL limit your top speed and require almost full acceleration to avoid dropping below 55-60 MPH. (amount of peddal depends on load in the car, and it sounds like you will be pretty loaded)

You WILL get significantly less MPG during this trip. The ICE runs almost continuaslly at freeway speeds. Figure that you will get about 40 MPG during long stretches of "high" speed travel. Economy will go up in cities and down in the mountains.

If you do not have your windows tinted the sun may overpower the A/C's ability to cool the interior when the temp gets above 90. Opening a window a crack helps airflow through the entire A/C system and the car.

Windows down or A/C/ is your preference, but at speeds above 45 MPH drag on open windows surpass the depletion in fuel economy due to the A.C.

The front seat passenger may want to recline their seat, ALOT, to avoid lower back pain.

Also, don't worry about eating. I spilled coffee on my seat (just some drops but a stain none the less) and didn't clean it for a month. The stain came out with a little cold water and a tery towel. (Alcantara yeah!)

Rai-X is really uneccessary as good wipers work great on the Prius (I'm getting ready to replace mine with the new Bosch blades without pressure points) and the slope of the window really lets a lot of rain streak off easily. My suggestion however is to use the green prestone washer fluid, its really the best stuff. Cleans bugs off good.

As far as safety kits go, any one of those at the pep boys, for about $40-$70 should be fine. Some key things to have:
Locking pliers
Duct tape
relfector
flashlight
towel (always overlooked, and that ground is hot!)

Tire kits really aren't necessary bceause:
1. you have a spare
2. If your tire blows on the Freeway, it will probably be destroyed by the time you stop
3. If you pick up a nail, the slow leak will probably still let you get to a auto store to get a patch kit. As long as the tire stays warm you probably won't lose much air.

I found my Toyota med kit to be very handy also.