ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: mavapa on January 29, 2004, 12:57:00 AM
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I'm going to see how the Geo works on the highway soon. I'm planning to leave Georgia Sunday morning and arrive in Albuquerque the next day. After a while visiting a friend there, I'll head up to Denver to see friends there. I probably won't have time for any offroading, but I am hoping for some snow.
I am also planning a little comfort mod to the Tracker. I ordered some sound deadening material, and I hope to have time to put some in on the floorboards and firewall before I leave. I want to do the doors, too, but I doubt that I will have time. The roof would probably benefit, as well. I want to see if I can make it just a little more relaxed for long-distance cruising.
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have the ballance of your tires checked too,
a little vibration for several thousand miles
gets to be really annoying too. :)
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Since you are going to see a wide range of weather conditions, I'd suggest that you bring some:
- day worth of dry food & water
- basic first aid kit
- cell phone with numbers already stored
- provide driving directions to your destination, if you don't show, they'll know your route, and don't detour from it.
- boots, winter clothing, wool blankets
- 20' pull strap, clevis to connect to your vehicle (know where to connect them)
- kitty litter (helps with icy conditions)
- air pump (if possible) & road kit (flares, gloves, reflector, fix-a-flat)
- spare: tire complete with proper air inflation, wiper(s), oil, fire starter blocks, matches
All this shouldn't take too much room. Good luck and have fun.
I, myself, am traveling to Ohio for KC tomorrow morning (3am) to pickup a Sami.
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you left out the duct tape, bailing wire, and small tool kit.
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Since you are going to see a wide range of weather conditions, I'd suggest that you bring some:
- day worth of dry food & water
- basic first aid kit
- cell phone with numbers already stored
- provide driving directions to your destination, if you don't show, they'll know your route, and don't detour from it.
- boots, winter clothing, wool blankets
- 20' pull strap, clevis to connect to your vehicle (know where to connect them)
- kitty litter (helps with icy conditions)
- air pump (if possible) & road kit (flares, gloves, reflector, fix-a-flat)
- spare: tire complete with proper air inflation, wiper(s), oil, fire starter blocks, matches
All this shouldn't take too much room. Good luck and have fun.
I, myself, am traveling to Ohio for KC tomorrow morning (3am) to pickup a Sami.
Also get some of the goofy metalized plastic survival blankets, they don't take up much space but they work pretty good in a pinch. Instead of Fix-a-Flat get an actual plug kit with the insertion tool, fix a flat can cure screwey and totally mangle the balance on the tire to where you can't drive more than about 20 MPH. The plugs are pretty good, it's all that a tire shop uses other than they usually unmount the tire and clean the inside surface of the tire sometimes. They're quick, easy, and seem to hold up well. I've had em in a couple tires on other cars for years with no problems. Also bring a few razor blades to trim the excess of the plugs off so they are less likely to get pulled back out.
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I've made this trip lots of times in other vehicles. Once I even made it on a motorcycle in December. Smart, right? I always take a good sleeping bag, and this time I'm taking a big dog. I don't think I'll hit a 3-dog night. I have driven the Tracker from my home to Huntsville, Al, a distance of about 120 miles, and I think the tire balance is OK. I have the cell phone, although I have actually hit long distances in Arkansas (or was it OK) where my provider was squeezed out and I could get no service. That's not very reassuring. I also usually take food and Diet Coke (no caffeine in water, you know). I need a few things, which I plan to take care of on Saturday. I wonder how the seats are going to feel after that many hours. Wish I could have made a seat swap like you talked about Z3bra.
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Well I think you can do the seat swap still, but probably not before you go.
Oh and the motorcycle in December aspect conjures up scenes from the scooter portion of Dumb & Dumber I'm afraid to say. (well not really it's a damn funny movie.)
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I like the seats in my 89' Suzuki JLX
I have seen some of the GEO seats
and they don't look as comfortable.
You might find a bolt in that is better
Ask Kerry Wittig, he's got a bunch of
Zuks, and he's parting out.
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If you don't have a CB get one. If you're traveling by interstate highway you'll never be alone or out of the service area.
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I went to Montreal about a year ago which is about 372 miles away. My cell phone provider has service all along the highway between Toronto and Montreal and there are several service stations spread out along the way so I wasn't to worry about being alone. But then again it's a very well traveled peice of road so it was no big deal.
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Well, I won't get to put the sound deadener on before I leave. The place I ordered from just notified me they are shipping today (Friday) and I leave Sunday. It's going by the postal service, so it might be waiting when I get back in two weeks. Or it might not.
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;D
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A note on cell phones: I know in the US any cell phone will call in to 911 no matter what company your with or if your even with a company.
They collect old cell phones around here to give to possible battered woman that might need the police. They don't have regular service but the 911 will work.
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INTERESTING, I'VE LEARNED SOMETHING NEW TODAY...I CAN NOW GO TO BED ;D
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My longest trip i've done was about 15,000 miles. And that number is right.
I started from out here in northern oregon went in the order of these cities.
Portland,OR - Seattle - Spokane - Cutbank,MT - Calgary - Rapid city, SD - Cheyenne,wy - Denver,Co - Salt lake City - Boise - Burns, OR - Denio,NV - Winnemucca,NV - Reno,NV - Sacramento, CA - San Fransisco,Ca - Los Angeles, Tiajuana down the coase to alcapoco, through mexico city up through meridia, (Say mayan ruins) up the mexican coast back up through Brownsville,Tx - Houston,tx - to Key west- Fl, Miami, fl - up the coast clear to portland, ME - bangor,Me and i squiggles a line across the country back to denver then saltlake city home.
I had with me at all times! 4 - 6 gallon gas cans (mexico is rough for that stuff just have to follow the taxies.
A sleepin bag rated for -40. Always a must.. to hot? just unzip it. But i'ld rather have more clearance for cold. -40 works lovely in 10* weather. Nice and toasty in the zuki.
I also took my head peice off the seat. Slid the seat all the way forward and reclined it down and it went flush with the back seat for a perfect bed for a shorty like me at 5' 8''. Have you guys done this? its a 4 door model.
I also had Water.. a must at all times no matter what. you never know when a hunter will think your a deer and shoot your radiator! (it has happened)
But road trips are the best things in my opinion. Just going driving so much to see. And nothing beats a suzuki at it. Good gas mileage.. and the capabilities of taking a shortcut are phenominal.
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Now thats a long trip! holy cow :o
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That trip was about 6 weeks long. the funnest thing i've ever done. I went to places with snow in the summer to warm beaches with lots of girls while i was single. snuck into all inclusive clubs
I even went to eagle colorado which is now all publicized. That trip was the ultimate. And all it cost was rougly 2 thousand dollars in fuel and food. The rest was made. I stopped at truckstops with the quarter showers to clean up. Everything was good.
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Well, I'm here in Denver right now. I got to Albuquerque, NM, last Monday. Despite the weatherman's assurances, there has been virtually no snow. A little dusting that disappeared off the streets in no time. So I have not had a chance to see what the Tracker would do in snow. I have to head home Thursday, so I doubt I'll see anything serious. At least the sound deadener came before I left. I managed to get one layer on most of the engine side of the firewall, and it made at least some difference in the noise. I averaged about 30 mpg at a GPS-indicated speed of 65, then it dropped to about 28 as I went west and the wind got stronger. I put some 225-75's on in ABQ, replacing the idiot's 205-70 in front and 205-75s in the rear, which came on it when I bought it. That made the speedometer read true road speed instead of about 3 or 4 mph high. On the way up I-25 from ABQ to Denver I had the mother (OK maybe just the aunt) of tailwinds and I averaged 33 mpg on one tank. That's nice.
Anyway, sorry there's no off-roading or even snowy on-roading to report. But at least now I know the Tracker makes a perfectly fine long-distance tourer.
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Great to hear that your first half
of the trip went well, hope your
return is as least as good + Snow
;)
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This is kind of sad. I went to a couple of Denver junkyards looking for some Sidekick parts. We found several Samurais there. At least a couple had very good bodies, although the engine/drivetrains were not complete. I don't know why they were junked. It wasn't hard to imagine taking them out and replacing the mechanicals, doing up the interior, and having a nice Sammy. There was a hardtop body that looked really good - no rust, few if any dings. Too bad.