Longer Trip Question

[Doug Stewart]

I have a question for the masses all responses are welcome. I drive my 04 4x4 about 12k a year normally most trips less than 100 miles round trip. Taking a extended trip in October about 900 miles round trip in a long weekend. Will replace the front brakes and change the oil and check all fluids before I leave. I have 173,000 miles and have never had any problems.Any suggestions or tips will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Kevin Lang]

I've taken my ST on several trips of over 1k miles over the time I've had my 02 4x2. Besides keeping my Trac regularly maintained (it was my daily driver when I made those trips) I haven't done any special maintenance for any of these trips and my Trac hasn't had any problems with my "throw my gear in the back and ride off into the sunset" approach :grin: :grin:



If my 02 can hack it, I have confidence in your 04 :supercool:



I do have a spare set of spark plug wires, an ignition coil (since I upgraded mine and heard bad things, though I've had no issues) and tube to rig up a PCV elbow replacement if mine were to break on me again stashed in the Trac, in the event that I need em.



One thing I might suggest is that if you have any interest in using the much-talked about-here XCal to tune your ST, and you haven't done it yet, that you do it for the trip. I wanted to buy one back on my biggest ST roadtrip back in 2010, but I'd spent my "trac money" on the requisite suspension upgrades soI didn't know if I'd have enough to cover all my trip expenses if I bought the XCal then. I bought it shortly after I got back from the trip and have been kicking myself for not doing it before-hand. The mild improvements in MPG and the bigger improvement in driving fun (IMO) would have been much appreciated by me on the long legs of my trip. :driving:

 

[Mark Price 2]

Check out you pcv elbow for cracks if you haven't already. Not a big deal but will save you in mpg's on a long trip. I noticed mine leaking air halfway though a long trip. Duct taped it at a gas station and swore I got a mile per gallon more. Fixed it properly when I got home. Oh, and probably obvious but use cruise control as much as possible. edit: just read KL's response about the pcv elbow:supercool: ... and rain-x your windshield really well. That stuff works GREAT! don't even really need wipers in downpours.seriously. Sounds like someone really put some good miles on her before you got it. So she's probably no stranger to long trips. Brakes/oil/fluids and good to go. GL and stay safe. and awake! I have to force myself to pull over for a stretch even when I don't want to. I'm always trying to "make good time" but better safe than get somewhere and hour earlier. oh..check TIRES tread/inflation maybe even balanced if its been awhile. I keep a small cig outlet air compressor/tire iron/patch kit/a few tools in my ST. first aid kit. etc..I'm going to stop now. I could prob go on forever about being prepared. I drive from TX to MD all the time in my 03. ST's are great for trips (lived in Rockville/Gaithersburg/Germantown/DC and Baltimore for 20+yrs)

 

[Kevin Lang]

Ack, how could I forget about the mini air compressor I carry in the ST along with a real bottle jack as the stock one doesn't cut it...



One thing I've noticed, following the advice on this site, is the Rainx windshield wiper fluid works wonders, either the orange or the green (which I haven't seen here in MD) variety. After some sprays of the wiper fluid, over time, it is almost like Rainxing the windshield. I thought it was just my imagination, but I have never applied Rainx to my trac's windshield and the water just beads up and slides off it while it pools and obscures vision on the other cars I drive which have never run Rainx wiper fluid.



Good luck on the trip.

 

[Doug Stewart]

Thanks to all for the great advice I will pick up the bottle jack, lighter than my floor jack have never needed it so I will keep my fingers crossed tires are pretty new and I will check pressures b4 I leave. I will add duct tape to my bag of sockets open ends and channel locks and screw drivers.

Going to SC used to commute 65 miles a day but changed jobs a few years back and now only do about 5 miles a day. So she really does not spend much time on the highway anymore. Last long road trip for me was in my old 01 Focus Atlanta and back 38 mpg and not a hiccup.

 

[H D]

Use non-ethanol gas if you can find it. I feel like a crusader against ethanol, but my truck runs so much better with non-ethanol. I just did a 260+ mile round trip to the off road park yesterday and I'm estimating that I'm still in the high teens on gas mileage, even with 35s and now a roof basket with a 35" spare on top. Averaged probably 60 mph on the way there and 70 mph on the way back (had to catch the Dawgs playing). I used 3/4 of a tank for the entire trip, there and back, including the strenuous activity I forced on it off road. If I just count the road miles and totally exclude what I did off road, I ran 266 miles (according to Google maps not my inaccurate odometer) on about 15, let's say 17 to be safe, gallons of gas. Conservative estimates put me at 15 mpg; more reasonable estimates put me over 17. Is anyone's stock STs with ethanol-abused gas getting 17 mpg in conditions less strenuous than I have required of my truck?