If you were facing a 1500 mile road trip in your GT40, going through country you hadn't been to before, how would you plan the trip? Would you gravitate to freeways and their relative promise of adequate ground clearance or map your way along secondary highways? What gear would you bring along?
Road Trip Advice
- Thread starter Hoota Caroota
- Start date
Jeff Young
GT40s Supporter
A Toyota.
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
Stick it on a transporter.
Seymour Snerd
Lifetime Supporter
SteveC: this is your cue.
A friend of mine has a DRB set up for interstate cruising. O/A ducted directly into the under-dash area, excellent air con, comfortable seats, high fifth gear, good acoustic and thermal insulation, powerful but efficient (management, injection) engine, driving lights, stereo, etc. Car is relaxing, weatherproof, and ideal for long trips. But he tends to stick to the highways.
Julian
Lifetime Supporter
As eluded to by Dalton IMO a lot depends where and what sort of country that 1500 miles crosses and what amenities (A/C etc.) your car has, coupled with time of year. Are you driving alone, with a passenger or with other cars in a group? What's the objective e.g. get from A to B or a more relaxed driving tour? If it's a case of get a car home that you just purchased I'd resort to the professional transporter recommendation,. There's a lot of stress associated with just jumping in a vehicle to drive that distance without having at least given it a thorough once over.
Now if I knew the car and had owned it a little while I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a 1500 mile road trip, but it would have to be alone to be able to use the passenger area for luggage etc. Obviously a group tour would be preferable, AAA membership is a must and contact numbers for GT40's members along the way would be a good idea
Depending on the area traveled and time available I'd probably try to find a mix of highway and scenic routes.
Now if I knew the car and had owned it a little while I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a 1500 mile road trip, but it would have to be alone to be able to use the passenger area for luggage etc. Obviously a group tour would be preferable, AAA membership is a must and contact numbers for GT40's members along the way would be a good idea
Depending on the area traveled and time available I'd probably try to find a mix of highway and scenic routes.
Jim Craik
Lifetime Supporter
I have over 20,000 miles on P2264, I would love to make a trip like that. I would stick to Freeways/Highways, take very little and break the trip up over a few days.
My longest trip was from Reno to Saratoga CA, around 5 hours, I could have easely gone another 5 hours, great fun!
My longest trip was from Reno to Saratoga CA, around 5 hours, I could have easely gone another 5 hours, great fun!
Jim, I'm guessing that you stayed with family/friends along the way. I couldn't leave my GT replica parked at a hotel or motel and get any sleep.
Ian Anderson
Lifetime Supporter
Even easier to take with you inside - just take the coil to center distributor wire !
Did about 450 miles coming back from Le Mans in a day - long wait as the chunnel tunnel was full and we could not bump onto an earlier train. Luggage was in the van with brother inlaw Mike!
Ian
Howard Jones
Supporter
I will NEVER part my GT40 in front of a hotel room and go to sleep. Two guys could push it around the corner as fast as you can fart. Onto a flat trailer and it gone........forever.
Over night with friends and borrow the garage or arrange with a hotel for covered secure parking.
I bet you insurance says you must park in a locked garage overnight mine does.
As far as the rest goes, highways at my first choice if I haven't been somewhere before. I have driven back roads, they ARE more fun, but I had been down them before.
Some sort of AAA coverage would be a must. Also make sure you can get your wheels off without using the tow truck tools. The best bet with a flat is to have the tow truck respond with a air pump on-board or a air tank and blow up your tire so that it can be pulled onto the flatbed. Tell the tow truck company that you have a exotic car like a ferrari and it is very low so bring some two by fours with them. One of these cars down on a flat front is nearly impossible to jack up. Have a plan for this. The rear isn't much better.
Lastly daylight driving. I HATE driving my car at night. NOBODY CAN SEE YOU ALONG SIDE. Very dangerous and I avoid it.
Over night with friends and borrow the garage or arrange with a hotel for covered secure parking.
I bet you insurance says you must park in a locked garage overnight mine does.
As far as the rest goes, highways at my first choice if I haven't been somewhere before. I have driven back roads, they ARE more fun, but I had been down them before.
Some sort of AAA coverage would be a must. Also make sure you can get your wheels off without using the tow truck tools. The best bet with a flat is to have the tow truck respond with a air pump on-board or a air tank and blow up your tire so that it can be pulled onto the flatbed. Tell the tow truck company that you have a exotic car like a ferrari and it is very low so bring some two by fours with them. One of these cars down on a flat front is nearly impossible to jack up. Have a plan for this. The rear isn't much better.
Lastly daylight driving. I HATE driving my car at night. NOBODY CAN SEE YOU ALONG SIDE. Very dangerous and I avoid it.
Per Alan's cue:
Jim Craik is obvioulsy the most credible source with 20K miles but, FWIW from me:
I regularly take 300 mile Day trips and a few overnights. Just checked now over 6,000 milesand never a breakdown or road incident.
As others have said the SPF chassis is without issues as long as you have either a car with all the early bugs fixed AND the engine/drive systems properly installed and debugged. Even here I look over the car top to bottom regularly to insure nothing is amiss.
As insurance I carry a tool kit in one of the rear storage bins (like the MK11 Le Mans cars P2125 has 2 large storage bins in rear and another small box in front ,see pixs for details in SPF section) and some critical spares in the other as insurance as well as "flat fix", an emergency light and tire pump. As an aside with the Cobra (not the GT40) I suddenly stopped on the highway. Thought at first it was fuel but, turned out to be the fuel pump relay. So with a length of spare wire I carry and a few alligator clips bypassed the relay and was on the way (moral is you need to have a basic system understanding, know your cars systems and have tools/basic fix stuff and usually you will be OK).
I don't worry about roads but, have had to turn around on a few "country" roads in order to insure road clearance.
Would not leave the car unattended overnight. What I hasve done is leave it in fromt of Casinos and Hotels self parked at Valet (a $10 insures the valets will be happy, not move the car and they like it in front anyway).
Seats are very comfortable for long trips but, my right foot does get tired occasionaly so I shift feet on the gas.
Since I tuned the A/C it's very comfortable and heat has never been a problem. My roof to door seals are tight and I have sealed all front bulkhead openings so although I have yet to be in a downpour feel I won't get swamped.
Any other questions ask away.
Steve C P2125
Jim Craik is obvioulsy the most credible source with 20K miles but, FWIW from me:
I regularly take 300 mile Day trips and a few overnights. Just checked now over 6,000 milesand never a breakdown or road incident.
As others have said the SPF chassis is without issues as long as you have either a car with all the early bugs fixed AND the engine/drive systems properly installed and debugged. Even here I look over the car top to bottom regularly to insure nothing is amiss.
As insurance I carry a tool kit in one of the rear storage bins (like the MK11 Le Mans cars P2125 has 2 large storage bins in rear and another small box in front ,see pixs for details in SPF section) and some critical spares in the other as insurance as well as "flat fix", an emergency light and tire pump. As an aside with the Cobra (not the GT40) I suddenly stopped on the highway. Thought at first it was fuel but, turned out to be the fuel pump relay. So with a length of spare wire I carry and a few alligator clips bypassed the relay and was on the way (moral is you need to have a basic system understanding, know your cars systems and have tools/basic fix stuff and usually you will be OK).
I don't worry about roads but, have had to turn around on a few "country" roads in order to insure road clearance.
Would not leave the car unattended overnight. What I hasve done is leave it in fromt of Casinos and Hotels self parked at Valet (a $10 insures the valets will be happy, not move the car and they like it in front anyway).
Seats are very comfortable for long trips but, my right foot does get tired occasionaly so I shift feet on the gas.
Since I tuned the A/C it's very comfortable and heat has never been a problem. My roof to door seals are tight and I have sealed all front bulkhead openings so although I have yet to be in a downpour feel I won't get swamped.
Any other questions ask away.
Steve C P2125
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Seymour Snerd
Lifetime Supporter
Hmmm.. is that an argument for installing the varioius number lights even if you don't have a numbers or roundels? After all the SPFs already have the switch and wiring.... all you have to do is hook it up.
Of course without roundels on a dark-colored car it wouldn't do much good....
Or are you really commenting on the car's height?
Good point Alan.
As you know I have installed the "number" lights (no roundels) and DO turn them on at night.
Extra insurance but, wonder what the police think of them (I haven't been pulled over yet).
Although 2125 is a light color I think they will help even on a dark colored car.
Steve C P2125
As you know I have installed the "number" lights (no roundels) and DO turn them on at night.
Extra insurance but, wonder what the police think of them (I haven't been pulled over yet).
Although 2125 is a light color I think they will help even on a dark colored car.
Steve C P2125
Seymour Snerd
Lifetime Supporter
Here: http://www.gt40s.com/forum/superformance-gt40s/25354-upgrades-options-mods-p2125.html
Lots of good stuff in there.
John,
I made a couple of long trips in the car with my wife and dog. Usual driving legs on the trips were 7-8 hours. Total trips were 1,000-1,100 miles in length each. Luggage space was soft bags below our knees, soft bags under our outside arms and small rolls behind our necks/heads. No problem. The trips were pretty comfortable. I didn't worry about spare parts - the car has run pretty much flawlessly. At night I parked on the street in front of friend's houses and just removed the steering wheel and the battery key.
Drive the car and have fun!
I made a couple of long trips in the car with my wife and dog. Usual driving legs on the trips were 7-8 hours. Total trips were 1,000-1,100 miles in length each. Luggage space was soft bags below our knees, soft bags under our outside arms and small rolls behind our necks/heads. No problem. The trips were pretty comfortable. I didn't worry about spare parts - the car has run pretty much flawlessly. At night I parked on the street in front of friend's houses and just removed the steering wheel and the battery key.
Drive the car and have fun!
