I'm about to become a 4th Gen family member! I'm in Los Angeles,Ca and I just bought a '99 SS in Richmond, Virginia. I'm going to fly there tommorrow and drive it all the way back to L.A. Anyone have any tips to help me out on my new SS. I have calculated the trip at 2,600mi. and plan on spending around $350 on gas alone. I'm going solo and I'm going to try to make the trip under 48hrs. Looking forward to it.

 

Congrats.

I've driven long distances a lot, as many as 20 hours straight through, and I've learned one thing. It really truly is best to stop, get out and walk around every 3 hours or so. So long as you don't waste time all you need is 3-5 minutes to stretch your legs and maybe use the restroom, grab some food, get gas, etc. It's also better for you.

That is quite a drive no matter how you look at it. I'd try and get as much of that as possible done in daylight, even if that means getting up at the crack of dawn.

 

I've done D.C. to S.F. 5 times in Camaro's most recently in my 2000Z28.

4 days is doable. The 4th gen is very comfortable and I had no problem doing back to back 800mile/12hour drives.

Make sure you have some extra oil/tranny fluid(check each time you fill up when you're doing 500-800 miles a day) and a can or two of octane booster for when you're in New Mexico/Arizona where sometimes only 85 and 87 octane is available...although I imagine you'll mostly be on Interstates for a 48hour trip and should be able to find at least 89.

Vitamin C and water is your friend. If you sleep in your car one or two of the nights or camp you can do it for about $500.

Take 85 south to 40 and try to make it to the Arkansas your first day. Watch the speeding in Oklahoma, the panhandle of TX is boring as hell, there's a great Chevy dealer in Flagstaff AZ if you have issues near there, and make sure to check the Grand Canyon out if you haven't it rules.

Have fun, nothing better than driving across the country.

 

Congrats on the new car. That should be a fun trip for you. Let's hope you know a lot about the car. Jumping in a used 99 that you've never inspected before and going almost 3k miles can mean problems. Have fun.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Any tips to help fight the fatigue and drowsiness?

 

The breaks I mentioned. Also driving during daylight hours seems to help, or at least minimize the side effects of being drowsey since it's easier to see everything. When I drive by myself I do a LOT of thinking.

 

Good to go. I'll let you guys know how it went.

 

I have done a 1600 mile one way trip 5 different times now. I have done it straight through and broke it up into two days and what I find is best, is to take off at dawn and call it a day after the sun sets. Honestly, it's not worth pushing your body that hard. If I was you I would plan on driving 3 long days, 12-15 hours each day.

 

im guessing you can make it in about 38 hours, and spend $300 on gas. ive done 14hrs straight, but never that long. i would pull into a rest stop right before the sun rises and take a 3-4hr nap.
justin

 

buy a bottle of nodoz and drink some mountain dew. i did 22 hours straight through and overnight on that and i was fine... had the windows down and the stereo up and it was all good.

 

Windows and stereo definitely an anti-sleeper. When you get too relaxed is when you will get tired. If you do get tired though, don't hesitate to pull over and take a 1/2-1 hr nap. You would regret not pulling over if you fell asleep at the wheel. Just get to know your body's limits at that and have fun.

 

Get a CB radio and have the truckers help ya out.

 

If you get a CB, you can even get truckers to help you on the presence of any troopers and which direction they are heading. This would help you get there faster because speeding would then be a worry-free issue. Just eat plenty of candy and as stated above, nodoz. This should keep ya up.

 

If you are going to pick it up this weekend make sure you pack an extra cooler! It has been hotter than hell around here lately. The damn humidity is about 98%.I hope it has good ac on it you'll need it. And what ever you do don't run a radar detector until you get out of the Virginia/West Virginia or they lock your *** up under the jail house.

 

Please don't take stupid chances, if you start getting tired, pullover and sleep, and no matter what your mind tells you, closing your eyes for a second is NOT a good idea. Be careful and have fun. Like they said, drink lots of orange/apple juice. Vitamin C is your freind. I prefer to drink the nectar of the Tard when I'm doing long distance driving. (mountain dew)

 

Good luck let us know how it goes! Sounds like fun!

 

i did about half that trip to pick up my car. I flew to yakima, washington and drove my car home to san diego by myself.

One of the best experiences of my life.

 

I raced my car in the 04 One Lap Of America, we covered 7600 miles in 9 day all while stopping at 8 different tracks.. I have first hand knowledge of driving these cars big distances. Get as much rest as you can. Drink plenty of water, start drinking as soon as you hit the car. Not to much as to have to **** every 20 min, about every 3hrs or so. If you get tired pull off and take a quick cat-nap. A good food source that worked for me was 3 3musketer bars and 2 red bull's. But a quick sit down dinner and breakfast also does wonders of reviveing you. Case of oil, couple of gallons of antifreeze, 3 cans of fixoflat. Also once you get to the western states pay attention to your route. We had 2 section of roads (CO+UT) that had nothing for 100+ miles. Nothing, no radio, no cell service, no fuel!!!! Enjoy John

 

I just drove a 99 B4C from ATL, to Arizona. About 1,900 miles. Its going to take you longer then 2 days! Make sure all fluids are filled and fresh. Check your windshield wipers. Go to www.mapquest.com and atleast one other online place to get a maps. Trust me they differ! Drive safe!!

 

Congratulations on your car! Enjoy it. Drive safe.