infinus

My friend and I are debating doing a cross country trip over a few weeks. (that or a rally like the modball) I really love my F, its faster and probably gets better gas mileage than anything I'd rent. So far the longest trip I've done would be trips to cali from az which are only about 4 hours. I remember a member posting that he had done a trip in an ISF before has anybody else? What are your thoughts should I take the F or rent a car?

MINO

iTrader: (4)

That was me.
ISF is a great car for a roadtrip. Keep in mind what time of year you're going to do it – Colorado was still snowing in April and tornado warnings were in effect as I passed through Kansas.
My trip from LA to Campobello Island Canada was about 10k miles round trip. So if you don't worry about adding all those miles in a few days, I'd go for it.

I'm currently planning on a cross country through Canada. Now debating if I should wait until late spring and take the ISF. Or go during winter with my 4WD beater Civic.

infinus

I'll be going during may before the heat kicks in don't think I'll have to worry about snow. When is tornado/ hurricane season anyway? I'm mostly worried about bugs/rock chips. I'll probably bring a big supply of painters tape with me to help protect it and I have a clear bra. Another concern is comfort, I've never had to sleep in the F. I'll also probably have to do an oil change mid way through.

Out of curiosity how long did your trips take you? I think the plan would be Az to Florida then up to new york then Chicago then if were not sick of driving by then up to Seattle and back down. We want to stop at good places to eat along the way and see some fun stuff. We're not necessarily the touristy type just two guys in their mid 20's looking for an adventure.

They make a 4wd civic? lol

s4play

iTrader: (2)

Cross-Country trips really wreck havoc on your front bumper / fogs, etc so I would advise at the very least to have clear bra and 3M protection for your fogs or you are guaranteed to have cracked fogs.

I did a 1000 mile trip (yes it's not cross country) down the west coast and it was a super fun road trip with a total of 3 passengers. We packed the car down and it sure beat driving a crappy rental car like we usually do....

I've never done cross country but many of my friends drove from Indiana to Seattle and had everything from flat tires to cracked fogs in their BMW's. Since the IS-F does not have a spare I would SERIOUSLY consider carrying a full size spare and basic complement of tools to avoid headaches. Going 3000+ miles without issues requires preparation IMO.

Sounds like an awesome trip to make especially in your mid 20's so enjoy the road trip but be prepared.


rick

verals05

iTrader: (3)

That would be fun. My longest trip was from Atlanta to KeyWest.

MINO

iTrader: (4)

I'm a big foodie, so I used Diners, drive-ins and dives as a source for where I headed in each state.

Bugs were a major issue through arizona:

Heading south? Watch out for june-bugs. it's 100x worse than the above picture. Those things are huge!

I went through a dust storm just south of utah. I thought it would be major paint damage but it came out fine (no clear bra, lights are all covered though). The problem was cleaning all the fine dust. It got everywhere: engine bay, all the nooks in the car, and damaged the tint on one window when it got lodged in the seal.

Not sure when tornado season is, but when I was in kansas in April, they had warnings/watches.

The F is a bit small to sleep in. only did it once. There are a few nicer rest stops with wifi, but I chose cheap motels mostly.

I was mostly sight seeing going east. Took almost 2 weeks to get to NY because I stayed in some states for a few days. I lived in NYC for a month. then continued east up to Maine then Canada. I had to get back to LA for work shortly after. So, NYC to LA took me 3 days.

And yes. in the mid to late 80's. There was a 4WD Civic wagon with 6speed transmission.

S4Play, my F has a factory spare. Thought they all did.

PurduePete

I did a 2300 drive from CA to Chicago back in August. I wasn't too worried about the chips to the front bumper from rocks or debris, as I think it's inevitable and unavoidable. The two things I remembered was if my SP2s would last, especially the rear one that had been patched. They did just fine.

The other thing I really noticed was the jarring ride during parts of the interstate that was uneven. I was always on the lookout for deep potholes or uneven surfaces that could damage my rims or cause a blowout due to the low profile nature of the SP2s.

During my 2 day trip, I washed the car like 3 times b/c I couldn't stand all those bugs on my USB! I also realized why the 8-spd tranny was made available, and I was very glad!!! I also realized that it was a drag not to have XM for such a long distance drive (got XM now).

Buy lots of fresh fruit to counter all the fast food stops….lol.

infinus

I already have the front bumper/hood/fenders/mirrors/pillars covered but not the fogs, thanks for the tip! I usually also put blue painters tape over most of the main areas just to be safe.

My ISF has a spare, but I assume you maybe meant a full size spare? Driving on a donut for the entire trip could suck lol. I do have my OEM rims so I could probably toss one of those in there instead of the donut. + tools + oil + lots of quick detailer lol

We are big foodies too so good places to eat is a must! I found a google map listing most of those locations so that will be a main part of our journey. And yes being from AZ I'm aware of the bugs here but I was thinking of the june-bugs. I remember them from playing cruzin USA arcade games haha.

Yeah neither of us eat very healthy lol. My tires are still pretty decent shape I still have about 80% left on my T1R's but rim damage could still be an issue. Yes the 8 speed is awesome for cruising getting close to 30 mpg!


I'm debating picking up a CB radio for the trip too, who knows it may come in handy, also keeping my V1 radar detector with me and using apps like trapster. I know there are some states that dont allow radar detectors so I'll have to look that up. Also I hear cops in VA and Mass are hard asses. Any other states I need to keep an extra close eye on? I think so far the plan is AZ, FL, NY, IL, UT, then back to AZ. For a rental were looking at 800 bucks to rent a Jeep cherokee or something if we dont end up taking the F. Any must see/eat suggestions on the way?

verals05

iTrader: (3)

I'd look up Man vs. Food and stop at all of them. ;-)

infinus

This is the map I found so far:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ved=0...6bded7841a462f

MINO

iTrader: (4)

This was a "M v F" stop in Amarillo.
Free 72 oz steak... if you can finish it, 4 shrimp, a dinner roll and a baked potato.

jkeifer3

The 2008, unless you've done something to the suspension, could beat you to death depending on the quality of the roads you choose.

MINO

iTrader: (4)

I have an 08 and didn't notice much if any ride harshness. The only time I had a ride harshness issue was in NYC on certain cobblestone streets, particularly in SoHo:

infinus

The only mods I've done suspension wise are some eibach springs. Most of the roads here in az are awesome but there are some pretty bad ones too.

metalgear

I'd do it, should be fun with the 400 something horses of the F.

I've driven my 350 from Cali to Washington and back. The only thing I regret is not putting painters tape on my front bumper and hood. Got a lot of bugs and rock chips but other than that I loved it.