Quadcammer

picked my 993TT up in LA, drove home to NJ.

Brought absolutely nothing but some windshield cleaner and a spare dme relay.

I took the southern route, which i found more enjoyable, but its still a pretty boring drive.

Holli82

+1
It's just a car
You are still in USA

Macster

Did it the bare bones way a few times. But as the # of trips rose to sometimes 3 or 4 a year (that's 15K to 20K or more miles on the highway per year - in just 3 or 4 weeks of driving - more miles than some owners managed in 5 or 6 years of driving) things got more interesting.

(Might mention a few times I did a 4K+ mile drive with a turn around time of just a few weeks. IOWs, I drove from CA to the mid-west (KC Mo area) and then back to CA in a week's time then in less than a week's time (and in at least one case after just a day or two here in CA) repeated the drive. In one case I drove nearly 5K miles from CA to the midwest by way of a side trip to TX and back to CA and then no sooner got back to CA when my manager sent me to Washington and after spending just one night there turning around and driving back to CA. Several Porsche dealers across the west keep a service bay open for me in case I drop in.)

One trip I stopped at Williams AZ so sick I thought I was going to die. Not fun laying in a dark hotel room barely able to get to the bathroom with a headache so bad one feels like his head is going to explode. And not one Tylenol in my suitcase. Finally managed to stagger to the front desk and get the clerk to give me some Tylenol from her purse.

Subsequent trips had me emptying the contents of the medicine cabinet into a small case just in case. This proved handy when on a later trip I managed to get to so sick from food poisoning that a case the black plague would have been preferred.

The CB radio became a habit courtesy of my dad who gave me one. When mom and dad did a lot of RV'ing he found a CB radio handy. When I hit some road debris in KS and was stranded on the side of the road with no cell phone (and as it turned out not much coverage anyway) the CB radio allowed me to contact a big rig driver who stopped and we managed to get enough bars to make a call to my auto club and I arranged a tow of my car to a Porsche dealer over 70 miles away.

I never encountered this -- but came real close once or twice -- but dad warned me that sometimes the weather comes in so hard and bad the authorities shut down the freeway. One is directed off the freeway and that's it. In no time hotels/motels fill up if there even any around the exit and one can spend the night in his car. Mom and dad had the camper so that was not a hardship for them. But try sleeping in the freezing cold 10 or more hours until the roads are cleared. If the fuel level is low one can't run the engine much or the car will be out of gas.

Just missed this in Shamrock Tx. Ice storm moved in and I-40 was icing over. Big time. Over the CB I heard reports of vehicles sliding off the road, piling into each other up ahead. I managed to take the last exit just west of Shamrock and make my way back to Shamrock and to a motel and get a room before the highway was shut down.

Even if the stop isn't forced by the authorities but simply a matter of self preservation...so tired I was falling asleep at the wheel I stopped one night at a rest stop on I-15 in Utah in the middle of winter. I was so tired I fell asleep helped by a nice warm car cabin and with a heavy coat and some blankets over me but awoke around a half an hour later thinking I was in an ice box. I swear it was colder in the car than it was outside the car and it was below zero outside the car. I'd hate to imagine what it would have been like with no blankets.

Yeah, one can make a trip with nothing more than a t-shirt, jeans, credit card, and a phone and if nothing happens -- and usually the first trip is event free -- one thinks that is the way it will aways be.

But make the trip often enough...

Precision Auto

Not to try to sell you anything But think about:

1) Windshield Protection
2) Fix a flat
3) Basic Clear Bra Coverage

fskof

Just go and drive. Your car will run better.
Just bring a map to find the fun roads. Stop at the local restaurants, meet the locals and HAVE FUN!
The more you worry the less fun you will have. When you get home clean the bugs off the car then post pics of the trip so we can all be jealous of you

These cars are meant to be driven. - Dr. Ferry Porsche

fskof

[QUOTE=DWF;10338622]You guys crack me up. It sounds like you are planning to go to Everest. Get a AAA membership and bring a credit card that's all you need---or skip the AAA membership and just bring the credit card. I have traveled across the country numerous times on a motorcycle and have never put this much thought into it.[/QUOTE

I'm with you here. Get out and meet new people, go exploring. These Cars make great road trip vehicles. Take a trip and make a memory!

GregGH

I have to agree .... the more 'off road' you want to go ... but on interstates ... not as much.

try this link ... and bookmark major cities you go thru on your smart phone
http://www.sigalert.com/Map.asp?regi...-116.81395&z=2
-or- even the cheaper Garmin's have real time traffic ( well - almost real time - but pretty good) updates ... how do they do that ...:-)

Watch the weather ... every 5 days some storm comes rolling across from the west.

We drive from Detroit area to Carlsbad CA ..just got back from our 3rd winter escape ( taking the Golden Retriever and lots of stuff in mini-van ) - 2nd time we had great weather and could go thru Denver/Vail on I-70 ... I was looking for 911's on trip ... see very few until we got to CA.

We typically go out on I-10 ( since we are going in Jan ) and came back I-40 first year .... been told I-80 they Wyoming is pretty bleak ... I-70 thru Utah and Colorado is highlight of trip.

Greg

Devil Boy

Drove from California to Missouri the end of May last year. I-70 was all clear through Colorado. Defense program I was working ended and was told by HQ to come home so the wife and I after having lived in a hotel room for a year packed our stuff (you acquire quite a bit in a year's time) and fitted it all in every nook and cranny a 911 has to offer and made the trip. It was surprisingly comfortable except that damn box of Goldfish kept sliding around and we had to put it in a ziplock instead. Gotta have the snacks...and Red Bull.



A couple months later I found myself chasing jobs and paychecks seemingly around the country. I drove my Chevy truck from Missouri to Washington state on I-90 (Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone) and then to Arizona via California and Nevada (Redwood Forest, Yosemite, Area 51). Now that I'm finally planted in AZ, I returned to Missouri to drive my 911 from Missouri to Arizona with only a backpack in the backseat to where my home is now. I took I-40 (boring) that time.

Take advantage of all the sightseeing along the way.

okbarnett

if you have a 997.2 3.8dfi car, take extra qts of oil to top off every 1000mi

gota911

Why??? Do you think Mobil 1 is sold only in the OP's hometown?

BTW, not all 3.8 DFI engines burn excessive amounts of oil. I add 1/2 a quart between oil changes, which occur every 10,000 miles.

yemenmocha

+1 bad idea in most cases. If it was a 2 or 3 week trip with serious side routes of twisties and such then it would be fun, but otherwise let's be honest - it's still going to involve mostly, mostly boring interstate miles and not worth it.

tcsracing1

i have driven across country twice in my RS. It is a great grand tourer.

a bottle of tire slime with you factory compressor would be worth while.

avoid wet or late snow seasons otherwise you will be driving 30mph in a 60mph zone.

fastm3

A couple of comments:

1) A lot of people treat their Porsches like some fragile luxury toy, when it's in fact just a car, albeit a fun car, that should be driven and enjoyed, not hidden in a garage and protected from the elements.

2) Having said that, I don't care what car you do it in, it's a long long drive. Unless you take a few weeks to enjoy yourself, then just ship the car IMO.

3) I happen to be a couple of miles from the Donner Pass (over 7000 ft elevation) in the Sierras right now. There is absolutely no snow on the roads, and you'll definitely have no need for special tires.

Whatever you decide, good luck and have fun.

Edgy01

As a life-long Porsche owner/driver (I started at 19) and now 58, I have crossed the USA (and many other wide areas) in Porsches--mostly 911s. These cars were built to be driven, and driven daily. You will have no problems, just put in first rate fuel, and stay on top of fluids, and watch the wear on the inner portions of the tires. The 911 performs quite well in the mountains, even if there is residual snowfall on the roads. Realistically, the roads will be clear and the only snow will be found in large piles along the sides. If not, the 911 can still handle it. Carry a spare belt, and a reasonable selection of tools. Crossing the Great Divide is child's play. Here's from many years ago...don't be afraid of a little mud.

mike234567

Just came back from a 800 mile trip in my 986. Superbly explored all of northern Arizona. Bring serpentine, tools, oil, distilled water, fix flat, road kit for piece of mind. Never needed it thank goodness. Had just enough room in Frunk for stuff. Have fun!!!