Driving my new NSX Florida to California...Advise?

[stevenlee]

I'm from Hawaii and am buying a '94 in Talahassee. Will pick it up on August 1st and drive it to Los Angeles with my 16 yr. old son.(He just got his permit!) Taking a southern route. This will be my first long distance drive (I live on an island.)

Please advise: Should I take any spare parts ( ie oil, filters, etc.) What's a safe top speed? Car has 18 inch wheels and new tires.
Does anyone have a car cover for sale? Any other advise would be greatly appreciated!

We'll be passing through: Pensocola, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonia, Carlsbad, Albuquerque, Grand Canyon, Kingman, etc, en route to Los Angeles. It would be great to see some frendly NSX faces along the way!

Aloha!
Steve

 

[Doug]

AAA card is the best for long distance drives. They can flatbed you if you happen to break down or get a flat.

 

[Brian2by2]

AAA, spare oil, a spare, all tools needed to change a flat, maybe some extra coolant/radiatior fluid.

the safe speed to run at is all in how much gas you want to waste. I've run from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Myrtle Beach, S.C. at 95mph (average...so 80-110mph range) and the car was fine...

 

[nsxtasy]

Should I take any spare parts ( ie oil, filters, etc.)

A quart of oil (although you can always buy some on the way) and a few disposable paper funnels. And a Valentine 1. That's it.

What's a safe top speed?

Safe, as in, you probably won't hit anything? Or save, as in, you probably won't get any speeding tickets? Two different answers. Assuming you care about the speeding tickets, I generally drive about as fast as the fastest cars that are still moving with the flow of traffic. So if most of the cars are going anywhere from 65 to 85 mph, with an occasional car going a lot slower or a lot faster than that, I will usually follow behind someone going 85. If the road is deserted, I generally keep it to around 10 mph over the limit. Especially at night, when you can't see what's ahead of you.

Does anyone have a car cover for sale?

I would not use a car cover on a long-distance trip. Aside from taking up precious cargo space, the car will be getting dirty and full of bugs, and you shouldn't cover a dirty car. Besides, your car will be safe at hotels overnight. Trust me on this.

Originally posted by Brian2by2
a spare, all tools needed to change a flat, maybe some extra coolant/radiatior fluid.

The spare and the tools to change a flat (including the tire pressure gauge) should all be in the car already. The tool set (jack, air compressor) should be in the trunk. Check before you leave on your trip.

You won't need coolant - and when the car is running and warmed up, you won't be able to change it, anyway.

 

[ChrisK]

I'd definately take some extra Honda premixed coolant. The AAA is a good bet as well. Extra oil like already mentiond and an oil filter. Oh, and a good credit card

By the way, congratulations on your purchase. The hardest part of your NSX adventure is when you drop it off at the docks to ship it back to Hawaii. I tell you it seem like forever. In my case, it took over 6 weeks. It sat in Oakland for 1 week before it got on a ship, than 4 days later it arrived in Honolulu only to sit for another 4 weeks before they proccessed it and was able to pick it up It will probably be faster for you as they told me it was a really busy month. Which shipping company are you using? Matson really is the best choice I think. They have no problem shipping lowered cars while CSX said they needed a minimum of 6" ground clearance or something. I think the front NSX spoiler is 4.6" off the ground.

Anyway, I hope your NSX purchase and drive to the west coast goes well. Contact us when the NSX arrives in Hawaii. What color did you get?

 

[ChrisK]

Re: Re: Driving my new NSX Florida to California...Advise?

You won't need coolant - and when the car is running and warmed up, you won't be able to change it, anyway.

The only reason why I say take some coolant is if your OEM tank springs a leak. In my case, it was a slow leak on the seam and would loose only a little each drive. I was able to drive it that way for about 3 weeks before a replacement came in for me. In the mean time I just topped the tank off before each drive. If this were to happen while on the drive, he could probably call ahead to a dealer and hopefully have the tank waiting for him at the next stop.

 

[AKUDOU]

We'll be passing through: Pensocola, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonia, Carlsbad, Albuquerque, Grand Canyon, Kingman, etc, en route to Los Angeles. Just my 2 cents worth. I would skip Houston and run I-49 up to I-20 to Dallas then out. I-10 after Houston is desolate territory.

 

[Ojas]

Just my 2 cents worth. I would skip Houston and run I-49 up to I-20 to Dallas then out. I-10 after Houston is desolate territory.

It certainly can be!

If you feel motived: Another alternate route would be to stay on I-10 thru Houston, but head towards San Marcos (or Austin) before you get to San Antonio. From there head thru the Texas Hill Country to Fredericksburg. Then jump back on I-10. Even if you don't have time to stay in Fredericksburg (which is a very cool "German" town), the roads thru the Hill Country should make the detour worthwhile.

 

[stevenlee]

Thanks guys for your comments. What I mean about "how fast is it safe to go?" is... I really want to "open it up to" see what the top speed is. It's a '94 with 41K miles and a 5 speed. As I take it up to top speed, what are things that I should look out for (i.e. mechanically as well as noises, safety, etc.)
What is the top speed on these cars in stock condition?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[NSX/MR2]

Top speed! Hell, you will be able to pass the 160.... mark easily. The vehicle will be more than able to handle it, so don't worry.

 

[AKUDOU]

Thanks guys for your comments. What I mean about "how fast is it safe to go?" is... I really want to "open it up to" see what the top speed is. It's a '94 with 41K miles and a 5 speed. As I take it up to top speed, what are things that I should look out for (i.e. mechanically as well as noises, safety, etc.)
What is the top speed on these cars in stock condition?

Thanks,
Steve

My first concern would be a tire failure at top speed because of the heat in August especially if I had my son aboard.

Does this answer your speed question?

 

[nsxtasy]

I wouldn't bring coolant. Remember, there are some things that you can get virtually anywhere along your route, if the need arises. And that's one of them. And there are several downsides - takes up room, it's heavy, and it could spill.

I also wouldn't bring an oil filter. I would make sure the oil and filter have been changed recently (within the previous 5000 miles) before leaving, that's all. Even driving 2266 miles, you shouldn't need to have an oil change en route.

Top speed of the stock '91-01 NSX is 168 mph. (It's 175 for the '02-03.)

 

[nsxtasy]

Other things you might want to consider bringing, in addition to the radar detector and funnels:

A small cooler
Cell phone, and charger cord
Road atlas
Music (CDs if the car has a CD player)
Sunglasses

 

[synergy004]

steve

I moved from hawaii to TX, drove from cali to tx. No biggy, comin from da island.

goodluck, but TX really hot in August. Make sure da AC works good.

 

[nsxtasy]

One more tip.

Tire pressure tends to increase by about 1 psi for each 10 degrees F of ambient temperature.

The recommended pressures for the NSX are 33 psi front, 40 psi rear, measured cold - meaning that it's measured at the ambient temperature, without taking into account the additional 3-5 psi that the car will gain when it's being driven, just due to the added heat of the tires from driving.

What that means is this. If I were planning to drive most of the day and expected daytime temperatures to be around 100 degrees F, and the temperature in the morning when I am first measuring the tires (cold) is 70 degrees F, then I would probably set the pressures lower, to around 30F/37R, to take into account the pressure they will gain as the day warms up.

 

[ZRO260B4U]

IMO... You should take it to the Local Acura dealership to have it checked out before the long journey.

While your there, an oil change; coolant flush, and anything that you might need to take care of before heading down that long road to California.

Also, be sure to check the condition of the tires!

 

[nsxtasy]

Also, be sure to check the condition of the tires!

Excellent suggestion! You can use up half the life of a pair of rear tires driving 2266 miles, so make sure they have at least 6/32" of tread.

 

[4AU4LIFE]

AKUDOU,
what light is shining on the dash in your pic? I haven't seen mine in so long I forget which one that is.

 

[nsxtasy]

I think he used that photo to illustrate top speed. However, his car must not be stock, because it appears to indicate 8000 RPM and 190 mph; the stock NSX cannot reach redline in top gear.

 

[Edwardo]

nsxtasy,

Why should one not worry about the NSX in a hotel parking lot? I know I was when I was on a road trip?


Also, do the tires wear at the same fast rate when on the highway as well?

Thanks

Chris, Good luck on your trip. I do not think I have anything to add here. Like everyone said, just check your temps, tires, and oil every so often on your trip. Any of those three fail and you are going to be in a tight spot. With that said, have fun.

 

[prova4re]

The first thing I would get is a clear bra installed. That run is about 3000 miles with lots of bugs and stones.

 

[nsxtasy]

Why should one not worry about the NSX in a hotel parking lot? I know I was when I was on a road trip?

Because you are typically checking in after dark, when the car will not be noticed, and leaving the next morning, when lots of other hotel guests are present (checking out) and would be a deterrent to anyone. The chances of anything happening at a hotel off the interstate are less than that of parking your car at a restaurant or a movie theater or an office building.

do the tires wear at the same fast rate when on the highway as well?

Yes.

That run is about 3000 miles

2266.

 

[ChrisK]

I wouldn't bring coolant. Remember, there are some things that you can get virtually anywhere along your route, if the need arises. And that's one of them. And there are several downsides - takes up room, it's heavy, and it could spill.

I also wouldn't bring an oil filter. I would make sure the oil and filter have been changed recently (within the previous 5000 miles) before leaving, that's all. Even driving 2266 miles, you shouldn't need to have an oil change en route.

Top speed of the stock '91-01 NSX is 168 mph. (It's 175 for the '02-03.)

I guess those who actually drive long distances would know better. We small Island guys just get paranoid when we drive that long in unfamiliar places. I remember driving from Cali to Las Vegas through the desert and thinking it was forever in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Gerard van Santen]

AKUDOU,
what light is shining on the dash in your pic? I haven't seen mine in so long I forget which one that is.

I think he disabled the tractioncontrole...

 

[Gerard van Santen]

My first concern would be a tire failure at top speed because of the heat in August especially if I had my son aboard.

Does this answer your speed question?

Do you use a supercharger? And what other mods did you install?