Long Trip for my First NSX, Need Advice!!

ghost

ghost

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Hello:

This Sunday I am flying with my wife to pick up my first NSX :) I will be flying into Las Vegas from Wisconsin. {My first time in Vegas :) }
I will be staying overnight sunday in vegas, then going to Lake Havasu city in Arizona to pick up the car..

Our tentive plan is to Drive the NSX to Vegas ,stay another night (or 2), then start driving the 1800 mile trip back to Wisconsin. { from the Southwest to the Midwest)

According to mapquest, my route will be Las Vegas Nevada===>passing through utah==> Denver Colorado===> Lincoln, Nebraska===> Iowa= then finally Wisconsin.

Here are my questions:

1) Has anyone driven this route, any advice on what to look for (sites, towns,routes,certain state police..etc)? (My friend has driven to vegas from wisconsin, and he told me is that....you will have fun in colorado since its mountainous, good scenes, twisty hills...and that i should watch out for a stretch of desert after vegas (=100mi) where there is no gas stations? and that I-80 nebraska,Iowa = boring plain drive!).

2)Like i said, i am planning on spending 2 days or so in the Vegas-colorado area. (beginning half of the trip)... Then maybe stay one night-maybe 2 near nebraska-iowa (second half of the trip). This was i will break the 27 hr trip into a mini vacation of 3x9hr drive days.

3) Another possibility is to take the old route 66 (arizona-new mexico-ok-Missouri-il-wi) but that will be a bit longer route..?

I have travelled on long trips before, From Wisconsin to Tx, Tx to fl, fl to Wi, but never the southwestern route.
Any advice on this long road trip (specially from those who who travelled this route) will be mostly appreciated !!!
 
Pack light in softsided luggage.

I made a similar trip, from KC to Reno, via I-80 and found that, for the most part, it is a boring drive. Even in the mountains, when you are on the interstate, there isn.t much to see.

If you opt for the Route 66 version, find yourself a good map of the route. There are many landmarks to visit which you might find enjoyable. I've done this route too.
 
If you are planning a small stay in Las Vegas, I would recommend that you have the NSX inspected before you make the long journey home. I'm sure if you post in the Southwest Region Forum there will be someone that can recommend a mechanic in the area. Worse case scenario is the mechanic discovers something that needs to be attended to, requiring you to prolong your stay in Las Vegas. Best case scenario, your prolonged stay is not in the middle of BFE.

Congrats on your new NSX as well.
 
Well:

There is 2 aspects of my trip that i am concerned about. The 2000 miles i will be driving , time wise, is the least of my concern (even though its long one)

First concern: The Car. The NSX. (making the whole trip safely home).

*This NSX is 1991 with 50k. Its a 1 owner car, and from what i gathered so far, that he sounds like an older gentleman who has babied the car. (even though the clutch or timming belt havent been replaced yet)>

*I have AAA just in case i need it.

*Ken:
The current owner says that he has new tires all around. But i will be checking them throughout the trip, and i think you mentioned 30psi front/37psi back in hot summer drive. The owner says he also has extra rear tires as well (i am assuming because of recall or something) , which i will be shipping because they wont fit in the car with me and wife in it.


*I will also be carrying misc. items such as : Cell phones, CDs, sunglasses, radar detector etc..... to cover the driving aspect of this trip.

*One other thing i read from searching the forums for advice on long trip, is that some recommended to use a clear bra for the car to deflect rock chips, bugs..etc.....do i really need it??

*The nearest acura dealer is about 100 miles away from lake havasu arizona, probably in las vegas nevada. I will check with southwest region forum for advice on a close mechanic before i take car for long chunck of the trip.


The Second concern: is having fun on the trip (seeing sites,places,mini vacation)


From what i am gathering from some, that drive from the southwest to the midwest is a boring drive? I am excited about staying in Vegas. I havent gotten any recommendation of where to go , see (i.e sites,cities) specially the other half of the trip?

*Like i said i will be making a mini vacation out of this trip for me and my wife.
(staying couple of nights here and there on the way back home, to make the trip more easier and more enjoyable)
Is some other route (ie. route 66) more enjoyable?

Once again any advise (on my first & second concerns)specially from veterans who made such a trip will be greatly appreciated?
 
chytaan said:
Well:

There is 2 aspects of my trip that i am concerned about. The 2000 miles i will be driving , time wise, is the least of my concern (even though its long one)

First concern: The Car. The NSX. (making the whole trip safely home).

*This NSX is 1991 with 50k. Its a 1 owner car, and from what i gathered so far, that he sounds like an older gentleman who has babied the car. (even though the clutch or timming belt havent been replaced yet)>

*I have AAA just in case i need it.

*Ken:
The current owner says that he has new tires all around. But i will be checking them throughout the trip, and i think you mentioned 30psi front/37psi back in hot summer drive. The owner says he also has extra rear tires as well (i am assuming because of recall or something) , which i will be shipping because they wont fit in the car with me and wife in it.


*I will also be carrying misc. items such as : Cell phones, CDs, sunglasses, radar detector etc..... to cover the driving aspect of this trip.

*One other thing i read from searching the forums for advice on long trip, is that some recommended to use a clear bra for the car to deflect rock chips, bugs..etc.....do i really need it??

*The nearest acura dealer is about 100 miles away from lake havasu arizona, probably in las vegas nevada. I will check with southwest region forum for advice on a close mechanic before i take car for long chunck of the trip.


The Second concern: is having fun on the trip (seeing sites,places,mini vacation)


From what i am gathering from some, that drive from the southwest to the midwest is a boring drive? I am excited about staying in Vegas. I havent gotten any recommendation of where to go , see (i.e sites,cities) specially the other half of the trip?

*Like i said i will be making a mini vacation out of this trip for me and my wife.
(staying couple of nights here and there on the way back home, to make the trip more easier and more enjoyable)
Is some other route (ie. route 66) more enjoyable?

Once again any advise (on my first & second concerns)specially from veterans who made such a trip will be greatly appreciated?
Click to expand...


Regarding your second concern; having fun.. That won't be a problem. I recently picked my 91 up and drove it 800 miles home. The trip was a mess.. Rain, hail(I parked it in a garage), and almost now sleep for two nights. When I got home, I didn't want to get out of the car..

Don't worry, you'll have fun no matter which route you take :)

-Jer
 
I had a clear bra installed on mine with only 250 miles on car. However, cars with lots of mileage and/or rock chips would required paint touch up. That may not be practical for your situation since the touch up paint needs to set for several weeks before the install. However, you could always buy a conventional bra before driving the 1800 mile trek.
 
I live just south of Denver and have driven the route you are referring to on three seperate occasions. If you looking for a "Scenic" (sp?) route with some nice twisties, take I-70 which goes through some nice mountain passes, go through Denver and connect on I-76.
If you are looking for some really amazing "scenic" (sp?) areas with serious twisties;
take I-70 to Grand Junction, connect on HWY 50 which will go through Montrose, Gunnison, connect on HWY 24 North, then connect to HWY 285 North which will take you up to Denver and then you can connect to I-76. This particular drive is a little long but....man.....well worth it!! :biggrin:
 
chytaan said:
i think you mentioned 30psi front/37psi back in hot summer drive.
Click to expand...
What I mentioned was adjusting the pressures for the difference in ambient temperatures. The rule of thumb is that a difference in temperature of 10 degrees F equates to 1 psi pressure. If you expect daytime temperatures to be 90 degrees F and you measure the tires when cold in the morning when it's 60 degrees F, set the pressures 3 psi less than your desired pressure (i.e. 30F/37R to achieve the recommended 33F/40R later in the day).

When you're in Vegas, the difference between early morning temperatures and afternoon may be more than 30 degrees F.

chytaan said:
The owner says he also has extra rear tires as well (i am assuming because of recall or something)
Click to expand...
Maybe he used some tire certificates some years ago.

chytaan said:
*The nearest acura dealer is about 100 miles away from lake havasu arizona, probably in las vegas nevada. I will check with southwest region forum for advice on a close mechanic before i take car for long chunck of the trip.
Click to expand...
Another option is Basch Accurate Service in Phoenix.

chytaan said:
From what i am gathering from some, that drive from the southwest to the midwest is a boring drive? I am excited about staying in Vegas. I havent gotten any recommendation of where to go , see (i.e sites,cities) specially the other half of the trip?
Click to expand...
The scenery tends to be better in the mountains than in the plains.

As far as where to go and what to do, that depends on what you enjoy doing. Mountain climbing? Colorado. Native culture and great food? Santa Fe is a lovely stop. Scenery? If you've never been to the Grand Canyon, this is your opportunity. Night life? Gotta love the Vegas. Take your pick...
 
nsxtasy said:
Check all tires (both front and rear) periodically en route for wear.
Click to expand...

Make sure you check the tread in the INSIDE fronts carefully. Fronts, if the car is aligned to spec and you have OEM tires, may look great on the outer tread, but be bald on the inside, or get that way quick if they are reasonably worn.

HTH,
LarryB
 
If you choose to take the I-80 route, I'm about 3 mins north of I-80 in Des Moines. It'd be fun to hook up if you like. We here in the Midwest are NSX-starved, so it's nice to see another one every once in a while :wink:
 
Besides car matters, make sure you travel with lots of liquid. Check the forecast before you leave to see just how hot it'll get (likely 100-110 right now). It's now getting very hot in the desert, which is a dry heat. You'll go through a lot more water than in a humid area. Traveling through the desert, I typically drink anywhere from 1-2 quarts/day while just driving, and it's recommended that you bring a gallon/person if you have a problem on the road.

I just want it to be a safe and enjoyable trip... :biggrin:
 
No one seems concerned about the timing belt. I would be. I flew to Dallas last fall and drove back to MN in my 98. I had the timing belt replaced this spring. My car had been in a climate controlled garage but Acura said replace the timing at 84 months. I doubt it was necessary, but the price of being wrong is an engine rebuild or a new engine. With your 91, I'd worry about that belt. It would spoil the trip (for me).

I am familiar with that part of our country and parts are lovely and parts are boring. The national canyons of south Utah are just unbelievably lovely. And going over the rockies in Colorado is nice, even on the freeway. Route 66 would be good if you've time to stop in the many interesting places. And then you have I-35 north which is fairly boring.

My way of coming back would likely be north through Salt Lake City, east into WY. and north to Farson, Lander, Thermopolis (worlds largest mineral hot springs-take the water at the free state run pool) then to Worland across Ten Sleep canyon to Buffalo, to the Black Hills and the only boring part is then across South Dakota to lovely MN. and back to your lovely Wisconsin.
Farther, likely but not hugely, and interesting.

I ski Alta, just out of Salt Lake, and the drive is part of the vacation. Love it. SLC to Mpls in two long days or three relaxed. Last March early april I drove from Mpls to the wind river canyon in the middle of WY just south of Thermopolis in my red 98 NSX. I recommend it highly.

Neil
 
Thanks for the continuous advice from everyone.

I was about to ask if i can fit 2 gym size bags (or suitcases) in the trunk ?

But now i have to worry about the timming belt. I am hoping i can do it when i get home. The car is a 91 with 52k. I know acura recommends it around 6yrs/~80k which ever comes first, but i read somewhere that some acura/nsx tech said, he had never seen a timming belt go out, under 100k....oh well....i might have to chance it. Unless i can find a qualified nsx guy near vegas that i can trust, and have the time to do it.
 
chytaan said:
Thanks for the continuous advice from everyone.

I was about to ask if i can fit 2 gym size bags (or suitcases) in the trunk ?

But now i have to worry about the timming belt. I am hoping i can do it when i get home. The car is a 91 with 52k. I know acura recommends it around 6yrs/~80k which ever comes first, but i read somewhere that some acura/nsx tech said, he had never seen a timming belt go out, under 100k....oh well....i might have to chance it. Unless i can find a qualified nsx guy near vegas that i can trust, and have the time to do it.
Click to expand...

Dude. It's an Acura. Drive. Enjoy. Send pictures. :smile:
 
nsxtasy said:
As far as where to go and what to do, that depends on what you enjoy doing. Mountain climbing? Colorado. Native culture and great food? Santa Fe is a lovely stop. Scenery? If you've never been to the Grand Canyon, this is your opportunity. Night life? Gotta love the Vegas. Take your pick...
Click to expand...

Could not have said it better.
 
I would roll the dice and drive it home without a worry about the timing belt. Not to say you shouldn't have it done ASAP when you get home, but odds seem pretty overwhelming that it'll be fine for the trip.
 
You lucky SOB :smile: , I drove mine from Chicago to Orlando in two day, stop in Pensacola. Drink penalty of fluids (water) it help fight against fatigue and watch out for deer at night. :eek:
 
I guess you could risk the timing belt... i've seen belts snap on late models cars before the 90,000 mark and I've seen them all the way up to 200k on the original belt before breakage.

The belt is 15 years old... the heat cycles that thing goes through can't be good.
 

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