Road trip planning.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I have a few tips/advice:

1. My GT manual says to vary the engine speed regularly during the first 1,000 miles, it's recommended for break-in. Don't just set the cruise at 75 mph for hours on end. Change gears, slow down, speed up, etc., even while on the highway. Don't redline it, but don't be afraid to push it a little bit here and there. Confirm with your manual (I think you are getting an Ecoboost, right?) that it says the same thing.
2. Once you're there and before you begin your journey, stop at Home Depot or some other store and get some wood or something to help you get out of snow in case you get stuck (hopefully you don't get stuck).
3. Consider washing it during the trip if you find it is getting very dirty with salt and grit. I don't know how washing will affect the wraps/tape. Maybe you'll just need to spray it down at a car wash instead of driving through a car wash. You can spray from further back to reduce the pressure/impact on the tape.
4. I'd lean toward driving the southern route, but I don't know Nebraska during late Feb. I suppose it could still get a lot of snow - it is the midwest. Look at traffic cams and forecasts of each route the night before or the morning you leave to determine which route is best - best at this time of year is the one with less snow/ice. Who cares about scenery when you may have snow to contend with.
5. I'd have them at least test the battery. Most batteries last much longer than 2 years but with it having sat for so long, I don't know whether or not it is shot. If it were me I think I'd push for a new battery simply because it's been sitting for so long.
6. I would have them change the oil with factory recommended break-in oil.
7. Good luck!

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[Deleted member 35786]

I got quotes and they are high and I read online open trailers are not good for cars but the closed trailers are like 2k+.

What the hell are you reading about open trailers... There are no issues unless they drive through a major hail storm perhaps. I had no issues whatsoever and the price was right.

 

[pjk]

I drove my 2015 Mustang LE from Seattle to St. Louis (via I-90) though MT, WY and SD two years ago in early January. I wrapped the entire car in trak wrap. It looked hideous. Many people were quite confused about the look as we drove. The car had brand new Michelin A/S 3 tires and made it great through compact snow, ice and ~4 inches (briefly) of new snow. Temperatures dropped to as low as -17 degrees. It was weighted down with a full trunk. I think the weight and new tires helped tremendously. The car was caked in snow/ice until hitting Kansas.

I did buy snow socks but never used them. I was concerned with chains not clearing the car and the wheels on the rear are tough to find chains to go around. I never used the socks. The wrap took some time to remove but I couldn't find any issues with the paint upon removal and wash. It protected the paint amazingly well.

Recommendations:
1) I wouldn't recommend washing the car until you've reached OH and take the trak wrap off. Washing during the drive may cause wrap to loosen and you might freeze water in areas if the temperature is low.
2) Don't muck with snow/ice caked inside wheels. My son did this and it threw the balance off and we needed to basically get all snow/ice out before we could proceed. The snow ice will clear itself and more consistently/evenly than you will doing manually.
3) Don't make reservations until you're underway. You may get stuck/slowed due to weather or make better time than you thought. I just used my phone to make reservations as we got close.
4) If you've got a co-pilot, consider swapping drivers at every fill-up. That seemed to be a good amount of time behind the wheel for us.
5) Avoid driving too late at night. It's so much easier to deal with issues during daylight and you'll have more motorists to assist if needed.
6) I continued to find pieces of trak tape after I thought it was all off for weeks. It was ~3 washes before I think I finally got it all off. There was some residue in but VERY little and only on edges of tape. Just use a little elbow grease and it'll come right off.
7) Have fun. I enjoy driving across country and remember fondly all of our trips even when we had issues. It's an adventure and it a great car it'll be fun. Just use common sense and good judgement. Above all, HAVE FUN!

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