Driving a long distance, any advice.

[boydgti]

Congrads but this time of year I would ship it and save the potiental crash from snow ect

[Swashplate]

There shouldnt be any snow on our way back.

[lstratos]

with 4700 miles on the car, does it even have fresh oil from this year ? If not, i would get fresh oil in there, especially if that oil is from 2007

[Swashplate]

Going to head over to I-5 and run that all the way North.

[Swashplate]

Already ahead of you. I am having that done. 3 oil changes already LOL

Originally Posted by lstratos

with 4700 miles on the car, does it even have fresh oil from this year ? If not, i would get fresh oil in there, especially if that oil is from 2007

[Nikki]

First of all, congrats!

I made the trek from Illinois to LA a few weeks ago so I'm fresh with advice.

I had the same idea you had to tape up the car but it was so waxy when I got it that the tape literally would not stay on at all. Not a bad problem to have. :P

We took the northern route because we saw the forecast for Denver was 70 degrees and sunny but when we got to the higher elevations it actually did snow a bit. Luckily it wasn't too bad and didn't last that long and I am from the Northeast so I'm used to driving in snow (mind you not in an M Coupe on performance tires though lol).

I really wish I could have taken a little more time to relax and explore but honestly neither of us wanted to get out of the car once we got in so I don't think we had a problem with the way things went.

[Swashplate]

How did the bumper look when you got home ? I will wave at you when we cut through LA.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

How did the bumper look when you got home ? I will wave at you when we cut through LA.

Bumper was great. Some bugs and stuff on there but the fresh wax helped a lot because it all came off really easily with water.

[Swashplate]

Brilliant!!!

[jmillet]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

The problem is I cant stand how the clear bras look. Although what do they look like on the Z4 ? Would a heavy application of painters tape be sufficient?

I agree with Kevin on the clear mask; it's virtually invisible on gray paint and provides great protection. Much less expensive than repainting the front of the car every few years.
Blue painters tape is made of paper and does not provide much protection from rock chips particularly when you are driving at freeway speeds on sanded mountain pass roads like I-5 through Shasta and over Siskiyou Pass.
http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/RCMap...RoadConditions
If you absolutely must go with tape then apply cloth racers tape:
http://www.iscracerstape.com/rtp.html
You can buy it locally at Speedware in Redmond.
Gaffers tape offers even better protection as it is vinyl coated cloth rather than poly coated.
Have a safe trip and enjoy your "new" Z4MC.
I live just north of you in Shoreline so if you want to meet up sometime and over the car PM me.

[Swashplate]

Jim,

How many rolls do you think it will take 2-3 ?

[pemco]

It sounds like you will have a great time. stop frequently, enjoy your surroundings,eat rest, stretch, drive as fast as you can (sometimes). It will be great! I wish I were doing it

[Endless619]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

I have test driven quite a few. Well over here on the westcoast the roads barring the mountain passes are pretty clear and dry. Any members in Oregon and Cali can you confirm this ?

We would be gettting on I-5 and just running that north. Might jump on PCH...not sure. Don't really want to ship as I can get plane tickets for 100 bucks. We would come in on sat morning and drive straight home. No hotels or whatnot.

You should be fine on HWY 5 through California up into WA. I take my slammed M3 and Z4M over 26 and 30 all the time with or without rain and even down the 5. Watch the Siskiyou Pass. Sometimes it can snow pretty bad there. Right now the roads are clear.

Check this out the day before you leave to get a better idea..

http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/WOMap...ok&curRegion=7

Other than that I really wouldn't stress it too much. I took my M3 down to San Diego from Longview/Astoria area last December and it was snowing and I made it through fine. Some ice but not that bad. Its no Alaska and keep in mind I have a 3.5 inch drop front and rear and I was running all Summer tires. Perfect for California weather but up here they weren't so good. Still not an issue as I have lived in Alaska and Hawaii. You see far worse weather conditions daily and its year round...

As for tape, you can run the blue painters tape as I did for car shows down in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Never had issues with scratches at all. Most people get overconcerned with that but its fine to run. I have ran it for years with most of my cars.

I am not a fan of the clear bras at all. A waste of money IMO yet people will still buy them. Your front will still get rock chips and damage even with those on. Happened on my NSX so they really don't work. Honestly painting the front bumper if you know someone will run you maybe a couple hundred bucks every 3 years so worth it for me and my driving and what I have done the past 15+ years with cars.

Drive slow and have fun.

Add: The Grapevine may be closed if its really bad but since 1991 I haven't ever seen it closed and I use to travel it quite frequent. I heard it got closed a few times over the years but I never saw it. Just be prepared.

[CJF]

i can help you with the first half of your trip. you are going to head west on 10, then 210, then north on the 5. your only chance of snow is on 5 about 1-hour north of LA. the town at the crest (~4100-feet) is Gorman, CA. just check the weather for Gorman and see what it says. CHP closes that section of road in terrible weather, but usually opens back up again swiftly. FYI- that portion of the 5 around Gorman is known as the grapevine. once over the grapevine, there is no chance of snow until the CA/OR border. i'll let one of the NORCAL or OR members chime in about typical/possible road closures in OR.

note that if the grapevine does get closed or there is too much of a chance for you to take, no real worries, from the 5 you can cut west on 126 (near santa clarita) to the 101 to avoid all chances of snow. you could then re-connect with the 5 via 152 just south of san jose.

have a great trip. enjoy it. and stop and smell the roses along the way.

[jmillet]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

Jim,

How many rolls do you think it will take 2-3 ?

One roll should be sufficient to protect the front bumper cover, front of the hood, outside mirrors, wheel openings, and areas behind the front and rear wheels and in front of the rear wheel. You can't do much to protect the headlights and windshield.
If you're driving north on I-5 this time of year expect to encounter snow between Red Bluff and Ashland and the road is sanded.

[z4mman]

i just got in to san jose from seattle and i drove to orange county and back in my m coupe with my gf and my dog!!!! haha its a fun drive passes were a breeze.

[Swashplate]

Well my codriver and I have decided to take the PCH and then 101 up the coast the whole way so to avoid the pass and have a bit more of a scenic drive the way up. I must say thank you to all that have posted your advice is priceless, I really mean that. I have spent so much time and money finding the exact car I wanted. I am not going to take unnecessary risk with it on it's first journey.

[SteveInfante]

That's a great drive but a "slower" one that going up the 5. I usually take 5 to 99 and then back to the 5 in Pasadena when I'm heading up to PDX. It's a couple hours faster.

[Swashplate]

Thanks for the tip, noted.

Originally Posted by Stevedotmil

That's a great drive but a "slower" one that going up the 5. I usually take 5 to 99 and then back to the 5 in Pasadena when I'm heading up to PDX. It's a couple hours faster.