On a 24 hour trip I find I can go from 3am to 3am because I will awake up after approximately 5 hours sleep before leaving and will be able drive a few hours after midnight. Beyond 24 hours if I am the only one driving I will stop and get a hotel even for only 3 to 4 hours sleep. Caffeine will not help me I drink about 10 cups of coffee a day so any additional will not help.

I always know not to take unnecessary chances for the sake of my passengers or anyone else on the road.

 

Come on Steve, what kind of advice is that? A pissing tool you strap on and roof mounted gas tanks? You can do better than that.

 

um, tow a Winnebago behind the Fit?

 

Thanks Chris
I had a trip to zion and grand 3-4 years ago in a rented lincoln towncar. Drive and view was amazing.
I had passport escort 8500 at that time and i saved 20tickets. Lol.

Even with extra gas bottle? cap closed, I just cant keep that gas smell away from in car.

 

2 trips coast to coast - sc to CA and CA to VA. no problem at all. good mpg, 32 to 39 mpg at interstate speeds and up.
And numerous 200-400 mile trips. stops in el paso and monroe, LA. both ways.

 

Dude your original post was just swell UNTIL you got to the BS part

It's not about the car, mostly about driving experience and a lot of physical endurance.
Max 8 hrs and 800 miles per day with at least 3 rest stops per day.
Toronto to Miami & Key West: 3 full days.
(should have stopped right here)

Who tells you they can do thousands of miles per day with just one driver, just walk away from that BS driver.

Did you even read the post? I never said I did it while driving commercially. I did it while a young man and many others did too and continue to do it to this day. No worrys about your family never had any trouble doing it and no accidents or close calls. Some people just have the will it takes.

Never said I want to change any laws either.

Dude you called BS and I replied showing you it's not BS.

Sleep deprivation is part of military training in the USA and members can and will continously hump a 100lbs ruck for hours and hours until the mission is complete. They can't just stop sit down and say hey Lt. I've hit my 8 hour limit and I'm finished for the day. They are trained to just keep going on intestinal fortitude and work efficiently while at it. They just keep on rucking and Charley Mike.

I'm 100% sure the guys humping the hills of the sandbox with their 100lbs. packs would love to trade with someone sitting in an A/C car driving for 24 hrs and think they were getting a bargain.

 

The military's mission is so important that they sometimes have to have soldiers go without sleep, even if it does mean the occasional error or something more serious. Because they don't have a choice. Driving cross-country is a little less important and there's always an opportunity to take a break. Don't you think that if the military COULD give soldiers rest periods they would do it whenever possible? When they have aircraft on long-range missions don't they have extra pilots? The airlines sure do.

Sure, plenty of people have driven long distances without stopping and haven't crashed. Plenty of people drive drunk over and over again and don't have accidents. Doesn't make it a good idea.

There are a LOT of accidents that happen because people fall asleep at the wheel. A friend of mine was in a fatal crash for just that reason.

 

Buddy, 95%+ of all long road trips, let's say 1K, 2K, 3K+ miles from Point A to Point B, are done while on VACATION, mostly SUMMER vacation and mostly for 2-5 weeks or even longer, no mentally sane person ON VACATION would ever try to continuously drive for 24 hrs with almost no stops at all just to prove it to himself or to a freakin' forum that he is special and better than rest of the world.

When you give advices and/or real stories of your own experience you first and foremost MUST connect with the reality out there which is 180 dgrs different than any military experience. 99% of the ppl out there don't have any military experience plus lots of them are not young anymore plus family with kids, you're not gonna force your wife or kids to stay with you in the car for 20+ hrs simply because you gotta prove to some forum members that driving nonstop for 24 hrs is something ppl would envy you for.

And other thing, be humble when you present yourself to the outside world, elitism (YOU) aint gonna bring you too many "admirers" in REAL life.

I drove Toronto to Matamoros, Mexico in 3 days, Toronto-Tijuana in 4 days, Toronto-Los Angeles in 3 days, Toronto-Grand Canyon in 2 1/2 days, have covered ALL Continental USA (48 states) since 1998 on 4 wheels and each time ON VACATION, that's what a long road trip looks like, always SAFETY first.

Important is to go in as many places you wish, ON VACATION, w/o ending up in a damn hospital bed or even... cemetery.

That's how SMART road trips look like.

 

dang you guys are serious.....

anywayz I got a problem...

I need to put 550lbs of stuff with 2 people including me.

550lbs + 320(2people) is 20lbs over loading..right?

I won't be doing off road but interstate with 870lbs will be ok??....i guess its ok..

so I will be lowered by weight not by coilover...

 

Yeah, it's fine. It's not an exact engineering equation. A lot of variables are in effect at all times the car is in operation. You control a lot of these variables by how you drive; don't drive the same as when it's lightly loaded, i.e. allow extra braking room, maneuvering room. Distribute the load as evenly as you can with the bulk forward of the rear axle. Make sure your tires are at the correct cold pressure (a couple pounds over won't hurt, but don't get carried away).

If you were 200 lbs over the weight recommendation I'd think about going on a diet. 20lbs is less than a tank of gas (about 60 pounds).

 

I will post pic when i'm done loading...

btw, when I had 2010 kia soul as an rentle car last year, I loaded about same weight and drove from PA to NY. I thought the car was going to break the rear-suspension. NY highway do have bumps and rear shocks gave up every time over those pavements. I had to brake hard before the bumps so that the weight goes to the front for couple seconds.

I think Fit has more loading capacity than soul even though soul is bigger.

 

I drove from Killeen, TX to Lacrosse, WI and back. going up, 18-21 hour trip took 34 hours from a blizzard in minnesota that was spreading. Car took it just fine.

Trip back was uneventful and took a lil over 18 hours.

Only stops both ways was to piss and fuel up.

If you find yourself drifting off, open the windows, put on some music, and if you find yourself clearing your head and getting back into the game, you're good for another few hours.

Maybe Im kinda immune since Im used to doing 24 hour shifts every month or few weeks, but most people do fine.


Try and start your trip later into the evening, the hardest part about driving long distances is you commonly make the mistake of starting early in the day, and just when you start feeling tired BAM nightfall hits you.


18 hours? Id start at 6 or 7pm. Once that sun starts going up the next morning, your fatigue disappears more the brighter the day gets.

And screw people who dont believe you can make it in one swing. Let them be useless with their time. We are adults. If you are truly tired from driving, you will know to stop at a rest area and knock out a few hours of ZZZs. Everyone is different

 

People fall asleep when driving because they DON'T know they're falling asleep.

A study I read said that playing loud music, opening the window... none of that helps. When you're tired, you drift off. And even if you don't fall asleep your reflexes and judgment suck when you're exhausted.

You probably won't crash, but really, is it worth the risk to save a few hours/dollars?

CDC Features - Drowsy Driving: Asleep at the Wheel

Asleep at the Wheel: The Prevalence and Prevention of Drowsy Driving -- Edmunds.com

 

Ive driven MANY long trips 12hours plus.

I speak from experience, not reading some random online website


People will be amazed at what staying hydrated and getting fresh air does.
Or what most people call, taking care of yourself so you stay safe

 

Times 10

It's coming from the feminazation of men. Staying awake and alert for 24 hours is nothing if you haven't been told since you were a young kid "OOO" don't do that now go take a nap.

And there is no way that 99% of the population have not had any military training.

 

AH dude when I was doing it the internet hadn't even been invented yet so not even thinking about any forum or what others think that is what men do.

And if you arrive in one day you get more time ON VACATION LOL. The wife and kids are asleep so it doesn't bother them a bit.

 

I didn't quote some random website, I quoted the Centers for Disease Control. They are scientists. They do research.

Having military training doesn't make you immune to the effects of sleep deprivation, only maybe somewhat better at dealing with it for some period of time after they train you for it.

We can say that lots of people have survived worse, just like a huge percentage of the population has driven drunk and not crashed. Still not a good idea to do it. Driving tired is dangerous.

 

Wow. What a combination of moronic, chauvinistic comments! All in the name of advocating unsafe driving practices while puffing up your own ego. I salute you.

 

loaded only 400lbs instead of 550lbs
400lbs plus 320lbs of 2 people.

I'm only getting 31.5mpg @ 75-80mph...sometimes 85mph (a member here got pissed off because i speed 90mph to overtake nissan versa hatch..lol)..maybe becuz i'm been driving hills up & down...
btw I just changed engine oil yesterday..

 

Yes, but are you getting enough sleep and eating right?

(mpg 31.5 is "normal" for the speeds hills you're travelling)

have fun! write often!