My first long trip- any suggestions?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 26 2006, 10:36 AM) [snapback]276883[/snapback]</div>

I haven't figured out my stuff yet, and am preparing for my first major roadtrip--SF Bay Area to LA, about 412 miles (ABOUT) from my door to my sister's door, each way. But, one thing you should be grateful for...be very grateful that the 8 bazillion toll plazas no longer exist on the Connecticut turnpike...Back in the early 80s, when I had just bought my first car, a '75 Toyota Corolla stick, and I was just LEARNING how to drive a stick, I drove from where I was living in Northern VA to Newport, RI, where my parents were living. On Thanksgiving. I stalled at every single one of those tollplazas, northbound. I sure as hell knew how to driive that sucker stick by the time I was going back south. HOWEVER, those sure would be hell on your mpg now! And, other than don't go to NJ, at least, if memory serves, which the "age" thread has determined it may not, the NJ turnpike at least doesn't make you keep stopping--you get a ticket when you get on and just pay when you get off, right? Good luck with your trip! I can't wait for CA's Central Valley where I expect to be able to perfect some form of modified Pulse and Glide--if I try going below like 75 out there, the truckers, who are SUPPOSED to be going 55, will pulverize me with their backwash...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 26 2006, 12:36 PM) [snapback]276883[/snapback]</div>

I would use cruise control for two reasons:

like the auto climate control I would think that letting the car do things for itself would pay off in the long run and

I find my foot is pretty heavy when driving the Prius; it seems to go faster without my being aware of it.

Our family took a trip to Omaha from Kansas City two weeks ago and the car performed flawlessly. It was virtually all highway (I-29) and we set the cruise for 65 and off we went! We averaged 46 MPG and it's about a 400 mile round trip.

 

If you're going from north to south, it's all downhill. At least that's what my map looks like. :blink:

It's going back to RI that'll getcha. You could have it shipped back north on a barge.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Jun 26 2006, 10:50 AM) [snapback]276892[/snapback]</div>

You're taking I-5 down instead of 101? Are you daft? (Oooh, haven't aired out that one in a while ) Do you wanna sniff the air as you pass the feed lots near Coalinga and get a free high? B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 26 2006, 02:03 PM) [snapback]276900[/snapback]</div>

c'mon mike,

they're working on those tolls. I down there last Saturday. I take the GSP from the NY Thruway to Exit 117. They've opened up High Speed E-Z Pass lanes at two of the 3 toll booths I had to go through and the toll at the Raritan bridge is now South bound only (with high speed lanes) and there is one other that is northbound only. So now instead of 5 booths I hit 3, and 2 are high speed.
Not too bad.

Definitely use the cruise control. And watch out, the NJ Troopers are in the middle of a 30 day blitz.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 26 2006, 01:36 PM) [snapback]276883[/snapback]</div>

The best mileage I recorded on our trip from Northern Virginia to Newport, RI was in Delaware. We hit their morning rush hour on 95, traffic was slow but moving, the engine & battery were nicely warmed up, and for ten wonderful minutes, we maxed out on the mileage, doing the electric glide. And with E-Z pass, thankfully the toll booths weren't a mileage-killer.

I didn't use cruise control at all on the trip. The car was still very new, and we were very new to the car, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get a feel for how it performed ... and how light my foot could be on the go pedal. But on our next trip north (September, to NH, VT, and upstate NY), I plan to use cruise control when I can, and compare the two experiences.

Here's hoping you have better weather than we did ... although right now, the Mid-Atlantic region ain't the place to be unless you're a duck ... rain, rain, and more rain.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 26 2006, 11:03 AM) [snapback]276900[/snapback]</div>

Not from Newport, but my parents, who left home when I was 18 (I am NOT kidding) lived there from about '78 to '87, and I was at Emerson in Boston 79-80 and 81-82 and spent some chunks of time there between semesters and/or jobs. I'd like to say, Ah, I remember it well, but I don't--I hung out at lots of bars! Oh, and the America's Cup summer the Aussies took it was FANTASTIC, especially if you like Foster's! :blink:

I haven't driven the length of CA either--Mexico is another 120 or so miles south of my sister, and it is about 350 miles north of me to Oregon. I DO miss the days when I would hit 5 out of 6 New England states in one day...sigh...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ Jun 26 2006, 11:37.. AM) [snapback]276918[/snapback]</div>

Am I daft, he asks! You KNOW the answer to that one! And since I've given up drinking for the most part, whatever highs I can get...no no no...I always take 5--I am not in it for the scenery, and I don't like the extra what, three? hours it takes on 101. I've got it so I can do the I-5 shuffle in not much more than 6 hours And that is NOT being the fastest on the road. I always make sure there's someone nearby going faster than I...it just scares the beejeebers out of me when it's the semis. And thinking about driving strategies, I'm thinking this trip I have to drive as I did before--same sorts of speeds, a/c settings, cruise control and stuff--I want to have a true baseline to compare differences in mpg created by driving style modification and just what the car will do without tricks. For my own curiousity...Inquiring minds, and all that.

I can't imagine NOT using my cruise control, so that will never be a stylistic modification I'm willing to make. As to a/c, well, I use it. I drove down to LA in March and hit a bloody great snowstorm up through the Grapevine, so, no, I didn't use the a/c then, but I suspect that will not be an issue this coming weekend. But it WAS a fairly impressive snowstorm--so impressive that the drivers were ACTUALLY SLOWING DOWN, which, last I checked, was UNHEARD of in California. Musta been some kinda drugs and not climatological snow at all!

 

My suggestion.... just use Cruise. P&G if you are bored. But after awhile, I find my foot tired... not worth a few mileage.

Just finished moving my wife from her school (in Fairfax, VA) to Durham, NC (for Summer Internship). Her Prius got 51mpg for the whole trip. And that included visiting the fast food joint with the engine on for AC.

The best gas mileage I got was on I95 between DC to Richmond. For some reason, I was averaging about 57 mpg. And I was going between 65mph to 74mph. Got stuck in some slow traffic when I was going speed limit.

And then I85. I was doing okay in the low 50s until I decided going 68mph was going to take forever, and then started going the flow (75-80mph). That is why I got 51mpg.

I love the Prius for all the mileage she (more like I :lol: ) put on it to help my wife go from state to state for her school.

And I will find out how much the Prius does when I have to do cross country to get the car (and hopefully my wife too... :lol: ) back to CA this fall. I was able to get it (not broken in Prius) from CA to VA to average 49mpg in 5/06.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 26 2006, 01:36 PM) [snapback]276883[/snapback]</div>

Couple of quick suggestions...

Unless you'll be hitting NYC between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM, do not use the MapQuest suggestion to stay on I-95 (Cross Bronx Expressway) to the George Washington Bridge. If its raining, don't even bother in the middle of the night. Instead, hop off I-95 just after you enter NY and take 287 to the Tappan Zee bridge. Yes its longer miles, but can save you hours of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. Check the NY road reports as you get closer to New York (1010 and 880 AM have them every ten minutes) and if they mention construction on the GWB or an accident on any of the roads you plan to use, think alternate route. Just keep in mind that they don't even mention normal delays due to heavy volume during rush hour (which seems to run from about 6 AM until 10 PM.

If you decide to take the Tappan Zee, consider getting on the Merritt Parkway about 10 miles past New Haven rather than coming down I-95. It's a little slower (55 speed limit) but MUCH more pleasant. If you're driving during daylight hours so you can enjoy the scenery (yes, you left coasters, there is nice scenery in the northeast once you get away from the I-95 corridor), its definitely worth budgeting some extra time.

Incidentally, the "30 day ticket blitz" is an urban legend with no basis in reality. However, the roads are patrolled and tickets are issued, no blitz required.

You may want to practice interpreting road reports via the web, as they tend to use local highway names rather than numbers on the air for many of the older routes, like I-95 which predate the interstate system.

Enjoy your trip and try to take advantage of what the area has to offer above and beyond a roadway connecting Boston to DC

Vince

 

Free Trip Advice:
Check your tire pressures before you go. You have 5 tires.

 

I just got back from a road trip from Olympia, WA to Great Falls, MT. A distance one way of ~720 miles which crosses two mountain ranges (Cascades & Rockies)

We used CC most of the way and averaged 47 on the way out and 49 coming back (downhiill to the Pacific?) Cruised at 75 - 80 most of the way.

We had to lay off the CC on some of the major uphill grades in the Rockies as the Prius tries too hard to maintain its speed going up the mountains. A few of the grades depleted the main battery to two pink bars before cresting the 'hill' and the engine was working pretty hard. No problems at all but was noticeable that the car was doing its best to keep up.

Turns out that the Prius is an excellent road car. It's comfortable, quiet. has power to spare, plenty of storage and got a few looks in some of the smaller towns.

OlyBob

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OlyBob @ Jun 27 2006, 01:12 PM) [snapback]277511[/snapback]</div>

Most people will get better mileage doing it themselves compared to cruise control. If I got 49 MPG on my latest trip (which was 450+ miles and 52.5 MPG with the A/C on ¾ of the time) I would have been worried about what was wrong with my car.

The Prii's CC just doesn't know how to anticipate and take advantage of the road ahead, and it is geared toward maintaining a set speed, not get the highest MPG

It's a trade-off . . . comfort afforded by using CC or higher MPG.

 

I still think that the computer is way much smarter than the driver and on a long highway trip cruise control is the only way top go.
I took at trip to Rochester NY in May from NJ and got my best mileage- over 52 using the cruise, this is through the Poconos and basically uphill the whole way.

Good luck on the trip! I drive to New Milford CT and happily do not go on 95.
Used to live in Wilton and use the merrit all the time.......Merrit pkwy is far more scenic but since I haven't driven there in a long time can't begin to tell you how folks drive there anymore...... jsut have a blast!

 

Geez- what was I thinking!

IF YOU REALLY WANTED to be green- take amtrak to NY Penn, the NJ transit almost anywhere in NJ!!!!

Save on gas and stress of driving hopefully no train delays.......

PS- I saw a red in Princeton today... was it you???????????????