First road trip in the new 2017 LWB

[Boomerweps]

Daughter talked us into going with them on a 4 day stay in pigeon forge TN. They bought into a time share deal ?

Anyways, my grandson will be riding with us, keeping the grandkids well separated. I'm looking at this as a trial run, just a nine hour drive. We want to take him with us in August to see Mount Rushmore and on to Utah to my wife's cousin. I know, hot time of year but the only time we could work it in. 

I'll be monitoring the MPG closely. Won't be controlling the travel speed down, we'll be following my son-in-law in a four door F150. 

Our last road trip in the 2014 SWB from PA to Utah and back went well. Probably my 2nd favorite road trip vehicle. Had a 88 Aerostar that was almost as good for trips. But my all time road trip fav has to be my first vehicle, a 66 Mustang convertible I bought in 74. Top down, Kraco 8 track blaring Aerosmith, speeding along at 65 mph (10mph over the national speed limit at the time!), just a sailor on leave.

[Beta Don]

We took our TC (and the Segways) to Gatlinburg last fall just before the big fire  -  Beautiful country and lots of nice folks.  We rode the Segways 25 miles over the 4 days we spent there.  Had a motel right down town.  Nice aquarium there too

Don

[mrtn]

9 hours ago, Boomerweps said:

74. Top down, Kraco 8 track blaring Aerosmith, speeding along at 65 mph (10mph over the national speed limit at the time!), just a sailor on leave.

I wasn't around during 8-track era but I also have fond memories of Skinny Puppy "blaring" from the Philips cassette tape with windows rolled down.

The sound quality was complete crap tho. Didn't know it at the time.

[Beta Don]

9 hours ago, mrtn said:

I wasn't around during 8-track era . . . . . 

Brings back memories for sure!  -  I cut a hole under the dash of my '58 Corvette to install an 8 track tape player . . . . sure wouldn't do that again today!!

In my defense, this was in 1967 and I cut the hole on the underside of the center overhang where the rear view mirror is mounted.  You couldn't see the 8 track at all tucked up in there unless you bent over and looked up at it.  Oh, and I should probably mention  -  I paid $650 for the Corvette, put a new battery in it and drove it home.  It had been stored for 2 years in a lady's back yard while her son was overseas in the Army.  He quit sending Mom the money to make the payments and since the title was in her name, she sold me the car for what was owed on it just to make the payments go away

Don

[G B L]

If the road trip was worthwhile and the company was good, How the music was played and the sound quality  were a very small part of the road trip experience!!

mrtn I still have an 8 track and a recorder if you ever need to experience what you missed.!

Edited June 10, 2017 by G B L

[mrtn]

18 minutes ago, G B L said:

If the road trip was worthwhile and the company was good, How the music was played and the sound quality  were a very small part of the road trip experience!!

mrtn I still have an 8 track and a recorder if you ever need to experience what you missed.!

Don't have the suitable car (or could afford one) for that :D

But thanks, it's a nice thought.

[Loafer]

mrtn, our lil' 2012 TC has a pro stereo system in it, top notch amp and speakers all around.  My son who drives across the U.S. swears by music as the elixer of the road.  It seems to feed his road readiness.  When he gets tired or sleepy, he just pulls off the road and climbs into his elevated bed and ZZZZzzzzzzz.  He is vending on Venice Beach today.  The kid knows how to live, yes?  Anyway, to each his own

[mrtn]

I don't really listen to music anymore, after discovering podcasts nearly a decade ago. So much to learn and so little time left.

[Boomerweps]

In Seveirville, using the resort wifi.

Lotsa moving road blocks, having to speed back up when going uphill, a basic PITA. Plus following my son in law for most of the trip. Speed up, slow down.

Anyways, lotsa hills and mountains in WV & TN. Average speed 68 mph, average mpg 25.5. Used the select or sport mode on the transmission quite a bit. Mostly so it would downshiftfaster, not too much selecting gears.

four days in TN, had as much luggage and snacks, cooler, ect. as when we went to UT for three weeks!

phone GPS works great.

 

 

[Boomerweps]

Back home last night. Took us 11 hours to get back due to road destruction and a wrecked Semi in WV on I-79. Took only 9 hours down. Unloaded last night, swept out and washed the TC today. Got a little nick in the windshield already and need to get some touch up paint for a bumper scratch!

I can not stand the middle seats fan control on high. The vents are in the B pillar so they roar close to the front seat people's heads. Missed having the satellite radio, but I did figure out how to use the FM radio seek control finally. Never used it in the 2014. 

MPG stayed similar to the drive down, around 25.5. I expect better when I get away from all the mountains and hills. Plus we only have about 2500 miles on the TC, half from this trip. 

GPS is a must around Sevierville. Built up and heavy traffic, you really have to know when to change lanes, to find places and get around. Like a smaller version of the Kissimmee-Orlando area. I do recommend the Hatfield McCoy dinner Feud, good show, great all you can eat dinner.

Busy weekend with sound company gigs, so maybe I can get that darn Hitch installed next week.

[Loafer]

On 6/10/2017 at 1:07 PM, mrtn said:

I don't really listen to music anymore, after discovering podcasts nearly a decade ago. So much to learn and so little time left.

Yah I understand.  I spent a lifetime learning, now I want to loaf and play.   

[Boomerweps]

Well, drove PA to UT, via Mt. Rushmore. Wrong travel time, Sturgis! 2464 miles, 38 hours travel time, averaged 63mph, averaged 26 mpg, all per trip computer. Includes tour to Rushmore, Crazy Horse, & Custer State Park with wildlife loop stopped by the buffalo herd in the road. Shorter, more direct route home. Expect a little higher average speed on the return trip.

[zalienz]

Good thread, thanks. I'm heading on a long road trip soon, California - Colorado - Utah - Idaho - Washington - Oregon - back to Cali. Looking forward for some road time in my 2017 LWB. Just finished up insulating the front cab area, added to the audio system with Hertz speakers, Rockford-Fosgate Amp, JBL subs, ready to roll. Renewed the Sirius subscription in case I get tired of my USB playlists. My tribute band is performing at the Colorado State Fair. Ready to rock! Good times!

[Loafer]

My son is in Portland Oregon for an all week eclipse festival.  He's sleeping in his TC and loving it.  I heard on the news that the forest fire smoke may block viewing of the eclipse.  Here in the St. Louis area we are in a moderate drought.  The rains keep going north and south of us.  With all the hype about the eclipse, it will probably rain that day.    You know how it goes.     We are in an area where we will, if visible, have a full eclipse.  I don't get too excited about it.    Now if the Sun came out at midnight, then I might be more interested. 

[Boomerweps]

Yes, I truely missed my Sirius radio I had in my previous TC on the trip. The radio scan feature basically sucks. You have to hold the + or - button for a couple seconds to make it engage the search in FM mode. Then it stops on the first noise it finds, not necessarily a readable station. Bad for the driver to use.

side issue:

Trying every junkyard I can find for 2014 up TCs with roof racks, none yet. Can't even find wrecked TCs! Must be incredibly safe vehicles. When I get home, I'll have my local junkyard do a junkyard parts search through their network.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Boomerweps

[Fifty150]

5 hours ago, Boomerweps said:

I'll have my local junkyard do a junkyard parts search through their network.

Try this company's online parts search for used parts.

 

http://www.lkqcorp.com/en-us/Inventory-Search

[Tiller]

Boomerweps

Quote

Trying every junkyard I can find for 2014 up TCs with roof racks,

 

Here is a DIY roof rack posted here on the site.

 

 

[Boomerweps]

6 hours ago, Tiller said:

Boomerweps

 

Here is a DIY roof rack posted here on the site.

 

 

What we have herah is a failure to communicate.

The cheap alternative shown means I would have to remove and throw away the installed factory side rails, standard on the 2017 XLT. I just want a stock roof rack at a reasonable price.

[Boomerweps]

21 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

Try this company's online parts search for used parts.

 

http://www.lkqcorp.com/en-us/Inventory-Search

Thanks for the search engine. None list 2014-2017 TC roof racks.

[Tiller]

 

13 hours ago, Boomerweps said:

What we have herah is a failure to communicate.

The cheap alternative shown means I would have to remove and throw away the installed factory side rails, standard on the 2017 XLT. I just want a stock roof rack at a reasonable price.

Yeah, then you just want the roof rack cross rails.  That wasn't clear.  Sorry.  Not my fault.  That was never specified.

Tiller

 

 

[Beta Don]

1 hour ago, Tiller said:

 

Yeah, then you just want the roof rack cross rails.  That wasn't clear.  Sorry.  Not my fault.  That was never specified.

He's been looking for quite some time  -  Maybe you just missed it?

Don

[Boomerweps]

Return trip from southwest corner of Utah to western PA:

2145 miles.

31 hours

avg speed 68 mph

24.5 mpg through the mountains, reset this meter on the flatlands in Kansas. Average mpg bumped to 27mpg.

In order to maintain the speed limit on those extremely long high elevation mountain roads, I had to use select shift mode and use 4th and often 3rd gear to maintain 65mph uphill. 

Both my wife and I noticed the loss of power with the added weight of the LWB over the SWB with the same engine. Took me a while to get her to consider operating the TC as a standard transmission. Got to say it is a dog on the mountains.

BOTH of us sorely missed the satellite radio. Seriously considering the add on unit.

trip lessons learned: No more summers in Utah! No more hauling a full sized cooler. There will be nothing stacked above the rear seat level (I had a 6 inch square on the driver's side rear window clear  to view through on the way back). Early Saturday morning is a great time to drive though a majority city (Denver) and Sunday morning , too (Kansas City). An empty large zippered bag will be taken for dirty clothes. I started to feel like a refugee with all the little plastic shopping bags full of dirty clothes thrown on top of everything else! We did try to play it smart by using a smaller overnight bag each while traveling to take in and out to the hotels. Everyday and every night while getting out our overnight bags, I was singing to myself a modification to a Tom Petty song, "You don't have to pack like a refugee". 

There were just the three of us, myself, my wife and my 11 yo grandson. Between my grandson's extra luggage and toys and such, that added the space equivalent of another person  I could've used those darn roof rails.

 

 

[Fifty150]

One of the things that I learned from cross country trips was how to handle laundry.  With time permitting, we stopped over at 24 hour laundromats.  Yes.  I know.  Not too glamorous to have to do laundry while traveling.  But with cross country tours, musicians have to have their clothing cleaned.  It's impossible to tour the country for 6 to 8 weeks at a time, and have clean clothes for the duration.  Imagine the stage costumes that you're dancing and sweating in nightly.  Some hotels offer laundry service, and you pay a premium, but that's the cost of touring.  I've even found myself sending laundry home, and simply buying new socks and underwear.  Or even worse, trying to hand wash and drip dry using the hotel room sink and tub.  Worse case scenario was throwing away socks, underwear, t-shirts, and jeans......then buying a new set from the next Wal*Mart.  I am guessing that the really big stars have roadies & assistants who will take care of their laundry.  After all, I've never seen Willie Nelson's or John Madden's tour bus parked in the side service alley of a 24 hour laundromat.  You could make a fortune with a laundromat next to a truck stop.  Some truck stops even have laundry machines.  I've been on nicer tour buses that had luxury lounges with a bar & big TV.....but never have I seen a washer and dryer.  I don't know of any tractor trailer drivers who have washer/dryer combos in their truck cabs.  I'm guessing that laundry machines aren't built in RVs either.  If I only had $10 in quarters, it would be a tough decision whether to have clean clothes, or the comfort of a lot lizard.

[Boomerweps]

The larger RVs have the combo washer/dryer units as an option. Truck stops that have showers also usually have coin washers and dryers. We used the laundry at our cousin's almost daily in Utah. Just the traveling back 3 days dirty clothes added to the packing pile, especially in several of those small plastic grocery bags. When I was single & traveled by personal vehicle in the Navy for temporary duty, I'd drag my dirty laundry along and use the bachelor quarter's self serve laundry to stay caught up.

[Loafer]

Many moons ago when I had a small blues record company and was touring groups here and over seas, laundry was a big issue when booking hotels.  Sometimes I even had stage wear made here locally and rapidly  fitted upon arrival.  Stage backdrops were sometimes coordinated with the stage wear.  Often here locally we would make little enhancements to whatever the band was wearing that coordinated with their stage appearance.  We allowed them to take them with them if they chose.  For European tours that often included nine countries we had a coordinator travel with them to accomplish those and other more important tasks.  I remember sending Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm on a European Tour where we had both our company coordinator and a European coordinator travel with them.  This isn't the west coast Kings of Rhythm but many of the original Kings of Rhythm along with the Iketts who still lived in St. Louis.  Yes, touring has it's moments.  Like the moment the  bass player, stood up terrified on the flight from St. Louis to London and was shouting " we gonna' die, we all gonna' die"  LOL. It's a real challenge to tour a group with both the knowns and the unknowns.  A wealthy German woman took a liking to the bass player and gave him $10,000.00 to cut a recording of his own when he returned to the States.  Instead of cutting an album, he cut a 45 that we produced.  Hell only knows what he did with the rest of the money.  When she visited the States to see him, instead of finding an album, she got the clap and hustled back to Germany.  The bass player got the doctor bill here locally and foolishly passed it on to a well known international blues author and writer who was living here at the time for payment.   Well doncha' know that was a hoot!!!   Folks, you can't make these things up