Road Trip

cswee1932 · #1 02-19-2011, 06:01 AM

So, next week I'm making my way out to Chicago to visit my nieces and nephew, love those kids!

I'll be leaving Schenectady, NY and hopefully driving straight through to Chicago, not sure yet if I'll stop off in Buffalo and finish the next day. My goal is to to get there and back in less then 4 fillups, which should be a breeze, hopefully it'll be somewhat mild weather wise.

If anyone has any tips, that would be greatly appreciated.

Chris

ALS · #2 02-19-2011, 09:39 AM

Well from a guy the makes straight through trips between Pittsburgh and Naples Fl. (1170 miles) I can give you some advice.

1. Plain Water only, no soft drinks with sugar or caffeine that includes Ice tea and coffee.
Flavor waters are also a no no if you read their ingredients they come with a high level of sodium.

2. Set up some CD's or if equipped a MP3 player with your favorite music and set the cruise control and enjoy the ride.

3. Try to keep your speeds down. As a rule I never go over 65 mph on my trips to Florida even though there are 70 mph speed limits 2/3 to 3/4 of the trip. Usually I run five under the speed limit between 60 - 70 mph zones. in a 55 mph speed zone I run 55 mph.

4. Leave early and don't rush because that will cause stress and stress will make you tire quicker. That rule also applies to increased speed. The faster you travel the more information your mind has to process in a shorter amount of time. Again like stress you tire more quickly at higher speeds then you do at lower speeds on the highway.

Even with my speed rules it only adds about 45 minutes to my trip to Fl. and at least 3 mpg to my fuel mileage. 21.3 gallon tank means another 60 miles per tank. That equals one fuel stop vs two at the speed limit.

Right Lane Cruiser · #3 02-19-2011, 09:39 AM

My tip? See if you can meet up with Wayne.

Seriously though, refresh yourself on the meaning and use of SAHM -- it could save you a good bit of gas. Make sure those tire pressures are up!

laurieaw · #4 02-19-2011, 12:57 PM

check the weather......could be a big storm heading in that direction. scheduled to hit minnesota tonight and move east on sunday. might even make it to chicago.

cswee1932 · #5 02-19-2011, 03:40 PM

SAHM is definitely something I practice :-) It's part of the reason I love my HCHII so much since I spend a lot of time driving on highways.

On the trip back from Chicago we'll be stopping off in Buffalo for a Sabres game and a good nights rest!

Hopefully the storm will skip over me :-)

Chris

msantos · #6 02-19-2011, 07:13 PM

Hi Chris;

I know what you mean. My HCH-II continues to be one the best cars I ever had and one heck of a fun machine to drive when you're tuned into the tech under the hood and the conditions allow.

Obviously, this puts me in a rather delicate position as I am lined up to "upgrade" to an HCH-III as soon as they arrive in Canada and I am going to be very sorry to let this car one go.

Cheers;

MSantos

Harold · #7 02-19-2011, 07:43 PM

Hi msantos;
The only problem you will have is trying to decide which one too trade. Maybe it would be better to change the pack to a new Lion Type pack? Are your HCH2 high mileage? A little more power from the pack would make the HCH2 a sweet machine?
Cheers,
Hal

cswee1932 · #8 02-19-2011, 08:07 PM

So today I stopped by Lowes to pick up some pipe insulation so I could put a lower grill block on...looks pretty good, now I just need to pick up some 3/4" insulation to fill most of the top grill vents, and it'll be complete.

It's amazing on cold days how this engine seems to stay so cool, it can't help that it's so small I guess. Either way, I love this car!

MSantos, I can't wait to hear more details about the HCHIII!

Chris

msantos · #9 02-19-2011, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harold

Hi msantos;
The only problem you will have is trying to decide which one too trade. Maybe it would be better to change the pack to a new Lion Type pack? Are your HCH2 high mileage? A little more power from the pack would make the HCH2 a sweet machine?
Cheers,
Hal

Hi Harold;

As far as I can tell, there's almost no way for the NiMH and Li-Ion battery packs to be interchangeable. I would certainly like to be wrong here but unless Honda steps forward with a complete HCH-II retrofit kit, the possibility of that happening is literally nil.

My 2006 HCH is in the 80K range but again, whether the pack is more energy dense or not does me not much good since like mostly every other hybrid on the market today it derives its energy from its ICE and gasoline. If the pack capacity was sizable and it could be charged from a household plug then the story would read a bit better.

The only reason I am a little more enthusiastic about the HCH-III's Li-Ion pack is not because of the higher energy density and smaller packaging, but mostly because Honda will no longer need to eat the lower yield NiMH production scraps from companies like Panasonic along with the more affordable battery pack designs of current and past models.

Cheers;

MSantos

JusBringIt · #10 02-19-2011, 10:22 PM

I have made this trip before...a couple times actually. The first was to Wayne's and the second was to Indiana. The route through Buffalo is quite costly. The alternate by taking i-88 is approximately 80-90 more miles, but quite a bit cheaper with no tolls. It was $30 plus dollars in tolls alone through Buffalo. If you hit Pittsburgh you probably went too far south but the pa area tends to be a bit hilly. There is always a way to maintain your momentum however.

. The gas mileage should workout to be around the same as it was with my trips. With the current weather you will miss out on the scenery. The alternate route also has less traffic. Good luck.