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Soon I'll be traveling a little over 2k miles on a road trip roughly within a span of 1-3 days. I'm sure we all know that the UZ would be able to handle it with no issues.
Has anyone been in a similar scenario (1k mi.+ trip)? Where there any problems that you came across regarding the vehicle itself?
My biggest fear is something happening in the middle of nowhere. I will try to make a checklist of small maintenance I might need to do to prevent any sort of breakdowns. I plan on hauling a small uhaul trailer but I don't think it will be too much of an issue. I'm still researching on that part of how to adequately tow.
Ill keep this thread updated as I close in to my departure date.
I've daily driven mine for over 1k miles so far... Its not the same, I know, but I've packed, a 5qt jug of oil, 1 full gal of coolant mix and water, a bag of rags, a small tool box with a compact impact wrench, tire patch kit, a couple hoses, fuses, pliers and a roll of 0 gauge wire just in case I need to jump something, this was more recent as my previous experiment failed....
Make sure you have a working jack, full sized spare tire, extra fuses, electrical tape. I would carry 2 gal distilled water and a gallon of premix among the things listed above. I've towed more than a few times with my gs300, just need a trailer mount; wiring hooked up. Be easy on it, have proper tongue weight, and only pull a max of about 1500 lbs.
I would seriously consider leaving the full-size spare at home, using that space for tools and coolant, and bringing along a 4-pack of fix-a-flat. The odds of any mechanical or electrical failures are low enough with a well-maintained SC, I'd be more concerned about multiple flats leaving you stranded on that long of a trip.
Is the trailer absolutely necessary, or can you squeeze stuff into the car and do without it? You'll find the trip much more pleasant without ... and less stressful not having to watch so closely for overheating.
I would seriously consider leaving the full-size spare at home, using that space for tools and coolant, and bringing along a 4-pack of fix-a-flat. The odds of any mechanical or electrical failures are low enough with a well-maintained SC, I'd be more concerned about multiple flats leaving you stranded on that long of a trip.
Is the trailer absolutely necessary, or can you squeeze stuff into the car and do without it? You'll find the trip much more pleasant without ... and less stressful not having to watch so closely for overheating.
I'd have to double check the size of my inventory but this will be a permanent move. More than likely I will need the trailer as I have a set of Enkei GSR and some other small parts & tools. I have the tools in the trunk. Of course I can sell the wheels but I'm on 19s with some stretch and I feel comfortable having those as a back up incase anything happens.
As far as the weight of my load that will potentially go on the trailer is less than 250 lbs. The wheels will probably be the heaviest of the items I will be bringing. Below is something I had in mind of renting from uhaul.
The weight won't be an issue. I'm referring to towing a trailer for that long of a distance, behind a vehicle not designed for towing. It won't be an enjoyable drive. Backing up sucks. Visibility sucks. High winds may catch you by surprise.
If a spare set of wheels are the only thing necessitating the trailer, I would absolutely look to sell them pre-move. You can always buy another set later. Or, perhaps look into a temporary roof rack for them. The weight up top would be negligible.
Yeah, my son drove his '95 400 from Los Angeles to Seattle and back last year. That was almost 2400 miles. Not a problem. Of course, he did NOT have a trailer. I'd highly recommend renting a truck for that.
Another thought: If you were planning on a trailer, you were going to be adding a hitch. So, continue down that path but use one of those hitch cargo racks instead of a trailer. That would easily handle the size and weight of a set of wheels, and shouldn't be too tough to devise a way to strap down so they don't roll on down the road behind you... A cable lock or chain through them, and a tarp over them (plus a locking hitch pin), should keep them from wandering off at rest stops.
That'll be cheaper than a trailer rental and should be a much more pleasant drive.
Another thought: If you were planning on a trailer, you were going to be adding a hitch. So, continue down that path but use one of those hitch cargo racks instead of a trailer. That would easily handle the size and weight of a set of wheels, and shouldn't be too tough to devise a way to strap down so they don't roll on down the road behind you... A cable lock or chain through them, and a tarp over them (plus a locking hitch pin), should keep them from wandering off at rest stops.
That'll be cheaper than a trailer rental and should be a much more pleasant drive.
Wow thank you, I can't believe that hasn't crossed my mind. Despite the many times I've seen them. I'll be looking into that.
4 tires and wheels hanging on the trunk of your car is more tongue weight than you would have pulling that trailer. As someone who has towed with my lexus hundreds of miles with loads between 400 and 1500 lbs. i would not even blink twice thinking about towing that little trailer with four wheels laying down and whatever misc stuff packages in and around it. Just make sure you have about 50lbs of tongue weight, and balance the rest of the weight above the trailer axle. Its simple.
4 tires and wheels hanging on the trunk of your car is more tongue weight than you would have pulling that trailer.
Well, he did specify a spare set of wheels and said nothing about tires, but maybe I took that too literally. If they do have tires, that's perhaps 200 lbs total instead of the ~80 lbs I was thinking.
However, tongue weight of a cargo rack relative to that of a trailer is irrelevant. All that matters is the tongue weight is within the car and hitch's capabilities. If the 200 lb estimate is correct, that's ~2000 lb trailer weight equivalent, which I'm guessing is okay. Without checking, I would assume the SC hitches are 3000 lb rated.
A hitch cargo rack will put a load on the car opposed to the way it was designed. Putting, say 200#, perhaps 2' to the rear of the bumper is a suspension leverage wanting to tilt the car considerably more than 50# trailer tongue weight 6" behind the bumper. That will also impact handling much more than if it were on a large SUV or pickup. Pulling the load of a trailer of, say 1,000#, will put more strain on the engine and drive train, but not on the suspension. Each is a different factor towards the car.
Putting, say 200#, perhaps 2' to the rear of the bumper is a suspension leverage wanting to tilt the car considerably more than 50# trailer tongue weight 6" behind the bumper.
1) There will be virtually no weight 2' to the rear of the bumper. The weight will be centered ~1' to the rear, with only the outer edge of the wheels (or tires?) back as far as you state. Pack heavier stuff in the back seat, to offset the weight of what is basically an extension of the trunk.
2) Where are you coming up with 50 lb tongue weight? You're obviously assuming the wheels have tires -- yet to be confirmed -- based on the 200 lb figure, so only a 300 lb rental trailer to reach 500 lbs total (10% tongue weight estimate)? Even Harbor Freight's dinky little fold-up trailers weigh more than that. I would guess 500-600 lbs minimum for trailer weight, plus whatever goes in it.
Pulling the load of a trailer of, say 1,000#, will put more strain on the engine and drive train, but not on the suspension.
Now we're up to 1000 lb for the trailer? That 100 lbs of tongue weight will still put strain on the suspension.
A hitch cargo rack will put a load on the car opposed to the way it was designed. Putting, say 200#, perhaps 2' to the rear of the bumper is a suspension leverage wanting to tilt the car considerably more than 50# trailer tongue weight 6" behind the bumper. That will also impact handling much more than if it were on a large SUV or pickup. Pulling the load of a trailer of, say 1,000#, will put more strain on the engine and drive train, but not on the suspension. Each is a different factor towards the car.
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If I were to raise the rear suspension to possibly cancel the droop from the wheels and tires (tires are on the wheels), would that be a good shot at solving the problem of the handling? Below is a pic of the wheels. If I go with the 'cargo hitch' route, I'm more than likely going to try to have them upright together.
Edit: Disregard the OE spare tire. I'm thinking of tossing it entirely. I have the 4th Enkei wheel in the pit at the moment. So three wheels in total on the external platform.
04-30-21, 11:28 AM
Tips for a 2k mile road trip in the SC400
