There are more than a few times when travelling by car is a heckuva lot more preferable than cramming cheek-to-jowl in an aluminium sky sausage. Hitting the highway, not the sometimes-friendly skies, to reach your destination is often a better option.
Everyone has their limits for long-term driving, though. What’s yours?
Some folks are content to drive all through the day and night, stopping only if the car or their gut needs refuelling. A family member of ours, who shall remain nameless, is well known for cracking a 1,000-mile jaunt, resting for an hour or two, then carrying on for another 1,000. The man has probably driven more miles in reverse than many people have driven forward.
Most of us are likely somewhere in the middle, less extreme than that example but well beyond the need for stopping every hour. Breaking up a twelve-hour drive into four-hour stints, for example, is a good personal rule. Fatigue is a real danger.
According to studies, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates 21 percent of fatal motor vehicle crashes involve driver fatigue. One third of crashes involving a drowsy driver also result in injuries. Mack in the first Cars movie had it right all along.
How about you? What’s your personal limit while long distance driving?
Geography has a lot to do with it. Parts of the Midwest can be grueling, endless miles of featureless flat topography. West Texas is interesting, you’re driving for an hour and a half and suddenly it’s “Hey look, a tree!”. I’m good for about four hours at a pop then I stop for a bit, even if it’s just to kick some stones or marvel at the World’s Largest Ball of String or something.
I agree. Geography and topography has a lot to do with it. That said, I’m usually in the 750-1000-mile range. I used to crack pound out 1,500-mile blasts between Florida and the Northeast every year.
At 20-years old it was 1,387 miles to Tucumcari,NM, in 19 hours. I found out how much faster the sun goes down than me doing 105 mph is. Today about 12 hours twice to Key West.
I’m going to say my limit is 5 am to 10 pm for a routine (3 or 4 times annually) drive to see mom.
It really is true about the TDIs, your bladder gives out well before the fuel tank.
I’m most ashamed to admit that once I set out from Chicago to San Francisco but only made it to Omaha before sleeping.
Imagine that once upon a time way back, the Pioneers could fall asleep on the wagon driver’s bench, and the horses would just keep driving. Now that’s a classic.
I’m good for around 3 tanks of gas usually, as long as I don’t have to stop for any other reason. Especially if I’m alone. Passengers screw it up for me though,with their whining about food, drinks and rest stops. No to all three,yeah? And no radio,that will put me to sleep in a heartbeat if I’m tired.
My personal best was Lancaster, PA to Florence, KY without opening the door…over 500 miles non-stop. That was when I owned a VW Jetta TDI with a much longer range than my bladder. I wound up putting on 820 miles with that particular tank of fuel.
I routinely put on 500-600 miles in a day. This normally translates to a 12-hour day since I prefer to shun interstates. I’m spent after that.
I hope Florence was worth the drive. Have you a nice dinner at the Olive Garden.
Ha! I was just passing through on my way to Louisville.
I only go to Olive Gardens if under duress…I’m a chain-a-phobe.
I have attempted to move my family off of them over time, with varying degrees of success.
There are so many family run Italian restaurants here that I don’t know how Olive Garden survives. I’ve never set foot in one. A short drive to Utica, NY and the Italian restaurant selection is even better.
I can tell you how. They cater to places in the suburbs which don’t necessarily have good Italian restaurants (or any). As well, they’ve had a race to the bottom with price and quality, against fast casual restaurants like Chipotle. Most of the time there’s a BOGO offer on your pasta, with a take-home portion.
The crowd there is decidedly mullet in 2018.
Here’s the thing – I travel for a living. If I am on the road, living in a hotel, working in a random data center all day the absolute VERY last thing I want to be is be adventurous about dinner. Some local food is FANTASTIC. Some will have you running to the can every 10 minutes the entire next day (and God forbid you are flying) – roll the dice. So I want a known quantity. Olive Garden (or any other national chain) is hardly haute cuisine, but I know what I am getting. Literally, as there are about two things I ever get at any given chain restaurant.
Drove straight through from Minneapolis to NYC once. Drove through Chicago, Cleveland, PA mountains, NY/NJ rush hour, watched a Vikings playoff game, then finally sleep.
Depends, is this with or without the Colombian marching powder?
Kidding, but it does depend on if I’m excited about where I’m going. If I am, 750 miles is not unusual, if I’m not, 500 miles is about my limit
12 hours just about does it for me. In my younger days, getting up at 0500 to take classes, then hopping in the car at 2000 to drive 12 hours straight to visit my sister, stay up all day, grab about two hours of sleep and then drive 12 hours back home was not out of the ordinary. Now? A six hour drive home with the kid, wife and two dogs after a weekend dog show is enough to wipe me out!
Typicality 600 miles give or take. Time of day and route does play a big part. When in my 20’s my friends would drive over a 1000 miles no problem. Depending on who the company was, sometimes I’d meet them at the destination as I’d take a flight.
In my younger days I could make the trip alone from Blackfoot, ID, to Omaha with only stops for gas – around 1025 miles and 17 to 18 hours. After a couple hours in Omaha at the rest area listening to various 8-track selections, I got underway to the east again. The remainder of the trip to Springfield, OH, was around 700 miles – piece of cake and usually 34 hours or so total. The return west was much more leisurely – I used the cruise control in my Type 2 VW – my toolbox on the accelerator fighting the prevailing winds, sometimes in 3rd gear for the climb into Big Wonderful Wyo. Total westbound was around 39 to 40 hours.
In my younger and perhaps more foolish days, I would knock out 1k a day heading to and fro’ for college. Mostly that was due to a lack of funds to ‘stop’ anywhere in between so my truck, while moving was the most comfortable place to be.
I have done Denver to the Grand Canyon with the kids and camper in tow in one day several years ago; our record was 297 between stops which I felt was pretty good for a 5 and 7 year old at the time.
A few weeks ago I drove from steamboat springs to a suburb of Houston. We left Colorado about 3 pm en route to Amarillo to sleep. Well we just so happen to happen upon national rent every hotel room in Amarillo day. When we arrived at 1am, not a single room available in the entire town*. At that point I was irritated and said we are driving through. Turned out to be a great decision. No traffic or speed traps. Kids slept and didn’t have to stop every hour to pee. Made it home about 11 am the next day. I believe I covered around 1200 miles that night.
*that I would stay in and slept 4
Well, I’ve reached the age where I no longer like long distance driving. I prefer to either take the train or fly. It’s more important for us to get to our destination than to suffer extended hours or even days and wasting our time on the road.
Back when our kids were young, driving and the train were the only options we could afford, depending on where we wanted to go. Sometimes we would have multiple destinations where driving was the only reasonable option.
For the last 20 years or so, we either ride the rails or fly and rent a car if we have multiple destinations in the general area that we travel to. A few years ago, we combined flying to our main destination, renting a car for a couple of days, hopping a train to another destination a few hours away for the pleasure of rail travel and renting another car at that destination for the days we were there, returning to our original point of arrival/departure and flying home. A fun, relaxing, enjoyable trip!
Long distance driving, to us, isn’t fun anymore – maybe it’s the age thing, but the realities of road trips even a 6 hour road trip to the STL area gives me anxiety anymore.
With my continuing eye healing, Wifey drove the round trip to STL last month for the first time, as it is very dangerous and irresponsible of me to attempt high-speed driving when I can’t discern things clear enough to allow safe stopping distances. So, for now, just local puttering around town suits me just fine.
So, in other words, no driving trips more than 360 miles anymore, or 5 hours, give or take!
When I was young, I drove from St Louis to Sanibel Island, alone, straight through, stopping only for gas and pee breaks. Now my back hurts, hips hurt, legs go numb after maybe 90 minutes. We generally fly now, but the last time we drove from Cincinnati to Destin, we left at 11PM, my wife drove through the night while I fidgeted in the passenger seat, trying to find an elusive comfy spot. Gimme a Delta MD88 direct CVG-TPA, 2 hour flight, then an hour in a rental to Siesta Key.
Yep – that’s what we do. CVG to TPA, then rental car to Redington Beach, our hotel!
Direct flights are wonderful.
”
my back hurts, hips hurt, legs go numb after maybe 90 minutes. ”
Mine will if I’m in the wrong car, such as my parents former 2008 Grand Mar-queasy. However, I’ve driven their current car, a 2012 Taurus SEL, across country without issue. 3,000 miles in the Taurus is better than 300 in the Grand Marquis. It literally brought me to tears before, and that isn’t something that happens at the drop of a hat.
Supportive seats, a more upright seating position, and a well-controlled ride are worth the car’s (considerable) weight in gold.
@ JohnTaurus – Yep, we’ve had this discussion in several threads, but the unloved-by-many current-gen Taurus is a terrific highway cruiser. I had a rental Limited for a 500-mile drive, and I easily could have put in another few hours at the end of the day. I can do an all-day drive in a subcompact without too much complaint, but in a car like the Taurus I feel totally fine at the end of the day.
Love me some 1980s-2010s large, fwd, V6 sedans. It’s partly because, enthusiasts’ opinions to the contrary, they’re a good vehicle for certain jobs. And it’s partly because I associate them with long summer days during which the only thing on the agenda is to get from point A to point B, across 400 or more miles, at my own pace and in light traffic.
I agree.
It always amazes me how people assume Panthers are just amazing highway cars, when to me, it’s like some medieval torture chamber floating down the road haphazardly. Yes, you feel more bumps in other cars, like the Taurus, but the car doesn’t overreact to them, as in bobbing and weaving for several seconds afterwards. I find that floaty ride quality makes me subconsciously tense up, which exacerbates back pain and more specifically, pinched nerve(s). That, and sitting what feels like two inches off a very shallow floor puts all the stress on areas it doesn’t need to be. Give me the deeper footwells allowed by unibody construction any day. This isn’t so much an issue in a truck, like my dad’s new-to-him 2013 F-150, because of the fact that you’re more upright since its a truck and not a car.
There are some BOF cars I like, namely B and C body Oldsmobiles, but Panthers are off my list permanently. I haven’t driven the GM cars for any significant distance, it may also be an issue with them.
My personal best was back in 2002. Worked a full day @ a CPA firm, did my Masters degree night school class, got to bed around 11:30pm. Woke up at 3am, got in my 1997 Eagle Vision and drove from Detroit to Pittsburgh non-stop, gassed up and then drove again non-stop to the Outer Banks, North Carolina stopping only once for some lunch & bathroom south of Washington D.C. Nothing but Coca-Cola Classic and cassette tapes for company.
For me, as long as the vehicle is comfortable, I’m a machine. I can drive for 10, 12, 14 hours. If the car is not comfortable or I’m driving my classic car, or traveling with my family, it’s not a long.
A timely question. Just came off a long weekend up here. I did 4 hours in heavy traffic with my manual shift Mustang. Presently that vehicle is sitting in the garage, awaiting my detail job. No more long hauls for that car.
Like many others, in younger years I’ve done my share of 10-14 hour drives. These days 5 maybe 6 , and i’ll use the EB automatic.
Off topic but an interesting note. I’ve done that drive many times, same route same conditions. The 13 year old Mustang 4.6 manual used approximately the same quantity of gas, as the 15 EB Automatic would.
Go figure.
On my trips out West, I generally do about 1,000 miles a day. Many times, I’ll only stay at a hotel for one night during the 3 day trip.
I’ve made this trip more times than I can count.
My longest time for driving without stopping for anything but fuel or food was 49 hours to Phoenix, Arizona.
For me, the car makes all the difference. 500 miles in my 1999 Saturn felt like 5,000,000 miles.
I have made the trip out West and back without ever having turned on the radio. That’s one reason why I put up with my car’s stock AM/FM cassette radio for so long. To me, music is not required, nor at times, desired.
John, that’s crazy and not very safe. Don’t do 49 hours again
True about the car you’re driving. My dad always had Cadillacs and I remember our frequent trips out west to be very pleasant and stress free
It was a rare occasion, a family matter.
Honestly, I didn’t get tired. I tried to sleep in my S-I-L’s mother’s house, but couldn’t, so I drove a few more hours to Alamagordo, NM where my buddy was stationed in the Air Force.
Really depends on the car for me. I could easily put 800-900 miles in a day on my 95 Explorer and it’s comfy bucket seats, but in the back seat of that SUV I could only tolerate about 4 hours on that park bench.
My 04 Buick Rendezvous is quieter and rides better than the old solid axle Explorer, but the front seat isn’t as comfortable and so 6 hours is my limit.
My 77 Chevelle is only really good for about 4 hours before I have to stop and get out for a bit to stretch. Probably related to the bench seat that’s more similar to a 5 gallon bucket with the broken springs.
I’ll either drive till I’m tired, or till it gets dark if I’m by myself.
Denver to Temecula Ca is a 15 hour, easy run for me, mainlining Monsters towards the end. 20+ hours once with heavy snow coming down on the way, just stopping for food/fuel.
’04 F-150, 15+ mpg, normally 1,400 lbs in the bed and passengers, no trailer.
In high school we use to go for weekend long road trips. In some very ‘dicey’ vehicles. Like a 10 year old Ford Galaxie with a plastic bag for one side window and a coat hanger for an antenna. The best vehicle we could drum up was a nearly new Gremlin.
Also made the trip (as mentioned before) from Toronto to Florida, as a teenager with my 2 brothers, bio-breaks only, ‘trapped’ in the back of a Mark series Lincoln. Pure torture.
Later drove from Toronto to Florida, also with only bio-breaks. In a nearly new PLC, with one passenger, so it was a ‘joyful’ cruise.
For over a decade drove all over southern Ontario and the upper parts of New York state and Michigan, during the dead of winter for hockey tournaments. Hours on the road, all times of the day and night, often dead tired, regardless of weather.
Near the beginning of this century commuted 2.5 hours each way, along one of the most treacherous stretches of Highway 401, during 2 of the worst winters in modern history.
I still like to ‘go for a drive’. Something that seems to be lost on, or unfathomable to most of the younger generation. Open the windows, no itinerary or ‘sat-nav’. Just smell the air, watch the scenery, listen to some tunes or talk. Around 3 hours seems to be the maximum time frame. Often the best conversations are side-by-side or back seat to front seat, rather than facing each other.
And ‘going for a drive’ was truly great in the late ’50’s when you still had the tail end of radio dramas for entertainment. Still have memories of “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar”, “Gunsmoke”, and “Have Gun, Will Travel”.
Johnny Dollar sure had an action packed expense account!
Two years ago we needed to get home to Thousand Oaks CA from Parker CO quickly. We were in my favorite road trip car, a BMW 335d, and made the 1069 mile trip in 13 hours with just two fuel stops. I made it to Barstow CA before I got sleepy and had my wife drive the last 148 miles. Since then we have moved to CO and always stop for the night half way at Richfield UT.
Think it really depends on how well rested I am to begin with. Typically when returning from anywhere, I cant go as long, already tired, sleep deprived. But on a single stretch I can go 12 hours pretty easily as long as I am stopping to stretch every 2 hours or so.
Back in my teens and 20’s, 750 -1,000 miles and 14-18 hrs of driving were no big deal. Now that I’m in my 50’s about six hours is all I can stand. We take way more breaks now, too.
In addition, my night vision, while never great, seems to be deteriorating. I really don’t like driving at night at all anymore. I’m not much better as a passenger at night, because I guess I don’t really feel like I’ve completely stopped driving. Always the extra pair of eyes for the driver, as it were…
Ditto on the night vision thing. Really disappointing for me. I don’t mind long empty roads at night, but when there’s traffic the starbursting starts to cause problems in my old age.
Now that I’ve got the Gold Wing, Richmond to Daytona or Richmond to Bangor is a normal day’s drive. I used to do that on a Triumph sport tourer, but age being what it is . . . . . Biggest limitation here is the Wing’s fuel tank has a 200 mile range (where the low fuel light comes on) while my bladder tops out slightly north of 150. Which, coincidentally, is the Triumph’s range.
And that is my effective desired limit, traveling solo. I have had the frightening experience of dozing off on a motorcycle on the Interstate. Which I didn’t think was possible. Thank God for rumble strips on the edge.
Now, taking the van with the wife as co-driver? The sky’s the limit. I have no doubt we can knock out 18-24 hours if we wanted to, switching on three hour shifts.
My personal best (or, looking back at my youthful judgement, worst) was a three-day drive from Gettysburg, PA to Spokane, WA (2,500 miles). Occasional naps punctuated with a solid eight hours at a crappy motel in Sioux Falls, SD. Worst part about the trip was that I drove a Ford Ranger with no cruise control; had to jam my foot between the gas pedal and transmission hump. Also, very few AM/FM options in S. Dakota and Wyoming. Only casualty on the trip was the windshield, which caught a rock on a mountain pass in N. Idaho.
A week later, I flew back home and did the entire trip again (albeit in four days) while driving the largest U-Haul they offer and towing another car. At least it had C/C and room enough to stretch out.
I just drove my 88 year old father-in-law from Cedar Rapids to Phoenix, 1600 miles. I figured I’d take it easy and do it in 3 days as I didn’t know his capacity for long car trips. After 10 hours of driving I was tired. He was not and didn’t want to stay in a hotel. I drove it straight through. 34 hours. Stopped a few times for a quick nap. I’m definitely not a kid anymore. And yet, when I got home but couldn’t sleep.
The cure for being wired from the road is three or four stiff drinks after getting to your final destination, you’ll sleep great :)
A friend (who previously had a very serious drinking problem) told me if you really want to sleep then have just one drink…you can see where this led.
I do a ton of driving the last ten years or so, NYC to Toronto was no big deal did it about 6 times a year, but my max is about 10 hours these days, I drove home from Ames Iowa to NJ a few years ago about 1100 miles but it was not a fun trip. On the way out there I made it to South bend IN and was toast. 8 hours in my old TDI wagon no issue could do it 3 days a week and did some weeks it seems, but that is my normal limit these days wo stopping anything over, I gotta take a 30 walk around break.
I’ve done Maine to Southern Ontario many times. It’s doable in a day, but it’s usually about 14 hours with stops and the border crossing, so I’d say that’s my limit. Taking two days is preferable with a stop in NY. The thruway and the 401 are so boring…
I can do 12 hours by myself in 4 3-hour shifts. I figure it out so first and third stops are at rest stops and the second is gas/restroom. I bring my own snacks (avoid sugary stuff but maintain a steady, low dose of caffeine) and strategically dehydrate so I don’t have to stop. Normally this is from the central California coast to either Portland or Seattle, so its mostly I-5 but it’s not boring like fly-over country. I still use an old-school iPod and switch tempos between albums. I used to do audio books, but am back to music as I age.
Agree that the limit is much less if accompanied by someone who has a very small bladder and believes talking more than necessary is OK.
I feel like I’m not up to some of your standards here. I’m spoiled by a short 7-8 minute commute, so I get fidgety on long car rides. After about four or five hours, I’m really ready to get out of the car for a while. Anything further than that I’d fly.
Side note: You can tell how Midwestern everyone is if they give their distances only in time and not in miles.
I recently drove from Asheville NC to Grand Rapids MI in a one day shot. Given that I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep the previous night – thanks, Mr. Insomnia! – it was a long, grueling drive. Tennessee and Kentucky are fun to drive through – sweeping mountain roads – but after Cincinnati, the driving gets to be a flat land chore.
I was happy to stagger back into the house thirteen hours later, tired to the bone. Still got roughly 35mpg in a loaded Countryman, so not bad.
I wouldn’t want to do that drive again. We’re flying for our next southern trip. Ohio is just too boring of a drive!
Great question. Now lets ask what’s the maximum number of gadgets and screen menus you can handle before you nearly kill yourself with inattention.
As others have said, depends on the vehicle, TDI with a great seat, thousand mile day is a snap and is repeatable (Minn to Alaska in 3 days) In the Vanagon, I can do a 1k day, but I’m going to going to need a day to recuperate. 700 mile tank versus 200 mile tank makes a difference. I’ve also set up my tunes with audio books or the actual audio tracks to movies. BTW for you classic radio folks, a lot of that stuff is available for free online, so I’ve got a fair collection of Jack Benny. YMMV. Now the Ironbutt folks…
I had a couple epic drives in my college days.
My best (worst?) was driving from Ann Arbor to Portland in December. I’d budgeted 3 days for the ~2,000 mile drive (plenty of time). But when weather conspired against me and my 2WD pickup pulling a U-Haul got blown off of I-94 in Minnesota we (my fiance and I) had to head South. I-94, I-80, and I-70 were all closed to we ended up in Albuquerque before we could drive West. We were in LA before heading North through California. Final tally? 4,500 miles in 72 hours. My fiance wasn’t willing to drive with the trailer behind us so I was at the wheel the entire time. I generally did OK except from 4AM – 8AM.
The second trip was Ann Arbor to Anchorage. My brother and I drove that in his Ford Escort. That one was 4,000 miles and, taking turns driving, we made it in exactly 60 hours. Zero stops except for gas.
Lately my drives have been limited to the 1000 miles between Portland and Moab. If I leave after work I can get to Moab by 8AM, just in time to hit the trails…
Longest single day for me was 17 hours behind the wheel of my 4runner driving back from the OBX to Indiana in my old 4Runner with dogs in the back (one threw up about 4 hours from home). That was tough. Did that same drive last year in 15 hours (less traffic) but that was the last time. The vehicle makes a big difference, and that old 4wd needs fairly constant steering corrections and beats you up over bumps. With the dogs in the back getting fidgety, it gets even more nerve racking.
Put me in a modern midsizer by myself, 10 hours is a breeze, 5 hours barely registers. I’ll be driving down to Charlotte NC for a wedding (forgot to book airfare in advance). I was able to snag an Avis fullsizer, round trip for a 4 day rental works out to $100, not bad at all. Between the better comfort and better fuel economy, it was a no-brainer versus the 22 year old ‘yota.
My personal record, unlikely to be broken now, was Portland, Oregon to Salt Lake City in 14 hours. It was right around 775 miles, if memory serves and I was spent even at 23 years old. Now my daily limit is closer to 600. Youth is an amazing thing.
Done that one numerous times. Worst was in a 93 Civic. My god, the headache from the road roar.
Once you’ve hit the Ore Ida factory in Ontario, it’s all over. There are many scenic landscapes in the West, but Potato Gulch through southern Idaho ain’t one of them.
I’m solar powered and get tired of driving around the time that it gets dark. An 800 mile day is no problem if I get started early enough and I’ve done 1000 a couple of times. On the flip side, road tripping with perceivers who can’t be bothered to get out of bed until the cleaning lady is kicking us out and then want to make it up by running into the wee hours of the night is a head out the window to stay awake ordeal.
I drove 1100 miles on a Sunday last summer. It was in the mountain west where rural speed limit is 80 MPH (which means driving 90ish) and the sun rises before 5 and sets after 9. So about 14 hours of driving including stops, all in daylight.
When I was 18 I drove my ’96 Ford Thunderbird from my parents house in eastern SD to Mcalester, OK in one day, about 900 miles in 13-14 hours; then got up the next day and finished the last 100-some miles & 2 hours of moving to TX for college. (Then I decided I’d made a terrible mistake and transferred to SDSU at Christmas break. The return drive was a little more balanced, I could overnight at my great-uncle’s house in Omaha splitting up the trip into a ~700 mile first segment and a 300-mile 2nd day.)
My personal best is over 1200 miles, Rock Springs WY to Chicago. That was in my old 07 Golfrabbit with 5 cyl and 5 speed manual. Four-bangers need not apply for this kind of work.
I’ve done at least a dozen 1,000 mile days, even with the family. When we go out west from Chicago we usually make Laramie in a day, then Reno the next. Coming home from Seattle is easy, just stop in Glendive, MO, almost perfectly half-way.
Now I can do 1,000 miles plus at a time, but that’s it. I need a hot shower and a comfy bed before getting back on the road.
“5 cyl and 5 speed manual. Four-bangers need not apply for this kind of work”
I had a 2010 with that powertrain combination and I *loved* it for highway work. The gearing kept it turning at a solid 3000rpm at 80mph in fifth, which made it very responsive for maintaining speed up grades and overtaking, yet the cabin was hushed enough to not hear the engine. In fairness, though, a 2.5L four cylinder would also do this if geared the same way.
Combined with the excellent seats, that car ate up miles. I regret selling it.
Surprisingly, my 2012 Civic was kind of like this. 3k rpm at 70mph but with the mediocre NVH control and well controlled vibration of the R18, you absolutely could not hear the engine, nor did it feel strained in any way. But even with only 140hp on tap, that 2650lb car was in a good spot in 5th to provide good response without a downshift. It was also all too happy to eat up miles at 80-85mph (3500rpm ish), albeit I’m sure with less high speed stability than something German. Even with that gearing that car would knock down about 40mpg in highway driving regularly. That’s not terribly eye-brow raising anymore I suppose but at the time I was over the moon with it. Lastly, and unexpectedly, that Civic had fantastic seat comfort for long hauls. Long and wide seat cushion, wide seat back with pronounced lumbar support. It was very American-sized.
You’ll be happy to know that my ’17 Golf with the 1.8T runs the same. I have crossed the PA turnpike from Pittsburgh to Breezewood in light traffic and never had to downshift once out of 5th. The seats are still very good.
I just drove it from the Outer Banks to Pittsburgh. Manteo NC to Breezewood Pa on fuel, though admittedly that was pushing it on range. If it was a TDI car, I could have made it home! I was tired, but it wasn’t from the car.
All depends on when you leave. My favorite strategy is to go to bed around 8PM, and get up about 3AM and hop in the car and go. With that plan, I can drive about 15-16 hours before getting too tired. Did it with my 6y/o back in April between Chicagoland and Destin FL.
Best I’ve ever done was about 12 hours, with 4 stops, and one 90 minute stretch while the wife drove and I dozed. More impressive for the fact that she held it together that long as she HATES long car trips.
When I was in college in Northern Missouri back in the late 90’s, I had a ’93 Taurus, and several of my friends didn’t even have cars (it seems strange, but may still be common for all I know). We had this plan to take off after last class on Friday, switching off drivers, and go all the way to the Pacific ocean and then return and make it to the first class on Monday. Never tried it, but mapping it out shows the run on I80 to San Francisco at about 28 hours, so seems well within the realm of possibility. Wish we had done it.
About 10 years ago I did Mobile, AL to Chicago, IL via the I-65 to I-90 route… about 900 miles. After getting stuck in Nashville, Louisville, and then again on the outskirts of Chicago (all due to traffic jams), I vowed I’d never drive that F’ing way again.
Best I’ve ever done was from Elko, NV to Stevens Point, WI in the summer of 1989 – close to 1,700 miles and over a day. I was driving a Ford equipment van that belonged to the show band I was currently touring with. The van was following the band bus (an old converted GM Greyhound). Wired on massive amounts of caffeine, I think I was close to hallucinating on I-80 across Nebraska (stunningly dull and seemingly endless) in the middle of the night. I felt absolutely blasted by the end of the trip and I would dream of following the bus taillights at night for years afterward. I doubt that I could survive another attempt of the same trip.
By the way, one of the strangest stretches of interstate highway is I-80 westbound from Salt Lake City to Wendover, UT/NV on a clear night with a full moon. The effect is a bit unworldly – the highway is absolutely straight across the salt flats which seem to have a bluish glow under the moonlight. You can see mountains in the distance but they don’t seem to get closer for a long, long time. The paving was built with rough strips along the edge in case you get hypnotized and your vehicle starts to wander.
Maybe you wandered onto Groom Lake.
Ranch Exit 1, Ranch Exit 2… a light from a farmhouse every once in awhile. I-84 out of Salt Lake headed west is the same thing. 200 miles of nothing until you hit Burley, Id. At least the scenery is stunning, even @ night.
Try Hwy 93 in Nevada.
@ tonyola – I did I-80 twice in a single summer, in June with a high school friend and in August with a college friend. (Yes, I like road trips.) Totally agree. That stretch of highway at night is very “2000 Light Years from Home.”
We got notification our grandfather-in-law had died, and the funeral was the next day. Not having money for a plane ticket for me, my wife, and my mother-in-law, I did a drive from Baton Rouge, LA to Philadelphia, PA to pick up the MIL to Niagara Falls, NY for the funeral. It took 22hrs with no stops except quick ones to refuel or use the restroom. There was 12 feet of snow in NY which slowed progress just a little. We made it in the middle of the service.
My record is 20 hours, but after 16 hours, it’s mind over matter. All driving pleasure has disappeared. I’ve ridden a motorcycle over 1,000 miles in a day so driving the same distance is child’s play. As long as I get a good night’s sleep, I can drive distances like that day after day.
In my (much) younger days, 20 hrs was about the norm. Meaning I could non-stop from Portland, Or to my folks in Mission Viejo, Ca (about 1/2 way from LA to SD). These days I stop every couple of hours, and am not afraid to stop at a hotel if I’m getting tired.
Back in 96 my wife and I drove her parents down to their double wide just outside of Tampa..Her dad was too sick to drive..My wife and I did three hour shifts and made it in two days, driving a 95 Crown Vic. They were there for the winter, or so we thought.
Two weeks later ,the family flew her now very sick Dad and Mom home.. I had the most flexible schedule, and flew to Florida to bring the big Ford back. My plan was to drive steady from Tampa back to Oshawa. I think it was Beckly?? W.V where I couldn’t keep my eyes open. ( you don’t drive a Crown Vic, you just aim it. ) I found a decent hotel, with a friendly bar. I got chatting it up with a couple of Americans. The Beer was flowing, and dirt cheap. (by Canadian standards) ..I woke up 9:00 ish AM, with a world class hangover. I was scheduled to work for 6:00 PM that night ! My wife called my boss at GM and mentioned that “Mikey may not make it in tonight”
After a brutal drive and a slow border crossing, I wheeled into my driveway about 5:00 ish.. Didn’t make it to work that night.
I’m too old to do such thing’s anymore…Great memories though.
I don’t envy anyone driving that car for that distance. I’d be likely to show up in a different car.
“Hey, when did we get a 2001 Grand Prix?”
“Well, right about the time I found a dealer that would take a 1995 Crown Vic in on trade that wasn’t in my name with the promise that I’d mail them the title.”
Haha
Just make sure you’ve checked the L66 box when ordering your Cutlass Supreme: http://www.oldsmobilesforever.com/1967%20TC%20WEb%20Page.htm
Beautiful cars, make mine a Holiday Coupe.
In 2010 my wife and I drove from Memphis to Tampa to get on a cruise ship. We took a day and half going down. My wife is most definitely not a road warrior. After the cruise we got off the ship about 10:00 am and I started driving toward home in our 2002 Safari van. It is extremely comfortable to drive long hours. I told my wife to lean back and relax and I would try to make it all the way home. We did in about 12 hours. She says she won’t do that again, but I would have no problem with it.
I just did a 540 mile day–Quebec City to Princeton, NJ. Had weather been clear and sunny the whole journey, I could have easily driven another 100 miles or so, but I encountered lots of hard rain, with speeds on I87 dropping to 25mph. Weather can increase fatigue profoundly.
I typically like getting early starts, around 4am or so….hate setting out on long trips after 5pm.
“Weather can increase fatigue profoundly.”
Absolutely. I hit serious snowfall going through Erie PA in both directions last Christmas (interstate got shut down on way out east). Even with snow tires on the 4Runner, it was white-knuckle at times.
I think my single-day record so far was from Omaha to Moab, UT a couple of summers ago. I’d just gotten my Subaru and was taking it out to school, and it just so happened that my dad was in Moab for work. 13 hours of driving + a day of hiking Arches National Park + another six hours to get back to school in Logan didn’t make for a very productive first day of class, but it was a lot of fun.
Next closest is a big round trip loop I made last summer after a couple of breakdowns; first I had to take my roommate up to Boise where his car had crapped out several days earlier, then down to Elko, NV to pick up my girlfriend after hers had broken down while she was visiting her parents for a few days, and then back home across the salt flats. I think it worked out to about 12 hours and almost 850 miles.
Going to my in-laws for Christmas a few years ago my son and I got in my Passat TDI at 6:15 a.m. and the first time we got out of the car was at 3:23 p.m. when we pulled into their driveway 652 miles from home.
Me: 9 hours
Wife: 5 minutes
I have no records for driving, but the longest trip in which I was a passenger was 12 hoursish. Left Minneapolis at 8:00am and made it to Muncie, IN by 9:00pm. Hitting Chicago during rush hour was a real treat.
Otherwise the longest I’ve personally driven was 190 miles. I’ve not driven very far from home.
My personal best was from Albuquerque to San Luis Obispo in 24 hours straight, in a ’65 Corvair.
No mechanical problems but that last stretch thru the mountains east of SLO had me seeing little critters running across the road that were not even there.
Now 40 years later 500 to 600 per day in our LS430 is all I’m good for.
Yes! Bad weather will wear you down quickly.
I forget where I was, but I know it was in the plains with my 1996 Aerostar, the road was slick as if it were iced over, but they weren’t. It was just rain and wind. Driving 4 hours at between 45-60 MPH was so tiring, it felt like 40 hours. Constantly having to be on guard and fighting the elements for control of the van was absolutely horrible.
In that situation, the shape of the van made it susceptible to cross winds, I’m thinking I would have had an easier time in something like my car.
^this was supposed to be in reply to R Henry above.
I’m good for about 12hrs in a day, but I much prefer to keep it to 8.
I only drive long distance because I need a car delivered or retrieved from somewhere – otherwise I fly. So in the past couple years I have done ME-FL twice, FL-ME once, and TX-FL once. And FL-TN round-trip thanks to Hurricane Irma (never doing that again). FL->TN was about 20 hours of driving due to the traffic leaving FL. And since the person I was with couldn’t drive a stick, I did all the driving. TN was the closest hotel room I could find.
My limit is about 1000 miles. I’ve driven Columbus, OH to Plano, TX in a single day twice. I drove from Savannah, GA to Plano, TX in a single day once.
There’s quite often times that I must drive to work at the last minute. Since I live in Pittsburgh and my base is Washington DC, it’s quite the commute, which is not uncommon among us “aluminum sky sausage” drivers. At least I can drive to my base, many guys and gals can’t.
So, I can do 4-5 hours of driving on a moments notice and really, that’s kind of my “up and go” limit. Stopping only for gas or bathroom usage mostly, but I’ve made it straight through many times.
Give me music, coffee and a decent car and I can drive anywhere it seems. When I was a courier, I drove from Pittsburgh to Morristown NJ and back in one night in my 01 Focus. I don’t advise doing that much driving. Gave me respect for the long haul guys out there.
One challenge is a car with no cruise control. I’ve been stuck with rentals a few times without cruise and driving that 4-5 hours of mostly highway without cruise is extremely fatiguing. I know many people deride cruise control and it does work better in some vehicles than others ( American cruise control> Japanese cruise controls) but when you’re doing a distance, it really helps with fatigue and economy.
I prefer to travel in the early morning or late at night. The reduced traffic and therefore morons makes my trip more enjoyable and my pace steady.
I also drove from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West and back in one day. In a 2000 Sebring convertible. As a fair skinned Yankee, I was as red as the “Post Comment” button here. I didn’t realize how awful I looked until I got to the hotel that night and looked in the mirror.
Bout 18-22 hours give or take. Straight through from Cleveland to Tucumcari NM is the longest.. Wanted to stop in Texas but decided to keep pushing because I set the cruise at 80 when I went over the big muddy.. By the time I got out into Iowa cruise set on 92.. Had to slow down a bit in Texas.. Their troopers mean bidness.. I’d like to thank red bull and Starbucks double shots beef jerkey and camel wides
The distance I’m willing to drive is decreasing with age. I used to be willing to drive home from college for a long weekend or thanksgiving, 690 miles. I made a game of it, and did it in a shade under 10 hours once.
These days, driving to my hometown is about 720 miles, and I loathe doing it but it’s cheaper to drive than to fly with three kids. Part of the problem is that I have to go through Atlanta, which is the worst place I’ve ever driven. That drive takes a little over 11 hours and is definitely my limit.
The only thing worse than being the driver after 10+ hours in the car is being the passenger.
Growing up, it was a 300 mile trip to see the relatives so that was always a yardstick for me, I got so that I could do that drive with 2-3 stops when I started driving it on my own.
I’m normally good for about 8 hours of actual driving with bathroom and food breaks as needed. I agree that the topography and road type is a big factor: too much start/stop traffic or too much boring flat interstate will pull that number down.
There’s something about the OH and PA Turnpikes that wears me down, and both segments of rural I-88 in Illinois and New York are terrible when it comes to engaging scenery.
That being said, the thing that led to being diagnosed with sleep apnea was discovering I could no longer drive more than an hour without becoming fatigued and having to stop.