I am driving from Salt Lake to upstate NY, leaving over the weekend in my LR. I recently did the drive from SF to SLC, with a bike on top. I had to stop at almost every supercharger. I am struggling to get everything I need to transport in the car this time, including the bike because the loss of range was terrible. And the range is bad enough to begin with -- as others discussed, nowhere near what is advertised given the speeds on the interstate, range loss over 30 months, and the fact that I will turn on the heat when the cabin temp falls below 66. Tesla says It will take 41 hours, including charging stops, to cover the 2000 miles -- assuming all meals/bathroom breaks are during charging stops. If I put the bike on top, I anticipate it will be at least 45 hours. Compared to an ICE car, this is nearly 50% more time. Discouraging.
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Cross Country NY to LA road trip with V9 FSD
- Thread starter S’|’orm
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- advice crosscountry roadtrip
Have you considered shipping the bike? Are you really planning your trip using Tesla as your guide? Have you considered using ABRP? When I punch in my LR-AWD from Salt Lake to Albany, at 115% speed, I get 36h 21m, including 18 stops, no bike. For me, an ICE would take just as long. That's averaging 61mph with the stops and 73mph without the stops, fairly normal for ICE driving when you factor in stops for gas, toilet, food, and coffee.
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Good idea. I actually started looking into the possibility today. It's an expensive proposition, driven in large measure by the exorbitant cost of insurance (for what is a pricey bike) which puts the shipping price at a few hundred dollars Fedex air. But still may do it. One downside is that I was planning to stop mid-day along the way for some short rides of a couple of hours. Would make the journey a lot more pleasant.
Shelburne
Member
As I said, all those trips were work related. I was paid mileage for all of them. Yes, I could have flown, but then the company would have given me a terrible rental car and I would have missed some wonderful scenery
gigawatt1010
Member
I'm now a teacher but had another full time job for 8 years I traveled around the world for and saved up along with investing, plus I get summers off and continue to get paid during those 2 months which allows me to make this happen. Traveling is one of the most important parts of life for me so I make sure to save up for trips like these.
Thanks for this I will look into it more to see if it works with the national parks I'm planning on visiting on my way out to LA!
Does anyone know if it is worth while to bring the Modern Spare tire kit? It's about $400 but it would feel nice to have the peace of mind in case I got stuck somewhere with low battery power left not having to rely on having cell service or to wait for AAA or Tesla roadside. It's 30-45 lbs.
Also for those who have made the trip, is it worth packing up my Exped mattress to put in frunk each day or to leave the back laid out flat for space and save time? Any downfalls to that?
Also for those who have made the trip, is it worth packing up my Exped mattress to put in frunk each day or to leave the back laid out flat for space and save time? Any downfalls to that?
An alternative might be to take a jack and tire plug kit instead. It wouldn't work in the case of a blow-out or major tire damage but would help if you ran over road debris that caused a leak. I've driven over 300,000 in my life and have never had a major issue that couldn't be fixed with a plug. There was one slow leak on the sidewall that couldn't be plugged. It was a very slow leak and I was able to just add a few PSI to the tire every day or two before I eventually took it in for a new one.
Exactly what I am doing, getting the Exped mattress and the TESMAT privacy screen, it should be super cozy, its not for everyone but Im excited for it. Will test it all out before I leave to make sure I have a plan in place and things are comfortable.
Is it easy to use? Any suggested links you can send for a good affordable tire plug kit set?
Also another question I had, I was told I should tint my car windows to prevent internal heat and having to blast AC and save battery as tint would keep car cool since I will be traveling throughout the summer. Any thoughts on this and if yes, which is the best car tint to use for Model 3? It would be nice if I could maybe get a combo tint that both darkens the windows as well as reducing heat.
MXLRplus
Active Member
Currently Highway 1 south of Big Sur is closed due to a landslide. But it should open two months ahead of schedule at last reporting.
Here are a couple examples:
https://www.amazon.com/Tire-Patch-Punctures-Motorcycle-Tractor-Trailer/dp/B08MKR17WC
You can get even cheaper, but they don't have all the "extras": https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-26683-Repairs-Tubeless-Lawnmowers/dp/B07NDG6CW4
Try watching some YouTube videos and see if you think it's something you could handle. Check some of the posts by @dgpcolorado , such as Supercharger - Kremmling, CO . He might be able to recommend a better kit or different tools.
I'm planning to go in September and crossing my fingers Canada border will be open (hopefully)
gigawatt1010
Member
Following this thread makes me want to plan another Tesla road trip to the West Coast. We just did a 2400 mile, NY-FL-NY road trip this past week and I loved every minute of it.
As far as the tire plug kit, practice on a bike tire to get you comfortable. It's not hard as David mentioned.
As far as the tire plug kit, practice on a bike tire to get you comfortable. It's not hard as David mentioned.
Okay good plan, Sounds like I should skip the Modern Spare tire kit and get the plug kit then to save space and weight. This is all why I'm starting my planning now instead of late May.
My next question is whether I need to get my car tinted for the summer cross country journey and if so what the best percentage and brand to go with is. I want it to be legal of course and to look nice as well as reduce heat as I plan on doing a chrome delete at the same time. I'm researching this forum for model 3 tint and haven't come to any final conclusion yet. If anyone knows of a good tint spot around NYC let me know, so far I know of Art of Tint
gigawatt1010
Member
Not personally a big fan of tints on my cars, but I fully understand the necessity when trying to avoid heating up the cabin and overworking your AC. When I lived in Vegas, I had to tint my car (2007-2011) and at that time, the bees knees on tints was this brand called Huper Optik, not sure if they're still around. It was pricier than other options, but it was rated very high in rejecting/reflecting back heat.
What's your range on your M3? Is it an LR?
EDIT: I just Googled and it turns out, they're still around.
windowtintz.com
What's your range on your M3? Is it an LR?
EDIT: I just Googled and it turns out, they're still around.
Huper Optik vs. 3M Window Tint - Which tint is best? - Window Tint Z
Huper Optik vs. 3M: Contrasting Differences, Showcasing Strengths Comparing Huper Optik vs. 3M window tint films, contrasting their differences, is a
windowtintz.com
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