0morgan@synapse motorsport

since around halfway through my build i thought it would be amazing if i went across country with my built civic. even i am skeptical of making it. i currently live in new york and would want to drive all the way out to cali. ive been up and down the east coast personally and would love to travel out west and check out more of america. the second day i had the car on the road i took it 200 miles out to boston, ran very smooth didnt have any issues. part of me feels that if the car cant make a trip like this then its not as practical as i hoped, which well i guess i already know is true anyway.

check my sig for some more info on my car

some of the questions i had are:

has anyone ever traveled very far before with such a build?

what would be some tips to take care of before i left, as in preventative type maintenance, or upgrades/modifications that might help on the trip.

plans for the spring are, new fuel system(sumped tank with twin walbro's or a bosch 044, with larger fuel lines). im also thinking about getting an oil cooler before i left and maybe a pusher fan for the radiator. right now cruising my temps sit at around 200 on the road, and around 210 when im at a stop. the temps dont rise above that its just stays at those temps even in boost.

any feedback positive or negative would be appreciated

Dunc

Basically my "far" trips entail going from Ohio to Alabama to visit the girl when she's at school. It's a 9.5 hour trip....according to mapquest I'll do it about 6 times throughout the school year.

All I do is check all the fluids, oil change, check the tires, and torque/tighten ever bolt. I just keep an eye on the water temps and A/F's primarily when driving.

When stopping for gas I let it idle for several minutes to let it cool somewhat. Also, I check the oil level and recheck every bolt while it's filling up. Once you work out the little kwurks* it's not bad at all driving a long distance.....other than having your gas foot and butt fall asleep. I bet it could make it, I'm planning on doing the same thing (Ohio to Cali). Good luck and enjoy the trip!

Schister66

just make sure everything is in order....i took a lot of trips with my turbo GSR, but im only at the 300whp mark (stock internals however)

RicerRacing69

I took a trip w/ my buddy down to FL in his built & boosted S2k, on the way back his sleeves sunk in the middle of GA, I cought a flight out in atlanta the next morning while he drove back in a tow truck.

Muckman

iTrader: (2)

Bring an emergency tool pack with you
Basically every tool I use is in my trunk lol

94hatchvx

i to plan on making a trip to florida this summer when i graduate with a bunch of my car buddies. i have a 92 hatch with weiscos,eagle rods,arp studs and rod bolts,type r oil pump,cometic .51" thick boost head gasket,2 1/2" piping on intake and exaust w/ no cats,stock intake manifold,t-stat,head w/ dual valve springs and port/polish,stock cams. im still debating on taking my car but i really want to. if i do i will have every socket i would need for a honda (10,12,14,16,17,18,19mm, & spark plug sockets) misc wrenchs and pliers. i plan to have some 50/50 coolant,4 quarts of fresh oil w/filter,new tires,conservative 10lb tune, and hope for the best. any other suggestions or experiences would be appreciated by me and im sure by others.

*plan on goin from new mexico(where i live) to florida or somewhere on the e'coast."used to live in maryland"

dunkd

Clifton Park, NY US to Los Angeles, CA US

Total Est. Time: 41 hours, 54 minutes
Total Est. Distance: 2812.66 miles

84 hours and almost 5600 miles of 600whp Civic fury!

I know I would never EVER do that with my car, but it would be cool to do. Bring a video camera and make a movie out of it. Vinyl the **** out of your car too so you get a lot of attention!

0morgan@synapse motorsport

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RicerRacing69 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I took a trip w/ my buddy down to FL in his built & boosted S2k, on the way back his sleeves sunk in the middle of GA, I cought a flight out in atlanta the next morning while he drove back in a tow truck.</TD></TR></TABLE>

sorry to hear about the s2k what type of sleeves did he have?, my block and sleeves are the least of my worries. i have full confidence in earl and benson. usually its the little stuff that cause problems.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94hatchvx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i to plan on making a trip to florida this summer when i graduate with a bunch of my car buddies. i have a 92 hatch with weiscos,eagle rods,arp studs and rod bolts,type r oil pump,cometic .51" thick boost head gasket,2 1/2" piping on intake and exaust w/ no cats,stock intake manifold,t-stat,head w/ dual valve springs and port/polish,stock cams. im still debating on taking my car but i really want to. if i do i will have every socket i would need for a honda (10,12,14,16,17,18,19mm, & spark plug sockets) misc wrenchs and pliers. i plan to have some 50/50 coolant,4 quarts of fresh oil w/filter,new tires,conservative 10lb tune, and hope for the best. any other suggestions or experiences would be appreciated by me and im sure by others.

*plan on goin from new mexico(where i live) to florida or somewhere on the e'coast."used to live in maryland" </TD></TR></TABLE>

oh i will definately carry all the goodies with me. tons of spark plugs, 4 quarts of oil, already have the cooloant lol. 2 extra tires(already have). steelie spare tire.

and of course all the tools, jacks, jack stands. these are good recommendations keep them coming. will bring a multimeter incase i got any electrical problems to diagnose. trying to make a list of stuff i dont think of.

oh and i didnt forget the oh **** money i might need. lol AAA plus only gets me 100 miles that wont get me far. ive always got to be thinking worst case scenario.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dunkd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Clifton Park, NY US to Los Angeles, CA US

Total Est. Time: 41 hours, 54 minutes
Total Est. Distance: 2812.66 miles

84 hours and almost 5600 miles of 600whp Civic fury!

I know I would never EVER do that with my car, but it would be cool to do. Bring a video camera and make a movie out of it. Vinyl the **** out of your car too so you get a lot of attention!
</TD></TR></TABLE>

not sure which route i would taken havent planned that out at all. i guess i would like to hit up some nice hotspots. maybe head south, and then north on the way back.

i will be bringing my camera for some fun video and to keep a record of some nice stuff. not sure about the vinyl, i have no sponsors, and therefore no stickers on my car right now. i like it that way. but it would be nice to show people im driving accross country. i just dont want any of the bad attention that goes with some things like that.

since im in the military i will most likely stay at military bases across country. cheap and safe places to stay. wont have to worry much about theft so i hope.


Modified by hybrdthry911 at 10:57 PM 11/26/2006


Modified by hybrdthry911 at 10:57 PM 11/26/2006

a1320addict

iTrader: (1)

Definently will be fun, bring a tool set for sure.

I'd also bring extra oil, extra coolant, a spare distributor, spark plugs, and zipties of course

0morgan@synapse motorsport

i might bring an extra distributor if only i had one to replace. coil on plug b series ftw

zip ties and duct tape are a must of course

tweekerz

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by a1320addict &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Definently will be fun, bring a tool set for sure.

I'd also bring extra oil, extra coolant, a spare distributor, spark plugs, and zipties of course </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah cooling system needs to be in orde for sure. Don't forget extra oil just in case.

dmotoguy

the only thing I can think of that could be a problem is boosting up mountain passes.. there are some pretty long ones that might make your egt's get pretty high..

Boosted Chemist

iTrader: (1)

Bring an extra set of pistons

0morgan@synapse motorsport

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tweekerz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Yeah cooling system needs to be in orde for sure. Don't forget extra oil just in case. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i agree ive got a fluidyne radiator, and it gets the job done, i think i might get a better fan or a pusher fan to help out though.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dmotoguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the only thing I can think of that could be a problem is boosting up mountain passes.. there are some pretty long ones that might make your egt's get pretty high.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i dont think ill have to hit boost to go up mountain passes. if i notice im giving it so much gas im hitting boost i can drop it down a gear to stay out of boost. even if i hit boost for a long period of time i think the engine can handle it. definately something to think about though.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Boosted Chemist &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Bring an extra set of pistons </TD></TR></TABLE>

im pretty conservative with my driving its not like im gonna be boosting across the country. it gets pretty expensive that way with the gas alone. ill stick with my 30+mpg out of boost.

dmotoguy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybrdthry911 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
i dont think ill have to hit boost to go up mountain passes. if i notice im giving it so much gas im hitting boost i can drop it down a gear to stay out of boost. even if i hit boost for a long period of time i think the engine can handle it. definately something to think about though.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

its mostly due to the higher load of going up the hill.. not your throttle position, the rockies have some passes that are ~20+ miles long.

SPOOLINmatt

in my first build i would have done it, 515whp and 20,000 miles of driving is what i put it through, i disassembled that thing still in proper working condition. I say stock up on spare fluids, spare belts(all of them), different types of stop leak for emergencies and fuses and some wire, and DONT FORGET THE ZIP TIES!!!!! go for it. I want to do this my self but i want to take something a long the lines of a supercharged s2000.

AspectIndustries

My power isnt at much near to your setup, but I taken my on 1000+ miles trips. Drives good, since most of the time you will be out of boost.

Just bring a gallon of gas, mini jack/wheellocks/something to remove tires, tire inflate can, 5 liter motor oil , and a simple tool set.

and...DUCT TAPE/ZIP TIES. bah, JBWELD too.. lol

Then you should be ready to roll.

SPOOLINmatt

spare alternator

0morgan@synapse motorsport

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dmotoguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

its mostly due to the higher load of going up the hill.. not your throttle position, the rockies have some passes that are ~20+ miles long.</TD></TR></TABLE>

correct me if im wrong lower gear would create less load on the engine, so i might have to sit at 5k instead of 3k, but i would do it at vacuum instead of boost.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SPOOLINmatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">in my first build i would have done it, 515whp and 20,000 miles of driving is what i put it through, i disassembled that thing still in proper working condition. I say stock up on spare fluids, spare belts(all of them), different types of stop leak for emergencies and fuses and some wire, and DONT FORGET THE ZIP TIES!!!!! go for it. I want to do this my self but i want to take something a long the lines of a supercharged s2000.</TD></TR></TABLE>

spare alternator belt would be good, and cheap. dont have p/s or a/c so thats the only belt i have. fuses wiring and zipties are a must.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by synik &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My power isnt at much near to your setup, but I taken my on 1000+ miles trips. Drives good, since most of the time you will be out of boost.

Just bring a gallon of gas, mini jack/wheellocks/something to remove tires, tire inflate can, 5 liter motor oil , and a simple tool set.

and...DUCT TAPE/ZIP TIES. bah, JBWELD too.. lol

Then you should be ready to roll. </TD></TR></TABLE>

jbweld just incase true u never know there are so many things that "could" come in handy.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SPOOLINmatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">spare alternator </TD></TR></TABLE>

at first sounds like a good idea, but an alternator is something in my experiences dies out over time, i think i would notice something like this happening. and would just pick one up on the road need be. 15 min job to swap out so not too big of a deal.

Schister66

as long as your setup was done correctly, you dont have a lot to worry about....i would bring new plugs, oil and maybe a distributor, but i wouldn't think it to be necessary

0morgan@synapse motorsport

i bring new plugs even on short trips, and again i dont have a dizzy.

trini-gsr

i drove in my boosted gsr from miami to atlanta last month...took me about 10 hours because i had my 3 year old son with me and had to stop for potty breaks, lol. i changed my oil before leaving (castrol 10w-30 gtx), checked my plugs and manifold bolts, etc, made sure everything looked good before hitting the road.

i had the a/c on for 70% of the trip and was doing an average of 80mph...i did get on it a couple times, lol, but in 4th gear though. mostly i stayed out of boost. no problems whatsoever, didn't have to add any oil on the trip, no overheating. i stopped 3 times for about 20 mins each, let the car run for a couple mins before shutting it off, i checked the oil and coolant each time, and did a quick eye inspection of the lines...

remember with hwy driving, overheating isn't gonna be a huge problem. it's not like you'll be in stop and go traffic. and you'll be cruising in 5th...and out of boost. it'll be just like driving an NA honda. i'll be making a trip back down to mia in like 2 weeks...

ryan89crx

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SPOOLINmatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">spare alternator </TD></TR></TABLE>lol, i had my alternator go out on a roadtrip...

middle of the mountains at 1am...no cell service. had to hitch a ride with a truckdriver to the next town, call my dad, and he brought a new alternator to me in the morning. 4.5hr drive each way to deliver an alternator FTW!!

gdh8su

Make sure your tune can handle the different grades of gas! Most states out west only have 91oct and a oxy content. I would take a spare fuel filter too!

liam821

I drove my fully built civic from San Diego to Utah, then to Colorado, and then back to San Diego again - twice. Almost 3000 miles per trip. Zero problems car ran great.

I've done many 2000-3000 mile trips with my old stock motor/turbo setup also without problem. Getting 40+mpg no less!

Its not like driving along at 80mph in 5th gear with 4-5% throttle is alot of strain on the motor. It can do that all day and night - you'll be under vacuum for almost the whole trip. Just make sure you have a nice tune or you'll hate the gas milage!

liam