Dutchie in NC

I am picking the 2007 997 S up at Porsche of San Diego on Friday around 6PM. I am planning to drive to Vegas that night (~325 miles) and the next day I will be driving from vegas to our place in the mountains (near Vail, CO ~650 miles).

I will bring my Passport... any other insights, tips, ideas, etc?

Should I expect a lot of speed checks, or can I open her up pretty hard?

Coloradoheel

I bought my 07 C4S in LA last July and drove it back to Monument. Made a separate Vegas trip in November.

I had the V1 going and was pretty comfortable opening it up through Utah. St.George UT was the only spot in the state where I saw a trooper. With good radar detection, the terrain allows for early (long distance) detection.

The highway is pretty decent and there is limited traffic. I felt comfortable in the 100 - 125 range. Above that and I found that the undulations of the road (particularly west of the Moab turnoff) gave me the hebee-jeebies.

All is fine in CO until you hit the Glenwood Springs area - troopers lie in wait around the tight curves in the canyon.

This time of year I would recommend the major roadways and avoid the more scenic routes.

Have fun. And congrats on the purchase.

Steve

Neotorque

YMMV, but I tend to notice a lot of speedchecks right on the Nevada side of the Nevada border (as you pass Primm and such). Not so many on the California side once you clear Barstow.

You'd think they want us to get to the tables as quickly as possible, but....

KeninBlaine

I would be careful. Getting picked up doing over 100 mph would be very expensive. The Passport is helpful, but not perfect by any means, especially with laser guns.

eflight

getting your car taken away and impounded on your way home the first time in the car would really suck

fskof

Enjoy the trip! Post pics if you can. My advise would be enjoy the trip and stop and check out the sites. Its the sites off of the main roads that are the most memorable. How often do you get to go on a road trip in a great car? Have Fun!

PJorgen

Contrary to what many of you believe, California is part of the United States, no passport needed.

Mumbles

Are you going to protect the front end with some tape for the long haul ?

Might be an idea !

Dutchie in NC

Good one

Dutchie in NC

Had not thought about that... blue masking tape?

Mumbles

Yea, I would.

Safe trip....shiny side up !

Hammer911

get a roll of clear temporary carpet runner (heavy duty Saran Wrap) from Home Depot.

Macster

Be sure all tire pressures are ok. If any tire is low that's a sign of a slow leak.

Even if the tire pressures are ok, have the car's tires checked for any nails/screws. More than once I've had my car inspected (treated to a 'roadworthiness check' by a Porsche tech before heading out only to have the tech spot one sometimes 2 things in a tire. The rears are the worst.

Be sure the spare tire (if the car comes with one) is of course present and inflated properly. And be sure the toolkit is intact, the air pump works, and the wheel lock fits *all* 4 wheel locks!

Be sure all vital fluids are ok before setting out. Carry 1 quart of oil just in case.

Check oil level every fill up and other vital fluids before the 1st trip of the day.

Be sure you have a cell phone, charged!, and water and some snacks just in case the car breaks down and you have to spend the night on the side of the road. I pack 2 throw pillows, some small blankets, toilet paper just in case.

Watch cell phone usage. Some states forbid using the cell phone while driving, others permit it. At least one (AZ) I've been told by a state trooper (who pulled me over for speeding) sort of has different rules from the north or the south. Up north with generally lighter traffic, no biggie; down south with generally heavier traffic, biggie...) Even if cell phone usage is legal, if you're on your cell phone you might not be able to avoid another driver on his. In CA I dodge at least one cell phone user a day.

Be careful. The radar detector doesn't make the car invisible. And there is always the bear in the air. Or an irate citizen (or truck driver) will call in a report on you and even if you don't get a ticket you get pulled over and treated like some drug smuggling gang banger. You might even get handcuffed for a while until the person who called in the report drives past...

Also, even if you're going the speed limit if a car is near you (or behind you coming up) and going fast you can be pulled over for speeding. The cop will only have eyes for the Porsche. (This actually happened to me in TX on I-10 one night. I convinced the cop he pulled over the wrong car, and he finally agreed and gave me a 'warning', but it was touch and go there for a few minutes.)

If you are clocked going too fast (sometimes just 15mph over the posted limit) that can mean a trip to the judge to post bail. The car gets towed and impounded.

Be aware of road debris (truck tire carcasses can take out your car (one took out the radiator of my Boxster!)) and a deer or a stray cow can really ruin your trip. (A mule deer just clobbered my Turbo one night outside of Ely NV. and years ago in AR I saw a big rig hit a horse and the impact killed the horse but it also stopped the big rig -- severe front end damage -- and those trucks are strong in that area.)

You can if you pick your spot carefully open it up but there's always a risk. I have a few spots between CA and MO on various highways that I know about but the less risky areas/sections are few and distant. Generally I limit myself to one event per 2K miles of driving across country.

My advice is to just take it a bit easy, enjoy and get to know the car, and above all have a safe trip. There's a time and place for a V-Max blast and this drive ain't it. You'll have times enough over the time you spend with the car.

Sincerely,

Macster.

X51

+1 to Macster. I bought mine in Princeton, NJ last fall and drove it back to Omaha, NE 1300+ miles and I maintained about 7mph over - no need to look for trouble. Enjoy the ride and congratulations on your purchase!

Edgy01

In California you can essentially go 10 over without getting an extra look from the Law Enforcement Officials. Since the speedo will be optimistic by about 2 mph, that means for an indicated 65mph zone you can put the thing at about 77 and be good to go.