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I'm from Indiana and I was wondering if anyone has driven south (Florida) from this area. My roommate seems to think that my "tiny 1.7 liter" won't make it through the mountains. I know my engine (d17A2) is perfectly capable of making the haul to Florida. I just want to hear any stories if anyone has any.

Also, I was wondering if anyone has made any long trips with 4 people in a sedan. I was wondering if the back seat was "roomy" enough for a long haul.

 
Rep Power: 367

I drove 1200 miles from TN to Quebec, no issues but no mountians and alone (although all my stuff was in the car, so kind of heavy.
I also did a TN-> SC -> NC->TN, about 1400 miles and i passed the mountains between TN and NC - no issues except for the auto trans (yeah, was a 01 LX auto at the time) insisting in going to 3rd and keeping there... but again i was alone and much less luggage taht time.

 
Rep Power: 511

My car's made it from vegas to south carolina, from south carolina to upstate NY, from upstate NY to vegas, and multiple trips between Seattle and Vegas.. Hell, my car made the seattle-vegas trip and it couldn't rev past 4000 RPMs because of a VTEC controller issue.

Your car will make it.

As for room in the backseat, it might. I've never spent more than 20 minutes in my rear seat, so I couldn't really tell you, but I have a 2002 coupe.

 
Rep Power: 367

oh, yeah forgot to say that you need to have done basic maintenance before traveling far
same comment as above here for back seat, heck, my passenger seat is almost brand new sorry no inputs on that, except that the back of the civic is roomier than most sedan/coupes

 
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The maintenance is highly recommended.. I will admit that I haven't always done any maintenance before taking off..

 
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I can't comment on the trip but i can tell you that i have had 8 people in my civic at one time lol... now that was fun!

As for 4 people during a long haul ... if they're adults you might run into comfort problems. I can guarantee you someone's personal bubble will be popped. Like, you can do it but it won't be the most comfortable experience of their lives.

As for maintenance ... the way i see it, is that it can't hurt your car, but only help it. So definitely do one before long trips. You don't want your car to break down in the middle of nowhere and end up at a crazy doctors house where he turns you into a "human centipede" lol

 
Rep Power: 285

I've made many long drives in my Civic through very difficult mountain conditions and I've never had a problem. I think your room mate is failing to realize that a 1.7L engine is enough to power a vehicle the size of a civic through almost anything, a 5.0L engine in a truck has almost the same power to weight ratio as your car if not less.

 
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If your going to be in a higher RPM for an extended amount of time- and have an auto trans- I suggest looking into a transmission cooler to keep it from dying later on in life. Its not needed, but def suggested for any honda auto trans.

 
Rep Power: 313

Your car will make it no problem.. It's a good lil reliable car that shouldnt have any issues. As far as the backseat goes it won't be you sitting there so who cares



Hmm... I've spent 20 minutes in my back seat but it wasnt driving around..

 
Rep Power: 511

Lol.. Dammit Tom.. You know, I knew someone was gonna do that.. I even had this typed up
"before you *******s get ahead of me.. I've never f***ed in my car. A rental Chevy Cobalt on the other hand..."
But deleted it because I had faith in you guys. I really shoulda known better.

 
Rep Power: 285

The heaviest 7g Civic, an Auto EX, is 1203kg with a 1.7L displacement.
Thats 70.7kg to .1L of displacement.

My work truck a Ford F750 is 15500kg with a 7.2L displacement
Thars 212.2kg to .1L of displacement.

Both my truck and car make it through mountain roads without a problem, hopefully this demonstrates how little importance engine displacement plays in regular driving. Just make sure everything is in good condition and you'll be fine.

 
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Thanks for all the input guys. I've never took my civic on a trip longer than 4 hours, but i though it could handle the trip with no problems.

 
Rep Power: 317

You'll be fine, just make sure you're tuned up before you go. I made it from Chicago to Seattle in 3 days and my car was full of clothes, etc. I was worried about the mountain driving, but it was summer and the conditions were perfect.


If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and look online for Daniel Tosh's 30 minute review of the movie.

 
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L-O-L... yes, you should have known better

Have a nice trip!

 
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Change the oil, check the brakes, all of the fluids and inspect everything before you leave.

Your roomate is a moron! Your car is fine in the mountains. It may gasp for air when you get to high altitude but all cars do that.

 
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I don't know if this makes a difference or not but my civic has less hp/lb. than my roommates Sautrn Vue. Shouldn't that make it easier to move? My 1 horsepower has to move less weight than the vue's.

civic 2500lb+1000lb cargo(approx)=3500pounds/127hp.=27pounds per horsepower.
vue 3200lb+1000lb cargo(aaprox)=4200pounds/142hp.=29pounds per horsepower.


interior dimensions are also similar.
Civic interior Vue interior
Front Seats

• Front head room: 38 in 40.4
• Front hip room: 51.2 in. 53
• Front leg room: 42.2 in. 41
• Front shoulder room: 52.6 in. 55

Rear Seats

• Rear hip Room: 49.8 in. 53
• Rear head room: 36.3 in. 40
• Rear leg room: 36 in. 36
• Rear shoulder room: 52 in. 55

As you can see the interior dimensions are pretty close. I can deal with 1 or 2 less inches here and there for much better gas mileage. The vue gets about 23-25 and my civic would get 33-35. My roommate just doesn't understand cars.

 
Rep Power: 291

Just to add my 2C,

If there is constant uphill mountains, you may want to go at a slower speed, and turn off all AC/Electronics to prevent overheating.

Make sure you have enough coolant

 
Rep Power: 256

do you really civics would be so popular if they couldent drive up a steep hill ?

 
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Hate to break it to you but you aren't even close to 127 HP.

 
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at the flywheel, yes. But, if OP is comparing rated HP vs curbweight of both cars, then then comparison works. It's not like he's bragging about the HP in his vehicle.

But, yes, an automatic 01-05 civic ex puts out like 90-something wheel HP, a manual puts out about 110 or so.

 
Rep Power: 217

Like the others have said, just make sure the maintenance is up to date and you'll be fine. My girlfriend took my old Corolla out from NY to NC with almost 145k on the odometer with no issues. Sure, no mountains or anything, but she and her friend drove almost non stop. All I did was a basic tune up, oil change, coolant change, and replaced the worn out valve cover gasket.

 
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1 year ago, spur of the moment,

didnt check any maintenance, drove all the way from san francisco, to Riverside
480 miles there, stopped for 20 mins for my friends to grab their stuff, stuffed 3 girls in my car, and drove 480 miles back.

Some mountain terrains slightly, but no problems

:X
Dam, I can never do another 12 hour drive again >.<
Getting old... lol

 
Rep Power: 293

Wow, I must be getting old. Seriously? How did people get around in the 80s when Honda, Toyota and Hyundai made cars with 70, 80 or 90 HP? How did people navigate without GPS or get directions without Google Maps on a cellphone? Haha.

I made it fully loaded, with 3 other passengers and all, across the US (up the Rockies even), in a 1965 Beetle with 36HP. It wasn't the safest or fastest trip, no seatbelts, drum brakes all around, no AC, or even a radio. Did it TWICE!

I think you'll be just fine. Take everyone's good advice and give your car a once over before going. Have a safe trip.

 
Rep Power: 511

Kenny's just lame.. I'm older than him and love making the trip up and down cali. Driving through Oregon is fun too, assuming I don't have to stop. I have issues with not being allowed to pump my own gas.

 
Rep Power: 291

I dont think he was refering back to my post lol
but idk, I cant drive for long anymore, I sort of fall asleep with my eyes open :P

& I hate driving in oregon, their cops are more strict than CHP
No U-Turns? Seriously? D:

 
Rep Power: 293

Haha. No not your post. I was commenting on how things have changed in general. Whenever my buddies and I took a road trip, all we cared about was if we had enough gas money and if there were hot girls at the destination. Screw the car and if it had enough HP. Most important thing was setting the rules for shotgun. Sucks to be you, if you were in the back.

I'm originally from the Bay Area, so I've made the I-5 trip many times. I feel you on the whole Oregon thing. Speed limit goes down to 65 doesn't it? And WTF is the deal with not pumping your own gas? The gas attendant almost tackled me, running out the store when I pulled out the nozzle out on my first trip there. Haha.

 
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It was funny in my mind anyways.. lol. Oregon and New Jersey are hippy states like that, and it's illegal to pump your own gas.. It provides jobs, from what I gather. It just bugs me that, when I was stationed in WA, many of my friends from Oregon had NO idea wtf they were doing at the gas station.

And yea, the speed limit drops to 65.. Sucks, but whatever.. I always cruised 70-75 without a problem. Driving through the mountains in norhtern cali up by mt. shasta's fun though

 
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You were in the service? Me too. My ex was stationed in Whidbey Island. Made a few road trips up there. You're right about the roads near My Shasta. Nice. It was crazy driving in the snow up there too.

 
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Yeah, Oregon cops are posted about every .5 miles on their highways :X

You can always spot the Oregon folks in cali, they're the ones driving 60, when everyone else is bustin past u at 80~90

 
Rep Power: 367

heh! you had 2 dynamo/air fan belts and the whatsitcalled? electrical spark inside the distributor? (they the only thigns that actually can stop these sturdy flat four )
yup, i miss being able to drop the engine in 15 minutes...