sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

i just remembered one more thing - test your coolant gases before the trip.
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...rence.htmleven
even if it ends negative, have a bottle of coolant (could be the small one), a bottle of oil and also one of the brake fluid.
A fixflat would be good too, just in case. Don't forget to check spare tire pressure too, and your toolbox in a easily reachable place (not under the luggage in the trunk - you never know where you could end up parked. If you don't have a code reader, get one from harbor freight (for the peace of mind in case check engine comes up - so you can ask online during the overnights if something comes up).

7genmarathon

iTrader: (1)

Overkill :P

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

a full size spare is a lifesaver on trips like this. im still working on getting one put together just to have because the donut is completely useless except for limping to the next exit.

civicchick2001

more like a movin back home situation

dang, that's quite a trip too.. did you have any problems at all?

i hope ill be fine and that it goes smooth

civicchick2001

is that area where the donut sits big enough for a correct size tire? or is it too small? i think that's stupid that they dont make them big enough for an extra tire, instead they make it for an extra small tire.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Not really stupid per say, its for emergency use.
You're only supposed to use it to get to the next place to get your tire fixed. (Yet i've seen people run the spare for weeks, at 80mph+)

same reason why you dont have a floor jack, and jack stands in the car. You carry an emergency jack.

+ i dont think a lot of people would enjoy the added weight

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i dont carry anything in the city, but for longer trips i dont mind the weight at all. full size spare and floor jack with two stands. thats what determines if i will be driving home or overnighting in a strange place while Joe orders some crap tire and installs it for $500.

civicchick2001

i need to go out and look what's under that trunk piece. i dont know if there is a jack or anything under there. i know there's a donut, i just couldnt get to it when i needed it. might do that today.. cuz if i dont have a jack, i need to get one before all of this

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

also any tire over 6 yrs old is a safety hazard. most of our spares are useless by now even for emergency use. and i bet yours is nowhere near the tire pressure its supposed to be at (i think around 60psi). dont even think about putting air into it if the tire is over 6 yrs old unless you want a rubber explosion in your face.

civicchick2001

so what do you do in that situation? i have no clue how old it is or if its been used or not.. how much does a spare cost? i'd rather have a good one than one thats just gonna explode

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

well if yours is a 2001, its likely the car was made in 2001 +/- 1 yr. i suppose you could buy another one, from a new civic, and hope it has a newer tire on it. but they are expensive. i mean, it would be better to get a spare rim (14 or 15 inch whatever the car has on it) and a cheap tire as a full size spare that you can actually use. and even then its only good for about 6 yrs before you need a new tire on it. i have a brand new tire in the attic i forgot about but its going in the trash because its too old to use anymore. a spare tire small rim costs around $100, and a regular full size rim (steelie) costs around $50. but a tire shop should be able to change just the spare tire part and reuse the rim. still, it would only be for very short term and low speed use, 45mph max to limp you to the nearest repair shop off the freeway. thats why i think a full size spare would be better than the donut in the trunk. i am holding onto my small size spare rim (no tire) in case i need to carry stuff in the trunk. it is a good (altho heavy) support for the trunk floor.

civicchick2001

hey, this might actually be happening sooner than i thought.. i got to thinkin this morning about weight. cuz im gonna have a lot of stuff with me. and is a lot of weight in our cars bad? not really a ton of clothes, but more like just stuff.. i guess what im askin is, how much weight (of stuff) is too much weight? any ideas let me know..

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

check the weight limit in the door jam where it has the tire pressure info and stuff. i think the max load is around 800 lbs including all passengers and driver. i loaded the car down quite a bit moving back home and had a few mishaps like the tie rods coming loose and some popping noises that never went away, but otherwise the shocks and stuff held up okay. make sure to raise your tire pressure to 35psi instead of 30psi for sure.

kbook

Looks like everybody has lots of good recommendations already.

Have a good trip then. what is your route anyway?

civicchick2001

@gearbox.. thanks. ill check that tomorrow. ill have 2 adults, 1 dog, and like 3-4 bags of clothes/stuff. and thats exactly what im doing is moving. im gonna ship what i can, but theres a lot that im not comfortable sending away, so its stayin with me. but ill double check that sticker tomorrow. why 35 instead of 30? just curious..

@kbook.. thanks. my route is portland, or.. to atlanta, ga. long freakin way to say the least. :/

montecarlogrrl

If it helps any, I loaded my car down with anything that would fit in it when I moved... all my clothes, pictures, anything breakable I didn't want in the uhaul.. My trip was only 8 hours but I've done it several times with no issues. For a small car, you can really fit a lot in it.
Good luck with your move, hope everything goes well.

civicchick2001

thanks so much i hope it goes well too.. and yeah, it might be a civic, but it definetly has some space in there! having a sedan is kind of a good luck charm at this point. i dont know if anything would fit in a coupe, of what im taking. i just wish it wasnt so far :/ but i think i can handle it. thank u again though!

montecarlogrrl

It is a huge pain trying to fit stuff in a coupe, trust me. Many times I wish I would have gotten a sedan instead, haha.

kbook

Even though I like to coupe so much. I bought the sedan : )
I really love the 08 Sedan Si when it came out. I do not like the current gen even though it has more hps. The previous gen's body was sexier.

It's quite a drive for you road trip. I do not know how many days for me to drive 2000s mi.

civicchick2001

yeah, ive had 2 coupe's prior to this one, and while i wasnt too crazy about a sedan, it really does make certain things easier. especially when you have passangers. so much easier gettin out through a door than squeezing through past the front seat. lol.. and not to mention, when your moving or hauling something.. its just easier. all the way around.

and yeah, its a really long way. i think im gonna be stopping like 3 times on the way and find somewhere to stay. if it was just me, i think i could handle it as long as i got out for a few min here and there.. but since im gonna have someone else and my dog.. it'd be better to spread it out i think. but even doin that, that's still around 12hrs per day of driving. ugh. this is gonna SUCK. lol

just saw this new smiley.. lol

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

more weight on the tires means they have a higher chance of blowing out at highway speeds, esp in the summer. having stock 30psi on a loaded car will be like having low tire pressure on an unloaded car. the manual says to raise air pressure when carrying heavier loads than the usual one or two people.

civicchick2001

makes sense to me. thanks, and ill be sure to do that before hand.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

what state are you moving to btw?

civicchick2001

back home to GA.. atl, born and raised

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

heh!

this is what i did fit in the vic on my way back from canada


there were still 3 more bags that are not here :P

civicchick2001

dannnng! that's a lotta stuff.. how much do u think that weighed?

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

I've fit 28 boxes in my coupe before, with sub :P
These were boxes of 9, or 12 vases. for my mom's floral shop

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

no idea how much it weighted, but it did the 1200 mile trip, but i had to put more pressure on the tires and aim the headlights to not to illuminate the skies rather than the road :P
plus my hydraulic jack and toolboxes :P

nothing was above the window line, so the only thing that tipped that i had a lotta stuff in there was the no-gap in the rear fenders

Oh, yeh, i forgot to comment that my head gasket was leaking 2 months before the trip, but since it was not overheating, i just had to top the coolant in the morning of the 2nd day
now HG changed and it's "purrring"

kbook

I missed the "frying biscuit" restaurant. My wife and I went there 5 years ago. Good food. :-D

civicchick2001

most all GA food is good food hell of a lot better than up here.. that's for sure. everytime i visit, one of my first stops is chick-fil-a.. then long horn steakhouse, and then everything else that's not up here. lol.. but yes, that place is very good!