Planning a Long Drive - What should I take with me?

[ExplorerTom]

It's got 100,000 miles. It should be good to go if it's been taken care of. Put gas in it and hit the road.

Are you planning on sleeping in the truck or hotels?

Take pics of the journey and share them with us less fortunate people.

 

[1955moose]

Saudi Arabia in March, is like April in Paris! Take plenty of pics for Tom and me, I live vicariously through my forum members


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[nottmbantam]

It's got 100,000 miles. It should be good to go if it's been taken care of. Put gas in it and hit the road.

Are you planning on sleeping in the truck or hotels?

Take pics of the journey and share them with us less fortunate people.

I'm not a technical or mechanical expert, but it 'feels' like it has been taken care of. I've driven plenty of used SUVs here in Saudi and this is by far the best driver. I did take the car for a pre-purchase inspection, there were a couple of minor items that need attention, will get around to that this weekend. Parking brake, rear right shock, wheel re-alignment.

In terms of sleeping , it'll be a case of a bit of both. I had owned a 1996 GMC Suburban and would have loved to drive that back, but the major drawback is that the third row seats don't fold flat into the cab floor. A - I didn't want to remove them and I'd still have to carry them around eg on the roof, and then B - didn't feel that confident about driving a 20 yr truck across that distance.

Once of the main reasons for an Expy EL was the total flat floor space which will be used for beds. I have a couple of camping foam mattresses that fold up quite neatly for storage, so it will be mix of sleeping in the truck, camping and hotels.

Saudi Arabia in March, is like April in Paris! Take plenty of pics for Tom and me, I live vicariously through my forum members

We're just hitting winter here now in Saudi and the temperatures are ideal. Around 25c in the daytime and lows at night around 14c. Perfect.Such a relief from the painfully hot summers.

By the time we arrive in Europe next April, it should just start getting warmer.

I'm taking handwritten notes at the moment of all the planning, but will intend on maybe writing a blog or at least setting up a Twitter / FB account to post progress.

 

[wadesdad]

I have a Lincoln Navigator with similar mileage and wouldn't hesitate to drive long distance at all. Remember, they are essentially an F-150 with extra seats. By that, I mean they are identical in many ways to the rugged work trucks that are used day after day in the worst environments with few issues. At no point on your trip will you be particularly remote. I agree all you need is 2 coil on plugs, a code reader and a quart or two of oil along with anything that would make YOU more comfortable in the unlikely event of a breakdown. Leave the spare as-is, but make sure you try to remove it once prior to your trip. It could be quite stressful on the side of a highway to try to figure out how do drop the spare if you've never done it before.

 

[1955moose]

Make sure the spare is inflated fully. You wouldn't want to find out it's flat, out in the boonies.


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[nottmbantam]

Thanks for all the replies. Have sorted the TPMS issue - it was literally a case of needing more air.

On that point- I inflated to around 40 psi - the light went out and remained off so it seems the sensors are all in tact. But, I did notice that the ride was much harsher, so have deflated now to around 36 psi on the front, and about 38 on the rear. As mentioned earlier, it's running on 20" wheels, with a lowish profile tyre, so I think that gives it a bit of a hard ride quality. Feels a little better with softer tyres.

As for the road trip, its still on the cards, but am looking at alternative routes, trying to look at what's safest and takes in as many interesting places as possible.

 

[1955moose]

Yeah 20 inch tires do ride rough. My SUV is ok when you first start off, but the ride gets choppy as the tires warm up. I installed new oem Ford shocks, and new Ford springs. Low profile tires, mine are 50 profile, just don't have enough rubber to give a cushy ride. On the plus side, their much better around corners.


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[nottmbantam]

Yeah 20 inch tires do ride rough. My SUV is ok when you first start off, but the ride gets choppy as the tires warm up. I installed new oem Ford shocks, and new Ford springs. Low profile tires, mine are 50 profile, just don't have enough rubber to give a cushy ride. On the plus side, their much better around corners.


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Yup, that's exactly the same as mine- starts off nice and smooth and then gets harsher. Will check the profile of the tyres tonorrow. Before the road trip, I'll be putting on a new set, just wonder what the biggest profile i could get on a 20" onto the Expy - any ideas?

 

[1955moose]

Their are conversion charts online. Keep in mind for each profile you go up, say 50 to 55 or 60, you also will have to go smaller on section width. If you go too thin, you'll be exposing your rim. Usually the top tires like Michelin, Goodyear, Continental, have the quietest ride. Unfortunately they also have the highest price tag. My SUV is sporting street tires 285/50 r20 tires. These vehicles are heavy 5800 to 6000 lbs. their hard on tires, and suspension parts. Good luck.


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[nottmbantam]

Checked the tyres, they are 275/55/20. Will see if I can the conversion charts. Probably want to have a check of the suspension parts too. Thanks for tips.