From Chicago to Los Angeles

[Arash007ir]

I going to go to Los Angeles next week, so I was thinking why not drive there with my 2 month old GTI.

I moved to US about a year ago, and the furthest I drove was like 50 miles from chicago to Plainfeild, so I'm not really familiar with US roads, how they are, are they safe to travel alone about 2000 miles? I don't mind driving my GTI for couple of days, in fact I did alot of traveling, but haven't done 2000 mile to get somewhere.

So please let me know what you think, good idea? bad idea ? or stupid ?

has anyone did this before ? any tips ?

If you think I should go for it, what route are you suggesting ?

Thanks ...

 

[jaydubz]

Sounds like fun and if memory serves me correctly, I believe someone on vortex did this and documented the trip in a MK5. Not stupid at all, just make sure you ride prepared and buddy up if at all possible.

 

[rizzogti]

painters tape your front bumper and half the hood... rocks will be the death of your paint on a trip like that!

 

[Randum]

Have fun! Why worry about painters tape, if you drive 2k miles, you drive 2k miles, whether in one shot or over the course of a month, your exposure to the road will be the same.

Get a phone charger, a good GPS, and some good tunes to listen to while driving!

If you aren't already tuned, maybe get yourself a stage 1 at the least

 

[rizzogti]

^driving 2000 highway miles with semi trucks dropping debris and pieces of tires sitting on the highway isnt the same as driving around the suburbs of chicago where i live.. 2000 miles is not necessarily 2000 miles.

 

[McQueen77]

Sounds great. Nothing like a road trip to get to know your car and the country at the same time. Sounds fun.

 

[danielj1]

Road trips are the best! Plus, the GTI is so comfy with great hwy mpg. I've not been on one in forever (unless you count regional trips a road trip).

Have fun, be safe and take pictures.

 

[tzd]

Please don't think you can drive there in a couple of days. It is about 32 hrs of time on the road. If this is the first time you're doing a long road trip, I wouldn't advise doing more than 300-500 miles a day. It is very dangerous to drive while feeling fatigued. Make sure you take a break at least once every 2 hrs. Other than that, US roads are very safe and easy to navigate, so that is not a problem.

 

[Arash007ir]

I was worried about the paint too, but I thinking about getting one of those bras for the hood, not the clear ones.

One of these :

I think they are easier to take off the car than painter's tape, ( In case I want to take pictures I can take it off and put it back on easily) I don't like the look of it but I think I care about my paint more that the look while I'm driving.

Any idea which route to take and which one to avoid ?

How long do you think it'll take to get there ?

Do I have to stay for a night somewhere, if so where should it be ?

 

[Feyd]

I was worried about the paint too, but I thinking about getting one of those bras for the hood, not the clear ones.

One of these :

I think they are easier to take off the car than painter's tape, ( In case I want to take pictures I can take it off and put it back on easily) I don't like the look of it but I think I care about my paint more that the look while I'm driving.

Driven this route several times... My advice first and foremost is to check the weather before you leave. IMO it's a "prettier" drive if you can just take I-80 to I-70 and then across through Denver, etc. but if there is bad weather in the forecast you run the risk of getting snowed in/dangerous road conditions in/around the rockies.

or

You can go down to St. Louis and take I-40 across Oklahoma/Texas/Arizona. Also really pretty, but in a different sort of way with the most obvious difference being that it's mostly desert. This is the safest route to travel during the winter months IMO.

Both routes are plenty safe and shouldn't be an issue regardless of which one you choose.

I'd get a radar detector if I were you. On some of those long stretches of road if you aren't careful you'll find yourself going 80+ without even meaning to.

As mentioned take a friend if you can... and don't under estimate how long 35hrs (70 if you count the return) can be. Any way you cut it, it's a long-a55 time to be in a car and you'll definitely get tired of it before it's over. :thumbsup:



As far as places to stay, most places will be alright... Just look at the websites for the chain hotel of your choice. Usually if there is a chain hotel, it's a relatively built up stop-over point.

 

[RIP335]

What are you coming to Los Angeles for? Just cause?

 

[Timujin]

My wife and I drove from Riverside, CA to Chicago, IL over Thanksgiving. Left on a Sunday Morning and got into Chicago Monday night with an overnight stay in Amarillo. I took the I-44/40 route mentioned ^ I used painters tape and had my headlights clear bra covered. Ran into some big nasty tumble weeds in New Mexico and Arizona that would have ruined my paint without protection. Here is a pic on the way back in Arizona.

 

[FNR32]

My only advise would be to know what mileage to expect out of a tank of gas and listen to the MDF when it tells you to fill up or you'll find yourself on the side of the road, 10 miles from the nearest gas station like I did on my way from Alabama to Canada. Other than that, have a safe trip!

 

[Arash007ir]

Well, there's a possibility that I might move to CA.

Here is what Google Maps gave me. I don't really know the roads here so I totally rely on GTI's GPS. I havn't tried the GPS yet to see which route it give me, but I'm sure I'd be diffrent from Google Maps.

Here are 3 different choices Google Maps gave me :

1 :

2 :

3 :

And I still don't know where to stay for night. I'm sure I can find something online but I don't know how it is. Or which city ( this depends on which route I take).

 

[plac]

watch out for Somalian pirates dude..