My longest SS trip to date is coming up
Senior Member
Joined: 10-22-2008
Posts: 106
From: Imperial,Mo.
Note first post!Went to Georgia from Missouri and back for a Viet Nam veterans reunion.Car ran great got 32 mpg round trip although being 6'2" my right leg got cramped.
We.ve had our SS since last January.
We.ve had our SS since last January.
Senior Member
Joined: 03-22-2008
Posts: 228
From: Binghamton, NY
I took my family from Upstate NY to Virginia and back for a weeks vacation and never had an issue. Mines a 5spd.
We stopped twice, once for lunch and another for potty. 6.5 hours of driving. 2 kids, one 7 and the other was just shy of 4.
No issues with the suspension at all. We have driven my Trans Am (much rougher ride) on a similar trip with no issues.
I must say, my kids were fantastic.
I love this car. It's comfy, fairly quiet and just plain fun to drive. in 1300 miles we drove my wife drove 12 because I wasn't "able" to drive. (had a few beers). It wasn't as plush as my Jeep that was replaced by the HHR but I have no real complaints.
We stopped twice, once for lunch and another for potty. 6.5 hours of driving. 2 kids, one 7 and the other was just shy of 4.
No issues with the suspension at all. We have driven my Trans Am (much rougher ride) on a similar trip with no issues.
I must say, my kids were fantastic.
I love this car. It's comfy, fairly quiet and just plain fun to drive. in 1300 miles we drove my wife drove 12 because I wasn't "able" to drive. (had a few beers). It wasn't as plush as my Jeep that was replaced by the HHR but I have no real complaints.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 07-03-2008
Posts: 1,664
From: jerSSey, exit 5
General stat summary:
Trip out / Return Trip
Miles: 332 / 332
Octane: 91+/- / 91+/-
MPH: 70 MPH / 61 MPH
Temp: 50-60 deg / 35-40 deg
Conditions: intermit. rain / downpour, wind
Tire press: 30 PSI / 28-29 PSI
MPG: 28.0 / 24.2
% oil: 68% / 64%
Overall the trip went well and the SS was comfy enough. I only stopped once in each direction for a bathroom break and some grub. On the return trip I needed to refuel.
With light rain here and there, I set the cruise for about 72-73 MPH on the ride out, and only had to get out of the gas for construction zones and some trucks clogging the left lane. The tight turns in the western portion of the state were a blast to negotiate at that speed. I was pulling some serious G's.
The return trip was a different animal, and I was exhausted by the time I got home. It was raining so hard I could not use cruise control, and had to have both hands on the wheel all the time. For most of the trip, I could not get much above 60 mph before the front end started breaking loose and moving laterally, due to hydroplaning. Once in a while even the traction control light came on. This condition was exacerbated when trying to pass trucks, creating some scary moments. Dark, windy and heavy rain are never a good combination.
Nonetheless the SS gets good overall marks for the trip. It performed as good as you could expect a FWD performance car to do. I got pretty good overall gas mileage, it was comfy enough for the long haul, easy to maneuver around in a downtown parking garage (with very tight turns).
And most importantly, I looked damn good on this trip. I got many a stare from other drivers.
PS - thank goodness for satellite radio - it kept me from going insane due to boredom. I switched from music, to comedy, to talk shows, and back again during the trip.
Trip out / Return Trip
Miles: 332 / 332
Octane: 91+/- / 91+/-
MPH: 70 MPH / 61 MPH
Temp: 50-60 deg / 35-40 deg
Conditions: intermit. rain / downpour, wind
Tire press: 30 PSI / 28-29 PSI
MPG: 28.0 / 24.2
% oil: 68% / 64%
Overall the trip went well and the SS was comfy enough. I only stopped once in each direction for a bathroom break and some grub. On the return trip I needed to refuel.
With light rain here and there, I set the cruise for about 72-73 MPH on the ride out, and only had to get out of the gas for construction zones and some trucks clogging the left lane. The tight turns in the western portion of the state were a blast to negotiate at that speed. I was pulling some serious G's.
The return trip was a different animal, and I was exhausted by the time I got home. It was raining so hard I could not use cruise control, and had to have both hands on the wheel all the time. For most of the trip, I could not get much above 60 mph before the front end started breaking loose and moving laterally, due to hydroplaning. Once in a while even the traction control light came on. This condition was exacerbated when trying to pass trucks, creating some scary moments. Dark, windy and heavy rain are never a good combination.
Nonetheless the SS gets good overall marks for the trip. It performed as good as you could expect a FWD performance car to do. I got pretty good overall gas mileage, it was comfy enough for the long haul, easy to maneuver around in a downtown parking garage (with very tight turns).
And most importantly, I looked damn good on this trip. I got many a stare from other drivers.
PS - thank goodness for satellite radio - it kept me from going insane due to boredom. I switched from music, to comedy, to talk shows, and back again during the trip.
Member
Joined: 11-28-2008
Posts: 93
From: Phoenix, AZ
I was driving Thursday night / Friday morning in that same horrid storm. I did not experiance any hydroplane until about 75 mph.
However I did run into a problem with the check engine light comming on. I was behind an 18 wheeler on HWY 85 running at about 55 mph. I punched it to go around him on the left to get out of his "wake". Transmission dropped down to 3rd gear (auto), the Turbo fired up to about 14 psi, engine then sputtered and then took off again.
Went to the dealer the next day to have him read the code and he said it was a miss fire on piston #1 mostlikely casuse by excessive water vapor in the the intake.
Other that that one mis-fire, I regually drive 3 plus hour, one way stints with no comfort issues. Sweet spot seems to be cruising at 80 mph. However best MPG is about 65 MPH, but since I have an SS Im usually closer to the 80 + zone... because I can!
However I did run into a problem with the check engine light comming on. I was behind an 18 wheeler on HWY 85 running at about 55 mph. I punched it to go around him on the left to get out of his "wake". Transmission dropped down to 3rd gear (auto), the Turbo fired up to about 14 psi, engine then sputtered and then took off again.
Went to the dealer the next day to have him read the code and he said it was a miss fire on piston #1 mostlikely casuse by excessive water vapor in the the intake.
Other that that one mis-fire, I regually drive 3 plus hour, one way stints with no comfort issues. Sweet spot seems to be cruising at 80 mph. However best MPG is about 65 MPH, but since I have an SS Im usually closer to the 80 + zone... because I can!
Senior Member
Joined: 06-01-2008
Posts: 2,762
From: arlington texas
Senior Member
Joined: 11-27-2007
Posts: 1,115
From: Austin, Texas
Going to head out on a 2500 mile vacation trip within the next month. New BFGoodrich TA KDW II thanks to recommendations here. Should be fun. Since I will be traveling with my lovely wife, expect about 31 MPG.
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