700 Mile Road Trip
 

Hey all! Anyone ever take their 2nd gen on long road trips? Probably going to be taking my car home to Austin, TX for Christmas. It's a 700~ mile trip one way, and I was wondering if anyone else has done anything similar in their 2nd gens. Along with anything I should double check before I leave besides the basics like compression, fluids and tires. I searched and saw a lot of threads of 3rd gens doing it, but none on 2nd gens.

What are you concerned about? We drove our 2nd gen to Ocala earlier this year, raced over the weekend, and drove home. 1000 mile round trip from Atlanta. Besides the fumes, the noise, and driving in the rain on the interstate in summer tires, everything was fine.

If it's been reliable as a daily,then take it.
If every time you look at it the car Craps out then take the bus.

These cars haven't reached high mileage by just going to the store and back so If you are afraid to take it anywhere then Don't.

Check the Usual shit..belts,fluids,tires,air pressure..etc..Its not a "special car",just a car that needs a little more upkeep than a Boinger..
If you've done the Hard part then the trip will be easy as pie.

I regularly take big trips in my FC, she just completed the annual "Race to Moomers" a few weeks ago.
IMO, the FC is much more a GT than a sports car...they're great highway haulers.

Because I daily my FC, I'm usually on top of stuff like fluids and basic maintenance, so about the only prep is to check tire pressure and make sure all my lights work.
Being from Colorado, I'm under a bit higher scrutiny in surrounding states.

In 2007 I drove mine from San Francisco to LA, LA to DC, DC to New Jersey. Lived in Jersey for a few months, drifted a couple events, then drove from NY to San Francisco. I can't remember the mileage but I just had an extra set of tools, the common extra fluids, and since I was drifting two extra wheels and I was good to go.

i did the 1,000mile round trip to sevenstock in the 20B car a few times. in some ways the long freeway drive is the easiest thing to do with the car. you should, however do a good preflight check.

tires: inflation pressure and condition. Mazda wants about 32psi, this is with cold tires. a couple more psi should help mileage. for condition, you need to look for cuts, blisters, bulges and other damage. tread should be over the wear bars, more if it rains where you are. put air in the spare tire.

brakes: make sure the pads have some meat on them, you won't use them too much. make sure the e brake works

belts: how many viagra commercials start with a bad fan belt? check for cracks, and make sure they aren't too loose, or too tight.

hoses: check all of them. you're looking for bulges (like a TSA employee!), soft spots, weirdness etc. if you use the crappy worm drive hose clamps, make sure they are tight. replace any hoses that look suspect. coolant should be full, no leaks. bonus if its under a year old.

oil: you should have some. look for leaks, if its not perfect its fine. good idea too have an extra quart, but in 700miles you probably won't need it.

lights: make sure they work. very easy to overlook!

exterior: if it rains, your wipers need to work... its good to start with a clean car, although it doesn't have to be concours. clean the windows.

interior: fix your shift boots, go after any annoying rattles. when you're in the car a long time, little things become big annoyances.

bonus stuff: get the thing in the air, and check for worn/loose suspension parts (ball joints, wheel bearings, tie rods). put an exhaust on that isn't louder than donald trump on a PA system. raise the suspension so you can go over bumps without removing said exhaust. set the shocks to a softer setting, its actually where they should be anyways, if you need the shocks to stiffen the suspension, you are doing it wrong, and need more spring. change the --5 degree camber to something more friendly, like -1.5

highmiles are the best miles for an FC. i would do it even in a shitty one.

my FC is my most reliable car i have ever owned, as long as you maintain it well it will treat you well. it's done many 1000+ mile trips and never left me stranded.

long and consistent revs are what the rotary does best, short of long or steep hills where your cooling system integrity will be tested... flat highway trips are nothing for the engine to manage. even drove my exe's S5 GXL to vegas with some block sealer holding the coolant seals together, got warm a couple times on the long hills but made it to the desert over some of the worst mountains to cross in the US at the start of summer in ~100F ambient temps. well technically my ex was driving it and i was in the truck towing the 30' trailer with the ice cold A/C on. ;) but i made it up to her by giving her the yellow RX8.

all these things are great, but i daily drove a turbo II before, and the first time i drove it over 100 away miles the oil cooler hose started leaking( bad enough to add oil before retuning home.) i replaced the hose once before with another used one.. that wasnt leaking at the time.
take some cash(500-1000) just in case.

If that was a requirement, I'd never get to leave home.

Livin on the edge, that's me.

i'm just going to austin and have an eye for finding fcs.

Non sequitur as an artform.
Sarah Palin beams down upon you.

I've been to Austin before and it's pretty cool.
Not worth being in Texas for though.

any car can have issues, even a brand new one. being prepared is nice but it is not necessarily a requirement.

Well, Damn, Steve, I'm wounded. I guess Texas just isn't high enough. If you ever come through Dallas area again, make sure you let me know. I'll buy the beer. :icon_tup:

-J

It's a *car*. Drive it!

I've put 45k on my Vert in the last 10 years, daily driving for a while, awhile ago.

A couple of years ago I did 3 350 mile round trips in 2 weeks. In 100+* weather.

I've done a couple of 6-700 mile round trips.

The FC is basically a Japanese car designed in the 1980's. That is the era Japanese Auto manufacturers developed a reputation for reliability and durability. Mazda was no exception.

I drive my RX7 back and forth everyday to work dude...

Sorry, I was feeling tetchy, I apologize.
I'll take you up on the beer and bring the "C".

aslong as the tune is good there shouldnt be any issues , long trips do have a tendency to stress and sometimes break the weakest link in the chain . so periodically stop and have a look around make sure everything is ok . remember to fill up the oil

i put about 85k on my car in the last 10 years, and this last year the only mileage it's seen was being carted across the US on a trailer.

reaslistically people worry too much. i've put 8k miles on my honda in the last 3 months, that is how much i used to put on the 7 in a whole year. i just don't drive it as much anymore with the other car here now, why spend $400 in gas on a trip when i can spend $80? it actually makes me appreciate the car more after driving the slugmobile around for a bit.