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We will be taking a long roadtrip (East Texas to Bowling Green, then Eureka Springs, Arkansas, then home) next month in our high milage '97 coupe to celebrate our 40th anniversary. I picked up a 12v air compressor and tire plug kit. The car runs great, everything works and will be serviced before we leave. Any suggestions on what else I should do or take before heading out?
We will be taking a long roadtrip (East Texas to Bowling Green, then Eureka Springs, Arkansas, then home) next month in our high milage '97 coupe to celebrate our 40th anniversary. I picked up a 12v air compressor and tire plug kit. The car runs great, everything works and will be serviced before we leave. Any suggestions on what else I should do or take before heading out?
More than a few folks who really drive their C5 invest in a spare tire 'kit' from a Pontiac GTO.
It sounds like you will be loaded down pretty well, but if I were taking a roadtrip of the sorts, I'd probably like to have this with me. Also, you'd want anything heavy like this and a jack, very well secured in case of an accident. And the C5 doesn't make that real easy.
More than a few folks who really drive their C5 invest in a spare tire 'kit' from a Pontiac GTO.
It sounds like you will be loaded down pretty well, but if I were taking a roadtrip of the sorts, I'd probably like to have this with me. Also, you'd want anything heavy like this and a jack, very well secured in case of an accident. And the C5 doesn't make that real easy.
More than a few folks who really drive their C5 invest in a spare tire 'kit' from a Pontiac GTO.
It sounds like you will be loaded down pretty well, but if I were taking a roadtrip of the sorts, I'd probably like to have this with me. Also, you'd want anything heavy like this and a jack, very well secured in case of an accident. And the C5 doesn't make that real easy.
It's not a long term solution. You are not going to finish your trip on it.
-But the bolt pattern is the same.
-Putting it on the front isn't going to hurt anything.
-I wouldn't leave the plug kit and compressor at home. (I carry these.)
-If you had a destroyed tire, and you could change it safely, I would change it rather than wait indefinitely on a shoulder somewhere given all of the accidents that happen with cars parked on shoulders.
-Yes, long term use could damage a differential.
---But limping off the highway 15-20 miles if needed would be a risk of damage I would take IF needed; mitigating the risk of being a sitting duck by a distracted/impaired driver.
I went from Little Rock, AR to Austin, TX last year to COTA for the WEC 6 hour race; it's been my longest trip thus far since I bought the car. Only thing I brought along was my small 12v air compressor, a jug of distilled water, and an extra quart of oil. I'm on non-run flats.
I got married in Eureka Springs so I try to at the least make a trip up there once every year.
It's not a long term solution. You are not going to finish your trip on it.
-But the bolt pattern is the same.
-Putting it on the front isn't going to hurt anything.
-I wouldn't leave the plug kit and compressor at home. (I carry these.)
-If you had a destroyed tire, and you could change it safely, I would change it rather than wait indefinitely on a shoulder somewhere given all of the accidents that happen with cars parked on shoulders.
-Yes, long term use could damage a differential.
---But limping off the highway 15-20 miles if needed would be a risk of damage I would take IF needed; mitigating the risk of being a sitting duck by a distracted/impaired driver.
Twenty miles on mismatched rear tires could ruin the rear end. That is putting a lot of stress on it. Changing a tire on the side of the road is not the safest thing to do either. I carry a can of sealer/inflator. It takes a minute to get back on the road and costs about 6 bucks. It has saved me several times.
Keep a good set of tires on the car and a catastrophic failure is extremely unlikely. Small punctures are more likely and can be easily dealt with.
Twenty miles on mismatched rear tires could ruin the rear end. That is putting a lot of stress on it. Changing a tire on the side of the road is not the safest thing to do either. I carry a can of sealer/inflator. It takes a minute to get back on the road and costs about 6 bucks. It has saved me several times.
Keep a good set of tires on the car and a catastrophic failure is extremely unlikely. Small punctures are more likely and can be easily dealt with.
We're saying the same thing.
Notice I said, carry the tire plug kit and compressor. (If you rely on a can of "fix-mah-flat" make sure it has enough uncompressed air volume to fill a tire the size a Corvette would run.)
But a can of fix-mah-flat or even a plug kit and a compressor is not going to fix this:
You could always put a different tire on the spare GTO rim that is the same OD as the Corvette. I don't know the ODs offhand. I'd make the trip on a 'slightly wrong' tire for 15-20 miles between the hours of 1-3AM vs. waiting for the right flatbed tow truck on the side of a dark Interstate.
I've been up and back to NJ from FL twice, putting about 2500 miles on the car each time, most of it at 75-80 mph, and had absolutely no problem except running out of radio reception going up and over mountains and being in dead areas, or having music so bad you couldn't listen to it. Bring along an iPod or similar and plug it into the radio, or get a satellite radio.
Besides an extra set of keys, cellphone and credit cards, and some extra fuses, I carried a tire plug repair kit, an air compressor, a small jack, a block of 2"x10"x12" piece of wood, an extra quart of oil, small tools, flashlight, hazard warning light, my old fan belt as an extra, bottle of Techron, gloves/rags to clean up, lithium battery booster/starter, all neatly tucked away in the storage compartments leaving plenty of room for my luggage. And dnon't forget the jacking pucks. The only time I ever looked at any of that was when I loaded it into the car and then took it all out after I got home.
If you look at the storage area behind the seats, you will see that there isn't a lot of room for any sort of spare tire especially when traveling any real distance. And there is no real way to secure it so that it won't become some sort of missile during a panic stop.
And if you wind up swapping a skinny spare for a road wheel/tire, that dead tire will be more than twice the size of the spare. Also a flat on a C5 can lower the car a good 2-3 inches. So even getting a jack under the car can be a problem.
I carry a small 12v compressor, a can of Fix-a-flat, and one of those rubberized rope plug kits. You don't have to remove a wheel to use that stuff. I also have a AAA membership with the 100 mile service and my cell is always charged up.
We're saying the same thing.
Notice I said, carry the tire plug kit and compressor. (If you rely on a can of "fix-mah-flat" make sure it has enough uncompressed air volume to fill a tire the size a Corvette would run.)
But a can of fix-mah-flat or even a plug kit and a compressor is not going to fix this:
You could always put a different tire on the spare GTO rim that is the same OD as the Corvette. I don't know the ODs offhand. I'd make the trip on a 'slightly wrong' tire for 15-20 miles between the hours of 1-3AM vs. waiting for the right flatbed tow truck on the side of a dark Interstate.
Everyone is different.
Good tires, properly inflated rarely come apart like that. If one did, personally I would wait for help than take a chance on ruining my differential and then really be stranded. Paying not only for the tow, but a couple thousand for a new rear end.
It probably is safer to drive as far off the road as you can and wait for help then to try to change a tire on a dark interstate.
When we go on long road trips, we leave early and don't drive after dark.
Wow! This forum really is a wealth of knowledge and questionable ideas! Thanks to all for the suggestions. I may need to install a trailer hitch. I had one on my '67, do they make one for a C5? Just kidding. All the suggestions have merit but I believe in traveling light. Certainly no room for a spare, even if it is a little donut. After all, my wife is coming along and she packs for any eventuality. As for AAA, I plan on relying on Hagerty's roadside assistance. Used them once and was very pleased. A quart of Mobile 1 and a tube of Slime will certainly be added. We never go anywhere without cell phones, credit cards and cash. Being an old guy I don't plan on doing anything very strenuous.
Thanks, Y'all, for all the suggestions, information and entertainment. I'll let you know how it goes.
Just did put non runflats on the front of my coupe. Added plug kit , air compressor and scissor jack. Already had built a little tool kit when bought the car last March.
Other items for trips include small ice chest, blanket, cameras, GPS, Cell phone and chargers.
Did many years of Long Distance travel on motorcycles so pretty much developed needs vs wants to bring along.
It was one of the best trips I have ever taken in my life, and the 97 C5 was very reliable, also got great gas mileage. I did very little to prepare, checked tire pressure (non-runflats) and oil, packed a few small tools and a can of runflat.
The way I looked at it was that the tire sensors are very reliable and would give me a headsup of a slow leak or flat, and I have good roadside assistance. My advice is not to overthink it, and have a good time.
To be honest, I can't remember the last time I had a flat. We've been from Maine to San Diego, Florida to Alaska, and many, many places in between by motorcycle, car, and motorhome and never had a tire problem. Maybe the tire Gods have smiled upon me, but then I don't run sketchy tires ever.
01-10-2018, 12:03 PM
What to take along
