Upcoming trip

[StarPD]

Leaving Saturday 6-21.Going for a 5 week road trip in my '05 Q.Going from Phoenix East to Washington DC area to visit my true life war hero Uncle Angelo before he leaves us. He's the last of my dad's generation. While there, we'll see Arlington, including changing of the guard, VN Memorial, Korean War memorial, WWII Memorial, and Iwo Jima Memorial, as well as Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington monuments and the Capitol building. I'll have to have a full box of Kleenex, as those places always make me cry.

Then we'll come back West and go up to Northern Michigan to visit my son and grandsons, then to Wisconsin to see my brother and other family members of myself and my wife in the Chicago area. From there, we'll head up North to just below Canada, and come West across to Idaho, then drop down back to Phoenix.

We will be driving on all regular US highways, through all the small towns, and no Interstates except the few places where they merge for short distances. I figure the trip will be around 8,000 miles door to door.

To keep expenses down, we plan to alternate sleeping in the car and staying in motels every other night, and will take food in a cooler. Of course we'll stay with relatives in Washington D.C., Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Not sure what kind of fuel mileage we'll get, hopefully at least 25 MPG on the road. On my 7200 mile trip to Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida 4 years ago, going through 19 States, my '94 Q45t got an astounding 28 to 30 MPG on the road at 65-70 MPH, and average for the entire trip, including all local driving in Wisconsin (for 1 week) and Michigan (for 4 days), was 25.5 MPG door to door! The '94 didn't use a drop of oil for the entire 7200 miles, but I expect the '05 to use around 2 quarts, so I have 2 quarts already in the trunk and will make sure I'm topped off before I leave.

Wish us luck.

[maxnix]

A night in a tent had to be better than sleeping in the Q?

Good luck and take pictures.

[qship96]

Sounds like fun! Be sure to go to Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown while you are in DC., both are great waterfront quaint places with interesting shops, art, and good casual eateries along the Potomac river.

I trust you are starting out your trip with a just completed fresh oil change using synthetic oil if you are going to be putting 8,000 miles on the Q and dont want to bother getting an oil change along the way

[StarPD]

A night in a tent had to be better than sleeping in the Q?

Good luck and take pictures.

Thank you.No tent for me.Slept in the Q a few times last trip. It wasn't too bad at all. Staying in a motel every other night helps.

[StarPD]

Sounds like fun! Be sure to go to Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown while you are in DC., both are great waterfront quaint places with interesting shops, art, and good casual eateries along the Potomac river.

I trust you are starting out your trip with a just completed fresh oil change using synthetic oil if you are going to be putting 8,000 miles on the Q and dont want to bother getting an oil change along the way

Yup, fresh oil change last week using M1 Extended Performance oil and Infiniti filter, complete inspection by dealer, recent motor and cabin air filter and fluid flushes. Oil level just double checked and it's fine, topped off W/S washer fluid, and added 6 ounces of filtered water to coolant overflow bottle. Had car washed and interior, including all glass inside cleaned, just checked tires. Bringing Windex wipes in a resealable pack, and Rain-X in a resealable pack, as well as a roll of paper towels, digital tire gauge, 2 qts oil, and other trip necessities.

Any other suggestions anyone?

Thanks.

I'm excited.

[NY94J30]

I drove from New York to the Grand Canyon and back last summer in my '99 Q. All told it was about 6500 mile and 21 states.

Good luck. Couldn't imagine a better car than the Q.

[StarPD]

I drove from New York to the Grand Canyon and back last summer in my '99 Q. All told it was about 6500 mile and 21 states.

Good luck. Couldn't imagine a better car than the Q.

Thank you

[qship96]

Yup, fresh oil change last week using M1 Extended Performance oil and Infiniti filter, complete inspection by dealer, recent motor and cabin air filter and fluid flushes. Oil level just double checked and it's fine, topped off W/S washer fluid, and added 6 ounces of filtered water to coolant overflow bottle. Had car washed and interior, including all glass inside cleaned, just checked tires. Bringing Windex wipes in a resealable pack, and Rain-X in a resealable pack, as well as a roll of paper towels, digital tire gauge, 2 qts oil, and other trip necessities.

Any other suggestions anyone?

Thanks.

I'm excited.

Valentine One radar detector and a bag of carrots for the wife to keep her eyesight keen and on the lookout for speedtraps, have a good,safe trip!

[maxnix]

Got a new Escort 9500i which is great for the cancelling of common radar locations, but not so much in new unknown territory.

I was driving in a pocket of SUV and large pick-ups when my laser alert went off. Kept my eyes open but didn't see a thing. Must have been a false alert, right? Went over a rise a half mile ahead and another quarter mile down the road was a motorcycle cop with lidar. Truly amazing.

So no matter what, get a detector with good laser performance.

[StarPD]

Valentine One radar detector and a bag of carrots for the wife to keep her eyesight keen and on the lookout for speedtraps, have a good,safe trip!

This is funny. My wife is actually bringing a bag of baby carrots to munch on in the car.

Don't need a radar detector this trip, I plan on taking my time and for a change, will set the cruise control on the speed limits, if only to get decent fuel mileage.

[qsiguy]

Drive safe and have a nice trip. I'm sure you'll miss the ~115* weather we're having right now!

Boy do I want to take a long road trip... jealous.

[Haitian_King]

Good luck. Sounds like loads of fun. If all goes well, I may be able to take a trip this year in the Q. Still undecided between a short jaunt to Montreal or the long trek to Cali.

[Q45denver]

Sounds great, Wish I could get away that long. Sounds like you've mastered high mileage driving.

I've rarely seen 30 mpg even in my Civic. Course I usually go 85 and floor it uphills. Still, the Civic is probably only half a much weight as the Q and a manual.

I think I get better mileage with automatics. I usually drive more aggressively with a manual for some reason. I do the same with my 4-cylinder, 5-speed Nissan pickup and it gets no better mileage and proabaly don't get there nearly as fast as in the Q. Course it's a 4WD and probably weighs about as much as a Q. Also it seems to have a fairly high rear axle ratio. Very buzzy-not something to take on a long trip.

I got 25-27 on a long trip out west once with my 1995 Q but usually it is less. I sure won't take the Civic on a long trip like that just to get a few extra MPG's. I don't care how many passive restraints and what-not it has- there is no substitute for bulk when dodging trucks. One thing I like about the Civic is the legroom and the front seats fold flatter so it is more comfortable to sleep in.
Modified by Q45denver at 4:18 AM 6/21/2008

[Q45tech]

Watch out for THIN US Gasoline the refineries are expert at saving a penny now.

In 1990 the average btu was 122,000 now one is lucky to see 108,000 that's a 12% decline in power production capability.

[maxnix]

Don't need a radar detector this trip, I plan on taking my time and for a change, will set the cruise control on the speed limits, if only to get decent fuel mileage.

Small town cops have lots of time to snare foreign plated cars. Part of their toll for visitors. I like to know when they are there.

[konatown]

Thats really the only time they make money...

Have a ton of fun StarPD, maybe this will convince you and your wife never to get rid of the Q ship!

[mcrews]

George,

Sounds like a great trip.DC is a wonderful experience.I have an 02 F50 and have achieved just over 25mpg on road trips.I stat just over the posted speed limit and try to stay "ahead" of the traffic.I run 255/45/18 and I think my rear end ratio is taller on the 02.

Good luck!

[infinitinut2]

Did similar such trip, some years back, in our Q, leaving coastal South Carolina, up to DC area, then to Johnstown, Pa., then started working way west, stopping in Ohio, Illinois, Nebraska, Wyoming, on to Spokane, Wash., then south to Calif., and then back east. Stayed gone agout a month, and it was about 8,000 miles. Main reason was to stop at all the air bases I had been stationed at, and, U. of Nebraska in Omaha, where BS is from. IMHO, there is nothing like a long road trip, in a good road car (the Q is one of the best!), staying off the interstates, so you can enjoy the real America!

Enjoy!

[StarPD]

George,

Sounds like a great trip.DC is a wonderful experience.I have an 02 F50 and have achieved just over 25mpg on road trips.I stat just over the posted speed limit and try to stay "ahead" of the traffic.I run 255/45/18 and I think my rear end ratio is taller on the 02.

Good luck!

Not very good news I'm afraid.I'm at my brother's in Wisconsin with around 4,000 miles on, very little Interstates. Been to Washington D.C. then to Michigan, and then around the Lake to Wisconsin.Fuel mileage was great for the first 350 miles, around 27 mpg, then for some reason, dropped to around 21 mpg and has stayed there. Might be something wrong. No CEL, but stumbles and hesitates when I floor it from low speeds to pull out and pass someone. Been using premium gas all the way, most of it NON-ethanol blends. 93 octane all the way. Used two quarts of oil so far.

The hum or whine from the rear that no one can diagnose is still there, no worse, but no better. Annoying but apparently not much more than that. I also discovered on the rough roads back East, a loud knock or bang from my steering column on sharp bumps. Add to that a fluttering sound that sounds like it's from the front end. I suspect it might be a tire. Not getting any worse, but also annoying.

After the wonderful trip I made in ,y '94 Q45t 4 years ago, I had high hopes for this trip. I have been seriously disappointed in this car.

When I return home, I plan to write Infiniti and tell them how disgusted I am with this car.

I still have around 4,000 miles to go, and instead of looking forward to it, I'm dreading it.

To make things worse, on the way to D.C., in Indiana one night, I hit a raccoon and damaged the lower lip on my front spoiler and cracked the small black plastic grille on the bottom under the main grille. Probably around $1200 or more to fix.

Not the fun trip we scrimped and saved for, and looked forward to with excitement for the last two years.

I'll take the car into my dealer when I return. If they can't get it fixed to my satisfaction, I'm considering getting rid of it and getting another kind of car.This may be my last Infiniti.

[qship96]

Damn that sucks....what should have been a exciting journey in a flagship Infiniti turns ou to be frustrating and disappointing.

Try to enjoy the trip itself and your company and worry about the car when you return home, hard as that would be for me to do.

[maxnix]

Fuel mileage was great for the first 350 miles, around 27 mpg, then for some reason, dropped to around 21 mpg and has stayed there. Might be something wrong. No CEL, but stumbles and hesitates when I floor it from low speeds to pull out and pass someone

Add to that a fluttering sound that sounds like it's from the front end. I suspect it might be a tire. Not getting any worse, but also annoying.

Iso-HEET indicated here. Maybe even some BG44K or Redline FI cleaner.

I bet the raccoon dislodged your under engine shield. Any dealer can bolt it up for you if a clip was lost.

Good luck on the rest of the trip.