Road Trip Mods

[lahrs37]

One of the main purposes of my build is to drive it from coast to coast - hopefully multiple times, multiple ways. To that end I went with IRS and the trunk mod. I am adding heat/defroster, windshield wipers and the premium soft top.

What else have you all done to make the car easier to live with for long distances? Pictures are welcome!

[MPTech]

I've taken several longer road-trips and I always do a lesson learned when I get home to improve my next trip. Couple suggestions:
Seat Heaters
Footbox vents
Cloth & squeegee under the seat for rain (it WILL happen!)
Cup holders (Bonus: a small water bottle will fit inside of the door-hinge straps!! Freebie Mod!)
Garmin GPS mounted on the tranny tunnel under the dash (I originally installed on the windshield with the suction cup, but the direct sun made it hard to see, under the dash shaded it)
Dash mounted Radar Detector (I like my Valentine)
if you're going to do a lot of hi-way miles, I would strongly suggest Cruise Control (your right foot will cramp!!)
Power ports for GPS, Radar-detector, and cell-phone
Fix-a-Flat
Leather steering wheel (I like the look of the wood, but the leather is MUCH more comfortable)
top/windshield rear-view mirror
windshield mounted side-view mirrors

[lahrs37]

I've taken several longer road-trips and I always do a lesson learned when I get home to improve my next trip. Couple suggestions:
Seat Heaters
Footbox vents
Cloth & squeegee under the seat for rain (it WILL happen!)
Cup holders (Bonus: a small water bottle will fit inside of the door-hinge straps!! Freebie Mod!)
Garmin GPS mounted on the tranny tunnel under the dash (I originally installed on the windshield with the suction cup, but the direct sun made it hard to see, under the dash shaded it)
Dash mounted Radar Detector (I like my Valentine)
if you're going to do a lot of hi-way miles, I would strongly suggest Cruise Control (your right foot will cramp!!)
Power ports for GPS, Radar-detector, and cell-phone
Fix-a-Flat
Leather steering wheel (I like the look of the wood, but the leather is MUCH more comfortable)
top/windshield rear-view mirror
windshield mounted side-view mirrors

Those are all great ideas! It would never have occurred to me that the leather steering wheel is that much more comfy. Since you have a heater, what did you do for a glovebox?

[Mark Dougherty]

exhaust
exhaust
exhaust
do what ever it takes to quiet the pipes
cruise control
drain holes in the floor
power ports

[GoDadGo]

How about a small air compressor, tire plug kit, scissor jack and a few basic tools.
Add in an extra fan belt and some sunscreen and I think it's a wrap.
We too plan on making road trips, but only from NOLA to Key West, then up the East Coast as far as my Concealed Carry Permit is allowed.
Sorry Comrades, But This Southern Boy Doesn't Leave Home Without His Little Friend!

[DVANSLEEN]

Ear plugs and AAA card!
40K miles and I am still adding things to my list.
Have fun.

[Bob Cowan]

Not a whole lot, really. You've built the car the way you want it to be, now get out and drive it the way you planned. You didn't build it with all the modern conveniences, so no need to try and add all that stuff later. For example, I don't own a GPS. If I'm getting ready for a long trip in any car, I wouldn't go out and buy one. You built a bare bones fun car, enjoy it like one. If you want all the comforts of home, buy a Mustang.

You really only need to carry along the obvious stuff. I need a cup holder, because I like to drink coffee all day. Sunscreen, a good hat, rain gear, etc. A few tools and spare parts, just like any other car. Relax and enjoy the trip.

[MPTech]

Since you have a heater, what did you do for a glovebox?

Glovebox, fusepanel, and heater (the WHOLE heater) behind the dash: Glovebox and behind dash heater (http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/291719-my-new-glovebox-little-something-extra.html)

Finished fabbing my behind dash heater (http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/289477-finished-fabbing-my-behind-dash-heater.html)

[Dave Howard]

Lots of items already covered. Custom earplugs are a must. A hat...and a back up hat. Sunscreen and good sunglasses. A large beach towel for each seat will help to keep them cooler and they come in handy when it rains. The premium soft top takes up 1/2 the trunk space. Consider installing a kit for additional trunk storage. The snapless toneau cover is nice to cover the cockpit while overnighting. Once rolled up I store mine on top of the seat backs, under the shoulder harness straps. Cup holders. A 12 volt power plug in to keep phones charged or power other gadgets like that radar detector. Leather gloves kept behind the seats (come in handy for cool mornings and evenings). I have a electric motorcycle heated jacket liner wired in with the connection hidden beside the seat. I only put the premium top on in the rain. Otherwise, I dress in layers and peal down as the day progressively gets warmer. Door panels with storage are handy for your wallet, car registration, earplug pouch, gum and USB cord for the phone.

I love long trips in my Coyote/MkIV, but one thing you need to realize.....these things will NEVER be a touring car. They stink, they're loud, you'll be hot/cold/wet and at the end of a 1,200 kilometre day you'll be sore. I wouldn't have it any other way. The fun and the attention you get is worth it. In fact, I'm already planning for London Ohio 2017.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Other guys are going to tell you what to add but I'll go more basic than that. If you aren't comfortable you aren't going to enjoy the drive. I've seen and driven some with wonky seats or pedal arrangements that were straight out of a donor car and frankly the owners had to be contortionists to drive 'em so build the car to fit YOU. Seating position and angle to begin with---both in relation to the wheel and footbox as well as whether to go flat to the floor or tip it back by raising the front. Next get the pedals right. It's very important to have all 3 spaced correctly and at a comfortable height. Set the gas pedal and work from there (you can't beat the Russ Thompson pedal for function and adjustability). The arms are easy to bend and reposition with a donor box, the Wilwoods not so much but you can offset the pedal pads. When I build one I always spend a couple of hours or more with the owner in the seat working on it's position and pedal arrangements. My wife says it's like getting them fitted for a prom dress :)

Good luck!

Jeff

[CraigS]

If not done already, the rear window in your soft top should be removable. Based on my hardtop experience, a hot sunny day is MUCH more tolerable w/ the top on and no side or rear windows. Shade is your best friend. To add to what Jeff says about comfort, I would think about having your seats re-covered in cloth. Vinyl is terrible and the usual black leather just a little better. Oh, and a couple of these
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mission-Blue-Polyester-Cooling-Towel/4751315
and some water to keep them wet. I discovered these last summer. They are unbelievably effective and the water doesn't even need to be cold.

[lahrs37]

I love ALL of these suggestions! This is exactly the kind of input I was looking for. When I lived in CA I had a Miata and I literally NEVER had the top up. Granted it was a drought and it never rained. But I knew that I would wear a hat and sunscreen and layer up instead of raising the top.

I am going to take everything you all said into consideration as my build enters the next phase.

I have heard the Gas-n pipes in person and I loved them. But how do they do on the highway? What about the Quitepipes from Breeze? Does anyone have any experience with those? I have read that the real killer is actually wind and road noise. Does that mean I should just run the stock pipes?

[MPTech]

Jeff makes an excellent point about seat comfort and driving positioning. A Dead Pedal can really be comfortable for the clutch foot for hiway driving. I installed UltraShield Rally Sport seats with cloth covering and they are really comfortable, don't get hot, and breath well (I did add an additional piece of foam to the seat bottom). They also support you back better (I really like the look of the original lowback seats, but found they dug into my back below my shoulder blades on long cruises).
I installed the Gas 'N sidepipes last year and really like them, sound deeper and not as sharp. The tips also extend back a few more inches and point downward a little more, and who can say no to polished stainless steel!
Also, I made a small hat clip (6" piece of leather strap and 2 small alligator clips) to keep your hat from blowing away if the wind catches it.

[Brastic]

USB phone charger
Dash Cam (even if you only use for making your cross country movie)
Tire repair kit (The glue and plug type)
A journal. (Write something interesting everyday. Make it fun for someone else to read. That means not just data, but funny stories, or get creative about your descriptions)
Take pictures. (Try for 10 a day. Again, be interesting. Take pictures of getting gas with people around you. You will meet some characters all across the nation. Get nonposed photos of them)
First aid kit (including pain medicine, like ibuprofen, and aloe)
Water container
Small microfiber towel

And one more really important note:
Go buy some cheap hot wheels or matchbox cars. Bonus points if they are Cobras. Then when a young kid comes over to check out your car, had it to them. Not only will you make this kids day, you would have spread the love of automobiles to the next generation.

[Boydster]

snip...

And one more really important note:
Go buy some cheap hot wheels or matchbox cars. Bonus points if they are Cobras. Then when a young kid comes over to check out your car, had it to them. Not only will you make this kids day, you would have spread the love of automobiles to the next generation.

Best idea ever.

[Dave Howard]

I have heard the Gas-n pipes in person and I loved them. But how do they do on the highway? What about the Quitepipes from Breeze? Does anyone have any experience with those? I have read that the real killer is actually wind and road noise. Does that mean I should just run the stock pipes?

I have the Gas-N pipes on a Coyote. They are beautiful and the sound is pleasing to the ear. At highway speeds, the exhaust sound is fairly quiet. I wear custom ear plugs to cut out the wind noise and the sound of other vehicles. The worst is the sound of tractor/trailers on the interstate. Especially in heavy traffic around cities when you can't simply accelerate away from the annoying sound of their tires.

One other thing to consider for long trips....a car detailing kit. Your ride will get beat up with bugs and road grime after one day. Especially bugs. And after the first time you're caught in the rain, you'll realize all the effort made during the build to keep the car spotless was a huge waste of time. I keep a Tupperware container in the trunk with car soap, a bug sponge, chamois, Windex, paper towel, tire dressing and spray on wax/cleaner. I try to clean the car at the end of every day.

[John4337]

All good suggestions. We've done a few multi day trips with our Mk4. I built mine for travelling, so I have A/C, heat and a top. We usually run the top on highway legs, but go topless with hats on secondary routes.

I'd suggest that you keep small towels rolled up next to your seats, we've found that by folding them and placing then on the dash at the base of the windscreen by the posts during rain, the majority of the water that blows in there is absorbed by the towels, keeping you much drier. Get a good seal around the windscreen posts, that drip on your leg is very annoying. Also, spend a lot of time sealing all the air leaks from the engine bay, its amazing how much can heat can leak in thru a small opening

As for noise, I switched to under car exhaust, but the wind noise, especially on the highway is very tiring, so we keep disposable ear plugs in the car.

We have the standard leather seats, but I've modded them by adding headrests at my wife's request. I've also added courtesy lights in the cockpit and an extra power port so the cell phone and GPS can run. We also carry a small white board to communicate while wearing ear plugs.

Lastly, we use a soft luggage bag to carry our clothes and stuff, very convenient to unstrap and take into the hotel, and you don't have to drill any holes in the trunk lid.

So far we've limited ourselves to about 500 miles in a day, which has worked out well.

Good luck

John

[Jim1855]

Hi all, while not a FFR owner, I have a Superformance but looking at new Gen 3 coupes, I have travelled in my car. Not much different than what has been identified but I'll add a few comments that are not brand specific. Just so you know I've run from Grand Rapids, MI to CO and MT then home twice and round trip to CO in 2014. There have been other trips to VIR for track events so I have a few long and occasionally wet trips. I've been in snow, 4 degrees in February (w/o top), marble sized hail, torrential downpours (once w/o wipers) both with and without the top, 105 degrees going across Nebraska and most else between the extremes.

So here's a few suggestions:

Rain-X before and during the trip. Put it on the inside of the windshield as well. My experience is that the wipers do a better job of pacifying the police than keeping the windshield clear.

When I purchased my car I asked the salesman about the top and how well it worked. His comment, after a pause, was that the top would keep you "less wet". I can only agree. Now the FFR top and side curtains/windows may be better or different than mine but you'll understand.

I've found that the effort of unpacking the top from wherever it's stored and then assembling and installing was more effort than drying out so I don't use it much. With that I was a fan of the tonneau cover over the passenger side and driving at speed so that the water blew over, however this doesn't work well in town or at slower speeds. The big umbrella works well when stopped, at speed you'll relive memories of Mary Poppins.

Since water will come in it's best to give it a path out. With that thought drain holes in the floor make a lot of sense. A now departed friend and Superformance owner, Bill Wells, always said "that you weren't having any fun until there were whitecaps over the nap of the carpet". I concur.

I know that some install sound systems but that never worked well for me. My car idled at 94dB and overcoming that and wind noise was an issue. My sound system was good isolation ear buds and an I-Pod.

Good headlights make a huge difference if travelling at night. Double that for tail lights. Bright works and might keep you from falling off the road or having another vehicle driving over you.

I was never much on worrying about clean except for the windshield but always carried tools and a few spare parts. Fuses, bulbs, plug wire, fix-a-flat and many of the other items mentions by others.

There's so much more but maybe my list offers a bit of hard-earned road wisdom and hopefully a smile.

Travel well, travel often, smile a lot.

Jim

p.s. someone mentioned handing out hot wheels to kids, what a cool idea!

[lahrs37]

I wish I had the time to appropriately respond to all of these awesome posts. Seriously, thank you all for taking time to give a Newbie advice. I have so many great ideas swirling around in my head as I begin to enter the next phase of my build! Cheers!

[Gale K]

Quote of the day... Love it!!! :)


Since water will come in it's best to give it a path out. With that thought drain holes in the floor make a lot of sense. A now departed friend and Superformance owner, Bill Wells, always said "that you weren't having any fun until there were whitecaps over the nap of the carpet". I concur.

[Avalanche325]

Nice leather driving gloves and keep the wood steering wheel. I got mine a Nordstroms.

Put bulb seal around the doors. If not, you will get a wet leg even with the soft top. Seal the windshield posts from underneath.

Get the quarter windows on the soft top! Then the regular mirror is just fine. If you do the roll down rear window, put a towel on the rear deck when you roll it down or you will get some scratches. Yes, I had to buff.

I am getting ready to put Flowmaster mufflers on.

[lahrs37]

Not to be obtuse, but where will the Flowmaster mufflers go?


Nice leather driving gloves and keep the wood steering wheel. I got mine a Nordstroms.

Put bulb seal around the doors. If not, you will get a wet leg even with the soft top. Seal the windshield posts from underneath.

Get the quarter windows on the soft top! Then the regular mirror is just fine. If you do the roll down rear window, put a towel on the rear deck when you roll it down or you will get some scratches. Yes, I had to buff.

I am getting ready to put Flowmaster mufflers on.