Across country in an LJ Rubi.........

[flatpoint]

I'm thinking about driving, (not flying) to Alabama for the birth of my granddaughter from Apple valley in a month. So.....I'm running 33's (MT mud) 4.10s, auto tranny.. What kind of gas mi. should I expect? I'm thinking no more than 15,17 at 65 MPH, with 28 to 30 lbs. of air in the tires. (4300 Mi. round trip, 1100.00 to 1175.00 bucks in gas) Does this sound about right? Gotta budget for this one, but I want to do it in my Jeep.

[womb raider 940]

I drove from here to dallas to visit my family in feb. I drove around 70 the whole way. I would guess I averaged no more then 15 mpg. gas was also 2.89 in feb.

[Jeeperator]

I would rent a hybrid and not put the miles on the jeep. Save those miles for offroad. lol

[Kodiak Spirit]

numbers are prolly close to the truth... I think it's really cool you want to do this, I want to do some long trip open top in my jeep sometime, I think it will be fun and adventurous I don't know when though. Of course, if you rent a hybrid and go the munny saving route you will save money. You will not get to show off your sweet jeep, take opictures with the family & jeep, 'wheel in AL... I would figure worst case #'s on gas and such, and I would change the oil before you go and then again before you come back if you plan on running the jeep for 16+ hours straight... :2: have fun :thumbs_up

[womb raider 940]

I have enjoyed everytime I have driven around the US. But the Jeep was hard. after about 8 hours in the seat, I felt like a sardine. This is the first vehicle I have had that was small inside. I just bought it about 6 months prior.


Anyways I had more fun on my bikes coming back thru one year. Especially when i was snowing and ice all over

[swbooking]

Yup your calculations are pretty correct.

Figure:

4300 miles round trip and lets say your getting 15mpg. So dividing 4300/15 you get roughly 287 gallons of gas youll be using for your trip.

Take that 287 gallons and multiply it by $3.65 (roughly the national average price of gas per gallon) and you have $1,047.55 that you will spend just in gas.

Now add in your time to drive there (Google maps says about 1 Day and 6 hours) and the price of food, snacks, hydration of some sort, misc supplies, the huge and literal pain in your ass from driving, any parts that may fail, and your time; Your now up to about $1,300 - $1,500 bucks for your trip. (At best)

A quick priceline.com search gave me that a plane tick to Charlottesville ( I just put in Alabama, not sure of the city you need to go to) and it looks like it will cost you about $650.

So by taking a plane youd be saving between $650 - $850 dollars and a whole hell of a lot of time ...

But if your really wanting to make the trip in the Jeep then i would suggest to do a complete flush of your jeep and add all new fluids 2 weeks prior to you leaving, that way you can spot any leaks or complications ahead of time and the fluid will still be relatively new for the trip and id also recommend bringing a complete set of tools in case anything happens mechanically.

Truthfully it sounds like the trip would be pretty fun. Hope you got a buddy thats going along with you, thatd be a long drive alone.

Just my .02 HTH.

[Lawrence]

swbooking - you forgot to add a night at a roach motel.

flatpoint - Fly, rent a Jeep when you get there, spend time with the family, wheel the crap out of it, return it, fly back, and still have money left over. Your wallet, butt, back, and ears will thank you. I now use my TJ as a DD, and after spending 3 hrs a day in it, I am glad when it is over, and I usually feel like popping some aspirin to clear my head.

[aw12345]

Sweeten the deal and go by some wheeling spots in AZ, Nm, Oklahoma and Texas on the way there might make for an awesome trip, depending on the route you can waste some time in the Colorado mountains also

[swbooking]

swbooking - you forgot to add a night at a roach motel.

flatpoint - Fly, rent a Jeep when you get there, spend time with the family, wheel the crap out of it, return it, fly back, and still have money left over. Your wallet, butt, back, and ears will thank you. I now use my TJ as a DD, and after spending 3 hrs a day in it, I am glad when it is over, and I usually feel like popping some aspirin to clear my head.

haha damn, figured i forgot something

[Jerry Bransford]

If you held your speed down to 60-65, you'd make that trip for a LOT less $$$. Jeep fuel economy sucks at 70 mph. It sucks at 60-65 too but it sucks a whole lot less at that speed. :p

[RAT]

I equate this to riding my old panhead hard tail from El Paso Texas to Sturgis. I couldn't wait to have to stop for gas. That was in 1979 and gas was $.87 per gallon. I think my bike got 30 miles to the gallon with a 4.3 gal. tank. So, fold down your windshield, put a 2x4 in your driver seat, and go for it!

[swbooking]

That was in 1979 and gas was $.87 per gallon.

WOW! I could fill my jeep up with 15 bucks! Thats crazy...

[Jerry Bransford]

WOW! I could fill my jeep up with 15 bucks! Thats crazy...

If I recall correctly, gas for me in 1964 when I was a junior in high school was .28 a gallon.

[swbooking]

Damn, now thats impressive! lol

[womb raider 940]

Wow 28 cents. When I was a kid it was around 80 cents. When I rode my motorcycle I would save all the change I had to ride. Nowadays I gotta break out a card for everything