Road tripping with the FiST?

[afewgoodfingers]

Has anybody done any serious road trips in their Fiesta?
I'm planning a trip from Austin to Boulder for a conference in August and was thinking about loading up my mountain bike and taking the loooong way there. Would like to take 4-5 days with a bit of camping and biking along the way.

How do the Recaro seats hold up for an 8hr haul?
Any pre trip maintenance? Only about 1,500mi on the car so far.
Any other automotive suggestions or recommendations on camping/biking spots in New Mexico and Southern Colorado?

Thanks!

 

[justgotFiSTed]

Have you changed the oil yet? I change min at 1200 miles and the amount of metal flakes in the oil was shocking. I'd get that stuff outta there before putting any more miles on it!

 

[FocusMike]

We recently did a road trip up to OKC from Georgetown and it wasn't too bad. Most of the time you end up stopping every 300 miles for gas which is great for stretching your legs.

If you're cutting through NM considering making a stop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

 

[dyn085]

I can't even lie-I had the FiST out on the interstate for about 90 minutes and was pretty miserable. The short wheelbase, short sidewall, sport suspension and Recaro's combined to wreak havoc on me. The ride felt very similar to the last set of coilovers that I had.

If you have another person in the car or enough gear it might not be as bad with the added weight. If you're planning on mainly highways and back-roads it will be a little better with the slower speed. Maybe I'm just being a little gurl about it all.

It doesn't really bother me because 90% of my miles are going to accumulate commuting to-and-from work or running errands in town, and those miles are really fun.

 

[afewgoodfingers]

Have you changed the oil yet? I change min at 1200 miles and the amount of metal flakes in the oil was shocking. I'd get that stuff outta there before putting any more miles on it!

I have. Through no scientific research at all I have decided to change the oil at 500, 1500, and 4500. So it has fresh oil right now. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[afewgoodfingers]

We recently did a road trip up to OKC from Georgetown and it wasn't too bad. Most of the time you end up stopping every 300 miles for gas which is great for stretching your legs.

If you're cutting through NM considering making a stop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Good to hear. I've done Fort Worth to Austin and it wasn't too bad. Just worried about several days of 8hr drives.

 

[afewgoodfingers]

I can't even lie-I had the FiST out on the interstate for about 90 minutes and was pretty miserable. The short wheelbase, short sidewall, sport suspension and Recaro's combined to wreak havoc on me. The ride felt very similar to the lady set of coilovers that I had.

It doesn't really bother me because 90% of my miles are going to accumulate commuting to-and-from work or running errands in town, and those miles are really fun.

Most of my mileage is city driving as well. Just have this forced trip to Boulder and was hoping to get a little fun out of it. Have you found anything that makes longer drives more comfortable?

 

[dyn085]

Most of my mileage is city driving as well. Just have this forced trip to Boulder and was hoping to get a little fun out of it. Have you found anything that makes longer drives more comfortable?

I have only taken the one extended drive in it as I've only had it a few weeks. Driving it wasn't bad because it was mostly back-roads, but the drive back on the interstate just sucked. In all fairness I can chalk up some of the misery to the roads, but looking back at my gf in the FoST during the drive made me a bit jealous because I know it is much more supple. Even she stated that it looked like I was getting pretty beat up from her view.

I might have a 2-hour drive tomorrow or next weekend, so maybe it can redeem itself. I've spoken to a few FiST owners that agreed that the bump-compliance is pretty rough, but that's part of the price paid for such fun handling. I'll take the mpg hit and take the FoST on longer trips when possible.

On my return trip I'll have an additional 100 lbs in the car, and I expect that that will probably make a notable difference. If you're going to be gone for a few days you'll probably have enough added weight to make it more bearable. Plan a little extra time into your route to stop and stretch your legs just in case.

 

[morel]

I've put about 6000 miles of distance driving on my FiST. Bozeman->Vegas->OC->SF and SF->OC several times now. Over 72mph or so, mpg's fall dramatically. Rough interstate roads will annoy the life out of you. The car shines on roads like PCH where you're hovering around 55-60mph, can have a lot of point and squirt fun and the road noise isn't too bad. Factory recommends a 3psi bump in the tires for extended high speed driving. My recaro's actually felt great over the long drives because of the proper posture they enforce, headrests got annoying though. With a passenger some armrest hogging may occur. And with an unladen car squeaks and rattles are more prominent. I enjoy road trips in it, but i have a high tolerance.

 

[afewgoodfingers]

I've put about 6000 miles of distance driving on my FiST. Bozeman->Vegas->OC->SF and SF->OC several times now. Over 72mph or so, mpg's fall dramatically. Rough interstate roads will annoy the life out of you. The car shines on roads like PCH where you're hovering around 55-60mph, can have a lot of point and squirt fun and the road noise isn't too bad. Factory recommends a 3psi bump in the tires for extended high speed driving. My recaro's actually felt great over the long drives because of the proper posture they enforce, headrests got annoying though. With a passenger some armrest hogging may occur. And with an unladen car squeaks and rattles are more prominent. I enjoy road trips in it, but i have a high tolerance.

Good to hear. Was afraid the firmness of the seats might lead to some numbness. I will have some camping and biking gear along with me but nothing too heavy. Hopefully enough weight to solve some of the rattles. So even in the 80mph speed limits of New Mexico you think I should try and stay around 70mph for better fuel economy? Amy idea what the difference in mpgs would be cruising at 70 vs 80? Thanks for the info!

 

[morel]

With my Cobb stage 1 91 tune, 70mph got me 35+ mpg, at a hair over that it drops about 5mpg to hover around 30-32.

 

[COBB Tuning1]

Sounds like a fun trip! I've driven from Austin to Houston a few times at around 80 MPH. MPG averaged around high 28-30 which doesn't bother me. I don't mind driving the car for hours at a time, but my girlfriend didn't like it, ha!

Ian

 

[stuntdoogie]

Ive driven from ny to virgina 4 1/2 hrs doin 60-80mph on the average and max mpg was 33. After 2hrs the recaros was getting alittle uncomfy. Had to lower my seat so the blood on the back of my legs can circulate again. For the price of these recaros they should of had more position/comfort options like lumbar and forward rake. If I ever have to drive long distance again it will be with the wifes accord and this is coming from a slim 160lbs 5'10" guy.

 

[afewgoodfingers]

Sounds like a fun trip! I've driven from Austin to Houston a few times at around 80 MPH. MPG averaged around high 28-30 which doesn't bother me. I don't mind driving the car for hours at a time, but my girlfriend didn't like it, ha!

Ian

Ian,

Yeah I have been craving a serious bicycle getaway for awhile now. The trip to Boulder seemed like the perfect excuse. Luckily my girlfriend has decided to meet me up in Boulder.

Ever been biking in New Mexico or Colorado? Living in Austin has definitely made me more more of a cross country rider than a downhiller so I'm looking for some trails with some distance.

Also, do you think my Sea Sucker Talon bike rack will be up to the job?

 

[afewgoodfingers]

Good to know. I see lots of stops for roadside calisthenics in my future

 

[RAAMaudio]

I will be installing Recaro lumbar air bladders in the seat backs and while at it will do a mod to the seat bottoms I have done since the 70s's.

The cushion cover usually can be left on making this much easier.

Open up the back of the cushion so you can get to the foam where your tailbone is located and remove some foam there to relieve pressure on it, that is what causes numbness so this helps a great deal.

We are all a bit different thus might need to do this a bit differently.

Another help is to have the front of the cushions high enough to support you whole upper leg so your weight is not all on your butt.

On seats where that is not adjustable I raise the front mount points with some spacers and longer bolts or bolted on spacers, depends on the design.

My record for long drives is 1150 miles in our dually with one 30 minute stop, towing a fairly heavy load and the bed of the truck full, doggies in the back seat, wife and I up front.....it has custom leather that is far more comfortable than stock, tail bone foam mod, heated and cooled.....very comfortable, stock they sucked. We had a 4 hour break to offload a race car and reload a bunch of furniture then headed right out for another 450 miles, none stop, I slept pretty well that night.

 

[dyn085]

So my four hours (two each way) in the FiST went much better today. Besides being at a lower speed (mostly 50-60 with some stretches of 40 and a very little bit of 70mph), I had a full tank of fuel and my spare installed heading up with an additional 100 lbs of wheels coming back. It definitely helped smooth the bumps a little bit.

The Recaro's don't really bother me even though I'm significantly larger than they are (6', 260 lbs) and I actually find them relatively comfortable. I think my main problem stems more from the short sidewall and bump non-compliance. I think that one I have some 215/40's installed that a large portion of my lack of comfort will dissipate.

I also averaged 38 mpg via the dash readout.

 

[Hypntick]

Did a straight drive from Memphis TN back to Charlotte NC, with gas and food stops clocked in at around 11 hours. I actually find this ride to be considerably more comfortable than my 04 ZX5 was. I also do a 3 hour daily commute, so i'm pretty much broken in fairly well when it comes to a decent drive.

 

[afewgoodfingers]

So my four hours (two each way) in the FiST went much better today. Besides being at a lower speed (mostly 50-60 with some stretches of 40 and a very little bit of 70mph), I had a full tank of fuel and my spare installed heading up with an additional 100 lbs of wheels coming back. It definitely helped smooth the bumps a little bit.

The Recaro's don't really bother me even though I'm significantly larger than they are (6', 260 lbs) and I actually find them relatively comfortable. I think my main problem stems more from the short sidewall and bump non-compliance. I think that one I have some 215/40's installed that a large portion of my lack of comfort will dissipate.

I also averaged 38 mpg via the dash readout.

Glad to hear the car redeemed itself a little on the 2nd long outing. I'm in Central Texas so it is about an 8hr drive to anywhere not in Texas. So I will certainly be putting the seats to the test.
I'm planning on staying off the interstate so cruising speeds should be 70mph or below. Will also be loaded down with some camping an biking gear.

One other quick question. I'm just now learning about tires and tire sizes and was wondering about the 215/40's you mentioned. Is that size close to stock but with a slightly higher sidewall? Any issues with clearance while cornering or rolling over speed bumps? Will it improve the bumpiness of the ride?

 

[afewgoodfingers]

I also do a 3 hour daily commute, so i'm pretty much broken in fairly well when it comes to a decent drive.

That is quite a haul. I would say you may be a bit more conditioned to long drives but I'm optimistic the car will be comfortable enough and deliver good mpgs for this trip. Thanks!