After traveling more than 4000 miles in a 2004 350Z Roadster from Alberta to CA and back, here are a few discoveries:

1. Air is good: I used to live in Denver, CO. Denver is one mile high with thin air. I am now living in Calgary which is about 3500 ft high, with slightly more air. By the time we hit sea level, we had power! The difference was so noticeable that I have new respect for the Z after having it for 6 years.

2. Cutting corners: Put on a new set of Dunlop Star Specs for the trip. These tires are impressive around corners. Going thru Highway 1 was confidence building. My wife asked me to slow down because at a very twisty section, there was no guard rail, limited shoulder, and she can only see a big drop into the ocean with no bottom in sight if I miss. I really like my Z again.

3. Butt comfort: the stock seats are comfortable to a point, after days of driving, I like to have more lower back support. This was fixed by stuffing the lower back area of the seat with a piece of foam.

4. Rattles: All of a sudden, the car has a lot more rattles that were never there before. The car just turned 26000 miles after the trip.

5. Space: Not sure how many of you have seen how small the trunk of the 350ZR is, a 2 ½ weeks road trip with 2 people is a real challenge to pack. By the time we stopped at a couple outlet malls and winery, it is impossible to add anything bigger than a paper clip. On our way back, every square inch including the space in the spare tire well was used up.

6. Open sky: Driving thru Highway 1 by the ocean and going thru the Redwood Forest, open top was just amazing. It evens out with the lack of space.

7. Bugs: I put a piece of screen in front of the rad before setting out on the trip. Am I glad I did, there must be thousands of dead flat bugs on the screen, instead of the rad.

8. Spare: Luckily we did not have any tire trouble. If we did, there is no way I can put the full size flat in the trunk with all our stuff. Have to find a different way to deal with flats. I may even pull the spare to increase trunk space. Suggestions anyone?

9. Gold: If you go thru a town called Gold Beach, watch your speed. There were 7 cops all with radar on over a 5 minute stretch of the highway.

 

Good report! I've been wanting to take a road trip down Hwy 1 (from Norcal to Socal) for awhile now. Just gotta find free time.

 

that must've been a fun drive. how many hrs/days did it take?

 

Musta been a cool experience. I hate the seats in my ZR. My rump always hurts after about 2 hours of driving. Oh well.

 

my back hurt just reading your post..

 

Thanks. Appreciate brevity.

 

Fun trip, i did from Vegas to Kenosha last summer, i have a hardtop so space was better. Also no spare, well i had it in there, but it won't fit over my BBK.

Coilovers, loud exhaust and seats that are great for around 3 hours of driving. I'll fly next time, or try drive our stock base model without cruise control.

 

I have an 03 track Z

I've made 2 trips from NY to NC ( 600 miles one way) And 3 tripps from NC to Miami (900 miles one way)..

I Enjoyed the Z throughout the whole time of these road trips. Especially at night, when the orange gauges reflect off the drivers side window, its pretty relaxing .. One of which was from moving from NY to NC, with the Z packed filled to the brim with the remaining clothes items from my apt, and even pets ( 2 cats and a 32 gallon fish tank).

I feel bad for the Base model crowd, I would not be able to survive without cruise control. I often found myself putting my legs up one under the other when they get tired. I agree with you about the lower back support, I think it is biggest problem on the long trips. Gas mileage was decent, got aout 27mph straight highway driving. Kept it around 75mph.

As for the spare tire, I never have mine in the car. I would advise you to keep one of the flat tire cans with you incase you do get one. After 8 years and many miles of driving, i've only gotten 1 flat, and I was I was lucky enough to be able to get to a gas station and be able to fix it. I do have AAA as well, so a tow to a discount tire is never far, its such a rare occurance IMO that i will sacrifice the spare to save 40lbs of weight and lots of space in the Z.

 

Yes, the trip was fun. If you like twisty roads with good scenery, Highway 1 is highly recommended. The whole trip took us 2½ weeks with some resting time in Carmel. We also attended the Concorso Italiano and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca (I think it used to be called the historic race).
The Z in stock form is not too bad for long distance travel. It offers a sporty drive with reasonable comfort. We could take a more comfortable car, but did not want to miss the chance of going thru Highway 1 with the Z. That was the right call. A set of Recaro in the Z would be good investment if I do this more. Also if I do it again, I shall allow more time and drive less in each day to enjoy all the locations. Taking a car with mod’ed suspension (stiff) and loud exhaust for long trips can be painful.

 

If you use one of those flat tire cans when you get a flat what does it do to your tire air pressure sensors?

 

+ lower back support

 

don't do this you will thank me later

 

Great report.

The longest I have driven was 24 hours straight through from CA to TX - but not only did I do it once... I had to do it three times in one month. Fortunately it was in a Mazda 3, but it was still hell. I don't think I would have made it if I was in the Z without making 100+ stops.

 

You could carry one of those little electric air compressors.

 

Great report did a similar trip in 08 highway 101 to CA and no problems with the Z
In Sept headed for vancouver island and Washington coast have 2 weeks booked to make the round trip. I agree with your piont 5 on space its is amazing what my wife can pack in the back of our 04 350 touring the last time we crossed the boarder the guy laughed at us and told us to keep moving.
We just love the car on the long trips and have had no issues at all over the last 4 years with a least one major trip per year.

 

Nice report and I agree about the seats. I may be a lil older than the average Z owner at 43 but 2-3hours in the car my back and rump are ready for a break. I also made the mistake of buying a base so my right leg starts to get sore as well since I am tall<6'4> the position really starts to aggravate my lower leg muscles. I plan on keeping the car another year or two then I will have a big decision on what the next car is. After seeing the new 2011 Stang Gt that is seriously on my radar,was strictly thinking 370z but really unsure now.

 

I have to agree with this -- the difference is definitely significant. I lived Ohio with my car for 2 years, then moved (trailered the car) to Denver. I rarely drove my car in Denver since I lived and worked downtown, but I always thought the car felt slower. I knew why... but I had always though the difference would be negligible to the butt-dyno. When I moved back 1.5 years later, I drove the car from Denver to Ohio. Even though I was a zombie, I could definitely tell the difference once I got out of the mountains. And after taking the car out the next day in Ohio, the car felt like I had just given it some upgrades

 

May try the lower back support. Or just get different seats.

 

I have a 04 Touring and I travel to Cocoa Beach from Miami pretty much 4 or 5 times a month.. its 220mi each way and I love it. My Z seats are more comfortable than my Yaris seats too.

 

great writeup! must've been a great trip!