Any suggestions on driving to Phoenix

helpcom

Registered User
Hi! Friends: I will drive my Ford Focus'01 with 40,000 miles to Phoenix from Maryland at the end of this month. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. Zhao
 
helpcom said:
Hi! Friends: I will drive my Ford Focus'01 with 40,000 miles to Phoenix from Maryland at the end of this month. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. Zhao
:p ~"Make sure the AIR in the car works, since it's STILL almost +100 degrees every day!! What suggestions are you looking for? Places to eat? Roads to take? Places to sleep? Sights to see? We've had NO rain in months!!" :eek: :D
 
Cell phone, lots of cds, pack some food because buying stuff along the way ain't cheap and that's about it. The car is new so it shouldn't have issues so you'll only need stuff for yourself.
 
thanks

Thanks all for your info. I have never driven to west and don't know how difficult and how safe it will be. I am planning to drive for four days from Maryland to Phoenix by myself. Is it enough time? I am moving to Phoenix and my wife suggested me to sell the car in Maryland, take flight, and buy another one in Phoenix. That will waste me lot of bucks. So I am planning to drive there with my car. Any suggestions are thankful very much. Helpcom
 
eh, driving across country isn't too bad, just make sure to have an atlas handy. I'd suggest trying to plan a route that lets you avoid most or all major/larger cities, that way you don't have to deal with traffic coming in and going out of town. You have a lot of driving to do, so just be patient and safe, although if you keep a consistent pace of around 75-85 on the interstates, over the whole trip you will cut a lot of time off of going the speed limit (which increases as you go west).

I think 4 days is plenty of time, i would guess somewhere in the vicinity of 40-45 hours total driving time, depending on a lot of factors. I would suggest just to get damn comfortable in your car, and just start driving. If you get tired, pull in somewhere and either get a hotel, or nap in your car for a couple hours. I'd also recommend either radio or cds that you haven't listened to/don't know (i find that i pretty much know, at least subconsciously, all the songs on my cds as well as the order in which the songs play, so listening to new material or the radio is much more mentally stimulating and keeps you awake much better).

As long as you are cautious you should be just fine. My current "best" is driving from Indiana to Arizona (roughly 1600 miles) in a day (23 hours) solo, i wouldn't recommend that; should have stopped to rest.

Hopefully this was of at least a little help
 
I drove from Buffalo to Albuquerque in about 30 hours. I drove 15 hours and spent the night in Springfield MO and then drove about another 15 hours. In the old days I used to drive from NM to NY almost straight through pulling over at rest stops to catch Zzzz's in the car! Once you get out west you can haul a$$ because the speed limits are higher. You'll more than likely be driving through Amarillo TX. DO NOT speed through Amarillo. Not even 5 MPH over! They will pull you over. I've been through there many times and every time, they are banging people for speeding. Especially Yankees! :cool:Oh yeah, watch your speed going through AZ on I-40 as well.
 
Last edited:
many thanks

Thanks all from the bottom of my heart. I feel more comfortable to drive to Phoenix now. Helpcom
 
Are you getting close to needing new tires? I just got some incredibly cheap Kuhmo Ecsta 711 tires for my focus and I highly recommend them! They are fast wearing but zr rated and they stick to the road very well. I know this info is kinda off topic but you may find it useful someday. Good Luck.
 
Have fun!

I've done NY-CA a few times in anything from a T-Bird to a Toyota Mover (yuck). Get on 95s or 81s jump on the 40W and jump south to the 10 when you want after TX. Get an early start on the first day and shoot for at least 1000 miles. Take rests when you need them as often as you need them. Day 2 start early again and try for 800-1000 miles. You'll get there on day 3 even if you start late and shoould get to your destination in daylight...important if you are unfamiliar with the area. The trip could be done in two days but will beat you up a bit. Three is no problem and four is a cake walk. Enjoy what you see and mind the advice about Amarillo. Let us know how it turns out.

Enjoy
Anthony
 
which route is better from baltimore to phoenix?

Thanks all for your info. By the way, which route is better: I-70->I-81->I-40 or I-70->I-44->I-40. Which one is easier to drive? Thanks again. Helpcom
 
I have driven from Ohio three times in the past 3 yeras. I would take I-70 to I-44 to I-40. If you ever thought of getting XM or Sirrus this would be the time since all the channels you get in NM and Northern AZ are spanish and country. Also going through OKC can be tricky if there is contruction. I have found that there is a way of going arounf the city to the north instead of taking the loop around the city. If you look at the map you should be able to figure it out. Where are you moving to here? I am in north PHX.

Chuck


helpcom said:
Thanks all for your info. By the way, which route is better: I-70->I-81->I-40 or I-70->I-44->I-40. Which one is easier to drive? Thanks again. Helpcom
 
Chuck AZ said:
I have driven from Ohio three times in the past 3 yeras. I would take I-70 to I-44 to I-40. If you ever thought of getting XM or Sirrus this would be the time since all the channels you get in NM and Northern AZ are spanish and country. Also going through OKC can be tricky if there is contruction. I have found that there is a way of going arounf the city to the north instead of taking the loop around the city. If you look at the map you should be able to figure it out. Where are you moving to here? I am in north PHX.

Chuck

Many thanks Chuck. Do appreciate your info. I am moving to chandler, AZ from Baltimore, MD. I need to make another drive from Baltimore during Christmas season to move my stuff. At that time, I think I-81->I-40 may be better because of temperature. I want to get familiar to the roue this time so my drive will be easier next time, right? Regards. Helpcom
 
Back
Top