Drove from Texas to Alaska in my 3G
10-01-2012, 01:43 AM
#1
Drove from Texas to Alaska in my 3G
Hi all
Just finished a 4400 mile roadtrip from Texas to Alaska in my 05 TL 6Sp and wanted to share my experience.
I have to say that I have a renewed appreciation for my TL even though the day before the trip I sufferred the dreaded cracked dash problem. I have owned it for the last 3 years, have never had any major problems with it *knock on wood* and it performed flawlessly on this trip. We took 10 days to drive, a little under 500 miles per day and in the car I had my wife, two cats, a medium sized dog, pet supplies and a suitcase. For the trip I did oil change, new tires, AC Delco Syncromesh FM manual transmission fluid, new brake pads, new battery, replaced the brake fluid and took a spare serpentine belt. The route was Texas to Kansas to Colorado then shoot up north via the Alaska Highway (Alcan). At the time we left the car had 78,000 miles and in sound mechanical condition. The layout was simple; luggage, supplies and cat litter box in the trunk, old bed sheet covering the back seat and I opened the trunk access door in the back seat so the cats could go chill or potty in the trunk. In the front we just had drinks and route literature
As I came to expect, the US part of the trip was smooth and luxurious with the XM radio and navi system working as prescribed. My maps DVD version is the 2010 release which did not include a route found by Google Maps which was 150 miles shorter; at first we headed out following the phone navigation (Android) but at one very inconvenient moment Verizon lost coverage in the heart of Texas which left me scrambling to find a map. The car's navigation system picked right up to keep us on track; good thing because we kept losing cell phone signal in Oklahoma and Kansas and it was pretty much non existent in most of Wyoming and Montana (thumbs down Verizon).
My entry into Canada was almost trumped by someone else; they check for criminal records at the border and someone with my same name skipped a court appearance in Florida in 2004. Luckily I was allowed in and continued our journey. The drive through Canada is considered international so I bought an international data plan of 100 MBs for phone navigation (only used 25). I must say that cell phone roaming in Canada was excellent and learning from previous experience I downloaded several maps from Google in case I lost coverage but that didnt happen until we reached the Alcan. I am very impressed with Google maps accuracy throughout the whole trip and even here in Alaska so far.
We reached the end of the car's GPS coverage in Edmonton, Canada. Just fyi the screen shows an approaching black drop, then tries to track off-road then changes to a settings screen; GPS clock adjustment is also disabled.
The legendary Alaska Highway starts in the town of Dawson Creek, Canada where we spent the night. This highway is 1200 miles of deep country scenic drives and will test every weld, bolt and tape job on any vehicle. 200 miles into it we lost all cell phone coverage. 75% of all stop-alongs close by September 1st in preparation for Fall so it is imperative to refill the gas tank any time it falls below 3/4 as it could take up to 200 miles to reach the next town. There are no major gas joints along the way which meant no premium gas. Luckily the town of Watson Lake had a store so I bought octane booster, although the car ran fine all along.
Throughout the whole trip the 3.2 engine cruised like on a trip to the mall, on the numerous 10% grade hill climbs it did not want to bother on fourth gear, accelerating and maintaining decisively on fith and even sixth gear. The transmission cruised and shifted like factory new thanks to the new synchromesh FM fluid; up until then we were suffering from the dry third synchro. I paired the stock suspension to 4 new Continental Extreme Contact DWS and the ride was relatively quiet and very comfortable through all the bumps, cracks, packed gravel, loose gravel and some mud along the way. The factory Brembos proved their worth whenever we had to slam on the brakes due to a rogue bear, caribou or sudden photographic spot. I forgot to mention that the new battery is a Sears DieHard Platinum built to withstand severe vibration which gave me plenty of confidence throughout all different road conditions. The only casualty on this trip was the windshield which was attacked by flying gravel.
XM reception also started failing along the Alcan and even here in Anchorage it is more off than on. I've been here for about a week now and have yet to notice any new squeeks or rattles.
So to wrap this up, thanks to the forum for all the valuable info on TL maintenance, Google- good, Canada- good, Verizon- bad, Acura- awesome, pristine nature- priceless.
Migs
Just finished a 4400 mile roadtrip from Texas to Alaska in my 05 TL 6Sp and wanted to share my experience.
I have to say that I have a renewed appreciation for my TL even though the day before the trip I sufferred the dreaded cracked dash problem. I have owned it for the last 3 years, have never had any major problems with it *knock on wood* and it performed flawlessly on this trip. We took 10 days to drive, a little under 500 miles per day and in the car I had my wife, two cats, a medium sized dog, pet supplies and a suitcase. For the trip I did oil change, new tires, AC Delco Syncromesh FM manual transmission fluid, new brake pads, new battery, replaced the brake fluid and took a spare serpentine belt. The route was Texas to Kansas to Colorado then shoot up north via the Alaska Highway (Alcan). At the time we left the car had 78,000 miles and in sound mechanical condition. The layout was simple; luggage, supplies and cat litter box in the trunk, old bed sheet covering the back seat and I opened the trunk access door in the back seat so the cats could go chill or potty in the trunk. In the front we just had drinks and route literature
As I came to expect, the US part of the trip was smooth and luxurious with the XM radio and navi system working as prescribed. My maps DVD version is the 2010 release which did not include a route found by Google Maps which was 150 miles shorter; at first we headed out following the phone navigation (Android) but at one very inconvenient moment Verizon lost coverage in the heart of Texas which left me scrambling to find a map. The car's navigation system picked right up to keep us on track; good thing because we kept losing cell phone signal in Oklahoma and Kansas and it was pretty much non existent in most of Wyoming and Montana (thumbs down Verizon).
My entry into Canada was almost trumped by someone else; they check for criminal records at the border and someone with my same name skipped a court appearance in Florida in 2004. Luckily I was allowed in and continued our journey. The drive through Canada is considered international so I bought an international data plan of 100 MBs for phone navigation (only used 25). I must say that cell phone roaming in Canada was excellent and learning from previous experience I downloaded several maps from Google in case I lost coverage but that didnt happen until we reached the Alcan. I am very impressed with Google maps accuracy throughout the whole trip and even here in Alaska so far.
We reached the end of the car's GPS coverage in Edmonton, Canada. Just fyi the screen shows an approaching black drop, then tries to track off-road then changes to a settings screen; GPS clock adjustment is also disabled.
The legendary Alaska Highway starts in the town of Dawson Creek, Canada where we spent the night. This highway is 1200 miles of deep country scenic drives and will test every weld, bolt and tape job on any vehicle. 200 miles into it we lost all cell phone coverage. 75% of all stop-alongs close by September 1st in preparation for Fall so it is imperative to refill the gas tank any time it falls below 3/4 as it could take up to 200 miles to reach the next town. There are no major gas joints along the way which meant no premium gas. Luckily the town of Watson Lake had a store so I bought octane booster, although the car ran fine all along.
Throughout the whole trip the 3.2 engine cruised like on a trip to the mall, on the numerous 10% grade hill climbs it did not want to bother on fourth gear, accelerating and maintaining decisively on fith and even sixth gear. The transmission cruised and shifted like factory new thanks to the new synchromesh FM fluid; up until then we were suffering from the dry third synchro. I paired the stock suspension to 4 new Continental Extreme Contact DWS and the ride was relatively quiet and very comfortable through all the bumps, cracks, packed gravel, loose gravel and some mud along the way. The factory Brembos proved their worth whenever we had to slam on the brakes due to a rogue bear, caribou or sudden photographic spot. I forgot to mention that the new battery is a Sears DieHard Platinum built to withstand severe vibration which gave me plenty of confidence throughout all different road conditions. The only casualty on this trip was the windshield which was attacked by flying gravel.
XM reception also started failing along the Alcan and even here in Anchorage it is more off than on. I've been here for about a week now and have yet to notice any new squeeks or rattles.
So to wrap this up, thanks to the forum for all the valuable info on TL maintenance, Google- good, Canada- good, Verizon- bad, Acura- awesome, pristine nature- priceless.
Migs
The following 8 users liked this post by -migs-:
05_NBP_TL (10-01-2012),
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and 3 others liked this post.
10-01-2012, 01:50 AM
#2
Three Wheelin'
first off, welcome to acurazine!
secondly, that sounds like quite a trip!
please please *please* post pictures in this thread. i'm sure everyone here would love to see them! how is alaska? bet the TL loves that cold air!!
secondly, that sounds like quite a trip!
please please *please* post pictures in this thread. i'm sure everyone here would love to see them! how is alaska? bet the TL loves that cold air!!
10-01-2012, 02:43 AM
#3
Moderator
iTrader: (7)
awesome! i love road trips! please post pics! i wanna take my tl to the alaska highway! any reason why you drove instead of fly though?
Last edited by paperboy42190; 10-01-2012 at 02:47 AM.
10-01-2012, 02:48 AM
#4
'07 TL Type-S
Now that's a road trip. lol
10-01-2012, 03:22 AM
#7
Three Wheelin'
holy crap, good eye! migs confirmed for top azine lurker? three years of lurking!!!
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10-01-2012, 06:05 AM
#9
Suzuka Master
nice road trip, now we need pics to do justice.
10-01-2012, 09:11 AM
#10
Drifting
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Gave him his first "Thanks" 
Cool story bro. And I mean that in a non-facetious way
. I love me some road trips. Haven't been able to take any in the TL yet. I surprised Verizon dropped the ball like that. I always throught they were the cream of the crop when it came to service.
How did your back fare in the seats during the long drive? Were they pretty comfortable most of the way or did you struggle with lumbar support or anything like that?
Cool story bro. And I mean that in a non-facetious way
. I love me some road trips. Haven't been able to take any in the TL yet. I surprised Verizon dropped the ball like that. I always throught they were the cream of the crop when it came to service. How did your back fare in the seats during the long drive? Were they pretty comfortable most of the way or did you struggle with lumbar support or anything like that?
10-01-2012, 11:29 AM
#14
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
VERY cool
I went to Alaska about 10 years ago and it's gorgeous up there. I hope to go back some day.
I went to Alaska about 10 years ago and it's gorgeous up there. I hope to go back some day.
10-01-2012, 08:23 PM
#16
Racer
WTG migs! I did the upper portion of the alcan in Dec 1993 (in a 4WD). Took the ferry from Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK and drove to Fairbanks from there. (Military move deal.) Awesome scenery, but tough drive. Really wish Canadians could keep their crowned roads at something better than glare ice in the winter (at least back then). Makes it way too interesting meeting semis in such conditions. 
You picked the perfect time to go; after summer tourist season (read lots of slow RVs) and before the heavy snows.
You picked the perfect time to go; after summer tourist season (read lots of slow RVs) and before the heavy snows.
Last edited by Pat04TL; 10-01-2012 at 08:28 PM.
10-01-2012, 09:05 PM
#17
Team Owner
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Sounds like fun, but no pictures????
10-01-2012, 11:30 PM
#20
Racer
dang! that's one hella road trip right there, nut my question is, how bored did you get besides having the XM radio? i drove from Oklahoma to Minot, ND and into Oxford, Canada and after Sioux City... man I too kept loosing cell phone reception and regular radio stations where nowhere to be found, and not to mention the nothing-es of SD, ND and Canada drove me crazy.
10-02-2012, 12:15 AM
#21
Pics
this actually felt unsafe lol
[/IMG]
Nature
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
The rest of the album http://photobucket.com/migswaska
this actually felt unsafe lol
[/IMG]Nature
[/IMG][/IMG][/IMG][/IMG][/IMG][/IMG]The rest of the album http://photobucket.com/migswaska
10-02-2012, 01:02 AM
#25
Ok, kept trying but will have to stop as I am not able to edit posts
Theres some pics at http://photobucket.com/migswaska
The TL DOES love the cold air, the butt dyno confirms.
I decided to drive it because it was the perfect time of the year to do it, after the tourists but before the snow. Also work would only pay for 1 car so I shipped the Land Cruiser thinking I'd rather put those 4000 miles on her while offroading :-).
I left from Killeen TX.
The extra jug of gas maybe would have been necessary during winter time as even more places would close for the winter. Due to lower octane gas and speed limit we averaged 34 MPGs even with all that climbing.
The ride was ultra comfortable, no cramps or back ache even though half the time I had a dog or cat on my lap.
Didnt get bored because we were scoping for wildlife, well maybe a little. I found that trying to reach the daily mileage goal made it go by much faster.
If anyone is ever going to do this trip theres a book for it, The Milepost, its a must. milepost.com or at least the FAQ. The better informed the better the trip.
Thanks to all for the thumbs up
Theres some pics at http://photobucket.com/migswaska
The TL DOES love the cold air, the butt dyno confirms.
I decided to drive it because it was the perfect time of the year to do it, after the tourists but before the snow. Also work would only pay for 1 car so I shipped the Land Cruiser thinking I'd rather put those 4000 miles on her while offroading :-).
I left from Killeen TX.
The extra jug of gas maybe would have been necessary during winter time as even more places would close for the winter. Due to lower octane gas and speed limit we averaged 34 MPGs even with all that climbing.
The ride was ultra comfortable, no cramps or back ache even though half the time I had a dog or cat on my lap.
Didnt get bored because we were scoping for wildlife, well maybe a little. I found that trying to reach the daily mileage goal made it go by much faster.
If anyone is ever going to do this trip theres a book for it, The Milepost, its a must. milepost.com or at least the FAQ. The better informed the better the trip.
Thanks to all for the thumbs up
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NetoAzul (10-02-2012)
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