Anyone have any tips for driving back from FL

[98whitegpgt]

Me and a friend are flying down to FL to pick up a car for her. We are leaving tampa at 12 in the afternoon on sat and plan.... to be back here around 2 on sunday. Anyone have any tips for the drive?

Ryan

[nismodave]

Dont fall asleep while driving.

[Flicktitty]

Best of luck! drive safe, i'd make sure to have CD's so the car ride isn't to boring. and get plenty of sleeep before you leave.

[Prince Valiant]

Drive, drive drive...

I left tampa at 7:30am tampa time, and pulled in at my place in milwaukee at ~ 1:30-2:00am milwaukee time once.

Only stopped for gas and only when you need gas, and when I did, that's when I ate, went to the bathroom. My Jeep had a range of 500+ miles though...meant that I really had to hold it at times. Eating as you drive saves tons of time too. Set the cruise at 75-80 and forget it too...trying to speed takes too much effort, more than it's worth.

Don't drink caffinated sodas until it's real late...otherwise the kick effect is diminished, and it only makes you want to go to the bathroom.

Best way home is 75 to 24, 24 to 65, 65 to 94 to.

[BadAzzGTA89]

Well let the trucker get you a route you need permits??lol
Let me look were in Florida?????

[Korndogg]

I drove from here to Ft worth, TX in 19 hours straight with my friend sleeping in the passenger seat some of the trip. I did it all at night. Nothing but me and trucks on the road. Just make sure that if you think you need to stop...THEN STOP. I stopped for an hour in a hotel parking lot to take a nap and I felt good enough to continue after that. On the ride home we didnt stop at all and I was tiiiiiired but not dillusional like I was on the way down. The way back was 10 times worse though because it was foggy the WHOLE way back.

[Prince Valiant]

oh man...driving with a girl. Bathroom stops every hour :goof

[BadAzzGTA89]

oh man...driving with a girl. Bathroom stops every hour :goof
Nope stop at any truck stop they have a female contoured piss bottle:thumbsup

[Poncho]

get plenty of sleep beforehand.

last year I had a marathon of being up all day, leaving for detroit, working on my grand prix in the heat out there all day (was trading stock manifolds/downpipe for TOG headers/RT offroad DP + $$), hitting up woodward, then driving home, 7 hours there, 7 to come home, but I was also awake for two days. I was dellusional on the way back, and literally was so tired I was losing my sense of reality. Good thing it was late at night, as for huge stretches my speed was a minimum of 110, often dipping towards 140. Then later it got worse as I was still moving at high rates of speed, but couldn't focus at all, it didn't help that I had a bad head cold. windows down, sunroof open, stereo blasting doing 100+ and I just couldn't focus. I wanted to pull over at a rest stop, but I was in no-mans land and at the time rest stops were once every 60miles or so, it was bad. finally around 3:30 I found one, and took a nap. I was so tired though, that I left the GTP running and didn't even realize it. but I felt better and finally made it home, but by then I was dellusional again, and I'll just say I'll never go so unprepared that night. I very easily could have fallen asleep and died that night. what if I fell asleep w/ my foot still on the gas, or even depressed it further I would have been a fireball moving at 150+ into a ditch, tree, or even worse.

if you can, have a partner that likes to drive like you might.

[Yellow2k1vette]

Tampa to Milwaukee is about a 20 hr trip...and that's with minimal stops and setting the cruise at 80. I do that run about once a year....just came back from Fl a few weeks ago in fact.

You do gain an hour going west, but if you leave Tampa at noon (est), expect to be hitting Louisville.KY around 2am, and Milwaukee probably around 7am (cst).


Some tips (if you're packing a detector):

I75 in FL you can fly through, the troopers typically have Ka on all the time, rarely use instant-on.

Watch it in so. GA (between Valdosta and Tifton), it seems every time I go through there, they have some elaborate speeding "sting" setup. You'll probably see 5-6 troopers either lined up, or already have people pulled over. Once north of Macon, you can again make some good time.

TN you can usually fly through too. Again, troopers typically have their Ka radar on all the time, easy to avoid.

KY is spotty. The troopers can be agressive, but not always.
Watch it around Bowling Green and Elizabethtown, they seem to be most prevalent around those towns.

IN is another state to make good time through, when you can. The biggest frustration on I65 is the heavy truck traffic. You can easily do a sustained 85+ without worry, and you'll find most other car traffic doing the same, but it seems every few miles, a truck pulls into the left to pass another truck, and won't do a tick over 65, which quickly backs the whole left lane up. Since you'll be hitting that around 3-4am, shouldn't be too much of an issue.

The I80-294 corridor leading into Chicago is getting better, but still some construction and narrow/shifty lanes. Shouldn't be much of a problem at the time you'll roll through.

Have a good trip back.

:haveabeer:

[pOrk]

i65 is all ****ed up right now, just so you know. I lost about 4 hours on my way down 3 weeks ago.

And dont listen to Yellow2k1vette about speeding through indiana, Indiana speeders get jail time. I spent 2 months behind bars goin 25 over in a 70

[Yellow2k1vette]

i65 is all ****ed up right now, just so you know. I lost about 4 hours on my way down 3 weeks ago.

And dont listen to Yellow2k1vette about speeding through indiana, Indiana speeders get jail time. I spent 2 months behind bars goin 25 over in a 70Where is it messed up? I came back the weekend after Thanksgiving, and everything was fine.

An alternate route (instead of 65) would be to stay on 24 west through Nashville, through Paducah, KY, it will run up and meet with I57 in IL. Take I57 north to Chicago, hop on I80 east for a couple miles, then onto 294. You'll miss the I80 constriction area, and I57 is a fairly sparsely-populated road, never much for traffic on it compared to 65. Time-wise it's a little further, but less frustration and traffic.

I didn't nor would recommend 95mph. (Or at least getting caught :) ), but I've passed IN troopers at 80+ and they didn't seem to mind, I was merely running with traffic.

YMMV

:haveabeer:

[98whitegpgt]

hey thanks guys. anyone know what the speed limits are in each state? I usually go 9 over or run w/ the fast traffic.

[pOrk]

Where is it messed up? I came back the weekend after Thanksgiving, and everything was fine.

An alternate route (instead of 65) would be to stay on 24 west through Nashville, through Paducah, KY, it will run up and meet with I57 in IL. Take I57 north to Chicago, hop on I80 east for a couple miles, then onto 294. You'll miss the I80 constriction area, and I57 is a fairly sparsely-populated road, never much for traffic on it compared to 65. Time-wise it's a little further, but less frustration and traffic.

I didn't nor would recommend 95mph. (Or at least getting caught :) ), but I've passed IN troopers at 80+ and they didn't seem to mind, I was merely running with traffic.

YMMV

:haveabeer:

I traveled mostly at night on I65, it could very well be night time construction but I do not recall where abouts the messes were. It was on and off I wanna say 3, maybe 4 areas?

[Brandon W.]

psh...slow asses..on the interestate it gets set at 90+..if you pass a cop and it may even seem a little like he might pull out you mash the gas and get the hell out of there...and get off asap and go to a gas station..they usually go right by.:shades

600 posts woot

[Yellow2k1vette]

hey thanks guys. anyone know what the speed limits are in each state? I usually go 9 over or run w/ the fast traffic.Except for the metro cities...

FL is 70.
GA is 70
TN is mostly 70, 'cept through the mountiains, where it is 55-60.
KY is 65
IN is 70
IL tollway is I don't actually know, typically a free-for-all. :thumbsup
Go 75 and cops will still pass you.

[mrz28M6]

and dont forget to be careful around the twisty rouds in TN especially when its raining :) i've seen my life flash before my eyes on those roads. lol

[88Nightmare]

Except for the metro cities...

FL is 70.
GA is 70
TN is mostly 70, 'cept through the mountiains, where it is 55-60.
KY is 65
IN is 70
IL tollway is I don't actually know, typically a free-for-all. :thumbsup
Go 75 and cops will still pass you.

so will everyone else, typically at or near 3 digit speeds :wow

[wikked]

I've passed IN troopers at 80+ and they didn't seem to mind, I was merely running with traffic.


You also have a get out of jail free car (vette), whereas I'm sure p0rk was driving one of his cop look-a-likes, or slammed something or other cop magnet :goof

[pOrk]

^ I didn't think of it that way, everyone likes a vette. I was in the impala when I got rolled, that had a big part in the judges decision I'm sure.

[Karps TA]

2 words - Road Head.

[EvolvedRegal]

I've done the WI to FL and back again quite a few times. The last time I did it I stayed in FL. Screw the snow.

[fly5150]

The construction on 65 is done. I just drove down to Indy and back this week and it was nice. Don't take I-80 to 294 casue 80 is still all tore up. I always take the skyway as long as its not peak traffic time. much quicker

[Holeshot]

Just drove back from the Keys Wednesday. Take 75 north take the by pass around Atlanta to I 24 west. Don't go I 40 Take 24 west in to Nashville to 65 north. Follow I 65 all the way from Nashville through Kentucky and Indiana. Once you get towards Gary you will take 94/ 80 west follow that to 294 West. That will take you around Chicago proper. You will hit 4 tolls. If you know someone with an I PASS you can borrow that would save time as its all open road tolling now. Say on 294 to 94 into Wis. I drove from Atlanta to Milwaukee in 13 hrs, 80/ 294 will be fine on the weekend. Construction was not that bad when I came through at 2 in the afternoon. It took me 1 1/2 hr from Gary to the Waukegan toll plaza. I drive Chicago a lot you just need to time it right. The Skyway should be good too. as mentioned above.

[pOrk]

Now that I think of it, you should drive an hour and a half south to Sarasota and eat at Yoder's. That place is AWESOME