Looking for some advice on road trip...

[33Chevy]

If you are looking for some back roads to take and have some extra time, I would suggest that out of Grand Junction you take 139 north to Rangely, WATCH OUT for free roaming cows and other critters. If you are into curvy roads and scenic views this is your kind of road.
At Rangely, turn left onto 64 and head towards Dinosaur(Yes, that is a town, sort of)
At Dinosaur, turn left onto 40 and go to Vernal. There is a big Dinosaur Museum located here.
At Dinosaur, take 191 to Duchnese, Don't Blink! Watch out for the cop in a pickup truck.
At Duchnese, take 40 to Heber City
At Heber City, take 189 to Park City and on to I-80
I-80 goes to Salt Lake City
Some of this is interesting , other parts, well if you're not in a hurry, it is better than droning up I-15. I have traveled this twice in my SS convertible. You should be able to go from GJ to Heber easily without a gas stop. Plenty of gas and restaurants in Heber.

[Foxfire15]

If you're driving a stock LS pretty sure GM offers(offered) a spare tire kit. I order my 15 with it, and it just saved my bacon the other day actually. For a road trip I'd definitely prefer the spare over an inflation kit.

Found this in my rear tire after work. really glad I had the spare.

[Moreair1]

If you have Verizon you will get pretty good reception most of the trip, there are spot like 40 minutes between vail and denver, a 10 minute stretch in the canyon by grand junction co, then of course a few other passes like soldier summit pass between price utah and Provo utah, but make sure your not drowsy when you hit grand junction to green river ut stretch its very boring and straight(yes very tempting to do flat out but leo (uhp)does patrol that section) and in result there are alot of people that fall asleep in that stretch and crash, but on that note nothing beats a nice long cruise taking in the sights and enjoying the car

[UBB]

Originally Posted by Cheap Guy

I'll take a spare tire over a CAI and some of this other mods any day. As soon as it gets warm I'm going to spring for the spare tire kit. Yes, I have AAA and a cell phone but if you hit a pothole and it damages the tire AND the wheel, the inflator and AAA aren't going to help a bit if you're in the middle of nowhere. You might even want to spring for an inexpensive small floor jack for long trips. It won't take up much room and will make things a lot easier if you have to deal with a flat. I'd also toss a fire extinguisher and a small tool kit in like someone else posted. It amazes me that people don't keep at least a screwdriver and adjustable grip pliers and a flashlight in their cars..

You're going to need a pick-up soon!

[Moreair1]

why over Eisenhower pass he will only lose around 33% of his power gotta love that altitude

[frankwjr]

this...https://www.walmart.com/ip/Slime-Del...3=1537&veh=sem

have fun OP and hide your cash....

[go_go_gadget88]

Originally Posted by Cheap Guy

Eastern Colorado is kind of boring (unless it's lightening) but once you get to Denver it's beautiful. Try to get off the interstates when you can and see some sites.

I live in western ks. I can vouch that eastern CO is kind of boring. However, the lightening part is less cool when it is striking right by the road

I agree though, get off interstate and you're going to see a lot more worth your time

[Scalded Dog]

When I bought my car in 2011, I was disappointed that it did not come with a spare. I looked into purchasing a spare kit. However, before I made the purchase, one day I lifted the floor panel in the trunk, and, to my great surprise, discovered a spare tire... nice! From the factory! Apparently, it was an option, but had not been noted on the window sticker. It sat nestled in the space provided to hold a spare tire.

This is on my 2011... I'm GUESSING that your 2013 probably has the same space available to hold the spare, so you won't be losing valuable trunk space (unless you'd already planned to use the void under the trunk floor!). I highly recommend buying a spare that will fit in the space created to hold the spare. And, if you are like me, I also recommend learning to use a tire repair kit. It takes about three minutes to plug a tire, plus the reinflation time. Costs five bucks for the first kit, and additional plugs are about ten cents each. Over the years, I've plugged countless tires (not just on this car, but on other cars of mine, and for friends, family, stranded motorists, whatever), and very rarely have I had to bolt the spare tire on. I certainly want the peace- of- mind of HAVING the spare tire available, but since I can plug a tire, it's rare that I ever use the spare.

[el Wulf]

Have On-Star, AAA roadside service & tires from Les Schwab plus carry a .40 caliber Sig Sauer in the glovebox...never have to worry about being stranded or highway robbers~lol!

[Rock-It Man]

Originally Posted by Scalded Dog

When I bought my car in 2011, I was disappointed that it did not come with a spare. I looked into purchasing a spare kit. However, before I made the purchase, one day I lifted the floor panel in the trunk, and, to my great surprise, discovered a spare tire... nice! From the factory! Apparently, it was an option, but had not been noted on the window sticker. It sat nestled in the space provided to hold a spare tire.

This is on my 2011... I'm GUESSING that your 2013 probably has the same space available to hold the spare, so you won't be losing valuable trunk space (unless you'd already planned to use the void under the trunk floor!). I highly recommend buying a spare that will fit in the space created to hold the spare. And, if you are like me, I also recommend learning to use a tire repair kit. It takes about three minutes to plug a tire, plus the reinflation time. Costs five bucks for the first kit, and additional plugs are about ten cents each. Over the years, I've plugged countless tires (not just on this car, but on other cars of mine, and for friends, family, stranded motorists, whatever), and very rarely have I had to bolt the spare tire on. I certainly want the peace- of- mind of HAVING the spare tire available, but since I can plug a tire, it's rare that I ever use the spare.

This may seem stupid, but which plug kit?

I bought one for my last road trip because I didn't want to take up the trunk with my full size spare. I didn't need it on the trip, but after I got back, my wife got a nail in her tire. It was at an angle, so the reamer cut through many steel cords, and then still, I couldn't get the plug in. This was an unusually large reamer, and the plug required putting rubber cement on it. I just couldn't force it through the hole!

I have watched several plugging operations with smaller reams and smaller plugs, more like string than the thick ribbons in my kit.

Comments?

[Scalded Dog]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

This may seem stupid, but which plug kit?

I bought one for my last road trip because I didn't want to take up the trunk with my full size spare. I didn't need it on the trip, but after I got back, my wife got a nail in her tire. It was at an angle, so the reamer cut through many steel cords, and then still, I couldn't get the plug in. This was an unusually large reamer, and the plug required putting rubber cement on it. I just couldn't force it through the hole!

I have watched several plugging operations with smaller reams and smaller plugs, more like string than the thick ribbons in my kit.

Comments?

Well... I would just say sort of a "regular" tire repair kit from AutoZone, one designed for automobile tires. Maybe they do make larger sizes (maybe for trucks?), but the ones I've always gotten have a reamer, an insertion tool, and plugs that are about 3 or 4 inches long, about 1/8" diameter. The Rubber Cement component is ALWAYS needed, as this is what bonds it to the tire... and, yes, the stuff that comes with the kits IS exactly the same as the Rubber Cement jars in the school supply aisle at Wal-Mart. I had a chemist verify this for me. The reaming can be difficult, and inserting the plug can often be even more difficult... the key is to position yourself for good leverage, although I HAVE actually propped the insertion tool under the tire, and very carefully move the car in order to insert the plug juuuuuust so.

[Rock-It Man]

Originally Posted by Scalded Dog

Well... I would just say sort of a "regular" tire repair kit from AutoZone, one designed for automobile tires. Maybe they do make larger sizes (maybe for trucks?), but the ones I've always gotten have a reamer, an insertion tool, and plugs that are about 3 or 4 inches long, about 1/8" diameter. The Rubber Cement component is ALWAYS needed, as this is what bonds it to the tire... and, yes, the stuff that comes with the kits IS exactly the same as the Rubber Cement jars in the school supply aisle at Wal-Mart. I had a chemist verify this for me. The reaming can be difficult, and inserting the plug can often be even more difficult... the key is to position yourself for good leverage, although I HAVE actually propped the insertion tool under the tire, and very carefully move the car in order to insert the plug juuuuuust so.

I went to Auto Zone, where I found at least 4 different kits, 3 of them from "Slime". I bought the one with the biggest diameter reamer. But it also had the fattest plug material, which was more like 1/4". I think next time I will get the kit with the smallest plug material.

Because the nail had entered at an angle, the reamer shredded a lot of steel cord and created a long hole. There was just no way the plug was going all the way in. I ended up shredding the skin on my hand trying to force it.

Also because of all the cord damage, I ultimately decided to scrap the tire. Luckily, all this happened in my own driveway, not somewhere out in the boonies, plus this vehicle, an SUV actually has a spare, albeit temporary.

Bottom line: spare tires are good. Did you know that no Gen 6 Camaro has a spare, not even the base V6? So I have that to look forward to in a year or two. This all makes no sense to me.

[unie01]

subscribed, this seems like a very interesting thread

[sherob]

Originally Posted by Moreair1

If you have Verizon you will get pretty good reception most of the trip, there are spot like 40 minutes between vail and denver, a 10 minute stretch in the canyon by grand junction co, then of course a few other passes like soldier summit pass between price utah and Provo utah, but make sure your not drowsy when you hit grand junction to green river ut stretch its very boring and straight(yes very tempting to do flat out but leo (uhp)does patrol that section) and in result there are alot of people that fall asleep in that stretch and crash, but on that note nothing beats a nice long cruise taking in the sights and enjoying the car

Verizon is the bird... and bird is the