I've been driving my XA as a commuter vehicle for over a year now. I am about to embark on a long trip with my two little daughters (7 and 9) from N. Cal to S. Cal. Anyone want to share any tips, advice, or stories of comfort on a 7-8 hour trip.. especially in the summer?

 

Only two suggestions:
#1. A portable DVD player that will plug into the 12 volt lighter.

#2. Run the A/C colder than you think it needs to be.

We recently took a 4 hour each-way trip in 90 degree weather in my xA. It was me and my wife up front, and our 12 yr old son and his friend in the back. The car did great and everyone was comfortable, except I kept turning down the A/C when my wife and I were cold up front, but the guys in the back were still hot.

*edit...I forgot one thing. Don't forget to buy a two-way splitter and a second set of headphones for the DVD player.

 

I've always pointed the vents up and towards the center or towards the windows for the passengers in the back in any vehicle. You'll still feel it but it won't be ON you and it will force the air movement towards the back. Take a light throw if your front passenger is chilly and toss it on'em.
Always take at least two pillows on a road trip. Someone will either want to sleep or beat the other passenger whenever that annoying Are We there yet? comes up.

 

should I be concerned about overheating with AC on? expecially heading over the Grapevine?

 

Your electric fan should take care of your over heating if there was a problem, it should not get that hot. as long as you are not sitting in traffic.



jallamas

 

If you've maintained your car, you will be fine. I blasted up the grapevine in extreme heat, with the AC on, going 80MPH.

I also managed a run on I-15 from Las Vegas, doing 90+ with the AC on. . . no overheating. Just watch your tires. If they are relatively worn, they get too hot, and you push them too much in the heat, you may get a blowout.

Check your tires, check the air pressure, check the oil, check the coolant, and bring lots of water, just in case.

 

The only time you need to worry about turning the A/C off, is if you end up in dead stop traffic for a long time. As long as the car is moving (better than 30 mph) it's cooling itself down just fine. And I was serious about the DVD player. If you don't have one, you can get a decent 7" screen model that will run on 12V from Wal-Mart for like $140. It's worth every last dime. Also, remember to take movies that your girls haven't already seen a dozen times.

 

Thanks for all the tips.. I'm feeling much better about making this trip. I have been looking at portable DVD players, and I have a DVD recorder, so I have making DVDs of my girls' favorite shows, so they should be entertained.

 

it will be fine. i was comfortable. i went from nj to sc and back to nj without stopping for more than 2 hours. thats about 18 hour drive.

 

I have 2005 xA automatic.

My wife, mother-in-law & 3 kids just got back from a trip to Ohio (we live near Houston, Texas)

The week before that we went from Houston to Orlando, FL.
My kids are 8, 10 & 13.

We put the seats down in the back and layed foam padding down. This along with a portable DVD (2 screens), with a PS2 as well. This worked out really well. I had to get a power converter for the PS2. The Screens could show both the DVD & PS2 at the same time, so no one was fighting. A little expensive, but well worth it for any trip now. (went to Dallas (3 hrs.) on the 4th.)

We also added a X-Cargo box on top from Sears. This just strapped on top and clamped to the edges above the doors. I tied off the straps to the roof handles on the inside just in case. We only use that on very long trips.

This gave us all the room on the inside. It made it a lot more confortable.

Hope you have a fun trip!

 

Wait....Am I missing something? Please don't tell me you drove your kids on a long trip with no seatbelts on.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking, and then I scrolled down and saw you.
I have seen it done in cars and my parents even did it with me when I was younger.
I don't think that it's safe at all in this vehicle at least due to the size. You throw on the brakes and bodies are thrown everywhere- the cab in the car is just too small with 5 people in there unsecured.
I wouldn't even think of doing it now because I have been in a rather serious accident where my seatbelt ended up saving my life because there was no other available space around me after the metal all twisted. The fact that I was planted in one spot was perfect.

 

Oh believe me, when I was a kid, NOBODY wore a seatbet. My parents used to throw me and my brothers in the back of the station wagon and hit the road. Of course, that was a 1972 Ford LTD. It was about a block long, made out of solid steel, and weighed about 90 tons.
I worked full time as an EMT on an ambulance for 6 years. After all I've seen, I don't go ANYWHERE without a seatbelt on.

 

Not going to comment on the no seat belt thing that's just nuts..

but I am planning a trip at the end of the month to go from Ohio to Texas, insane I know, but was wanting to have an Xbox using a power converter with two outlets.

My question is this. If I ran an Xbox, a small 13" TV and yes an addtional portable DVD player off the one cigarette lighter ( ihave two kids one addicted to Xbox and one who wnats to wathc movies...what are the chances I would cause any damage to the car? Will the power converter keep me from pulling to much? I do not want to wire to the battery, so I am thinking I need to make a choice and not do both.. thoughts!!!

 

I'm thinking first thing is to at least have ground wires, but I'm not skilled enough to open my mouth.

However I do have enough driving experience so say OH to TX is not so bad, depending on what area of texas. I've driven NoVA to EaTX, EaTX to SE-IA, SE-IA to NoVA by way of ohio, EaTX to SoCA.

But- I did have the xA from SoCal to NorCal and I can pretty much swear after 6 hours your butt/lumbar will be going numb too. Next time I'm taking some foam.

 

My roadtrip regimen requires that I take frequent breaks from driving and drink a lot of water (or soda/coffee/etc.)

I started this when I took a roadtrip from Olympia, WA to San Diego, CA and back (with my mom in her 1995 Geo Prizm), and felt pretty good considering that I drove 80% of the time.

I don't stop at every rest area; sometimes the walk from the car into the convienence store is enough to keep me from hurting or going numb.

I have yet to take a road trip longer than four hours in my xA, but have found it supports my upper back better than my 1995 Honda Civic for that duration of trip.

 

my left butt cheak gets a slight pain when i sit for about 3 hours needs more butt surport

 

Yea, ride quality can be a pain, did 2-3hrs of driving and my back was outta wack and I'm only 20! I'm looking into getting the echo shocks.

 

Tint your windows if you haven't already. The A/C is a little tame in these cars.

The portable DVD player is a great idea as well.

Have fun. Take some pics of your road trip and post them here for us to see.

 

You realize that OP's remark was from JULY right?