Nashville to Raleigh thru the Smokies
How is this trip? Steep climbs? Or what is the best and safest route?
Forum Discussion
You will be traveling I-40 the entire route. No problem at all. If you are traveling with RV (not a car), you definitely want to travel the POSTED speed limit over the mountains. It's posted for a reason, don't exceed it anywhere an you'll have a safe passage.
Semi-trucks will scare the bee-jee-ber's out of you. Don't let them push you faster. If they are in THAT much of a hurry, let them pass and pray a mile up the road you won't find them flipped over the edge of the road blocking your route for the next 10 hours while they clear the accident.
Roads are curvy and sometimes the curves tighten after you enter into them. And if you are going down hill, this can be real hairy. But, if you DO NOT exceed the speed limit, you will retain good control of your vehicle and rig.
Use Tow Mode in your vehicle if you have it, and if you have exhaust brakes, use them too. DO NOT use cruise control. You have to constantly maintain the posted speed limit. Cruise will case the vehicle to go faster and faster down-hill and those curves all of a sudden become horribly sharp.
This is the only advise I can give you. I've traveled I-40 multiple times in my lifetime, the first was 1979 when I moved to North Carolina for 2 years and drove that stretch of road a lot, all the way to Raleigh and Nashville the other way. Nothing has changed in 39 years, and I've traveled it at least once every year since 1979. Speed is the only thing you MUST watch. Don't exceed it. You'll be fine.
Edit:
If you are in a car or a motorcycle, shoot! Have fun! It's a fantastic drive for a motorcycle (which I had when I lived there), and I couldn't go fast enough around those curves. What a rush! But.... NEVER in an RV!
Semi-trucks will scare the bee-jee-ber's out of you. Don't let them push you faster. If they are in THAT much of a hurry, let them pass and pray a mile up the road you won't find them flipped over the edge of the road blocking your route for the next 10 hours while they clear the accident.
Roads are curvy and sometimes the curves tighten after you enter into them. And if you are going down hill, this can be real hairy. But, if you DO NOT exceed the speed limit, you will retain good control of your vehicle and rig.
Use Tow Mode in your vehicle if you have it, and if you have exhaust brakes, use them too. DO NOT use cruise control. You have to constantly maintain the posted speed limit. Cruise will case the vehicle to go faster and faster down-hill and those curves all of a sudden become horribly sharp.
This is the only advise I can give you. I've traveled I-40 multiple times in my lifetime, the first was 1979 when I moved to North Carolina for 2 years and drove that stretch of road a lot, all the way to Raleigh and Nashville the other way. Nothing has changed in 39 years, and I've traveled it at least once every year since 1979. Speed is the only thing you MUST watch. Don't exceed it. You'll be fine.
Edit:
If you are in a car or a motorcycle, shoot! Have fun! It's a fantastic drive for a motorcycle (which I had when I lived there), and I couldn't go fast enough around those curves. What a rush! But.... NEVER in an RV!
