Tripping across the Mojave on I-40

[eskins]

I will be making my first trip to the grand canyon this july, which entails coming across I-40 there and back. Am I being overly cautious about that ride? Looks like about 3 hrs and July avg temps ~102. On the way there, I will lay over in Barstow and head across early in the am. It's the trip back I'm worried about. I'm thinking of leaving Williams AZ around 4am, getting across by 10am. I'd rather leave later, but I think that's too risky.

Anyone who's done this I would appreciate their input.

Apologies if this is answered in one of the forums, I never seem to have much luck searching forums, seems like a simple search feature, not indexed and have to troll through tons of pages to find a key word reference.

[msmith1199]

102 is an average out there. Last time I took that road (It was last summer but I don't remember the date) it got up to 119. We were in the car so all was fine, but I don't think I'd drive my motorhome if it were 119 out.

[jwmII]

If your vehicle is in good operating condition you will have no problem at any time of the day. Years ago travelers would wait until night to cross the desert to and from Az. and Ca. and even then at night it would be uncomfortably hot. But with air conditioning and better engine cooling those experiences with the heat are pretty much a thing of the past.

Back in the day before A.C. many folks would buy dry ice and place it on the car floor to try and cool things down in the car. This would often end in tragedy as dry ice is CO2 and as it evaporates it displaces O2 and causes Asphyxiation.

[Two_Hands]

Russ, the I-15 doesn't go through Kingman, Arizona.

[russkerri]

We did the drive across I-40 through the Mojave this summer heading west to California and then east to the Grand Canyon. We made sure to fill up with gas before we hit the Mojave Preserve. The gas station on the eastern edge of the preserve is very expensive.

We did have a blow out along there, but it turned out to be a good place to have one with the big sandy shoulder.

On our way east heading to the Grand Canyon out of Barstow, we took I-15 to Kingman and reconnected with I-40 there. This was about 15 minutes longer, according to Google maps, but it did have more gas stations, and we got to see different scenery than our trip.

[WyoTraveler]

the bear II wrote:
X-2 on Two Hands Post.

If your MH is in good shape and air conditioners & generator work well no problems even at high noon. On hill climbs it's better to be in a lower gear and go slow then it is to be in a higher gear and lug the engine.

Hey, a previous neighbor, hi. Lived in Torrance for 40 years. PV blvd & Sepulveda. Actually Draille Dr. However, moved to WY 20 years ago

[Kayteg1]

Per my experience no vehicle is design to run at WOT for prolonged time without overheating.
So general advise - make sure your cooling system is in top condition and if you have to go in high heat - go easy on gas pedal.
If you have long grade - manual downshifting and driving at higher rpm will give the engine extra cooling even if the engine could make it on higher gear.
I was recording 114F (in shade) on Mojave desert, while 108F is pretty common in summer.
Parking lots often go well over 120F

[the_bear_II]

X-2 on Two Hands Post.

If your MH is in good shape and air conditioners & generator work well no problems even at high noon. On hill climbs it's better to be in a lower gear and go slow then it is to be in a higher gear and lug the engine.

[WyoTraveler]

I think the return trip and the westward grade out of needles in the heat of the day would be my biggest concern. I can speak from experience overheating on that grade out of needles. If I recall the grade is only 13 miles.

[Two_Hands]

We have taken the same route at the same time of the year several times. It's no problem at all. It gets very warm in the afternoon but we start the generator and run the house air conditioners to keep it comfortable. With the coach pre-cooled it cuts down cooling time upon arrival. We have always stayed in Trailer Village which is in the park. Make reservations now and have a great trip.