So I'm thinking about driving to Aspen,Colorado for a snowboarding trip,I live in Flagstaff and the voyage is about 560.91 miles and a 9 hour drive some of its through the desert and utah.Theres a couple big hills im pretty sure but none i shouldnt be able to make. I drove down to phoenix with my u joint poking out of my driveline-very dumb mistake- but it still made the 3 hour drive through the desert in late summer,so i think my 4runners a beast.The only thing wrong with it is tie rods are a little crazy(i will fix those before the trip though) my car needs a valve job and always clicks which im in the process of fixing but its a 500 dollar job at my local machine shop. Other issue is my oil pressure is a little bit weird,it will take the oil pressure about 2 seconds max sometimes to get into the middle. So with all of that said I drive a 1991 stick shift 4runner 6cyl and im a fairly experienced driver and think I can handle the trip do you think I could trust my 4runner with the cylinders being a little wack and needing a valve job? Im very confident my toyota can make it anyone think this will be a bad idea at all?

 

You won't know until you try.

I take mine on road trips all the time. Just popped a 1600mile trip in December. 210K and still cruisin. Just be aware of the rig on the road. Listen for new noises. Check the oil at fill ups. Maybe toss in a little additive ever so often. And have a lotta tunes. Dark side of the moon is mandatory. Dub side is suggested.

 

damn, if you approximate to the nearest .01 mile, I'm curious to see what your exact distance would be...

 

just do it...i drove my truck all the way to from north jersey to clemson, sc...and i did it straight so not stopping...truck made it there no problem! ps i have a 91 v6 pickup

 

Maybe you can find Mary Swanson (Dumb and Dumber) while you're there.

I'd go for it. I beat the hell out of my engine every day (240K, redline every gear every day) and it doesn't give me any complaints other than a bad valve tick ;-).

 

You'll be fine just have a back up plan if something unforseen does happen so you can get home. Sounds like a fun trip!

 

Good call on Dark Side of the Moon...I like the Pulse concert which has the live version followed by encore. Saw Roger Waters perform it in Oct. '06 fricking great concert.

Jake, give your rig a good once over before you leave & take care of any small issues. Small ones can turn into disasters on that long of trip if not taken care of.

 

Wait - $500 to fix your truck is too much, and you're going to ASPEN - perhaps the most expensive place in the country this time of year?

Lift tix $80/day IIRC, lodging >$150 night anywhere within a decent drive of a slope (Aspen police WILL throw you in jail for sleeping in your car), food >$100/day if you eat at a restaurant AT ALL, gas ...

I had a lot more faith in my 4Runner before the gas tank rusted open and left me stranded in Grand Island, NE. AAA is a good investment!

 

I drove from Phoenix to Sunrise in Show Low do to some snowboarding, and less that half way there, one of the fuel injectors took a crap on me, and we continued the 416 mile round trip on 5 cylinders.

2 weekends ago, We drove from Phoenix to Crested Butte Co, which was an 11 hr drive and my weak a$$ 3.0 made the round trip of 1276 miles without any issues.

 

keep it real. grab some james blunt and some journey. eagles will keep u alive for about 1000 miles too man. never think u have enough tunes though. get some of everything. as for the truck, give it a stern talking to b4 u leave. if it complains give it a swift kick to the rear bumper. ur good to go.

 

Dang, you're gonna lose your license redlining it in 5th everyday.....

He's sleeping in the back with his groceries and skiing Independence Pass using the Runner as a lift......

Seriously though - do you think it'll make it? I'd drive my Runner cross-country right now without thinking twice about it. Every thing's in pretty good order mechanically and it's never given me any reason to doubt it. AAA and a cell phone is always a good thing in a 25-odd year-old vehicle, though.

 

Without the fuel tank issue, my '93 4Runner probably would have made it from Cleveland, OH to Denver, CO (~1300 miles) towing a trailer.

Interestingly, I had a bad u-joint on that trip too...

 

Yeup, and I haven't lost it yet

P.S. My 3.0 won't make it over 4600 rpm's in 5th gear, not enough grunt + governor.

 

hehe actually im going with the 3 day pass to all 4 mountains its like 260 ive already got a place to stay and screw restaraunts ill bring up some peanut butter,jelly and some six packs of alaskan amber

 

"im talking about a little place called aspen, where the beer flows like wine."

"Ive always wanted to go to california."

 

Wooo! Someone finally chimed in on that one. Was waiting.