5,681 miles in an Exige S

[bgsterling]

Hi all,

Back from a very cool roadtrip. I drove from Mulino, OR to Hilliard, OH and back in my '07 Exige S over the course of two weeks. In that two weeks, I got to hang out with a college buddy, see some friends in the NW Burbs of Chicago, show my "totally frickin' awesome" car to my newphews, and spend two days circling Mid Ohio with my Dad. Saw some interesting things along the way, met some cool people (including a LotusTalk member), learned a couple things about the car, and generally, had a great time. Here are some of the details, for those that might be interested:

Outbound route: Mulino to Salt Lake City to Kearney to Palatine to Hilliard

Return route: Hilliard to Palatine to Brooklyn Center to Livingston to Mulino

Mileage

• Total Mileage: 5681
• Maximum MPG: 32.0
• Minimum MPG: 25.5
• Average MPG: 27.7

Speedo accuracy
(assuming North Dakota and Montana mile markers are accurate)

• Speedo indicated 60 mph = 56 mph
• Speedo indicated 80 mph = 75 mph
• Speedo indicated 90 mph = 85 mph

Roadkill Incidents

• Clipped an already dead opposum/raccoon/something with the front tire in Nebraska. It was night time and I was in a single lane bordered by construction barrels. Got lucky as there was a break in the barrels due to an on ramp coming from the right. Only hit the animal with the front wheel. Thought for sure the splitter was toast. No damage to the car.
• Took out a pheasant/chicken-sized bird in North Dakota. The thing started walking onto the highway, then started to fly as it saw me approach. I swerved left, but I hit it with the upper right of the windshield at about 85 mph. No damage to the car. The bird didn't fare so well. I tried to tell myself that it was suicidal as there was no car within 1000 yards ahead of me or 1000 yards behind me. Regardless, I feel badly for the bird.

Favorite Roadsigns

• "Bridge of the Gods" (Oregon)
• "Deadman's Pass" (Oregon)
• "Hell's Canyon Recreation Center" (Idaho)
• "Home of Kool-Aid" (Kearney(?), Nebraska)
• "The Testicle Festival - August xx, 2008" (Montana)

General Thoughts from the Road

• Ohio had the worst left lane squatters
• The Chicago area had the worst lane blockers
• Wisconsin may have more indoor water parks per capita than any other state
• North Dakota was suprisingly beautiful
• Nebraska had the most bugs, although Montana was a close second
• One of the best steak houses ever is Dude's in Sidney, Nebraska
• It turns out that time zones don't always change at state borders. Sometimes, it's in the middle of a state. Who knew?
• The amount of corn in Iowa is staggering. After awhile, it starts to close in on you.
• Mid Ohio is a spectacular road course. The elevation changes add a whole new dimension to a track (this is compared to my home track of PIR). If you get a chance to drive it, don't pass it up.

Words I never thought would come out of my mouth
After driving through 490 miles of Nebraska, "Thank God! We're in Iowa!"

Answering the Cost Question
Got a lot of "how much does it cost" questions. I may have found an answer that works. I would tell people, "Not as much as you may think. We're not talking Ferrari money. It's about the same as an Escalade." One guy knew that was $65k. But other than him, everyone just accepted the answer.

Funniest Comment
While parked in a rest area in Nebraska, a woman in her 50s/60s comes up and asks what kind of car we're driving:
Me: It's a Lotus Exige.
Lady: Is it comfortable?
Me: Getting in and out is the hard part. But once inside, it's surprisingly comfortable.
Lady: I've driven on I-80 in a vette. Bump, bump, bump down the road. No thanks. I prefer my her.

She was referring to her HHR.

Finally, I took a few photos along the way. Nothing particularly good. I've posted my favorite below. Behold the beauty that is the mighty Mississippi River from the passenger seat of a Lotus Exige.

Cheers.

-Brad

[Mr. Know]

Sounds like an awesome trip! You are much braver than I driving that far, although I'd love to visit relatives in Ohio in my Exige S one day as well...heh! Who knew we had so much in common?? All of my OH relatives are up past Cleveland however.

[terryt]

Very cool trip. I've waned to do something similar in my car. +1 on Mid Ohio-it's a great track.

Did you find you left knee getting sore from resting on the sill? When I track my car or take it on trips, I wear a knee brace. Otherwise, it starts to ache after about two hours.

Terry

[bgsterling]

Originally Posted by terryt

Did you find you left knee getting sore from resting on the sill? When I track my car or take it on trips, I wear a knee brace. Otherwise, it starts to ache after about two hours.

That's a good idea. My left knee gets sore at the track because I'm using it to brace myself , I guess. The frame hits me right on the top of the lower leg bone, just below the kneecap. On the roadtrip, the part that got the most sore was my right heel. Maybe it was the shoes I was wearing, but the pressure on my heel from the weight of my leg would make my heel ache. I was on interstates most all of the way, so there was little need to move my foot. On some of the longer points that I was all alone on the road, I was able to cross my legs and use the outside of my left foot to hold the accelerator in place. I know, not the most safe, but I did this when there was no traffic.

On a different note, I almost forgot to mention that I got my car weighed at Mid Ohio. They had some spec racing going on, so they were all set up with a drive up scale. My car with driver, helmet, intercom, video camera, an empty trunk, and a half a tank of gas weighed in at 2,167 lbs. That puts the car's weight almost squarely at 2,000 lbs. I thought the Exige S was more than that? The only changes from stock are the removal of the rear view mirror, removal of the sun visors, replacement of the stock headunit with a JVC unit, replacement of the A048s with stock sized R888s, and the addition of driving lights.

-Brad

[bgsterling]

Originally Posted by Mr. Know

Sounds like an awesome trip! You are much braver than I driving that far, although I'd love to visit relatives in Ohio in my Exige S one day as well...heh! Who knew we had so much in common?? All of my OH relatives are up past Cleveland however.

Brave? Stupid? Some combination of the two? It's all a matter of perspective, I guess. In the end, I'm really glad I did it. The drive wasn't really painful at all. It was actually quite pleasant (save the tire noise on concrete). I got to see parts of this country that I hadn't seen before. If you can find the time, call your relatives in Solon and tell them you're on your way!

-Brad

[RacyTracy]

You were only about 10 blocks away from me.


Road trips are great!!! Looks like fun!!!

[bgsterling]

Originally Posted by RacyTracy

You were only about 10 blocks away from me.

Yeah. Someone asked if I was coming to see you. Had I had more time, I would have reached out to a fellow Lotus nut. As it was, I barely had time to see the folks I already knew. I did manage to waste an evening at that Palatine institution, Durty Nellie's. Best beer selection in the NW Burbs!

-Brad

[RacyTracy]

Originally Posted by bgsterling

Yeah. Someone asked if I was coming to see you. Had I had more time, I would have reached out to a fellow Lotus nut. As it was, I barely had time to see the folks I already knew. I did manage to waste an evening at that Palatine institution, Durty Nellie's. Best beer selection in the NW Burbs!

-Brad

Good place, I ate there last week.

[shay2nak]

wow, it took me more than one year to get to 5600 miles.

[bgsterling]

Originally Posted by shay2nak

wow, it took me more than one year to get to 5600 miles.

Yeah, I was there too. The first 1.5 years of ownership, I racked up 5,455 miles. The next two weeks, 5,681!