Cross-continent towing with the Dragon...
Well, the deed is done. I have moved the rest of my household goods from Columbus, OH to Fairbanks, AK.
A drive of just under 4000 miles, hitched up to a UHaul 5x10 dual axle trailer that weighed in at a hair under 3100 lbs.
We used the wife's stock '01 with 34000 miles at the journey's start and recorded mileage highs of 17mpg (in the midwest on the flats) and lows of 10.6mpg across North Dakota into a 30mph headwind.
We traveled up numerous 10% grades, all without the slightest hiccup from the engine or transmission.
I did do quite a bit of work to the VX just before leaving Ohio, and the products I used definately earned a 5-star mark in my book.
1st -Tone's hitch. What can I say? It made the whole trip possible, and with a nice 2" drop ball it held the big trailer nice and level.
2nd -Bilstein H1s. The stockers were shot, and I replaced them with the famous Bilstein 1738/1739 combo. Outstanding ride control, easily handling the 250lb tongue weight as well as the packed interior.
3rd -Mobil 1 0W30 oil. Rec'd by the dealer's techs, this stuff rules. Temp guage stayed on the low side, engine stayed quiet, and most importantly NOT ONE DROP OF OIL WAS BURNT FOR THE WHOLE TRIP. I lost more oil checking the dipstick than anything else.
4th -Some 'cheapie' slotted/drilled brake rotors that I found on eBay. Offered by r1concepts for the Trooper, these were nicely plated, with holes cast into the straight vane styled rotors. Cost $170 plus shipping, I'll give details (#s, names, etc.)to anyone interested. They fit 100x better than the Raybestos units that I put on the Ironman. For the price, they look and performed amazingly. Their construction and finish are on par with units that I've spent 4x as much on for other cars.
5th -'Ceramic' brake pads from the TireRack. $60 a set. Broke them in using the StopTech technique (and not the instructions included in the set), and these things bite like champs. Quiet, low dusting and grippy both hot and cold, I highly recommend these pads to anyone not willing to deal with the dust of the comparably priced and performing Axxis Ultimates.
I figure that anything that can survive the grueling AlCan run pulling a trailer is pretty good stuff. I hope that these mini reviews help make some maintenance purchases easier for someone.
