c_r_h

It's time, I need to finalize my build with MacMulkin (#123). The two things I am still on the fence about are front lift (probably) and R8C.

Thing is, if I do R8C I don't want to pay a shipper another $2500+ to have the car shipped home - and delivery is most likely end of January to mid of February. (9-12 weeks from order). I would take the southern route through Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Has anyone here done this? How likely am I to run into sustained bad weather? I can sit out a couple of days at some point if necessary. Sitting out a couple of weeks is not really in the books.
Any advice would be much appreciated!

JerriVette

I daily drive my 2020 c8 z51 all year long and live in the NY metro area. We get between 60 and 100 inches of snow a year.

ive been daily driving z51 s and z06 s for the past twenty odd years and over a quarter of a million miles. Usually the most I spend staying home is one day of the storm maybe 3 times a year tops.

Of course they plow the roads pretty good in northern nj and I have no idea what your trip would include as far as plowing.

just drive in the cold and snow etc with common sense ..that is at least how it works for me.


When temps drop below 40 degrees i use normal common sense caution as I would in years past.

RKCRLR

Check the weather forecasts along the route. Put the car in Weather mode in temperatures below 40F unless the tire temperature monitor says cool or normal, but drive carefully. If temperatures are predicted to be less than 20F find some place to park to keep the car out of that temperature. Don't drive the car with snow or ice on the road unless absolutely necessary, and then very carefully.

bjniceguy

if time is not an issue, you could consider cruising south & going along the gulf coast (maybe even a stop in New Orleans) then across Texas (maybe the Alamo) to southern New Mexico and Nevada to southern California & north up the coast. The I-40 route thru Flagstaff will probably have more cold weather than you want (assuming you have summer tires) plus I-15 to LA can even have pass closing during winter months.

Bmbl-Bee

My concern would be the sand, gravel and salt they put on the roads to deal with snow and ice. Once they start the process its on the roads for months.

One Vettey Boi

is there another temperature for the tires? I ever have just seen cool and normal?

Justin B

I'm on the fence about the front lift as well. Can't make a decision

Amoreloba

I asked Shane at the NCM this as well, plus a bonus for getting all seasons. Shane at least seems encouraging that doing so isn’t a death sentence.




As someone who drove a Dodge Dakota RT year round in Chicagoland and sometimes with summer tires still on, I can at least attest to it not being instant death. Just don’t drive like an idiot and don’t take my ‘advice’ as legal material!

c_r_h

Thanks everyone! I hate being this indecisive, but good food for thought there.
If I go the courtesy delivery route, does anyone know who the dealer(s) in/near Silicon Valley are that MacMulkin has on their approved list?

Edit: In case anyone is curious, the build looks like this: HTC, 2LT, torch red/black, Z51, MSRC, front lift (?), R8C (?). Gonna sleep on these two options (hope it helps)

TheJusticar

Make sure you watch the weather reports closely if going the l-40 route. NM and Arizona are at fairly high elevations and can get snow in very short order. I got stuck overnight in Santa Rosa, NM when a quick snowstorm closed the interstate just east of Albuquerque for a few hours. This was in November of 2019 when I made a road trip from Atlanta to Las Vegas.

Lead Foot 66

I have 2021 Z51. I talked to Michelin about the Pilot SS Tires I had on a Z06 about winter driving in Western WA. They said the traction would seriously degrade below 40 degrees, and don’t even move the car if the tires get to 20 degrees or less, and get them warmed up to ~40 or so before moving the car. Otherwise, the tires could crack…their words.

Now that said, be aware Flagstaff area can get significantl snow fall in the winter. So, if it were me, I’d either do a courtesy delivery or have the car shipped, or have the tires swapped to AS4s in Bowling Green.

Good luck with your delivery.

c_r_h

@Lead Foot 66 Thanks for the advice on the 20F limit. I didn't think of that. We almost never get sustained temperatures lower than that around 35F here, so my Camaro always has summer tires. While I would really have liked the museum delivery I suppose the risk of low temperatures at altitude is too high.

AORoads

I think the potential for snow somewhere along your route is also too high.

Big Lebowski

OP - I think you’ll be fine. Kentucky is already pretty far south, and I’d head south before cutting over like your planning. That said, it is Unfortunately not the prettiest time of year to be cutting across that part of the country try but if you can swing it, museum delivery is a bucket list experience.

RKCRLR

There's also Cold, Warm, and Hot.

Harvey Huffman

My C8 was delivered to dealer in Nashville in Dec 2020. I had planned to drive back to Las Vegas but decided to ship with PLYCAR. Driver was held up 1 day with snow on I40 route - I40 is very dicey since Albuquerque is a mile high and Flagstaff is at 7000 feet. I'd ship it !

JimB.

^^^^^ This. I’m expecting Museum Delivery in the December/January timeframe and will be driving back to Minnesota.

JerriVette

The michelin P4S tires are excellent daily driver tires. That said just contact hagerty roadside and buy that. I have hagerty roadside and they have a nice 130 or 150 mile towing service. When your driving home with your z51 with michelin P4s moderate tires just use common sense yet if it gets to be an unbelievable blizzard. Just pull over and get hagerty roadside to tow you 150 miles through the monster snow storm that most probably.wont even happen but if it does you now have a hagerty towing flatbed plan.


that 150 miles should bring you past the monster snow storm if it actually occurred. Even if you become considered for whatever reason. Just call hagerty roadside.

that would be my suggestion. Of course tell them the car shut off and you need a tow . Dint tell them you tirned it off because of a massive monster snow storm etc.

i drive my c8 z51 in a couple inches of snow , I even made a video for instagram to torture a few of my friends and we all laughed. The car drives just fine with sich a heavy rear weight bias. The p4s tires are really a very nice compromise tire.

try not to worry too much.

Just my opinion.

C8NCA

"If I go the courtesy delivery route, does anyone know who the dealer(s) in/near Silicon Valley are that MacMulkin has on their approved list?"

I'm in the Monterey area just south of you. As of April when I confirmed my order, MacMulkin was suggesting Steven's Creek Chevrolet in San Jose. I took delvery at the MCN with my Z51, although it was in August so there were none of the concerns that you have. It was easy to adhere to all the break in parameters during the drive and still have some fun too. Don't worry about it.

We took Interstate 40 most of the way. If you are concerned about snow and ice just drop a little further south and take Interstate 10 instread. I did that one years ago when I moved to California. I doubt you will get any snow or ice that far south and I don't believe it adds significantly to the already 2,300 some odd mile trip. The MCN delivery is well worth the added time and expense, though, plus your C8 will be fully broken in when you get it home!

Oh, get the front lift too! You know Gavin isn't spending any of the money we're giving him on repairing our roads!!

c_r_h

@C8NCA Spot on about the road conditions. I ended up locking in the front lift. About delivery I asked MacMulkin for a timeline if I do museum delivery and which courtesy dealer they recommend. Email is sent, let's see what they say...