2k drive back home, how should I treat it?

[bioned]

so, my truck is scheduled for production in March, probably won't see it til May, but all I these days is read and watch about it.

I will be driving 2000ish miles back home. Asking here because 2k mile drive right after delivery is somewhat uncommon, and I know break in periods aren't as important in modern vehicles.

That said, I am FAR from car person. Don't know how anything works. How should I treat the drive? I plan on breaking it down in 3 or 4 nights.

8~9 hour drives a day. I won't floor the gas or maintain high RPM. Tho, I will be on highway so high RPM in certain situations is kinda inevitable, unless its a must that I avoid.

Planning on oil change and replace oil filter once I get home.

What else? First time buying a new vehicle.

Thanks in advance!

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[desmobob]

I drove mine home from Iowa to the eastern border of NY; 1600+ miles in four days and three nights.

I took it easy the first two days, soft on the throttle, trying to vary my speed and keeping my top speed down. I made a couple of long stops; long enough for the engine to cool all the way down.

After that, I pretty much drove it normally (I'd call my driving style "conservative."). I brought it to the local Ford dealer for an oil change at 2K. All good so far!

Have a safe trip home!

 

[Scott Asheville]

For $500 or maybe a bit more (been 5 years since I last shipped) any number of car carrier companies will transport it. I paid $500 to have a Miata shipped from CT to NC and it was the best money I ever spent. At 50 cents a mile (probably more now) for gas, depreciation, etc, my true cost would have been $420, plus lodging, plus meals (839 mile trip). And I would have lost two days salary or given up a weekend. It was super easy and I had zero regrets.

On the other hand, if you enjoy road trips, the above doesn't apply.

 

[bioned]

For $500 or maybe a bit more (been 5 years since I last shipped) any number of car carrier companies will transport it. I paid $500 to have a Miata shipped from CT to NC and it was the best money I never spent. At 50 cents a mile (probably more now) for gas, depreciation, etc, my true cost would have been $420, plus lodging, plus meals (839 mile trip). And I would have lost two days salary or given up a weekend. It was super easy and I had zero regrets.

On the other hand, if you enjoy road trips, the above doesn't apply.

I was looking into that, until I ran into the $1500 pricetag. NY to CO.

 

[jewc75]

Drive it like you stole it. It has a warranty, if its going to break its going to break. I do this on all new vehicles and ive done well not having any issues.

 

[MaveLick]

I would drive it the way I want to drive and enjoy the trip.

 

[maggie06]

For $500 or maybe a bit more (been 5 years since I last shipped) any number of car carrier companies will transport it. I paid $500 to have a Miata shipped from CT to NC and it was the best money I ever spent. At 50 cents a mile (probably more now) for gas, depreciation, etc, my true cost would have been $420, plus lodging, plus meals (839 mile trip). And I would have lost two days salary or given up a weekend. It was super easy and I had zero regrets.

On the other hand, if you enjoy road trips, the above doesn't apply.

Don't forget that extra 3 months added to get delivered.

 

[JG307]

I just did about 1300 miles to get mine home. I pretty much played the throttle like a sustain pedal on a piano to keep the RPMs changing. Was that good for the engine? Was that bad for the engine? It probably makes no difference.

 

[bioned]

Drive it like you stole it. It has a warranty, if its going to break its going to break. I do this on all new vehicles and ive done well not having any issues.

this is the way.

 

[Mav_RICK]

so, my truck is scheduled for production in March, probably won't see it til May, but all I these days is read and watch about it.

I will be driving 2000ish miles back home. Asking here because 2k mile drive right after delivery is somewhat uncommon, and I know break in periods aren't as important in modern vehicles.

That said, I am FAR from car person. Don't know how anything works. How should I treat the drive? I plan on breaking it down in 3 or 4 nights.

8~9 hour drives a day. I won't floor the gas or maintain high RPM. Tho, I will be on highway so high RPM in certain situations is kinda inevitable, unless its a must that I avoid.

Planning on oil change and replace oil filter once I get home.

What else? First time buying a new vehicle.

Thanks in advance!

Don't red line it, don't use cruise control. The longer trip is likely better than little short trips.

 

[bbhaag]

I think you will be fine just driving it like you normally would. Just an FYI here is what the owners manual suggests for the break in period of the first 1,000 miles.

 

[JerseyMike]

The only thing about a long drive that I'd be cautious of is a constant RPM for prolonged periods. Try to accelerate and decelerate on the highway like you aren't good at using cruise control.

 

[dalola]

Ford's bonehead omission of select-shift on the Mav makes it difficult to vary rpm without changing speed.

So, try to adjust your speed while on long stretches of highway by 10-15 mph every 10-15 minutes, if it's safe to do so. Also wise to check the oil prior to starting, and again midway, to verify no abnormal consumption. Ensure tire pressures are correct.

Otherwise, pretty much normal driving. Don't be afraid to do some aggressive heavy-throttle (not WOT) pulls, say up to 4k rpm or so. Within limits of course, a more aggressive approach is better than a light approach, for the first 500-1000 miles.

Bottom line, no matter what you do, it will probably be fine. But why not at least make an attempt to stack the deck in your favor?

Good luck!

 

[JBryant]

Don't red line it, don't use cruise control. The longer trip is likely better than little short trips.

Just did a 1200 mi ie a day and a half. The only frustration was that could not get true picture of Hybrid because it was all interstate driving. Think I had a grand total of 3.2 mi electric out of 1200 mi.

Well, did have one other problem from Detroit to Dallas. Missed an exit and got a tour of St Louis at night

 

[desmobob]

Well, did have one other problem from Detroit to Dallas. Missed an exit and got a tour of St Louis at night

I was headed east through that area and I got a tour of East St. Louis, IL while trying to find the place to get a good photo of the St. Louis and the arch from the Illinois side of the river (Malcom Martin Park).

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