Anybody drive on the 5N to Norcal?

[supamannn99]

I'm taking a trip to norcal soon in my car and i'm pretty sure some of you have driven on the 5 to san fran.

my question is are the rocks on the road really a problem?

i know alot of people who tape up their cars with painters tape before they go because they're scared of the rock chips.. but should i really be worried?

[oatzel]

I've never had an problems. it's not like a mountain pass where rocks fall onto the road all the time.

but then again, i think the whole painters tape thing is kind of silly

[supamannn99]

heard theres alot of potholes and bumps in the road. you think i can average 100mph the whole way at night?

[oildrpr]

i drive it every 2-3 months, it's not bad to me.. i'm not tryin to protect my front end tho, because i'm not that anal, and my car isn't a show car. but i've never really noticed anything out of the ordinary from my trips up and back..

i wouldn't recoomend goin 100mph tho. cops like to hide out all along 5. i usually cruise about 85 the whole way, and with no traffic it takes about 5-1/2 hours.. not too shabby..

[Quattro]

freaking kev, 100 the whole way? asking for trouble are we?
5N is not too bad, pothole are potholes but I havent seen many on the 5N. Like Brian said...85 is a bit better!!!

Get a radar detector and hope for the best at 100MPH!

Also, rock chips happen nothing you can do about it...I wouldnt waste time putting painters tape, unless your going to vegas or something

-randy

[LA_AudiTR]

i drive from SF to LA every 2-3 months myself.

its not that bad - i took my s6 on a road trip recently and didnt notice any chips (major ones anyways).

i would stay clear from trucks - either pass them immediately or stay back

100 mph all the way is not realistic as there will always be traffic regardless of whether its at night or day. i used to take my Stage 3+ B6 on these trips and I loved every minute of it - especially when i have someone to "drive with" next to my car and they think they can put a spankin on my 1.8T. =)

But you can definitely go up to 120 or so for a short period of time. there are spots with no areas for cops to be hiding - you'll recognize them when you see them.

one item to note: if you have an aftermarket bumper which has been painted by a body shop, sometimes those dont hold up too well under driving conditions ...

[supamannn99]

thanks for the help guys :) my car is completely stock on the outside so i guess i shouldn't worry much

[SCs4]

I make that trip quite often to SJ. Never noticed any potholes or bumps. avg 100 can be done late at night esp on a weekday. Make sure you have your V1 and still be careful of overpasses. I've also spotted the CHP in between the divider as you go over a hill. And some behind big bushes. Oh also coming down the Grapevine. GL.

That drive is boring. The fastest I've gone is about 160 but that was 3:00am and for a short burst.

It's really not worth it trying to avg 100 because even though traffic may be light, you will always have cars, usually minivans cruising in the fast lane since the condition of the slow lane is not that good to to the trucks.

[supamannn99]

the 5 becomes a 2 lane hwy?!

[mitchholmstrom]

the 5 becomes a 2 lane hwy?!

For a very short time i believe.

[ShadyJC]

I've driven it - if you're by yourself, bugs are a bigger problem than rocks - but if there's traffic, especially trucks, then you need to worry about being hit with stuff thrown at you from the other vehicles.

Yes, you can go really fast - radar detector is a must if you will be anywhere in the triple digit range.

[oatzel]

For a very short time i believe.

or if he means 2 lanes in each direction (since he's in OC where it is 5 or 6 lanes in each direction), the answer is yes for well over 300 miles.

From north of the grapevine to a bit south of Stockton, the 5 is two lanes in each direction.

[Sly Raskal]

For a very short time i believe.

If you think the distance between Gorman and Stockton, and Stockton to Sacramento short. lol

[Audi S4 Turbo]

Just don't tail people.

[audidrver]

just a warning. cops don't use radar or laser all the time. CHP can juage your speed visually, or pace you, ask me how i know?

[supamannn99]

lol that's so bullshit. i hate that visual pacing crap.

[supamannn99]

just got back from a roundtrip from norcal. took me five hours to get back after averaging 100mph :D. hit no rocks at all but i hit too many bugs.