Current route is Topeka to Wichita, then OKC then Dallas. I thought about going through Tulsa but those are smaller towns less likely to have a Porsche mechanic. This way I should be no further than an hour or so from a major city.

The shop can't do the oil tubes this week, no parts. The mechanic said the leaks were minor and he thinks it should be fine to drive. He also said the tires look good, lots of tread and no signs of wear so I am gonna get the CV clamp put on and saddle up.

Sounds like a great adventure, post lots of pics!

Now it sounds like a plot for a Micheal Fox movie where you have to stay in a town until after the pumpkin festival.
What the heck, I flew to Phoenix last year, bought a Vanagon I saw on the internet and drove it straight home, didn't even check the fluids.

I really think the car will be fine, worst case scenario I have a friend who is willing to be my emergency backup and drive to where I am with a trailer if I break down. Plus I have the whole week off so if I do go all "Doc Hollywood" at least I won't miss any work...

Hey it was the experience of a lifetime for those guys!! (especially the part where I left town with the engine out and they had to put it in first to drive it cross country)..
Nice memory Gogar...

Bought mine about 200 miles from home. Drove it back. I was on the naive side and really did nothing. Had no problems, but even so, better side on the safe side. Lots of advice on the pre-drive.
After the car checks out enjoy the drive!!

I bought my car @ 9 years ago. Hadn't heard of Pelican and didn't know what a PPI was. Bought it locally from a used car dealer, paid for it and drove it home, 1980 SC 120,000miles. 2 months later I checked the oil and drove to spring break in Daytona. I carried a floor jack, overalls and a loaded tool box. Didn't need any of it. With the toolin' round town it was probably 2000 miles round trip. I just figured it was German, thats what they're built to do.

The only problem was going thru Georgia, the posted speed limit was 75mph. My speedo wasn't working properly and kept registering @ 95.

Have a sfe trip.

Drove my 72 1100 miles over 5 days. I will never forget that trip.

Tires and hose.

They did visually inspect the cam lobes, right ? A MUST.

Do it
 

I just bought my 86 Carrera, which I had never seen, ordered 2 new tires for it had them delivered to a shop where they were put on just before I drove 3000 miles from LA to NYC in 5 days. It was an amazing trip !
One lucky thing was a mate who is a real P car nut came over from the UK to share the drive and the experience which was very cool. It was nice to have someone who knows the 911 to share the driving with, yours is not so far , but still a co pilot makes it more fun.
Drive it home you will not regret it.

Lol!

Sent you a PM with my number, I'm sure you won't need it.

I understand the idea, but common sense tells me that you not have the car worked on until it is actually yours. Spend an extra $79 and get a hotel room, enjoy Topeka :rolleyes:, and give the shop 1 day to perform the absolutely necessary maint. on YOUR car. SmileWavy

Well as it turns out the only thing I can get done is a clamp on the CV boot that is missing. Can't imagine that will be too much.

Looks like I get a couple projects to do when I get home! Pop my mechanic's cherry and all that...

Why not shoot Wayne an email or PM and ask him what he thinks... I'm sure he would give you advice you could trust.

And he might have some interesting and relevant stories, too. :)

"Whether a tire is old and unsafe cannot be detected by the naked eye. Tires undergo an aging process even when they are not in use. The rubber loses its elasticity, the steel webbing corrodes and the rubber hardens."
Tire & Automotive Industries Recommend Replacing Unused Car Tires After 10 Years

"In a statement from the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) issued on June 5, 2001 regarding the age of tires they state, "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tires should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old and that all tires should be replaced 10 years from the date of their manufacture." Tire age can be accelerated by a variety of environmental factors, such as sunlight exposure and coastal climates. Poor storage and infrequent use of your vehicle are other things that can accelerate tire age.

...you cannot tell the safety of an old tire just by looking at it since there are no conclusive tests for the safety of tires without destroying the tire itself!

Due to this, some European car manufacturers of high performance sports cars, coupes and sedans have hedged their bets, stating in their owners manuals that the tire age should reach no higher than 6 years."
Tire Safety: How Old Is Too Old? by Bob Martin

With all due respect, WTF do you expect a trade organisation representing the tire industry to say?? I'm surprised they don't say to replace any tires over 3 years old. :rolleyes:

Steel inside of tire belt corrodes?? They were horse-laughing and pissing themselves when they wrote that. GMAFB...

I bought an old MB diesel in Long Island, NY., several years ago and drove it back to L.A. on the interstate. I was stuck on the east coast w/ some equipment to haul so I just picked-up a cheap car. It was neglected. The tires looked ok but it made a "flapping" sound at certain speeds, approx. 20-80 mph. :D

When I finally got it home to CA., 3k miles of freeway later, I had it on a rack for some reason and lo and behold, one rear tire was worn-down to the cords on the inside where I failed to see it on a casual inspection. That was the flapping sound. It had obviously been rotated to the rear after some front-end work corrected the suspension issue that caused the tire damage.

Yes, I was a moron for not checking the car out better before hitting the road but the point is that some of the advice and fear offered here could come straight from my nervous aunt Nellie. You have to play the odds in life. You have a better chance of getting elected Pope and fking Cindy Crawford in the same day as having a high-quality tire designed and speed-rated for 160 mph blow-up on the interstate in cool weather because it's over 6 years old, for chrissakes... :rolleyes:

Jiffy Lube recommends changing oil and filter every other lunar cycle whether you drive the car or not. Can't be too careful.

I bought a 914-6 that had undergone a restoration over a period of 10 to 15 years. The tires on it were old (between 10 and 15 years, can't remember the exact age) but had covered 0 miles when I bought the car. They had flat-spotted, so I only ran them a few hundred miles while I was sorting the car out, then they got replaced. When they were dismounted, all of the beads were damaged. It was likely from the dismounting process but the beads were literally coming apart, in chunks. The cords were broken, the rubber was severely cracked, etc.



JR

Come on Denis, we all play the odds every time we get in the car, on an airplane or go up in a high-rise office building. . . those are risks we can't really avoid in modern life.

The risk that a weather-cracked tire comes apart under high speed, making the car uncontrollable, is an avoidable risk and a cheaply unavoidable one. Friend of my old man went for a cross country cruise in a street rod with eight year old tires, one of them blew out, he walked away, wife ended up in a halo (fortunately not WITH a halo).

I'm with you on the nervous nelly thing but since they have to be changed anyway why take the risk?

I'd be happy to post the pictures of THREE independent high-speed tire failures I had travelling from California to Minnesota a couple years ago. First happened after I descended Tioga Pass (I shudder if it happened down the pass). Second happened 30 miles later (in BFE Nevada). Third happened in Iowa. All three were 65mph in a 19,500 pound vehicle with 10/32 tread, appearing to be in good shape. Tires were only 7 years old, by DOT marking. I had to cut one off by hand with a sharp knife. Fun times.

I say wing it. Live a little