How not to end a 3,000 mile road trip...

[HankLloydRight]

If anyone goes to CP here are some tips:

First, there's a new Supercharger right on the main road in Sandusky, making it real convenient.

Second, book a room at Hotel Breakers. It's on the more expensive side, but you're RIGHT IN THE PARK. You can roll out of bed and into the park in like 3 minutes. You also get one-hour early entry into the park. They also have three pools and hot-tubs which are awesome at the end of the day. And you don't have to drive anywhere else or off the peninsula. It's worth the extra expense. One note: When I arrived in my room, it smelt heavily of cleaning solution and vomit (not really surprising), so I had to request a different room, which I got.

Third, BUY THE FASTLANE PLUS for $100. It's worth at least double that to not have to wait in long lines for most all rides (Steel Vengeance was the odd exception). Most other rides you can almost walk-on.

 

[Duffer]

Glad to hear that nobody was hurt. Hopefully, the rims are ok.

I'm interested in hearing about your road trip. I might have missed it, can you post a link to your trip thread?

 

[HankLloydRight]

I didn't do a road trip thread. I didn't think it would be all that interesting to anyone else. But in a nutshell:

• Newton/Conover,NC (near Charlotte): Laser Enthusiast Meeting (LEM) -- think Comicon but for nerds who play with lasers. This year I got my Laser Safety Officer (LSO) training and certification. I also brought a singing Tesla Coil to the event. Yes, I brought a Tesla coil in a Tesla. I hear that joke every year.
• Asheville, NC: Stopped to charge and got lunch at a great little Israeli cafe (Jerusalem Garden Cafe), and sampled some truffles at The Chocolate Fetish
• Dwight, IL: Stopped by to visit a friend who is opening up a Meadery.
• Chicago, IL: DeLorean Convention and Show -- think Comicon but for nerds who play around with DeLoreans. We had about 100 cars show up, including the D-Rex, and several Back to the Future replica cars. Lots of great speakers including Bob Gale (writer) and Michael Scheffe who designed the BTTF car and Knight Rider (what a great guy -- he even complimented Franz on his designs.)
• Sandusky, OH: Cedar Point (see post above).

Spoiler: LSO

 

[JPP]

Might want to have a look at your suspension components--be sure there is no hidden damage. And after you do the rims and tires, an alignment is in order.

 

[navinsiri]

I drive these NJ highways everyday and my tires have become a victim to them a few times. Thankfully they repaved pretty much the entire NJ turnpike so it’s been smooth since

 

[HankLloydRight]

I looked at the dashcam footage.. The shoulder pavement was totally clear and even -- EXCEPT for the exact spot my car slid into the shoulder. You can see the pothole in the three sequential images below.

If my car had veered 5 more inches to the right, I would have straddled the pothole and avoided all damage.

If you tried to hit that pothole square on both right tires, I bet you couldn't hit it like I did 19 times out of 20.

Right before impact:

 

[Russell]

I wonder how long that pothole has been there and how many motorists have sustained tire/wheel damage.

 

[Ciaopec]

TTD and Millenium Force are my favorite coasters** at CP. I was there for 1.5 days. I arrived on Sunday afternoon and went straight to the park and TTD... just as a flood of people are flowing out of the ride line. Ride was down, not sure when it would be back up again. Drats. Hopefully it's up the next day (Monday) where I was at the park all day.

Glad your damage was not worse and that it happened at the end of the trip.

Until recently I lived close to Cedar Point and loved to ride the best collection of coasters anywhere.

Then I bought a Tesla. Never a line!

 

[Joe F]

Judging by the line of oil across the lane, that hole has been there quite a while, and appears to have many victims.

I hate NJ roads. I've lost several windshields on the RT 1 corridor in years past with the NY trash haulers returning from dumping in upstate PA, and appearing to return with tons of stone dropping off them with the (then) rough, almost speed bump like RT 1 lanes in the Trenton area. Didn't matter how far back you were from them either as the stones bounced seemingly forever.

Glad your repair sounds inexpensive, but sucks to end a trip that way.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Both rims are bent. I wonder if I can file a claim against New Jersey DOT.

 

[Joe F]

Both rims are bent. I wonder if I can file a claim against New Jersey DOT.

They just might send Chris Christie with a sledge hammer.

Interesting idea though, given the video evidence and the road tattoo proving it's been neglected for a while...

 

[HankLloydRight]

Might want to have a look at your suspension components--be sure there is no hidden damage. And after you do the rims and tires, an alignment is in order.

Put the new rims and tires on yesterday.. first test drive today -- all seems normal, including autopilot.

My only concern at this point, is that both right tires are new (Hankook Ventus V12 evo2), and the driver's side are about (estimated) 50% to 65% tread left (same tires, or course). I have to go out and measure later.

I wonder if the slight difference in outside diameter is going to affect the differentials since the right/left wheels will be rotating at a slightly different speed. Maybe it's not enough to worry about.

 

[jlv1]

Like I said, these two coasters were the best rides in the park. But they've both been unseated by Steel Vengeance. HANDS DOWN. ... Right next to SV was Maverick, another newer ride.

The last time we went to CP (and stayed at the Breakers) was when Maverick was brand new; I'd forgotten about it as I've only ridden it twice.

Well, because of your posting we've decided to head to Cedar Point for HalloWeekends this year just to experience Steel Vengeance! This will be our longest trip in the S so far. ABetterRoutePlanner tells me 1400 miles in 22 hours, with 4 SuperCharger stops each way (plus charging overnight at my in-laws in Buffalo and at CP, which is why we won't need the SC at Sandusky).

 

[HankLloydRight]

You. Will. Not. Be. Disappointed!

If the lines are too long, get the FastLane Plus.

 

[jlv1]

Weather this weekend is looking great!

 

[artsci]

Sorry to hear about the bad luck Hank but it sounds like you had a great trip.Keep us posted on the damage to the rims.

 

[EVSteve]

45 psi sounds low imo. Unless it’s cold outside I rarely run below 47 psi and in the 49-51 range when warm. Granted I’m on 22” but it’s a thought.

 

[jlv1]

We had a fabulous time. Thanks for the recommendations. Fast Lane let us ride Steel Vengeance 4 times even when the line was 2 hours long all day!

And now for the 700 mile drive home...

All the RV spaces were full, so we only could charge at a wall outlet at the Breakers. So we've got an extra SC stop on the way home.

 

[jlv1]

We had a fabulous time. Thanks for the recommendations. Fast Lane let us ride Steel Vengeance 4 times even when the line was 2 hours long all day!

And now for the 700 mile drive home...

All the RV spaces were full, so we only could charge at a wall outlet at the Breakers. So we've got an extra SC stop on the way home.

 

[Corsair]

Recently spent 2 weeks in NJ, NY, MA, DC in a rental Nissan Rouge and I must say I now appreciate why most East Coast Tesla owners complain about blown tires from pot holes. There are everywhere and hard to avoid and some of them are like craters !