LONG Road Trip! TIPS?

OK. My wife and 3 little girls are going to Daytona Beach Florida Starting April 1st. From Southern Kentucky. Going to stay 4 Nites in daytona then go over to Sarasota for 4 Nites. Then
Head home. Around 1700 miles+- round trip. My wife has a new Kia SUV but actually wants to take my new truck!
My truck is a 2015 DCSB SR5 4x4. Just installed a OME 3inch lift along with wheels and 33inch MT tires. Thinking about switching my mud tires for All Terrains before we go. Still to be determined. I dont have any problems with my truck and other then the dreaded diff bearing I had issues with after lift it has been pretty good so far. I went with the TSB bearing by the way since warrenty covered it.
Is there anything I should do or buy before we start? Im going to have oil changed regardless of milage before we go. An will check all fluids. Im sure there is some guys on here that take some long trips in there tacoma. Any advice?
Oh and I will have 3 kids in the back seat going down but my Grandmother is going to meet us down there and will be taking one or two of them back with them on the way back. So it wont be as crowded. Also thinking about buying a topper before we leave. To keep things dry in the bed of course. Thanks for the tips in adance.

 

BTW Was planing on going fishing while in sarasota. Have fished daytona several times and prefer the gulf. So I see St. Petes marina will be in my area. Anyone have any suggestions? Need to book a charter asap.

 

I am heading to FL first week of April also, 1100 miles one way from NE Indianer

I was thinking getting AAA might be a good idea.

I am going to put my 96 quart Pelican cooler in the bed and use it as a dry storage box plus I have a really big water resistant duffel bag.

It will be me, my wife and my two sons who will bicker with each other the entire effing way...

 

I would definitely not swap out tires because of a road trip in this case. Use your MT's. They will be a little louder but hey - you're going to be with your wife and 3 kids. I bet you won't even hear the tires.

A cap/canopy/camper/topper is a good idea. You can usually pick up a good one used between 500-1000 if you want to save some cash.

Make sure you have a spare that matches the diameter of your upgraded tires in the event you have to throw on the spare and drive any considerable distance.

Join Audible.com and download some audiobooks. They are the best way to pass time on a long drive.

Don't worry about the distance - your truck won't even break a sweat with that kind of mileage over a couple weeks. Don't bother with your oil unless its due, and you can always get it done somewhere along the way at a drive-thru place if you aren't particular about doing your own oil changes. I don't like those places but I'm just saying - don't feel like you need to overdo it preparing for a trip of this length.

 

A shell/topper is the best modification you can do to your truck IMO, but not everyone agrees. Of course mine is on permanently too.

I've done road trips of 1500, 2000 and 3000 miles. Surprisingly comfortable, though the 3000 mile trip at the end was pretty tiresome

 

Cap is a very valuable improvement, road trip or not. Make sure you check your air fliter and cabin air filters before you go, and an oil change if necessary. Also, it would be wise to bring jumper cables, just in case

 

An emergency road kit is always good. Costco often has some. I would suggest grabbing some large garbage bags to take with you, especially if you don't get the topper. We put our luggage in them to keep them dry on long road trips and they will be good to use for sandy shoes/clothes from the beach. A large cooler with drinks/snacks is always a must have for our road trips.

Out east you should be fine, but still think about your fuel stops and don't push it too far. We have made road trips to the west coast from Colorado and you can find BIG stretches without any services.

 

I was raised in an still have some kin in crawfordsville indiana. The cooler is a good idea. Will be packing my big cooler along the way too. Good luck. Nothing like 12hrs on thenroad with kids an wife. I plan to make the trip at nite. Maybe they will sleep most of it. I dont mind driving at night anyway.

 

Im just crazy about changing my oil. Im the guy who never goes over 3k in anything. I use my trucks but i like to pamper them too. Will get new air filters too. I let toyota do my first oil change. Because of the 2 yr toyota care bs that came with the new truck. They overfilled it over course an i dumped it an put the right level in it soon as i got home. Not the first time they have done me this way either. I would rather be low a little then high a little on oil. Just what i habe always been told so i stick to it.
I didnt think to get a full sized spare so thanks for bringing that up guys will get one on the way asap. There is a big difference between my 33 11.5 17s an my spare which is stock 245 70 17. Hope it fits under truck if not i will make room.
wish i could find a good used leather/vinal topper for sale. I would buy a new one. But have plans on a tool box. An dont want a hard topper because i will be hualing dead deer an turkeys alot in my new truck soon as always.

 

Any other ideas. Thanks for the above ideas. Taking notes trust me. I dont wanna forget anything an be 700 miles from home. With 3 babys an a wife. That would SUCK. Anybody know if new tacomas come with free road side assstance incase something happened an i needed help. I will pack tools an have credit cards but just wondering i cant remember if you get any free roadside asstance when i got my truck or not.

 

No different that preparing for a trip in any other vehicle. Unless your oil will fall due to be changed in the ~2k of driving you'll be doing, don't bother. Even if you run 500-1k over, no big deal. Road miles are the easiest oil/engines ever see. Nice stable speeds, loads and temperatures. But if you've not had it on a road trip before, have a qt with you, of whatever is in it now, to top up if needed.

It's also a good time to put a big bottle of Techron injector cleaner in the gas. Run that tank down fairly far so you get the full benefit of the cleaner. Refilling before doing that will over dilute the remainder.

Some type of bed cover is good, but even plastic tubs with your stuff in them will suffice for weather. But unless whatever you add is lockable, you're gonna want to secure it at night anyway.

Personally, I'd take the Kia. Better MPG, better comfort, everything already enclosed/securable, and you don't describe any activity that will need the 4wd. Just say'in.

Whatever you do, be prepared for heavy traffic. The combination of spring breaks for both colleges and elementary/high schools, combined with many of our snowbirds getting ready to head home is gonna be killer in that time slot. So much that I try to stay off the roads, don't try to go to any restaurants other than a couple of neighborhood mom and pops, don't go to the beach, and just use my kayak to fish in the bay out of some out of the way parks.

 

Wet wipes

 

The reason i let my wife talk me into taking my truck is because you can drive on the beach in daytona. Have you ever done that? Wonder if it would be even worth paying to drive on it? I have to admit the mud tires scare me when it comes to sand anyway. But i thought it would be cool to maybe drive a little peice down the beach an set up in the back of my truck when we got there while kids play. I know im crazy. Ha. Oh an before i forget sure then kia gets alot better mileage an controls better when driving down the road. But last yr we took the kia to panama city an it drove an done great but was still crowded an storage space in back isnt much. Not to mentiom the suspension is very stiff on the kia. I personally think the yota rides better. But kia handles better if you know what i mean.
I know its a bad time to go. But we too are going then because my oldest girl will be on spring break then too.

 

You certainly don't need the truck to do that. It's quite firm.

Of course. St. Augustine as well. Although Daytona is a good bit wider.

It's $10 to allow you off and on the whole day. If you're going to be there 1/2 day or more, it's a good value. Just know when the tides are so you leave in time. On occasion there is NO beach left at high tide.

It's not really loose sand, it's hard packed. There's no dune running/jumping or anything like that going on. It's just cruising on hard sand. You might leave tire tracks.

Absolutely. Of course the SUV will work for that too........

 

I live in Daytona and we own a Taco and a Kia... both will get stuck in the sand on the beach if you drive where you aren't supposed to be... hence my pre-runner getting buried up to the frame (long story)...and no 4 wheel drive would not have helped me. OP if I were you I would just go with it...tires, oil changes... blah blah... your on vacation so just relax and enjoy the ride and time with the family

 

^ This. I got it so my wife wouldn't get stranded when my daughter was a baby. Its paid for itself.

 

You're going to have to make room. You can throw in a skinny 33 for a spare too - doesn't need to be a wide tire if you want to save some room and weight. 255/80r17 is the same diameter but only 10" wide.

 

Not necesarily truck related but I took mine about 4 hours north last weekend. An ipod with an auxiliary cord and snacks are essential. People overlook food and drink. Also Windex or some kind of window cleaner. Sometimes you hit a freak snowfall where they dump a ton of salt and you run out of washer fluid lol

 

I used a tarp in the past but am buying a soft topper. My girls and I drove from OK to Yellowstone this past year and then from OK to Destin. My tips. Get a soft topper. We also found airplane neck pillows work decent in a truck. I also take a dishwasher scrubbing brush to scrub bugs off the windshield in the summer. Sometimes you will hit a hatch and its crazy how many you will hit and how bad it kills your night vision. The truck stop washers just don't cut it. Oh....Take a cooler...make sure the drain plug is closed...dont put your sleeping bags on the bottom where if the drain plug came open it would leak water onto your sleeping bags...

 

I Always have these items in the truck for longer trips.
Booster Pack, Air compressor, a small bag of often used tools, First Aid Kit, Shovel, A Good Spare, Phone Chargers for Emergencies, Small Spare Fuel Tank, Warm Clothes/Sleeping Bag ( Just in case you have to spend the night on the side of the road) Candles, water And anything else you can think of to make your trip more comfortable! Another item I always make sure I have In the truck ( I know a few people who take them out nightly because of theft) but your locking lug key ( if you have a lock) Obviously wouldn't want to blow a tire and have to deal with trying to smash one of those damn things off at night lol