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Old 12-08-2020, 09:20 PM   #21
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You’ll be fine. I drove past Desert Center, CA on my way to Indio last summer. It was 120F as I passed through. Just don’t plan on sleeping in the Airstream for a while. It was heat soaked to 112F when I got to Indio. It took the little 11,500 BTU A/C unit a few hours to cool it down. The fridge worked well, but it struggled to keep 45F. The beer was still refreshing.
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Old 12-08-2020, 09:22 PM   #22
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No. Just no. don't do it. Think of the potential of something happening, and your family is stuck. Ever see 130 degrees, with no shade, no water, not a good thought even for a night mare.
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Old 12-08-2020, 09:26 PM   #23
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I'd go north. Farther north. Farther yet. North until it's April.
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Old 12-09-2020, 08:21 AM   #24
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Go for it, just bring water.
Going North along I-70 might be more picturesque, but far more desolate. Like you'll see signs that say "No Services For Next 145 Miles" desolate. And during the summer, it's all over 100 degrees any way you go. I-70 will cool off once you get to Colorado, but then you're going up over the hill, and then you're talking high altitude issues.
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Old 12-09-2020, 12:43 PM   #25
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Nevada Geo, unless you are being tongue-in-cheek I hardly see that as good advice. Sometimes with writing it's hard to see between the lines so I'm not sure if you're joking.

As everybody has said make sure your tow vehicles in good condition your tires. You already have the TMPS you should be fine.

If you like to be prepared for anything then I would say a lawn chair, a couple of umbrellas, a couple of jugs of water. have a long sleeve t-shirt some decent shoes and a head cover.These items would be for If you get stuck on the side of the road you will be comfortable while you wait for assistance.

These roadways you are speaking of are not small state highways They are major interstates. They are heavily traveled by people at all times of the day and night and assistance is never far away.

From Ojai California all the way through Phoenix would be very easy to do earlier in a day. We have rush hour here till 10:00 and it starts again at about 3:00. It is rush hour light right now because of covid. If you can pass through before then it will be clear sailing. If for some reason best laid plans of mice and men go sideways and you have to spend the night here and it's a particularly hot day that will be a challenge. Plugging in somewhere getting cooled down and getting comfortable would not be ideal but it's likely there would be no reason to stay in Phoenix if you're only coming from Ojai.

Safe travels. although it's considered the desert it's not really the desert like the Sahara. Your biggest stretch of no services will be from Indio to the far West side of Phoenix. At the state line there's plenty of gas and services and places to stay if you need to.
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Old 12-13-2020, 09:28 AM   #26
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As a kid I remember my parents traveling from MI to CA. They told us about how they had to drive the desert at night with bags of ice on the engine to keep it from overheating. They were probably driving a late 40s model Car. Don’t remember specifically. My times have changed.
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Old 12-13-2020, 09:31 AM   #27
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Living in Phoenix (if that's what you mean by Desert) we don't stop driving even on the hottest days. Just take care that your tires are in good condition. When climbing longer grades it may tell you to turn off your air conditioner if your engine temp starts to climbs. That would just be for a short duration as you complete your climb.

^^^x2 I live in Mesa and totally agree. Get a good TPMS and rely on the science of tire engineering. Although if it were me I would probably take I-40 east instead of I-10. Unless the wife had a different plan of course.
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Old 12-13-2020, 10:44 AM   #28
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I - 40 cooler at night due to elevation.

If you want to cool off at night, try I 40. Flagstaff is at 7000 ft, Gallup at 7000 ft and Albuquerque at 5000 feet. After that if winds down into the plains.
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Old 12-13-2020, 11:43 AM   #29
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I have to pull my AS from Southern California to North Carolina in July. I can get through the Western US on I-10, I-40, or I-70. Would I be crazy in attempting the two southern routes to get across the desert in July? I am primarily concerned about my tires and overheating my tow vehicle (a '20 Ford Expedition with tow package).
Tires, tires and tires. Both on your Expedition and your AS. Personally, I do not trust trailer rated tires. I prefer E rated LT tires all around, truck and trailer. Also have a Trailer Aid just incase you do have a tire issue.
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Old 12-13-2020, 01:07 PM   #30
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My first trip west we left Needles at 103 degrees at 8 am pulling a tent camper. The temperature had dropped out of triple figures at midnight the night before. The sign said next services 125 miles. My wife said fine, I was not planning on stopping anyway.

Enjoy the trip. Keep the road service subscription paid up.

I have no experience with I 10 in the west. I like I 40. I like I 70 also if it is not too far north.
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Old 12-13-2020, 03:06 PM   #31
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Tires tires tires... Assuming you are running 85 psi tires at 75 "for comfort", consider the load of the trailer against the air pressure. 85 is not the max max, but a guideline. Other key factors are age and tire design.. There are times for comfort and times for safety.

Start your day with your 85 psi tires more than 12 pounds low on air pressure when you start in the cool of the morning... and after a few hours driving across the desert in full sun and extreme hot temperatures on the black asphalt you may find blisters about six inches long on the treads, assuming they did not fail catastrophically during the day.

Commercial trucks consider a tire run 15% below the specified air pressure for the load to be a "run flat" even if it looks fine. They will pull the tire.

Don't push it by traveling in extreme conditions. Your tires may be your weakest link
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Old 12-13-2020, 03:53 PM   #32
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Do it.

Last summer I did route 20. 109 degrees when we pulled into the Big Texan in Amarillo. I paid close attention to proper tire inflation but really no issues. Even with our single A/C 30 amp FC30. It takes an hour or two to cool down the trailer during which time you grab a cold one from the fridge and zip dee under the tree in the endless Texas breeze, while the AC does it’s thing. I was impressed that our fridge worked so well even in this extreme heat. At the Big Texan RV park they bring your steak dinner right to your campsite. Nice.
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Old 12-15-2020, 07:27 AM   #33
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Overheating engines was not uncommon when I was young. But today's engines are a different animal. We are on our 4th Expedition and we live in the Mojave. If you have maintained your vehicl, and since it's new that may consist of no more than having put gasoline in it, you should be just fine.
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Old 12-18-2020, 04:50 PM   #34
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Heat

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Originally Posted by pwlldvd View Post
Most important: keep your wine and chocolate in the fridge!
Keep anything you don't want to be 100 degrees in the fridge. If you are at all like me, the trailer will take at least 2 hours to cool down enough to sleep.

The Airstream's tires, particularly if you have trailer tires, are the weak links to your setup. Most modern vehicles have no problem with hot temperatures.

I check my trailer tires more than the tow vehicle. I often pull our trailer in 100 +degree temperatures and keep the speeds lower than 65 and never have problems . The faster you go the hotter your tires will get and the closer to a blowout.

Other than the trailer tires you should be golden.

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Old 12-18-2020, 05:45 PM   #35
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I had no idea this thread would be so popular and I really appreciate all the comments. I've taken them all into account and have devised the following route, if you're interested:

Ojai to Kingman, AZ
Kingman to Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon to Grants, NM
Grants to Lubbock, TX
Lubbock to Austin, TX
Austin to Mandeville, LA (Fontainebleau State Park)
Mandeville to Miramar Beach, FL (Camp Gulf)
Miramar Beach to Opelika, AL
Opelika to Charlotte, NC

This route will be a little less hot than I-10, but I'll make sure the tires are properly inflated (they'll still be pretty new) and I will drive like a snail!
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Old 12-18-2020, 07:03 PM   #36
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I-40 is a major truck route, but all the major east/west interstates have lots of traffic. I-70 would be cooler in places, but there are several passes that scare some people. Vehicles and tires are far superior to anything sold when I was young. Good quality tires should be fine. The Airstream is not well insulated. Put Reflectix on the windows and fans to reflect heat and use awning on west side when in campground to make it easier to cool down trailer. You could take I-80 and be further north, but crossing the west means desert even into Oregon and Idaho
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Old 12-19-2020, 02:21 PM   #37
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Tire pressure will be your down fall if you don’t watch them every morning before starting out. Do not run at max pressure, we have TST tire monitor have our Goodyear Endurance at 65 psi and have seen them clime to 74 psi during the day travel, so if you run at max to start out with you can see that you will run way over the max pressure. I weigh our trailer and inflate to what Goodyear says to for the weight that we are loaded to,
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Old 12-20-2020, 08:06 AM   #38
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Everything I've read about tire inflation agrees that it's normal for pressure to increase when driven in hot conditions. Maximum tp takes this known factor into consideration. I set pressure to the recommended setting for the vehicle when tires are cold. But not what is stamped on the tire.
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Old 12-20-2020, 08:51 AM   #39
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Tire pressure will be your down fall if you don’t watch them every morning before starting out. Do not run at max pressure, we have TST tire monitor have our Goodyear Endurance at 65 psi and have seen them clime to 74 psi during the day travel, so if you run at max to start out with you can see that you will run way over the max pressure. I weigh our trailer and inflate to what Goodyear says to for the weight that we are loaded to,
DANGER. This is Fake News.

Always set your tire pressures when the tires are COLD, and don't worry about what pressure they may max out at during the heat of the day. The tire designers and engineers have taken all of these things into account.
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Old 12-20-2020, 06:19 PM   #40
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The maximum pressure is set by the manufacturer and they take into account the normal heating up of the tire during use. The maximum pressure is not the best pressure for most people. Do your research for your vehicles. Tires pressure increases from 5-12 lbs. I am guessing from memory. It depends on which side faces the sun, ambient temperatures and speed.

With summer temperatures increasing, travel in southern Arizona may not be the best idea in the future. Is there info on how hot various brands can get before they fail? With Phoenix temps seeming to be approaching 115-120˚, what is the limit for tires, A/C and people?
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