Quote:
|
Originally Posted by paul street
Having never traversed the Rockies at this latitude, have always taken the southern routes, what should I expect on a planned return home?
In December we will be going east via 10- and 40. But, returning to the west coast, am 'thinking' of coming back via 80.
My question is ... which way is the worse ... eastbound ... or westbound?
My tow vehicle is a 2002 Jeep v6 with aftermarket tow package installed; cooler, hitch ... but nothing on rear end ratio. TM is 2720sl.
Should I try and avoid the higher altitudes on 80 by going south and skirting around it ... or plunge ahead? Heretofore my 'package' has done pretty well with the grades around Bishop, California and the high sierra grades around Carson City, Nevada.
Thanks
Paul  |
I-80 and I-40 are roughly equivalent in maximum altitudes/grades, etc., with I-80 perhaps being a little worse in Utah and parts of Wyoming.
I-40 is at its highest and steepest around Flagstaff AZ (about 7000 feet) and again around Gallup, NM (Continental Divide at roughly 5000 feet) but I don't recall anything worse than what you're used to around Carson City (again around 7000 feet if memory serves me).
I-80 has its biggest grades in the Wahsatch mountains just east of Salt Lake but maximum altitudes are in the 7500 foot range. I-80 rises to a little over 8000 a couple of times across Wyoming but it's basically just rolling hills...no real mountains except for a short stretch just west of Cheyenne. I-80 is very popular with truckers because it is a fairly easy passage across the Rockies. I would NOT try to tow a TM with your Jeep over I-80 in the winter though...both Wyoming and Utah have ferocious winter blizzards that sometimes close that road for multiple days plus the cross winds in Wyoming are in the 50 to 70 mph range pretty regularly during the winter.
I-70 through Colorado is the one you want to avoid if you are concerned about mountain grades and high altitudes. Truckers
hate I-70 because it's so challenging...there's very little through truck traffic on it because it's so hard on (and for) trucks. Plus I-70 is frequently very icy/snowpacked at the higher elevations during the winter...it would be very challenging to try tow your TM across the mountains on this route.
Recommendation: If you're going east in December, do it over the southerly routes (I-10 or I-40). Even I-40 can get pretty nasty around Flagstaff and Gallup in the wintertime. If you're returning west this winter, don't try I-80 either...it would be OK for towing from about mid-April onward.
I-70 crosses Vail Pass at 10,600 and goes
under the Continental Divide via the 1.1 mile long Eisenhower tunnels...
but the tunnel entrances are at 11,100. That 3.7L V6 engine in your Liberty will be taxed to the maximum by the combination of these altitudes and the 8 to 10 mile long 7% grades on both sides of these high points. Add in ice and snowpack and you could easily have a very traumatic trip. The main reason I traded a Jeep Cherokee for my Tundra was the Cherokee (with a bigger, more powerful engine than the Liberty) was just not powerful enough to adequately tow a 2720SL on I-70. Keep one thought in mind...when it comes to road elevations, "high Sierra" basically equals "Colorado foothills".