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Ian948
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: 12-1-2013
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Road from Gonzaga to HWY 1 ?
Does anyone have current information on road condition since the rains and the washouts ? Wondering if now passable ?
Any current info appreciated ( first timer on this route )
4x4 2500 Diesel - standard.
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larryC
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42 miles or so of washboard but easily passable. You'll have no problem. I aired down my tires and drove it in 2.5 hours including the time it took to
air the tires back up when I got to Chapala. Welcome to the board.
Larry
[Edited on 12-2-2013 by larryC]
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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TMW
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I drove it 4 times between Nov. 14th and Nov. 24th. There are holes to the side from Cocos to hwy 1 but nothing to worry about, just don't fall into
one. Air down and pick a pace you are comfortable with. I usually air down to 25lbs in my GMC Z71 and my Tacoma. There is a tire shop when you get to
hwy 1 and he can air you back up.
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Hook
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Was there any sign of work beginning on the road again, TW? What's the delay?
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TMW
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They are working on it at Gonzaga from the bridge to I guess 6 miles south. I think that's what DK said the contracts are for. Mostly grading and
marking.
I should add that they have not touched the Baja 1000 jump on the road in front of the store.
[Edited on 12-2-2013 by TW]
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Ian948
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Thanks for the help :-) next question - hopefully not too much laughter , how can I find out what to air down to !! Usually running about 50psi -
would down to 25 sound about right ?
Thanks in advance !
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Udo
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I know that you are a newbie, Ian, BUT...
There is no correct answer to fit all vehicles. 25 sounds like way too much.
Here is the best way to determine YOUR pressure...forget the gauge:
Find a smooth level part of the road that you are comfortable to stop in for about 10 minutes. Use a nail, a knife, or a fingernail clipper to let out
the air from the four tires.
Stop letting air out when you see the sidewalls START to bulge, and when you can shove the tire inwards with the palm of your hand. If you are able to
push in the sidewall some, you have reached the correct pressure for your vehicle. Could be 12, 15, 18, of 20 psi. Any more than 20 is too much
(unless you are driving a four ton truck with dualies). Use the gauge if you wish after the first tire, but I'll bet you that if you use the same
technique on all four tires, you'll be within a pound or two between all the tires.
[Edited on 12-3-2013 by Udo]
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by TW
They are working on it at Gonzaga from the bridge to I guess 6 miles south. I think that's what DK said the contracts are for. Mostly grading and
marking.
I should add that they have not touched the Baja 1000 jump on the road in front of the store.
[Edited on 12-2-2013 by TW] |
When they were building the highway south from Puertecitos, they seemed to complete about 6 miles (10 kms.) each year. As it turned out the average
improved once they passed the volcanic ridges that were the first 20 miles.
2007- 2013 (6 years) to finish the paved highway 42 miles (7 miles/ year).
The Bridge (end of highway in 2013) near Papa Fernandez' to Highway One (Laguna Chapala) is 38 miles using the current alignment... so 5-6 years
more... if they have started up construction once again... 2019-2020???
A BIG bridge will be required at the Arroyo Santa Maria crossing 5 miles south of Rancho Grande!
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Ian948
Newbie
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Udo, thanks that makes sense !
I'll practice here where I have a compressor to get the idea down <BVG>
Appreciate the help / patience
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David K
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Ian, I do recommend a good dial tire gauge so you can find that sweet spot in pressure, know what it is, and RE-INFLATE correctly once you are back on
pavement.
In sand driving, I find 50% reduction about right... but truck tires with heavy sidewalls are not what I run. Graded road/ rough road driving not as
much removed, as you don't want the sidewalls to be overly vulnerable to rock cuts.
My Tacoma has tires that run 34 psi on the highway and 15 psi on the beach. On rough roads 25-20 psi would be my range. Running 34 psi on rough roads
got me too many flat tires from sharp rocks... some air removed will prevent this... and make the ride a bit better.
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Udo
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You are fairly close to what I run on the FJ Cruiser, David.
For the most part, I run about 18 PSI on graded dirt, gravel and washboard roads.
36 PSI on the pavement, and the sand works out to 13 psi on the new AT's.
There is NO substitute for past experience, however.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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freediverbrian
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I posted in Sept 2009 the road to gonzaga would be finished in 2015 . I still stand by that.
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dizzyspots
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Mood: rather be on the beach at Gonzaga
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four wheeler magazine and expedition journal...In your driveway: loaded the same way that you will travel....measure sidewall height at normal
pressure...do the math to find what a 25% reduction is..ex. 4 in -25% = 1 inch reduction....lower your air pressure until you reach that height.
This will be your target air pressure, when you decide to air down on the road...simply use that pressure.....and always go back to normal pressure
before you jump back on the pavement
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churro
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Thanks for the info... I will be going down this road later in the month
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motoged
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Udo
....There is NO substitute for past experience, however. |
Udo,
Your finger-poking method sounds a little suspect to me....."guestimation" is a substitute for a pressure gauge....I prefer the gauge method.
Just sayin' ...
Don't believe everything you think....
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CortezBlue
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If it is true that Carlos and Vicente have invested in this area, I think the connection to hwy 1 will be done much faster.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
- Albert Einstein
Follow Cortez Blue
www.cortezblue.com
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by freediverbrian
I posted in Sept 2009 the road to gonzaga would be finished in 2015 . I still stand by that. |
It is almost 2014 now... so you say in TWO years there will be 38 new paved highway miles completed? Well, it is possible with more crews on the
project. They completed Hwy. 1 in 1973 at an even faster rate. San Quintin to Santa Rosalia (400 miles) was built in a year and a half!
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TMW
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I run BFG TA KO tires on both my 04 GMC Z71 and my 04 Tacoma 4x4. The Z71 has LT285/75R16 tires and I run 45 psi hot (35 in the rear unloaded) on the
hwy and 25 psi off hwy. I have LT265/75R16 on my Tacoma and run 35 psi hot (28 psi rear unloaded) on the hwy and 20-25 psi off hwy. The BFG TA KO has
a hard 3 ply sidewall which doesn't show low air easy. I have taken them to 10 psi in the sand to get unstuck. At pressure, low like 10 psi, be
careful not to make sudden steering changes or you could pop a bead.
From Gonzaga south I run the first 8-10 miles at 35-50mph. After that I run anywhere from 10 to 35mph to Cocos and on to hwy 1. I seldom run on the
sand roads to the side. Driving too slow can be rough. You have to drive at a speed you are comfortable with. The suspension on your vehicle makes a
lot of difference too.
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Phil S
Super Nomad
Posts: 1205
Registered: 10-28-2003
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Mood: After 34 years. Still in love w/ my wife
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Anothers theory on tire deflation. Yesterday we returned north through Coco's Corner from hwy 1. I drive a Toyota Sienna minivan. I'm 79 years
young. 25 years of driving Baja roads and sometimes twice a year. Many years in Dodge 4X4 pickups, and a 4X4 Chev. suburban diesel. (250,000 miles
on it, & never a pan removed or heads removed. Just good maintenance) There is part of "that" road that has some really nasty jagged, sharp rocks
on it south of Coco's corner. Some in uphill sections where if your loaded down with goods' you've got a pretty substantial load on those tires. My
preference is to not have MY sidewalls vulnerable to those hazard rocks. full inflation is my preference. PLUS, damned good quality tires on my rigs
anytime. Now. To the fellow driving a white suburban type vehicle at that area where the big 'shovel' was digging a load, and you darned near 'got
me', thank you for noticing me, who had slammed on his brakes & stopped just before you swerved back on your side. The lord does work in
mysterious ways to keep his followers alive.
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TMW
Select Nomad
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Another thing about driving the Gonzaga road and any other non-paved road. The ABS systems sucks on modern vehicles. The manufactures have not figured
out how to make it work off hwy, probably too many variables. On GM SUVs and trucks you can pull the 60 amp fuse in the engine compartment. You could
pull the 10 amp fuse on the drives side of the dash but you would lose your proportioning valve. In either case the ABS and brake warning light will
come on for a little while. Now the brakes will work as they should off hwy and you won't get that uneasy feeling of will I stop or not.
I have not tried pulling the fuse on the Tacoma yet as it doesn't seem to react as sensitive as the GMC.
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