Death Valley just broke a record a few days ago for the LOWEST temp ever this time of the year (in the 80s) but that is not going to last by the time I get there over Labor Day weekend. Should be around 110-115 on average. No shade whatsoever. Anything I need to keep in mind that is unique to the S? May be driving on smoother dirt roads to get to some sights.

Its a yellow (thank God its not black) 09 with 47K-stock.

 

Global warming. Drive at night.

 

Well this is an obvious one, but you should have a plan to make sure you don't run out of water along the route, preferably of the cold variety. Not that this is unique to the S, but it's the first thing that comes to mind when in a hot desert, especially one that is the hottest spot on the continent.

June of last year (2013), Death Valley hit 129 degrees F.. and has an all time record of 134 degrees! Which I think now might be considered an all time world record, though I still wonder what happened to the 136+ degree reading in Africa which was apparently discounted.

http://www.washingto...emperature-129/
http://www.komonews....-214790241.html

Even at 110-115 degrees one could die of thirst pretty quickly I imagine essentially out in the middle of nowhere possibly with little to no shade relief anywhere nearby (though not sure because I haven't been there).

I take a cooler with me most every day to work, and am able to just fit it in the trunk. I can get a little cooling packet device thingy in there and still have room for just over a gallon of water. I imagine I could go through all that supply in 30 minutes or less in death valley.

 

I spent some time in Utah in the mid 100s (105-107) driving around in Canyonland and Arches National Parks but not in a convertible. As in Death Valley, it's a dry heat. We found that if you take a rag, small towel, bandana, etc and soak it in water and wear it around your neck it helps immensely. The evaporative cooling is awesome and the fact that it is at the base of your head where large amounts of blood are flowing makes it work really well. We found that in between stints in the heat, when moving around in the air conditioned car, you can put the wet bandana on ice in your cooler and it is even better! Stay hydrated, keep cooled any way you can.

Can't give you much advice for the car.

 

Don't forget the soft top won't cool down. If getting in and out leave it running. Ac will be maxed out but car will have no problems.

 

yeah...but its a dry heat!

water, water, and pack more water.

enjoy the ride and don't forget to buy a sticker to commemorate your drive.

darcy

 

Thanks for all the comments. I was thinking this engine does such a good job of dealing with high internal heat from its high revs, it should do just fine. It does get warm in Sacramento but wanted to check to see if I was missing something.

I have done a bit of survival training in the military so I am not completely clueless on dealing with the heat. The hottest place I ever experienced was Needles at 121 degrees. I usually do not do the soaked bandana thing. Good idea.

I know lots of people in Death Valley use GPS and some wind up on some off-road hell hole thinking it was a good short cut because Google showed it. They find the bodies a few weeks later. Actually, the #1 cause of death in DV are single car rollovers.

Our flight surgeon on a rescue flight told us of 2 surfers who decided on a whim to head to DV. They got to Badwater around 9 am and began to walk out on the flats in flip flops. The temp off the floor for 8" can approach 160-180 degrees as the day heats up. Their feet were burning and headed back but one guy collapsed and the other went for help. The doc and the helo landed about 2 pm. He went over and as he moved the body he realized it was cooked through like a Kalua pig.

 

Sunblock and a can of gas. And water

 

Brutal..

 

They have these technical fabrics that are same concept as the wet bandana, but made for purpose. Hold more water for longer, can be velcroed in place, etc. You can find them on Amazon and many other places. I imagine Wal-Mart's in hot areas carry something like this.

Make sure the coolant is good. Correct mix of water and antifreeze. Make sure system is totally free of air.

Whatever you do, don't mess with coolant 2 days before the trip and end up with air in the system which you don't realize until you are in DV and it really starts to get hot.