The Trip and the H3....
 

For those who say the H3 is incapable of traveling on the highway, or even worse, dangerous, I say you are full of BS. My son and I just did a 4000+-mile trip in an H3, covering all types of roads from interstates to two-lane mountainous highways to off-roading on some of the worse dirt/rock roads in the US.

Interstate travel:
From MI, my son and I, drove across I-80 to I-76 to I-70 at average speeds greater than 75. In states such as IL where the speed limit is 65, we drove 75, in NE and CO, where the speed limits were 75, we drove 80, and the so-called non-performance H3 kept right up with traffic at all times. We were able to pass other vehicles when necessary. Not as fast as passing in a Corvette, but at no time was the passing of another vehicle(s) considered dangerous.

Two-lane travel:
On the return trip, we drove to Monument Valley via 191 and 163, and we were quite able to pass other vehicles when necessary. We averaged around 70 mph during this travel. From Monument Valley we drove to Durango, CO, and from Durango, we then traveled up 550 to Montrose. For those who have driven this route, you know it is primarily a two-lane mountainous road, with steep ascents and descents, and at no time did we ever hold up traffic, and when necessary and when safe, we were able to pass other vehicles. Going down the 6% grades was performed in 2nd gear, to save on brakes. The H3 handled these roads a heck of a lot better than I ever expected.

Off-road:
We did not try any of the rock climbing that many have done, for one thing, we were on a photo trip, but primarily we had no backup vehicles to climb with and that would have been downright idiotic to attempt a climb up some of these rock hills by yourself. However, we did hit all the four-wheel drive roads in Arches, including Cache Valley trail that leads out of Arches NP, but is on BLM land.
Cache Valley trail is not much of a four-wheel drive road, as it is a pile of boulders and sand pits that are tied together; even the BLM officer thought we were crazy.
Salt Valley road to the split to Tower Arch is a washboard 4-wheel drive road that can be handled by a two-wheel drive vehicle. However, at the split to the required high-clearance 4-wheel drive road, it turns into one nasty road; not as nasty as Cache Valley, but again a road that consists of rocks, ledges and deep sand pits.


SALT VALLEY TRAIL

SALT VALLEY TRAIL AS VIEWED FROM INSIDE

The trail to Gemini Bridges (Arches), which leads off route 191, is a very steep rocky and sandy road that takes some high ground clearances. The Jeep in front of us, which was primarily stock except for larger tires, left his marks everywhere due to dragging the fuel tank shield on the rocks. Not once did the H3 drag on any rocks. Not once did the H3 ever stop due to any obstructions; including the large sand pit the Jeep had trouble in, but did manage to make it through.
There were times I had to engaged the rear locker, but primarily, for most of the roads we were fine in 4-wheel hi lock.
Schafer trail out of Canyonlands to where it meets up with the White Rim trail and Potash Road is in terrible condition; however, it was no problem, and was not a problem for my Jeep last year. Long Canyon road, which is considered a road driveable by a two-wheel, high clearance vehicle, would not be passable for a two-wheel drive vehicle. At the start of the road is a quarter mile sand pit that the H3 sunk into, and 4-wheel low was required. The remainder of the road would be ok for a two-wheel drive vehicle.

Fuel mileage on the trip was strange. It appears that the H3 does not like high-speed and wind. My son and I kept a meticulous log of the fuel mileage from Start to return, and it does appear, that at speeds above 75, and going into the wind, the H3 does not meet the figures displayed by GM. However, on speeds at 75 or above, with the wind behind the H3 (east to west travel), the H3 actually meets the figures displayed by GM. What confused us was on the two-lane mountain roads, the H3 received great fuel economy, a hell of a lot better than I would have imagined. I guess for every ascent, there is an equal descent that saved on fuel mileage.

In summary, the H3 was a pleasure to drive; especially when compared to a Jeep in the crosswinds of Kansas. Seats were comfortable for both of us, it had adequate power to pass when necessary and did not seem to be straining at 80+ miles per hour, or when ascending deep mountains. It did downshift quite a bit to second gear, but that would be expected and evidently did not cause any problems. At times, it did not downshift fast enough; so a little kick of the throttle gave it the needed boost to downshift. Cruise control was adequate on the Interstate and the two-lane roads that had no extreme ascents; on those with extreme ascents, it did not downshift fast enough, but would eventually catch up to the set speed.

Only problems we encountered were the one day the engine sounded like it was racing, even when descending down the roads, the 4-wheel drive failed light came on a few times, but a shut down and restart cleared the problem, and it never crippled us in any ways. (First time was descending Shafer trail, second time was on Gemini Bridge road, and once on Cache Valley trail.) One other problem was the rear hatch handle. At one point it was so packed with red dirt/sand it would not release and close. However, a quick shot of air into the mechanism cleared it and it operated fine from then on.

Did it scream up the ascents like my Vette?NO, but it is not a Vette. Was it adequate to drive under all the conditions we encountered?.YES; more than adequate, and when compared to my Jeep, it was better not only on the highway, but on the 4-wheel drive roads.

The two of us completely filled the luggage area and back seat with camera equipment and duffle bags full of clothes, computers, and other miscellaneous items such as a high-amp starter pack, DC/AC converter, tools, etc. My Jeep would not have held as much equipment and bags. However, if there were more than two of us, with comparable equipment, a luggage carrier would have been required for the top rack.

Fuel mileage, here is the actual fuel mileages from service station to service station with the types of roads listed.

From MI via I-94/I-80 (includes time on two-lane highways, side trip to East Lansing to pick up the kid, but primarily Interstate) to New Lenox, IL ? 19.566 gallons; 332.40 miles ? 16.988 mpg

I-80 to Des Moines, IA ? 18.539 gallons; 317.00 miles ? 17.099 mpg

I-80 to Greenwood, NE ? 9.832 gallons; 167.20 miles ? 17.005 mpg

I-80 to Big Springs, NE ? 19.672 gallons; 319.40 miles ? 16.236 mpg

I-80/I-76 to Tonville, CO ? 10.475 gallons; 172.30 miles ? 16.448 mpg

I-70 to Grand Junction, CO ? 13.456 gallons; 266.90 miles ? 19.835 mpg

I-70/Route 128 to Moab, UT ? 10.415 gallons; 187.20 miles ? 17.974 mpg (includes some driving around Arches National Park)

In and around Moab ? 11.609 gallons; 184.40 miles ? 15.918 mpg

In and around Moab ? 13.871 gallons; 220.20 miles ? 15.874 mpg

In and around Moab to Blanding ? 11.972 gallons; 200.50 miles ? 16.747 mpg

Blanding, UT to Monument Valley (time to drive the MV tourist road) to Cortez, CO (trip to top of Mesa Verde and back to Cortez) ? 16.296 gallons; 291.60 miles ? 17.893 mpg

Cortez to Poncha Springs, CO, via Durango, Montrose, including side trips in Durango, Silverton and a few off-road scenic areas ? 15.155 gallons; 282.90 miles ? 18.653 mpg

Poncha Springs to Colby KS (via two-lane highways and I-70) ? 18.120 gallons; 325.80 miles ? 17.98 mpg.

I-70 to KS Turnpike service area, east of Topeka, KS ? 29.584 gallons; 321.90 miles ? 15.638 mpg

I-70 to Vandalia, IL ? 20.007 gallons; 365.90 miles ? 18.288 mpg

I-70/I-69 to Fremont, IN ? 19.671 gallons; 355.30 miles ? 18.057 mpg

I-69/I-96 to M-59 to Rochester Hills (plus a side trip to drop off my son in East Lansing) ? 9.034 gallons; 168 miles ? 18.596 mpg

Average for trip: 17.269 mpg.

Temps:
Highest temps noted on the temp gage were 3/4 and that was idling after climbing a trail. The following was the temp gage after running Salt Valley Trail. Photo taken immediately as we stopped the vehicle to photograph Eye of the Whale Arch.



Now, will the tires ever be black again, and the mud flaps are a big help.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Looks like you had a great trip. I'll be intersted to hear what's up with the roar. Are you going to check the computer to see if any codes were set?

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Don't believe any codes were set, at least anything serious, since the check engine light should have illuminated, but yes, I will be connecting a tech 2 first thing in the AM at work.

As for photos, very few taken of the H3, we were there to take lanscape photos.:D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Nice trip and report. Quality time with the son also.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Pretty pics please :D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

The real important part of the trip. We had a ball, on the trip, at the arches, hiking miles into the desert, on the 4x4 roads and in the Slickrock Bar...:D Still feels strange (and OLD) to sit at a bar with your own kid. :eek: the waitresses were trying to deal him, while ignoring the old man.

The KID:
While taking photos of Turret Arch through North Windows Arch:


Turret Arch through North Windows Arch:


H3 in rest area at Mesa Verde National Park:

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Great to have you back. Sounds like you had a fantastic trip - thanks for the detailed report.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Nice :D
Thank you.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

thanks for all the info :D :D :D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Nice trip, what a road warrior (and offroad too). Interesting observation about good gas mileage on winding 2 lane roads. I had a couple of similar experiences. I have a tendency to push 75-85+mph on open freeways no matter what wind conditions are which doesn't help mileage.

S.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

OOOOtah.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Great report...sounds like you had a blast. Thanks :D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Very Cool! Info on the H3 and what sounds like a great time with your son! Awesome! Thanks. Love the pics.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

That is great country out there. I love the 4 corners area.

When I go in the summer I try to end up in the San Juan mtns to cool off

I am glad you are enjoying your H3.

Just a little different than the Jeep huh?

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Thnaks for the report! Great information

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

I agree 95%. The H3 is a great road vehicle for long distance driving; great handling, comfortable, fairly quiet. BUT, the H3 can't handle long grades (unless you you don't mind screaming at 4000+RPM). We frequently drive the H3 from the LA area to N.AZ, and I dread the long grade stretches on I-10, especially between Indio and San Bernadino on the return trip. Traffic is always heavy, and if you can't hold 75, you get run over. On grades, the H3 reminds me of my old non-turbo Mercedes 300D diesel, and its not a fond memory.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Great info. I printed the body to share with prospective buyers.:) I will try and track how usefull it is for the customers

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Thanks for taking the time to write that report. It was very informative and well written.
Three cheers for Fstop!!:D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Great trip report fstop!!:D :cool:

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

I had no problem holding 65 to 70 up those 6 percent grades on 550 from Durango to Montrose. Yes, it makes some engine noise due to the downshift to 2nd, but I just turn up the radio or sit back and relax, listening to the engine screaming. There was a lot of traffic, and no one passed me or tailgated me wanting to pass.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Engine racing sound upon engine startup is caused by the high volume of air racing through the PCV valve in the camcover. Normal upon cold or warm startup; with the time of the high airflow dependent upon engine startup temp. As to why it was happening while coming down from around 10K to 5K has not been answered, and there have been a few reports of this happening.
Some believe it could be due to the altitude and temperature change. Didn't cause any problems, and never set any codes.:confused:

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Excellent report F5! Thanks for all the info. Sounds like a great trip too. :D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

The stretches I'm referring to are usually bumper-to-bumper all 100 miles into LA by Sunday afternoon with nothing but semis struggling to hold 50-55 in the slow lane, and everyone else doing 75-80 in the fast lane. Its uphill like this without let-up for about 30 miles. Then you go down hill for a few miles into Palm Springs, then another similar 30 mile climb to San Berdoo. There's usually a very stiff headwind too; its where the windmill farms are! If you can't keep up, you're relegated to 'truck lane hell' stuck between slowpoke semis and U-hauls for miles.

I agree that the H3 can manage the grades at about 65 comfortably; but thats 10-15 mph too fast for the slow lane, and too slow for the fast lane by about the same margin.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Thanks for the report f5. Very informative. i agree with you completely on the driveability of the 3. I always seem to be passing the other cars. Mine was broken in on an I5 run north to Sacramento at 85+. It seems very comfortable at this speed.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Thanks!

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Great info. I just finished a 2200 mile trip from WA to CA and back again, mostly on backroads (actually 75% on backroads). Interesting to see the difference between a H3 w/o rack (yours) and H3 w/rack (mine). Here's my experience without the details (I'm too much of slacker to keep track of locations).

Tank 1 - All freeway, 75-80, 305 miles, 20.17 gals, 15.12 MPG
Tank 2 - all freeway, 70-75, 293, 17.8, 16.5 MPG
Tank 4, 25% offroad (w/Bebe, Sewie, the Bullies, and Racer), 75% 60-80mph, 178 miles, 13.5 gals, 13.2 MPG (note: this is wheeling and driving combined)

Next few tanks are mixed highway, offroad, and back country roads:

15.5 MPG
13.6 MPG
13.4 MPG

Then, interesting part here...I started full offroad, washboard, 30-50mph from Modoc NF up to Eugene, OR (via offroad, then 97, then offroad, then 58, then I-5). Once I switched to consistent offroad (or winding highway backroads), it went like this:

17.4 MPG
15.9 MPG
17.0 MPG

Without going into the detailed level, I'd say maximum MPG is achieved at 30-60 MPH, on mid-throttle roads that involve long stretches of medium throttle (w/ or w/o hills), and don't require lots of 4th gear (auto) driving.

Most of my driving was done under a lead foot, with a decidedly un-aerodynamic roof rack. I did get much better mileage on non-highway roads. Of course, look at it this way:

@ $2.95/gal (what I paid in Oregon). The difference in 1 MPG increase over 1k miles saves you $5.00. Does it matter?

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Did you see if Elephant Hill Trail still open in Canyonlands? Walking that trail was one of the reasons I bought an H3. I did a bunch of hiking in Canyonlands a few years ago and the environmentalists were collecting bugs in order to justify closting 4wd trails (they had already closed a few). Hiking is cool & all, but not everyone is physically able to hike in some areas, and a little rubber on the rock isn't really all that evil. By the way, there is still a big push to get whole areas of National land to be closed to everything, including hikers:mad: . Nice post.:cool:

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Very Cool,
Nice report.....
Now...How did your son make out at the Bar with The Ladies..?? I won't ask how you did..:D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Got me, guess I should proof read better:D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Honestly f5fstop, that story should be submitted to any of the offroad magazines. That really was an interesting and most of all informative article.

Very nice and thank you.

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

f5fstop. This was a great write up. Thank you very much. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable taking the 3 on a long trip. Thanks!

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Shucks....:cool:

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

What great info! Thanks. Nice pics, too. We drive to Las Vegas, San Diego and Palm Springs frequently and find it a great ride. Never a prob on straightaways at 75-80 .. just a little struggle trying to keep up with the others going uphill, unless we get momentum at the bottom of the hill. Glad you're back!:D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Thanks for sharing, love the arches pic :D

Re: The Trip and the H3....
 

Thanks,fstop. Greay report!