California's Grapevine / I-5 anyone?

ex300SRT8 · 07-18-2008, 07:53 AM

Just curious. My wife and I regularly go from L.A. to Yosemite, Napa, etc., but are somewhat worried that the smart wouldn't do well on the grapevine (steep, prolonged grade). Has anyone tackled this yet and how did the smart do?

LorbeerTLC · 07-18-2008, 08:03 AM

I haven't tried it in my smart (yet), as I live north of Seattle and I have family in Riverside, California, but I have driven over it in a Chevy Metro, manual transmission with A/C.
As long as you have momentum (and it's not killed by a slow moving vehicle), the Metro moved right along. I do remember having to shift down and run it going back and forth between 3rd and 4th gear. Since both cars use a 1.0-Liter engine, I would think the smart should have no problem what-so-ever.

-Tom L.

Smart Enuf · 07-18-2008, 08:11 AM

It does fine. I went over that back in June, and the smart averaged between 50 and 60 mph going uphill, same as many other cars. In fact, I passed a lot of cars, which surprised the heck out of me. I even had the A/C on (it was over 100 degrees back then). Stick to the lane next to the truck lane and you'll be fine. Downhill is no problem at all.

You may need to manually shift going uphill, which you probably know you can switch to from automatic shifting on the fly. The smart prefers to do 4th gear for the steepest parts. Avoid manually downshifting except from 5th to 4th going uphill as noted above (e.g., don't try to use the engine to slow you down when going downhill; let the smart downshift itself in those situations).

rwjrn · 07-18-2008, 11:38 AM

I went over the grapevine on my way down to and back from OC. It did the hills just fine even with the a/c on. I prefer to use manual mode and downshift before the car gets too slow. I actually passed several people going up. Of course I wouldn't bother to check the mileage on that tank. It'll just depress you

The problem I did run inot on I-5 was construction. This was a month ago, so I don't know if they're done. They would gouge big sections of the road out to be re-filled and it left large bumps that the smart is not able to handle at highway speeds. I was forced to slow way down when going over the bumps and traffic zooming up behind me was a little scary. I was able to get off and go on a frontage road for about 8 miles to get around it.

RVGRINGO · 07-18-2008, 01:24 PM

Our 2007 Passion, bought in Guadalajara, has conquered the Sierras of Mexico and everything from there to the Eastern Seaboard of the USA, and back. No problem keeping up with the traffic in any conditions. Typically, we cruised at 120-135 Km/Hr (75-84 mph) on the autopistas and interstates with AC on all the time. We were always comfortable.

burtandnancy · 07-18-2008, 01:42 PM

Piece of cake. Use 4th for the steep parts or if you get slowed down. 4th at 70 mph is only about 4600 rpm's. Don't worry about picking up too much speed going downhill, the advanced aerodynamics will require you to actually use some throttle on the back side...

ex300SRT8 · 07-18-2008, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burtandnancy

the advanced aerodynamics will require you to actually use some throttle on the back side...

LOL. Thanks for the encouraging response everyone! Gotta admit, I was surprised, have to stop doubting this little fella. This ride will make a perfect little cruiser to Napa for some wine tasting. Again, thanks for the great news!

burtandnancy · 07-18-2008, 05:10 PM

Whoa!. The grapevine isn't your problem going to Napa. The roads are. Beyond Santa Nella, you will find pot holes than can swallow a smart. Be real careful, there are some real damaging sections up there on the 5, 580, and 12. I run up there a lot and the right lanes are horrible due to truck traffic. There has been a lot of repair from the 99 turnoff, but they've got a long way to go. Some interesting bridge work on the 680 at Martinez...

ex300SRT8 · 07-19-2008, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burtandnancy

Whoa!. The grapevine isn't your problem going to Napa. The roads are. Beyond Santa Nella, you will find pot holes than can swallow a smart. Be real careful, there are some real damaging sections up there on the 5, 580, and 12. I run up there a lot and the right lanes are horrible due to truck traffic. There has been a lot of repair from the 99 turnoff, but they've got a long way to go. Some interesting bridge work on the 680 at Martinez...

Thanks for the warning. We were there last summer (07) with our Mini Cooper and did o.k., but we'll definitely watch out. Still psyched that the smart did well on the grapevine.

mmmeat · 07-20-2008, 12:27 PM

I followed a Smart in the PT Cruiser over the grapevine just last week, and it did fine. He was doing 70 the whole way.

Interestingly, I followed six yellow Smarts on the way back from NorCal. When they hit the grapevine they slowed to about 35mpg and the truck they were on finally pulled over to the right lane.

Your pal,
Meat.