Safe to drive a full carload through CO? (Denver, Grand Junction: how much, live)

[the happy nomad]

Howdy. I'm planning a move from the Grand Canyon area to Wisconsin and have three main route options:

1) I-80 E, which goes through Grand Junction and Denver
2) US-160 E, which goes through Durango and the southern part of the state
3) I-40 E, which goes through New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas

I'd prefer #1 or 2 since I'd rather see CO scenery, but I'm concerned if my car can handle it. I've never driven through CO before and my car will be full of books, pots and pans, etc., for my move. My car's in good shape but, considering elevation/mountain travel, would it be unwise for me to try either of those routes with a car full of stuff?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I think you need to look at a map again. I80 goes through Wyoming, not Colorado, and I40 goes through Oklahoma, not Kansas. Anyway, you didn't say what kind of car you have but I'm sure it'll be fine as long as you don't overload it. Look up the car's max gross weight, subtract the weight of the car, fuel, and passengers, and you'll know how much cargo it can carry,

[the happy nomad]

Oops, I miss-typed--I just glanced at the road names on Googlemaps to get a sense for the overall routes. Here are my Googlemaps options:

1) I-70 E, which goes through Grand Junction and Denver
2) US-160 E, which goes through Durango and the southern part of the state
3) I-40 E/US-54, which goes through New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas

My car is a Dodge Neon, and thanks for the tip on estimating the recommended cargo load. Do you recommend either of the two Colorado routes over the other?

[EscapeCalifornia]

I'd guess I-70 would be the safer route through the mountains since its an interstate. What time of year will you be traveling?

[Vision67]

A Dodge Neon has a rather limited carrying capacity. Look at the label on your door. My guess is that it is rated for about 900 pounds. It is very unsafe to overload a car. The brakes would likely be insufficient to handle an emergency stop.

Furthermore, if you go I-70 over Vail Pass your horsepower will drop about 40% from its sea level value. You would be going slower with a possibility of overheating.

The safer route would be either I-40 or I-80.

[davidv]

If your car is in good shape, then you should be okay. Ask your mechanic if he thinks that your car can handle the rigors of Vail Pass (10,600 ft) and the Eisenhower Tunnel (11,100 ft).

On I-80 you would have to drive over Parley's Canyon, UT, (7000 ft) and Sherman Hill Summit, WY, (8,600 ft) anyway.

In addition to better scenery (Glenwood Canyon is magnificent), I-70 is much more winding and up and down as you drive to Denver. There are two major passes you must travel to get to Denver. Read this description of driving I-70 in April.

Because it is flatter with less elevation gain, I-80 will be much busier with lots and lots of big trucks. This makes it scarier in a different way.

[jazzlover]

I would say I-40. Absolutely NOT US160. It sports a rigorous grade on Wolf Creek Pass (enough so that country signer C. W. McCall wrote a song about it
YouTube - CW McCall - Wolf Creek Pass ) and not is a pass well-suited for drivers unaccustomed to mountain driving.

[EscapeCalifornia]

That looks like fun. Honestly, it doesn't look any crazier than the mountain roads around here, at least in the summer.

[Scott5280]

I drove an old Audi 4 clyd. loaded to capacity back and forth between Sliverthorne and Vail in a blinding snowstorm in February. Officers Gulch, and Vail Pass can be killers, I wouldn't attempt this like another poster stated above without a trusted mechanic's approval. I do see a fair number of what I refer to as gutless autos(meaning low horse power) with heavy loads traveling that stretch of I-70 so someones doing it.

[greyfeather]

Originally Posted by the happy nomad

Howdy. I'm planning a move from the Grand Canyon area to Wisconsin and have three main route options:

I'd prefer #1 or 2 since I'd rather see CO scenery, but I'm concerned if my car can handle it. I've never driven through CO before and my car will be full of books, pots and pans, etc., for my move. My car's in good shape but, considering elevation/mountain travel, would it be unwise for me to try either of those routes with a car full of stuff?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

What are your schedule expectations??

US hiway 160 (Wolf Creek Pass) is truly delightful, but it is NOT an Interstate type route. The road is not a real problem (good surface, fairly good double lanes on the 'climb' side, etc.... but you will want to 'gear down' and not be in a hurry. Of course, the summer traffic there is a nice mix of RV trailers and tourist traffic generally, so assume you will not be 'making good time' at any point.

East of the Colorado mountains, it gets to be 'buffalo country', and most of the major roads are north-south, not east-west. You can work that out.

I-70 has very nice views as you come up the canyons, adjacent to the Colorado River and (later) the Eagle River thru Vail. Stay to the right and don't try to keep up with the high-speed lane crowd.

Whatever your route, I would urge you to stop at the "top of the pass" and enjoy the thin air and the cool temperatures, even in the heat of the noontime sunshine.

And then head downhill with caution.... develop a Zen-like attitude and keep your (downhill) speed well below the limit, and don't hesitate to use a downshift of your tranny to avoid consuming your brakes. You will see serious signage obviously aimed at fully-loaded truckers, urging really low downhill speeds. Why?? If they (or if YOU) use your brakes to keep your downhill speed moderate, you will (YOU WILL) heat your brakes to the point that they won't work any more. Think in terms of a 10-mile downgrade, then another little bit of uphill, then another 5-mile downgrade, then a little flat stuff, then a 15-mile downgrade.

Gravity is not your friend.

A little compression-braking from your engine and transmission is a good tool. AND all those locals in their light-weight sporty machines will be 'whipping around' you, leading you to think that you can do that, too. Think again, please.

Just enjoy the trip, and keep the sweaty moments to a minimum.

Colorado is a beautiful state. Enjoy your move. Good Luck.