I-77 Mountains/brakes (Charleston, Beckley: vs, safe, trailer)

[elizabethdyt]

Hi my family and I are thinking about taking I-77 from Ohio to I-95 on our way to Fla. This will be our first time on this highway. My husband wanted me to try and find out how bad it is driving through the mountains . When you go through WV and Virginia. I guess our car has no low 2(whatever that means) so he wants to make sure we will be safe and can make it.. So I would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks

[Two-Rivers]

As they say on the auto forums... Year, Make, and Model?

Seriously though, you shouldn't have any trouble in a modern vehicle. The WV Turnpike section of I-77 will have the steepest hills, but your brakes should be ok. Just watch the speed where the turns are marked '50 MPH' at the bottoms of certain stretches.

Watch your speed in and out of the Memorial Tunnel, Virginia likes to keep an eye out for speeders there.

Check weather reports too, but the turnpike gets a lot of attention.

Enjoy the scenery but don't let it distract the driver.

[pknopp]

You aren't going to have any problems unless you are driving a car with no brakes.

[AliceT]

If you are confident that the car is safe enough to drive to Florida and back, then I-77 should pose no threat.

[snorpus]

Are you sure there's only a D position on the transmission? Even back in the days of 2-speed automatics, there was always D and L. Nowadays, D-2-L and D-3-2-L (on some makes, the L might be a 1) are the usual configurations.

[Silkdashocker]

I agree with above posters. Make sure you anticipate the turns at the bottom of the steeper hills. Begin slowing down a couple hundred feet before you go into a turn, especially if it's marked with signs saying 50 MPH.

[Threerun]

Stay to the right.. Just stay to the right..

[vec101]

In a car, not a motor home, tractor trailer rig, or the like - correct?

Is he talking about being concerned about having a low gear in case of snow or icy roads? (Of which I know NOTHING about. I just put a car in Drive and go. If it's snowy bad roads I don't drive. However, the car I used to have had Winter Mode driving so if roads were snowy I'd put it in Winter Drive - have NO idea what that was but it sounded like the logical thing to do).

If there is a "no" to all those things - then you have nothing at all to worry about. I-77/I-64 between Charleston and Beckley is up, up, up in elevation but it is not straight up and is no problem. The only problem you may encounter is if your car doesn't have a lot of power it may dip below the speed limit at times. No problem also on the return trip - well, maybe if a really bad snow hits while you are traveling it. Just keep an eye on the weather channel. Also, keep an eye on the truckers flying down the mountain from Beckley to Chas - just stay out of their way and it is fine.

[vec101]

Originally Posted by pknopp

You aren't going to have any problems unless you are driving a car with no brakes.

I about choked on my coffee - that was funny and I am laughing out loud.

[harborlady]

I've got limited experience with Mtn driving but as far as I'm aware your brakes will be a problem if you're towing loads & riding brakes. Colorado they'd have brake check areas to pull off and make sure they weren't overheating. WV doesn't have those prompting road signs the way some other states do, but trucker signs warning of steep grades ahead does apply to passenger cars just the same. Reduce speed warnings aren't bogus, unless you enjoy the thrill of NASCAR cornering & have performance tires.

I'd say your biggest bit of information is going to come from looking hard at your driving habits. Coasting down hill at modest speed vs city driver habits of gas/brake gas/brake in a sedan/SUV without a tow involved will make a big difference. When I distance drive through mtns I pay more attention to the rpm's uphill than I do to speed. Forcing a sedan to maintain a steady 70mph up a mtn peak just doesn't sound like a healthy thing for an engine or drive train. I've learned to take the car off cruise control before getting in that situation.

Towing is a whole other animal, and not one to be taken casually. I-95 gets shut down often with tragedies involving people who thought it wasn't a big deal.