Sustained high RPM?

[Canoehead]

I live on flat land with mostly 100km/h speed limits, so never really push the engine that hard.

Thinking about a trip with a canoe on the roof racks down into the land of 85mph limits (WPG-Texas). That's considerably more wind load (mileage sometimes goes from 4.6 l/100 without to 5.6 l/100 with canoe at 100km/h).

Any thoughts on how the Mirage will handle that sort of load for hours and hours at a time? I'm thinking it could be around 4000RPMs.

Any tips on how to help the car out (vary speed? take breaks? wait for a tailwind!) Of course I'll get a fresh oil change and probably won't be running a/c much. I have a scan gauge which can tell me load (but I don't know what to do with that info)

Ideally I'll go slower - maybe 60-70, but don't want to block traffic or put my life in greater danger by going much slower than the flow.

Thanks!

[Spadesheart]

I drove it all the way across Canada with almost any terrain available here. I will say that sometimes inclines are a little steeper than it seems and the engine will struggle to get up to speed. That is a rarity though. Your gas economy wont be terrible though, really. Even bad in this car is pretty good.

[Alex1a1f]

Even at high rpm, you won't be at that rpm at a constant rate or sustained time. These engines are tested at harsher activities than you and I will ever put it through. The rpms won't affect the longevity of the motor, just the current fuel economy. Don't worry too much. Drive the speed at the most comfortable rate you feel is safe, the 1.2l will get you there and back without a fuss. One thing to help with drag though is to have more the the canoe hanging over the back than in the front, as safe as can be mounted.

[Cobrajet]

I don't think you have too much to worry about. After all, 4000 rpm is not even 2/3rds of the way to redline. Besides, this is a modern engine.

[man114]

Only thing I see happening is you use more fuel.

[f0k4l]

I've pulled my 4x6 Trailer from Missouri to WA State with mine, and while going through Wyoming at 8k ft altitude I had to keep the car in 3rd while churning 5k+ RPM. I monitored my temps via OBD2 bluetooth and they stayed completely normal. My Car now has just over 48k miles and runs fine.

[Canoehead]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I suppose I knew this and needed reassurance. I drove a Dodge Omni cross country with a sailboat on top, and a 4cyl Cutlass Sierra with 2 canoes and the pedal right to the floor over a mountain. I suppose the difference is both of those cars I was willing to just walk away from as they were very inexpensive.

Good to know I won't be doing any damage and can hold it at 85mph if conditions necessitate.

[cwatkin]

I would definitely stick with the specified synthetic oil as you should under "normal" driving. I am running the Mobil 1 0W20 EP. I also understand the newest Pennzoil Platinum Pure Plus or whatever is also very good oil. It looks like O'Reilly has a nice rebate on 5 quarts and a filter for like $22 so that might not be a bad way to go.

Conor

[MiMi]

You could also drive on highways with lower speed limits. I would never drive at 85 mph with anything on a roof rack because of the huge force that is trying to rip it off the roof.

[Canoehead]

I have a pretty good tie-down system/regime so that is not a great concern. In fact, I once tied three canoes to the Dodge Omni and went with that at 85mph for a while. The keys are using the correct line, correctly tensioned, and at angles that allow some play but provide lots of support.

All the roof rack does is provide some lateral stability and prevent the roof from getting scratched. Tie-downs hold the canoe on.