Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Hwy 395

Which is the better drive on Hwy 395, Ontario Airport to Lone Pine OR Reno Airport to Lone Pine?

And since I'm not interested in my rental car overheating is either of those drives a radiator busting experience in August?

Looks like Ontario is a little closer. Reno's more direct (a straight shot down 395).

I may be biased due to my living Northern Cal, but I think the view of the mountains driving down from Reno is better.

Any properly maintained modern car shouldn't have radiator problems on 395 (it's not really steep anywhere that I can recall). Going up to the Portal or Horseshoe Meadows will put some stress on cars (think I finished off my rear brakes last year ).

The only radiator-busting drive is the one across Death Valley from Las Vegas to Lone Pine. That is a route to see at least once, too. But August is the most severe on a radiator.

I think the drive from Reno is far more scenic.

As for brake burning: People need to know, don't EVER descend from Horseshoe Meadows, Whitney Portal, Tioga Pass, or ANY mountain pass, with the gear set in D (Drive). You should ALWAYS down-shift to 2 (second gear), and if you are still needing to ride the brakes, use the brakes to slow down to 15 or 20 mph, and downshift to 1 (First)! You only shift up, or back to D, if the car is coasting slower than you want. Once you are back to gentle descents, you can shift to D.

Using a lower gear uses engine compression to keep the speed down, so you don't burn out your brakes. Overheated brakes can fail completely, putting your life at risk!!! At a minimum, overheated brakes will warp the rotors (the discs), causing braking from then on to feel a pulsing sensation, until you have a brake repair job done.

We once drove to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. It's a steep toll road operated by a concessionaire. Before you are allowed to do the drive, you must read a guide that says use lower gears on both the uphill and downhill. This is where I learned how to drive mountain roads. It's not unusual to follow cars down the Portal Road with their brakes smelling. You just hope they get to the bottom OK.

On the uphill part, you may notice your transmission constantly shifting between D and 2. This is called gear hunting. Just put it in 2 to eliminate this.

Thanks for the feedback.

Thanks.

Thank you.