It doesn't matter if you and your friends are all piling into the car for a weekend away or you and the entire family are taking a long vacation, a road trip is a great way to spend time together. However, as anybody who has ever undertaken a road trip before can attest, it takes careful planning to ensure everything runs smoothly.

How to Plan for an Enjoyable Road Trip

With years of experience providing motorists with the right products to complete their own synthetic oil change, USA Synthetics has heard a lot of good, and a lot of bad road trip stories. Below is a simple checklist to help you get your car and your passengers ready for an enjoyable road trip.

Start With Your Car

How well your car performs during your journey depends on a number of factors. One of the most crucial factors being the level and quality of the fluids inside your engine. Your owner's manual is a good place to learn about any particular fluids that your vehicle uses, however, the below list is a good place to start:

• Engine Oil
• Brake Fluid
• Power Steering Fluid
• Windshield Fluid
• Coolant
• Transmission Fluid

If any of these fluids are under the recommended levels, top them up before you leave and keep the remainder of the bottle in your trunk for the journey. While you are checking your levels, pay particularly close attention to the quality of your engine oil. If it looks dirty or has lost its consistency, consider a synthetic oil change instead of a top up. To get the right products for your vehicle, speak with an expert at USA Synthetics by calling (405) 388-6170 and ask which high-quality AMSOIL engine lubricant is best suited to your vehicle.

Tires

The condition of your tires can determine whether you're going to have an enjoyable road trip or one where you are stuck on the side of the road changing tires. A quick visual inspection is all it takes to determine the quality of your tires, especially the level of tread. If you notice any damage or wear to the tire, have it repaired or replaced before your journey.

Headlamps

A blown headlamp is all it takes to make your vehicle unsafe to drive at night. And in the case of a road trip, could be the difference between arriving at your destination on time or days later. If your headlamps are on their way out, now is the perfect time to replace them both and keep the current ones as spares in your trunk. While it can be tempting just to replace one, take the opportunity to change them both.

Driver Safety

Just because it's your vehicle doesn't make you responsible for driving the entire journey. If you and your group are traveling long distances, be sure to plan out who will be driving which parts of the journey so that each 'new driver' can be refreshed and ready for their task. In addition to this, be sure that the first driver has slept well before the trip, whether it's a full night for a morning journey or a refreshing nap for afternoon travel plans.

Prepare Your Passengers for the Journey

The idea of a road trip, no matter the destination, is to enjoy the drive with your friends or your family. However, this is often easier said than done. To get you started, here are some items to ensure are packed in the car:

• Music (suggest each passenger to create a playlist to rotate through)
• Enough cables to keep electronic devices charged.
• Plenty of water
• First Aid Kit
• Blankets
• Plenty of snacks
• Travel Games

When discussing the items above, remind each passenger that they are responsible for ensuring they bring everything they need in addition to this list.

Reduce Road Trip Gas Costs With a Synthetic Oil Change in Midwest City

How much fuel you will use can depend on how well your engine is running, and how hard it needs to work just to do its job. To help you reduce your gas usage and increase your vehicle's performance, consider performing a synthetic oil change before you travel. If you are unsure which product is right for your synthetic oil change, speak with a synthetic oil change expert at USA Synthetics by calling (405) 388-6170. USA Synthetics can answer any questions you have about the benefits of a synthetic oil change. If you know the type of product you need, and would like to order or read more information, check out the website.