Driving around Lakewood
Sixth Avenue (US 6) is the main east to west route and feeds straight into I-70 and Golden. Wadsworth, Kipling and C-470 handle the north to south traffic. Morrison Road and the Red Rocks area have some steep grades of their own.
Mountain trips are hard on brakes and cooling. If you're coming down from the Eisenhower Tunnel a couple of times a month, have the brake fluid checked for moisture and keep an eye on coolant level, especially on European cars with plastic expansion tanks.
Front Range driving, in general
- Altitude. At a mile up, non-turbo engines make noticeably less power and turbos work harder. Coolant boils at a lower temperature too, so a weak radiator cap or a small leak shows up sooner here.
- Hail. Spring and summer storms can total a car in ten minutes. Comprehensive coverage and a garage are the real fix.
- Winter. Magnesium chloride on the roads is hard on brake lines, exhaust parts and undercarriages. Rinse the underside in spring.
- Mountain grades. I-70 and US 285 are hard on brakes and cooling systems. Fresh brake fluid and a healthy water pump matter more here than at sea level.