MotoGP starts in Thailand this weekend with Ducati, of course, the favored manufacturer. Two rookies will start this season: Diogo Moreira from Moto2 replacing Somkiat Chantra (demoted to World SBK and missed the premiere due to injury); and Toprak Razgogliotu (spelling?), the reigning WorldSBK champion who replaces Miguel Olivera on a Pramac Yamaha. Dunlop replaces Michelin as tire supplier next year which is a change everyone must absorb. This is also the last season before the big rule changes around aero, ride height devices, and engine displacement take effect.
WorldSBK has already rung in the new season at Philip Island, Australia. Bulega, on a factory Ducati, handily completed the hat trick for the race wins and sprint win this weekend. He did have to come back from a shoddy start during the sprint, but ended with seconds of lead. Bulega was the runner up last year and the easy favorite this year on the new Panigale V4. Otherwise the new BMW boys of Miguel Olivera and Danilo Petrucci were not overly impressive, though they did make points finishes this weekend and that was with Olivera coming from DFL on the grid. Bimota bikes looked solid but obviously lacked a top end.
WorldSSP is set for fights between Can Oncu and Jaume Masia.
As always, the WorldSBK runners show far more aggression and, arguably, bike handling skill than their counterparts at MotoA.
Which I also gave money for but which doesn't start for two months as the Daytona 200 doesn't count for anything but bragging rights.
Shame about the Daytona 200. When I was a kid the best riders in the world raced it on awesome machines, now it's a 600 street bike class with local riders.
Don't feel too bad, I began riding on a 1959 Honda 50CC Cub with a pushrod three speed, it didn't have enough power to kill me but I nearly managed anyway, here I am still riding 60 + years later and my auld crock is sort of hip .
I had a few S90's, one was the single year 1967 in black with turn signals and chrome fenders etc., I foolishly sold them on not realizing the supply of old unwanted $75 Honda Tiddlers was coming to a close .
I still have a gaggle of CT90's, they don't look as cool but are incredible riders, go anywhere if slowly .
FWIW, after owning a few turbo charged conveyances in my life, I never thought the Ecoboost was viable, and when shopping around last year (used), it seemed impossible to find any kind of Ford product I was interested in without that mill. I liked the current Explorers but can't get into a motor I know is fair to middlin' at best. And why on Earth would anyone be interested in a NA or turbo 4 in a godawful huge assed SUV to begin with? Talk about an overstressed engine choice.
Which, ahem, brings up another thing - I've decided to let my 2008 Land Cruiser go, it's been fun, but this monster is 100% overkill for me, my taxes refuse to dip below 5 figures, and being under/un-employed is probably going to be the theme of 2026. Time for something cheaper and hopefully similar. Chat me up on the wonderful Substack DM system if you want a nice 200 series!
A theory: Ford did the math. The small CAFE improvement across the fleet from turbo 6's and the fact that a majority haul air will be more profitable than (maybe, barely) in-warranty repairs of those who use them as trucks. Past warranty, 'suck eggs, proles'.
See also, start-stop, cylinder deactivation, loose gum-prone oil control piston rings and 0W20 oil.
Or a correlate of 'If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one'.
Do we really need durability standards? My Fit has about 130K miles on it. Still has the original clutch. Having the replace clutches used to be a lot more common. Cars are a lot more reliable than they 40 and 50 years ago. Back then a car was significantly worn by 50,000 miles and mostly a junkyard candidate at 100,000. Rebuilt engines, heads and transmissions were a lot more common than they are today.
It is funny that certain car items have gotten super reliable. Remember when cars had radiator problems or would blow a water hose? Or you would see blue smoke from the exhaust? I last saw that on a Mini, and hadn’t seen that for decades before that. The ghetto highway I used to drive on in Chicago back in the day even had regular car fires.
The durability items I’m thinking about are the internals, mostly due to manufacturer cost cutting, dumb technology and government regulation. Plastic pieces and such other shortcuts.
It just seems that before you buy a used car these days, it’s necessary to search the owner’s forums to see what the car’s fatal or catastrophic flaws are. Those kinds of durability issues just seem to be more common, as opposed to regular wear items that are much improved from decades ago.
Actually more common, or just more visible thanks to the internet? Methinks the latter; cars before the 80's didn't even bother having six digit odometers.
It might have been an engineer who made the decision but it was surely some engineer promoted to manager who hasn't done any engineering in a long time.
My twin turbo v6, in the real world, returns several mpg worse than the tested mpg. Does this mean it also produce more emissions in the real world than a theoretical V8 that gets it stated mileage?
Yes, CO2 emissions are proportional to fuel burned. Other things affect the overall emitted species (fuel quality, short trips vs long to get the cat and everything up to temp) but all else equal, it's a good bet that any new car getting 20 mpg is better than something getting 16 mpg.
I've been thinking of adding an F-150 and everything I've read said the 2.7L Nano with a 6-speed is pretty darn bulletproof. None of the phaser or timing chain issues with the bigger 3.5L TT.
I had a 3.5TT F-150 max tow and man did that tow well, though. I was shocked how fast I was going the first time merging onto I-94 with a 8000# trailer. Sold it during COVID insanity for almost what I paid.
Concur. Driven a few 2.7 F-150s both towing and empty, and they feel better than a 5.3L V8 in the GM trucks. For an open-deck car and trailer, however, it was more than adequate for all circumstances. Large frontal area with an enclosed or RV would likely change that.
I towed an extra-tall (8 ft clear inside) 22 ft (+ V-nose) enclosed from Illinois to Cheyenne, WY. My daughter lives in Denver -- after dropping the load, I took the trailer down to Denver and sold it on FB Marketplace, just so I wouldn't have to pull it home.
That trip drove my decision to get the LZ0 baby diesel in the Silverado 1500 (as well as a lower trailer). This package is soooooo much nicer (7x16+ V-nose, 6'3" clear inside). I can tell it's back there, but my mileage (and more importantly: power) is much, much better.
This is why I'll never buy an RV and rent one instead. I'd have at least $300-400 in incremental gas cost to tow to an 'away' track and back vs renting one for $300-400 for the weekend.
And someone else gets to deal with the joy of maintaining, storing, and insuring it.
16 Tundra with the 5.7 towing track car on open trailer maybe 3500lbs all in 75-90 through hills gets 11mpg. On the other hand same speeds not towing max 17.
My understanding is unladen driving on the flat with light throttle the turbo v6 gives good mpg. Dip into the turbos, get some hills or tow and it gets ugly fast
I even notice that varying speeds constantly, without major throttle blips, as when I’m having to jink and jive around slow traffic (and the usual left-lane dawdlers and people who can’t follow any other traffic law except an undeposited speed limit—it’s been a bad week for that), versus when I can just sit in the center lane, has an effect on MPGs, at least according to the current average on the trip computer.
My biggest regret in recent years is working for Hagerty. I was not a great fit for what the job actually was, I was perpetually sabotaged in my endeavors, and I hated most of the wannabe Illuminati who made up the senior people and major customers.
But that isn't why I regret it. I regret it because I left the senior SRE position at McGrawHill to take the job. Had I stayed there, I could have built the infrastructure to make education available for 50 million kids. I would have been proud of that.
I haven't thought about textbooks in so long. Is everything online for students these days? Are college kids paying $300 for a used psych textbook still? Have a good one!
I was really good at two (academically related) things in college in the early 2010s: not doing the reading, and googling "textbooktitle.pdf" and working out which links were actual PDFs and which were viruses.
We're finding out that screens are not necessarily conducive to learning. Most of the cool things we have today are the products of people who learned from books, chalk blackboards, and who wrote cursive on ruled, lined, looseleaf pages, and who used real graph and log paper.
One semester of grad school I decided to be fancy and use my new iPad (this was in 2010) as my textbook and buy the .pdf copy instead of the hardcover. It was in a class where you constantly had to refer back to a table of equations in the appendix and it was a huge pain in the dick to flip back and forth. Learned my lesson.
My section of it was the K-12 online product. We didn't have a lot of use in 2019 when I left McGraw; I spent most of the time playing chess with my fellow admin, who was a bit of a prodigy. However, in 2020, for obvious reasons, they had to expand the product from a few hundred thousand users to millions. It would have been an insanely exciting time and the department swelled by leaps and bounds. While I made good money at Hagerty, I'd have accomplished something useful at McGraw. In the long run that matters more. I've earned several million dollars since 1998 and spent it all. An extra buck in the greater scheme of things doesn't amount to much.
The resources available now from companies like McGraw-Hill are so much more than a textbook or PDF of a textbook. Interactivity, adaptability, and personalization or beyond what anybody who learned from a textbook could imagine
Which was a miracle because every article and every idea had to go through a Minotaur labyrinth of stupidity.
The gap between how we would conceive the features and how they would end up... Someone would say "Let's take a Miata to Hiroshima, then to Trinity," and it would end up with "Send Brett Berk to suck off a teenager in a new Cullinan."
I had too until I saw that Jack sent someone a morning glory racing farm sticker with their cat tales hardcover. Sadly, it was not me, and my wife will remain untraumatized by it.
"I was not a great fit for what the job actually was, I was perpetually sabotaged in my endeavors, and I hated most of the wannabe Illuminati who made up the senior people and major customers."
Ahhh ... that neatly describes my current job. And from searching out there, that pretty much seems to be the standard. Not that I dismiss the possibility of winning the lottery.
A question that's been floating around in my head for a while is this: gun to your head, if you have to buy a $_CURRENT_YEAR 1500 truck, which engine are you choosing to last 300,000 miles? Even the Gen 4 Coyote has a wet oil pump belt. The only major thing I've heard about with Gen 2 3.5s is cam phasers like every other Ford with VCT, otherwise it seems like the most "old" engine in current production.
I fully expect my typical bounce back to happen at some point in the next 4-6 years. That bounce back being every time I buy an American brand vehicle I end up in a basic spec Japanese vehicle to recover from the experience of unplanned maintenance and repair...It's happened with two Jeeps already, so let me know when the 2031 Tundra SR5s hit the lot.
If memory serves me correctly, they gave my dad $12.5k for a trade-in on his 2000 4-cylinder single cab 4WD 5-speed on the original clutch with 340k. It was dark green though. And $1k off a new (2009) Tacoma. If they hadn’t become so expensive (for his budget), he would have bought a new one when it came time to retire the ‘09 (with nearly 400k on it) a few years ago.
Yes. It was an absolutely phenomenal car, the rumors are true. I will probably spend the rest of my life looking to replicate the LS3>TR6060 experience.
That's too bad. An SS gets instant street cred from me; maybe more than any other car because of the lack of flash. The mark of someone who knows their stuff but doesn't need to broadcast it to the normies.
I drove a rental Tundra for several months in 2023. That truck better last forever because it's slower, louder inside, and drives worse than my dad's 2017 f150. I'd rather have whatever the second place half ton is and budget for repairs/bus tickets.
Fun story there, I worked with someone who bought a 2nd gen Tacoma right before they switched over to the 3rd gen. There was a paperwork mess up, and the dealer called my buddy saying "look, they are switching over the tooling and assembly line as we speak, we can't build your truck even if we wanted to!". He just escalated it from there, and Toyota said "Oh man, this is our bad! We'll make it right." and CALLED BACK IN a crew on a weekend to pretty much hand build just one more 2nd gen for him. I said at the time "you own either the absolute best built, or the absolute worst built, 2nd gen Tacoma in existence!" I think he still has that truck.
I always see newer Toyotas in Northwest Ohio with the blinky-blinky CHMSLs which were probably modded by the regional distributor, or whoever’s the middleman between the factory and the dealers, unlike every other automaker on the planet! I hate to think what else they add to every single vehicle going to the dealers, probably complete with a hefty ADM sticker which cannot be negotiated away.
And THEN you get fleeced once more in the F&I office!
I should also point out, Toyota gave me a pretty new Camry to drive for the 10 weeks my rig was at the dealers. There were about 20 pickups and 4Runners in there with the motors out...waiting for new V6s. My only out of pocket was the cost of a new water pump, which wasn't covered by the head gasket fiasco.
I hope that still holds true today. Considering that in other ways Toyota is losing the plot, a great example is making the 2027 Highlander EV only. See below:
Probably the same as now. From the video and the comments on it, Highlander sales tanked once the Grand Highlander became available. Comment also mentioned that Highlander, Grand Highlander, and Sienna are produced in the same location, so making the Highlander EV frees up capacity for the other 2.
When I worked at a Toyota dealer and we would call for coverage of an out of warranty repair the question was "Does the customer deserve it?" meaning is there a record of normal service history, not necessarily at a dealership, and does the vehicle appear to be in reasonable condition? if the answer was yes then the coverage was granted in most all cases.
In the event the vehicle was way out of warranty and/or zero service history Toyota would generally split the cost of parts & labor 50/50 if the case could be made that it was not abuse or neglect but an unusual failure of a Toyota product.
I was shocked when I went to work there after having dealt with other manufacturers.
I typically agree with this. Especially with cams. But, we don't live in the 1990s anymore. The oil pump belts dont break typically and don't have a tensioner so they are not stressed the same way. I don't love them, but they don't seem to be a weak point on the new Coyotes either.
Where my love for chain over belt comes in has everything to do with never getting pre-owned timing belt cars where I had any idea about previous maintenance. Totally can understand that.
I think the main issue seems to be lack of maintenance. People just aren't servicing things at good enough intervals and the OEMs are being incentivized to say their engines can go further and further without normal services. I always look at who the intended market is before I pass too much judgement.
Jack's right in that turbos and trucks really aren't a great mix outside of diesels. But then once Ford did it, the market adapted to the needs of the ecoboosts. People learned to keep the oil change intervals down a bit more with better quality oils. Every single full size truck maker is dealing with some sort of issue across the board. Every one. We all want farm implement service schedules, but we don't have that world anymore unfortunately. If I have to replace an oil pump belt at 200k miles while the timing setup is being gone through with new phasers, that sure seems easier than a new bottom end at 15k miles. There are people who religiously change diff fluid every 30-40k miles. I never hear them saying they have issues... but again, that isn't realistic either.
As my Fit approached 100K, I got paranoid because I hadn't thought about the timing belt. Then I found out that the engine in my car has a chain. It's also naturally aspirated. What's not to like about a naturally aspirated twin cam four? It'd be nice if the engine was a 1.6 instead of a 1.4 but it's quick enough for me.
Coyotes have a planetary oil pump like a 4.6 or LS engine. Cast gears can shatter but that’s about out it. The wet belts are found in the smaller engines.
I think the biggest caveat is the “wet” aspect in that the material breaks down
in the oil despite material choice. A very high grade dry belt while not ideal does have its advantages.
You're mistaken. It's the tiny 4cyl ones that are the ecoshits. Those were the ones with all the wet belt failures. The v6 ecoboosts had some teething issues but don't seem to be any more or less reliable than anything else right now. If anything, they're further developed with a wider range of fixes for problems.
Around 100k-150k miles the ecoboost F150s are prone to needing timing components and phasers. You get warnings though. Much of it depends on oil quality and change interval. It's the transmissions have their own weak points. Suddenly our 5.4 3v and a 6r80 seems like a beefy and simple mess.
Yeah, the older 3.5 ecoboosts seem to be somewhat reliable if you do 5k OCIs, but following the computer will nail you. I can't even count how many used ones I have seen listed on marketplace noting the timing chains have been replaced. Ford supposedly redesigned the 3.5 ecoboost in 2021 which might reduce the phaser/timing chain issues. Not enough data yet that I have seen.
The 2.7 is probably Ford's most reliable truck engine. Very very few issues noted on the forums. My Dad has 120k on his 2019 now (purchased new) with basic maintenance only. The Coyote might be more simple but had oil consumption issues in the 2018-2020s then Ford lowered the oil capacity in 2021. Probably wouldn't follow the computer OCIs on that engine now either but perhaps it will stay more reliable long-term.
If they still build the frontiers on the "alpha" frame like they did the prior gen, I can confirm they are indeed very beefy underneath, notably so. Also telling, that as 4Runners and Tacomas of the mid-late 00s are starting to leave the roads for swiss cheese frames (they're simply made with thinner sheetmetal), the Nissans seem to be holding up quite well in this regard. My 05 (first year of that 2nd gen) Xterra lived its whole life in Central/northern PA not being washed enough, and while the frame had a fair amount of scale for me to knock off, and holes in the inner rockers of the body, the frame is 100% structurally sound.
I don't know to be honest. They just started coming out when I quit the dealer, but the hemi v8 and zf 8 speed are pretty solid. They only come with E torque now though so that's why I specified it
Drivetrain reliability wise, yes, I'd trust the hemi and ZF most of anything out there in a half ton today. I still don't think Ram has ever fully resolved the exhaust manifold leak issue though. 1 buddy had his start at around 20k miles and the other somewhere before 50k. Cheaper fix than a blown engine though.
The problem is the whole rest of the truck is going to fall apart or rust to pieces by 300k. My father in law has one and it's already had at least a single diff and 2 sets of brakes and tires well before they were supposed to be worn out. It's just rough on parts. Looks GREAT though. Super functional. By far the worst overall truck quality though. I'd rather own a Titan than a Ram now.
300k miles is a lot of miles, so I would expect any truck to have interior/plastic/corrosion problems because they'll also probably be 25-30 years old by then unless you're a hot-shot hauler. I used to own a 2015 Ram 1500 with 162k on it. The entire drivetrain was great, aside from the front diff mount being snapped due to excessive abuse by the previous owner. I fixed that, replaced the half shafts, the ball joints, and the radiator. The steering rack was starting to get some play in it, and it needed exhaust manifold bolts but not super desperately. No meaningful rust anywhere, though, and the interior was still in great shape (tan leather, very nice spec). I was making payments on it because in 2022 it was still worth a decent amount, so yeah it sucked that I had to do all that work on the truck on top of financing but realistically unsurprising because, as I said, it was an 8 year old truck with 160k on it. Things are gonna wear out in that time, it's inevitable. Everyone loves to wax on and on about the unflappable and no-wrenches needed vehicles other brands make but in reality that kind of vehicle doesn't exist and never really has.
Now I have a 2000 Chevy with a 6.0/4l80e and 164k miles. The cab rockers are gone and the interior creaks and rattles constantly. The front grille and headlights don't line up anymore. The venerable LQ4 has low compression on 3 of its cylinders and never ceases to smell of burning 10w-30. But dammit Josh, that truck starts up and hauls ass every time I need it and it's dead simple and cheap to fix when something does fail. To me, that's what it means to be dependable and "go the distance" and I think new Rams are still capable of it. If I didn't have to finance it, I'd still have that Ram and I'd have fixed the rack and exhaust by now but it didn't make financial sense when compared to a $3000 Cheby.
I'd probably cross my fingers and order a HEMI-powered Ram. The new Tundras are not yet battle-tested, and I don't hear good things about high-mileage Coyotes.
There are many over 100k miles with zero maintenance. Many of them without even spark plugs which are required for emissions at 40k miles. There's many at or near 200k with ZERO engine issues. One guy 12 weeks ago was at 215k miles claiming original brake pads.
Over 100K, sure. Over 200K...well, most of the contractors with whom I have discussed that engine tend to chop in their trucks around 150 for a newer model, so you may have more complete information than I. Original brake pads? Well damn, I guess all that aluminum wasn't for nothing.
I'm in an owner's group on Facebook. Someone has 170k miles original front pads, new rear pads. Another with 225k original everything. I don't think 200k miles will be uncommon.
Toyota engine problems are only a big deal because it's Toyota.
If you truly need a new pickup to last 300k miles without the engine skipping a beat, I can only vouch for a 2500 Duramax. Emission delete is optional.
And if we're gonna be driving a 1500 forever, I'd get a GM 5.3 and delete the AFM/DFM.
A GM will run poorly longer than just about anything else will run.
The only contradiction I have is that emissions deleting any modern diesel is not optional. But it should also be given a proper tune to pair with the delete. I like diesels that make all the torque and last all the miles, but I don't like diesels that vomit all the soot and all the NoX. I suppose I'd compromise if possible; if there was a way to just disable the limp-mode upon an emissions issue so it doesn't stop the truck dead on the interstate if a sensor fucks up, I think that would be acceptable. Paired with an EGR delete, I think that would do a lot to retain most emissions under control and still allow the truck to last forever while not being a pain in the ass at inopportune moments.
Yeah, don't get a shitty tune. I've seen an '08 LMM make it to just under 300k and it was driven like a race car. A plug and play tune from day 1, pedal to floor, nonstop. Bad fuel caused a few injectors to go early on. What finally did it in was after a head gasket replacement it got a bad tune. Another fella here '08 LMM here just got a full paint job and it's a daily driven.
The L5P is the first stock Duramax that could compare in power to that tuned LMM. Emissions are a pain but my take is at worst keep the system until it's going to cost some money and spend it on a delete. Trump ending the emissions limp mode should be very well received.
One of my college instructors had an 04 duramax, I don't remember which code that one is but is another one that's notorious for eating injectors. Anyway, he tuned it himself on one of the school’s chassis dynos. With 3 bad injectiors and a dogged turbo he got it making enough torque to set the trans into protection mode. I don't remember the specific number he recorded on the dyno but it was pretty high considering the parts issues. Only got stronger as he fixed on it!
Wait trump actually did something about the limp mode thing? Neat if so!
EGR is the primary way to reduce NOx. Can't really have it both ways. Same for DPF delete. If you want to get rid of it and dial in a more fuel-heavy tune (they all are), then there will be soot.
Now, whether or not the amount of soot and NOx is truly detrimental to the world can be debated. I think there is a significant disconnect between the emissions regs and human physiology. But I also think that a lot of the venom against aftertreatment isn’t based on experience, but on internet forum brodozer opinion. Those trucks work fine with the aftertreatment intact for most users.
My Gen 1 3.5 Ecoboost with 158k runs like a top. That’s where I’d put my money. A lot of people replace cam phasers because of the sound they make at startup, but there's usually nothing wrong. I've been in the dyno cells and seen thoroughly abused motors come out unscathed. I own one, and yes I tow. They're good motors, despite what the keyboard mechanics would have you believe.
I would say Nissan Frontier in base S trim with whatever cab, as many geegaw deletes/gov spec build as you can get, probably 4 door for them keyids, and 4x4 without all the fake "bold new graphics" pro-4x stuff if was my only truck.
If I weren't using it to do all the things I'd get a 2wd and use it for pavement work. You can rack up miles on a Frontier and it will be relatively uneventful, statistically speaking, without being a pain in the ass to park and commute in because it's smaller than the other CAFE hog 1500s. It also has a real transmission instead of a fake/gay cvt or dct, though there have been a rash of problems (which is unfortunately normal now for most autos).
I also would point out it's a full frame truck with a 7k towing capacity (looking at you Ridgeline). So, it really is a 1500 by my "stuck in the 90s" old man mindset.
You can have a 300k mile truck for a very reasonable mid/low 30s price point by the time you work an aggressive deal and buy smart.
I expect by the time you got past 250k it would be limping across the line, but I honestly feel like it would do it.
It's not just cam phasers. They like to eat turbos, too, ingesting coolant from leaks that develop in the turbos is apparently not good for them.
If one wants a Ford truck get one of the 5.0's...understanding even that is more problematic than it should be, but significantly less so than the other engines on offer.
I did 2 international flights last year that were really 8 flights because of connections. One trip in September (IT), another in December (DR). If I don't step foot inside an airport again for the next 5 years, that'll be just fine with me! And if for some reason I must fly again sooner, I'll have to procure some sort of pills to prepare for the journey. There's so much news about airline fiascos and outright disasters lately I almost didn't even go on the family trip to the DR (and wifey almost bailed because her aunts decided to come last minute haha). Then return trip home from there saw a fiasco of our own, and dammed-rough air which was enough to seriously sour me on air travel for a long while.
Yeah I don't know how people do it. If I can have it my way we'll be a roadtrip family in a Pacifica, but not even the finest minivan of all time can get you to Italy or the tropics. I forsee us going back to Italy eventually because we loved it, and the FIL loves doing December trips to the tropics. Having kids will get us out of those for at least a few years I hope.
FYI a family member went to Italy with a baby and the Italian women swooned over him! The motherly B&B hosts volunteered to babysit, and when they went to family restaurants the owners and staff all catered to the baby.
Well yeah, we've been twice and that's enough to hold me over for a while. Your philosophy is why I'm getting back to drifting instead of squirrelling away every penny, and building a damn challenger to do it with instead of buying a car that makes sense like a 370z.
When I flew from Charlotte to LAX in December I had the window seat and in the middle seat was a large woman who was constantly in motion! I do not know how a large person can move that much squeezed and belted into an airline seat, but she did it. I’m a thin guy, and even though I was leaning hard into the bulkhead, she kept jostling me with her foot, calf, arm and shoulder!
She had a bag under the seat in front of her, and her large purse and jackets all piled upon her lap to such a height that when she pulled out a sub sandwich to eat, she only had to move her head forward a few inches to take a bite out of the sandwich. Then after she finished the sandwich she kept pulling out other food items to eat, like a magician pulling rabbits out of his pockets. The unexpected positive result of all her eating was that it soon knocked her out for hours and she finally stopped jostling me.
I always sit next to my wife so rubbing legs or shoulders is juuuust fine hahah
My biggest problem with comfort is with my bag under the seat ahead, I have no fucking leg/foot room. I can't stretch my legs out which aggravates my knees and hips, and my tailbone also gets sore 45min in. God I hate airplanes!
Lucky man! I only travel with one carry on backpack if possible. My week long trip to LA in December was easy to do that way. If I’m short something I’ll buy it if really needed.
I'm at the point where I only fly Economy Plus (Delta Comfort). The days of being packed into the back with the unwashed hordes are over. And no, I will not fly abominations like Spirit or Frontier (and now Southwest is off the list).
I am a Delta loyalist, and agree on the Comfort comfort. I can understand more about why people hate flying when they say they fly any other airline. Spirit is by far the worst I've flown, altho American and United aren't far behind. I hated Southwest's unassigned seating.
Last January I had to go out to LA for a day to meet with a supplier. I don't fly often but when I do, I prefer a window seat. On the flight back home to Detroit, a young man who looked Middle Eastern asked me if I could switch seats with him. I told him that I'd rather not and he scowled a bit. It took me a while to figure out that he didn't want his sister (older teen or young adult) sitting next to a single man.
I had not flown in so long that the pay in advance for your seat was new to me. I’m a cheapskate but I paid to get my window seat.
I wouldn’t give up my paid window seat for anyone. When I fly I just want to ignore everyone and fall asleep. I really need to get some noise canceling headphones phones. Right now I just keep my hearing aids in but turn them off and that muffles everything.
I call the back row "White-Trash First-Class", and I embrace it rather than chafe at the indignity. I've come to rather like it.
I can get up any time I want, nobody behind me is kicking the seat, and I'm close to the bathroom. There's no appreciable difference in the amount of time it takes deplaning between 39F and 29A, and because we don't check bags -- I'm getting an Uber or headed to rental while the folks up in business class are still waiting in baggage claim.
International travel, this is another 20-30 minutes waiting to clear immigration
My last flight to DFW I just followed some dude from a row in front of me wearing a suit out to the rental car shuttles. Being 5 minutes later to get in that line would have been another 30 minutes of waiting for their horrible shuttle service.
Flying sucks, full stop. Nothing like paying good money to be treated like an assumed criminal and packed like a sardine.
My wife made us fly to FL earlier this month with our then 8 month old to visit her dad. The offspring was an absolute model citizen on both flights, and he actually got me out of some of the TSA line hell. I still would have preferred to drive and just shave the drive time off the time spent in FL.
"Nothing like paying good money to be treated like an assumed criminal and packed like a sardine." And then getting tossed around at 35,000 feet so badly it feels like driving down the worst road in Detroit only worse cause you might actually die instead of just bending a rim
I understand your feelings, yet I disagree. Flying is a near-miracle, and is incredibly efficient and reliable. I fly 20-30x per year. My wife lives 1300 miles away from me, and I wouldn't see her much without air travel.
If you choose it, there are rules that go along with it, just as there are driving rules. The minor inconveniences in the airport are tolerable to me, and a few problems on the plane are immensely better than driving 20hrs. It's easy to gain advantages with an airline to make it better.
Driving thru Chicago a few times, trying to cross the GW Bridge in NYC, or crossing South Dakota is enough to make me love flying. Time is worth a lot.
I guess flying stresses people differently. I love driving cross-country, but not every time I travel.
Driving in Manhattan or Chicago doesn't freak me out but I once had to drive out to Long Island to meet with Sammy Ash and my car ended up on the outside lane of the Queensboro bridge. Originally built for trolleys, those lanes sit over the water outside the main superstructure of the bridge. I have acrophobia and even with my fairly narrow little car, I white knuckled it across the bridge. Other than that, flying is usually more stressful than driving for me.
While the actual flying part is a technological marvel (I personally love the takeoff and landing), government and airline policies and procedures work hand in hand to remove any all possible joy from the experience, for me anyway.
Two brief examples even though I could expound on the miseries of commercial air travel all day:
TSA does a hell of a lot more to keep me from flying at all than they do to make me feel safe. To me, their antics are largely security theater vs actual security.
And would it kill the airlines to include a few mm of padding in the seats? I paid hundreds to potentially thousands of dollars for this ride, why do I feel like I'm sitting on one of those park benches that was designed to be uncomfortable?
Anyway, it's time for me to go shake my fist at a cloud and tell the kids to get off my lawn.
I don't have anywhere I'd like to visit that I can't drive to. The most pleasant flight I've had in the past 10 years was an extradition for work. Complete bypass of the TSA line. Meeting with the pilot before anyone gets to board. First on the plane but unfortunately the last one off. But it was highly satisfying to have a gun on the hip and the flight crew knowing who you are and doting on you.
Because of said gun whose powder seems to cling to anything I wear, I always trigger the TSA alarms in the line from hell when I've flown on my own. Even though they give a choice, I always take the full public patdown. Having worked a booking area removes any tinge of shame.
Whenever possible I used to drive . As my kids got older the road trip was part of the vacation, we’d take 4-5 days going down. Taught them how to use an atlas and there’d pick interesting g spots towns cities etc to visit along the way.
I was fortunate enough that all of my international flights were in business class (company paid). I can't imagine being in economy for 15 hours going LAX - Hong Kong.
I've had my share of airport nightmares (I try to avoid O'Hare if at all possible).
After an unmitigated nightmare of a flight back from Scandinavia in 2005, I vowed to myself that if I ever have to get on an airplane again, I’m only going first/business class. I’m blessed enough that I can afford it, and as I’ve found out, the Delta First domestic product is worth the $pend.
Jack, you and your brother need to give us the deep dive—you promised months ago—into the profit drivers at auto dealerships. How do all the recalls at Ford impact dealer bottom lines? If dealers can’t fill mechanic positions, what’s the impact to profits? How are the captive finance companies competing with 8-year financing? The big-3 used to produce bullet-proof drivelines—slant 6, 300-I 6, GM small block. I get that some of these might have been economically overbuilt, like the old square HP printers. Assuming Detroit is still capable of building reliable drivetrains, is there any longer any incentive to do so—Enshitification, yo?
Car Craft had a great line a long time ago: "You could lubricate the Slant Six with sawdust and fuel it with dog water and only Douglas "Diesel Schmiesel, It's All Gas" Glad has ever managed to break more than one.
I'm split on this. On one hand, a few months ago I had a hell of a time trying to find out exactly what kind of powertrain came with a specific model of a car. But yeah, putting that in an ad is lame.
Just thought of this: Probably because the copy was written by AI, or by someone whom isn't a native English speaker. Either way, it seems no one whom IS a native English speaker ever saw this before publishing. Or they did but a combination of apathy and stupidity compelled them to publish that trash anyway. Any of those possibilities speak to just how shit gm is now I suppose.
Have you ever had dinner with a woman and then gone to see a band play with her without noticing the bandages on her wrists until she tells you about them, or was that just me?
I'm far from wealthy, but I've gotten to fly private for work a couple of times. That shit's awesome. Car waiting for you on the tarmac. Hop out of the plane, FBO personnel handle your bags and off you drive. It was a Citation CJ4. I won't be getting those opportunities ever again, most likely.
Same, but what I quickly learned was that you fly private so you can spend more time working, at the office and on the jet. There’s no “sit back and watch the latest episode of ______” when you’re on the work PJ.
There was a funny moment on the All-In podcast when the one guy who is not a billionaire made an off handed comment about running late and not wanting to miss his flight, and one of the other guys said as a joke and a flex “Why didn’t you just call the pilot and tell him to wait?”
This is the terrifying reality of the influencer economy. Some things require actual skill vs. just doing it for the clout. Some of those things will hurt you. A smaller subset will kill you. There's real risk involved in driving at speed, to yourself and others.
Jake Paul wanted to be a boxer, at least partially for the clout. That means he's willing to be repeatedly punched in the face vs. cosplay it online. I'd love to understand how women like Alanis measure and understand risk. Even worse are rich girls like Bianca Bustamante, who apparently has some talent but a much larger measure of attractiveness and marketability. Which factor secured her winter F3 seat with Palou, and what happens when she wads the car up and smashes up her perfect body?
i cant imagine being the parent of a child who was killed because an influencer ran out of talent and the coroner determined cause of death as "woman moment"
I was going to joke about ballast placement, but in those cars I don't know if a heavy driver raises or lowers the cog, or of she is heavy in comparison to her competition.
It's a new world friend. Women who would have been nicknamed "hams" back in 1970s HS are thought to be *beautiful*, not in spite of, but because of their wide load.
Everything has limits but 1970's "hams" is probably alright with me. 2026 "hams" is now a whole "whale" and I can't believe these things have romantic partners and relationships.
I must not remember why NASCAR matters, or why it is entertaining. Do we all need another adult male-acceptable soap opera to follow, or does all other on-screen entertainment currently fail us, or what? My mind is open to seeing what I am missing.
I like Jordan being a more visible part of it, I admit. Not sure why he cares so much about it, other than him being a overly competitive monster and needing to prove something, or him being from NC, simply being too bored counting his money or betting on golf, or it's an excuse for him to smoke more cigars.
Just like Daytona, I had Sunday’s race on because there’s nothing else on during that time slot.
About halfway in I realized that the race was so unremarkable that I couldn’t remember one thing that happened. I paid attention for the last 10 laps, caught the weekly “overtime”, and watched Hocevar (Michigan boy represent) go from the lead to 4th in less than a second.
The fact that Reddick won with no fender (which I didn’t know until now) baffles me. The cars are so aero dependent but apparently not enough that a fender matters? Or more accurately, the cars are dependent upon under car aero?
(Remember that every “popular” revolution is actually a revolution by disenfranchised wealthy or powerful folks, using the “people” as cannon fodder.)
I don't quite see how this applied to the French Revolution... or, trying to be as judicious as possible, at least the time from the outbreak through the end of the Reign of Terror.
The proles killed an awful lot of their societal betters, meaning aristocrats, non-noble rich people, and priests and nuns. At least 35,000 killed. BTW, Robespierre eventually fell victim to the terror he had helped bring about.
Now, perhaps one could view the rise of Napoleon as suiting the upper classes more than it suited the proles. Hard to say.
Also, just because a result came about, does not necessarily mean that the wealthy and powerful folks willed it. The Law of Unforeseen Consequences usually triumphs. The view from 30,000 feet is that the French Revolution centralized French political power in Paris to a much greater degree than under the Kings. Funny, that.
A common mistake I see all the time is our betters and “experts” thinking and espousing that events of our time move forward in a linear fashion, when it’s readily apparent from a cursory read of history that they do not.
Well, that is part and parcel of the overall lack of humility one often finds among betters and experts.
I think that big trends can be predicted--but only rarely. Ludwig von Mises predicted that letting bank depositors buy speculative stock issues "on margin" would bring down Austria's monetary system, which is a good reminder that the Crash of 1929 was not confined to the United States. And David P. Goldman predicted the 2007-2008 US Housing Bubble Burst. Both fine gentlemen I mention resigned their posts as a matter of principle when their superiors dismissed their totally accurate predictions. OK, I've got two examples...
Just like in Romance, in History it pays to be lucky. Johann Sebastian Bach came from a famous musical family, so it was almost certain that he would become a competent musician. However, he was very lucky, and that made a huge difference.
Bach was born in 1685. That was a time of relative peace and stability. However, had Bach been born at the start of the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648), which killed 4.5 to 8 million (estimates vary), he never would have been able to walk 50 miles to hear Buxtehude improvise--he would have been killed for his boots. Germany was the hardest-hit country during the Thirty Years' War. And if Bach had been born later, his career options would have been narrowed by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.
Dissenting opinion on the smaller turbo engines, I have had two 3.5 twin turbo engines, both in F-150’s, and they were both max tow pkg trucks, I do more frequent oil changes than the manual calls for, yeah, I don’t have a lot of miles on my ten year old truck, but I have had no issues either, Toyota is having issues, with their 3.4 twin turbo engines, and I think they are oil related, the GM 6.2 is having issues with mains and rods, that is in the actual finish on the rod and main journals, I don’t think thicker oil is going to fix that. The Ford and Gm turbo engines are well engineered, and are not anymore complex than the coyote engine, but they are reliable if taken care of.
That, and the occasions I've borrowed my mother's last 3 leases to tow something it's always performed just fine. Not really *impressive* of course, but I never doubted the little paint shaker and I like hearing the turbo spool up under load. Even got fair-to-decent mpg towing too. As I said though, they're leases so I cannot speak to how they last for 10 years as you can about your 3.5 v6.
Given the choice of course, I'd still take a bigger engine. On Dave and Chuck this morning they aired an ad read for a local Ram dealer done by Chuck. The copy mentioned Ram leases are starting at $299/mo and you can still get the "legendary 5.7L hemi V8." Of course, you and I know the 299 lease deal comes with an S.O Hurricane, which is already a league above the little TuboMax (stupid name). Anyhow, that ad finished with a zinger aimed right at the RenCen -er no- the Hudson building: "Why pay MORE for a truck with only a FOUR CYLINDER ENGINE!?"
To be fair to the TurboMax, it was designed to be a turbo engine, and it was designed to be the replacement for the base 4.3 engine, it isn’t an upgrade engine in a high trim level.
Yes, you're absolutely correct! Like I said it does the job just fine, I don't hate it by any means I just wouldn't choose it for myself. The 420hp Hurricane is the new base engine for Ram, and it's stronger than the "upgrade" 5.7 v8 hahah. My mom did lease one of the last 4.3s and I thought that was a decent motor too. Never towed with it, though.
I could see replacing my truck with a Ram and that Hurricane engine. But I am kind of looking for a 2015-19 gm 2500 6.0 and the 6 speed automatic crew in LT trim with like maybe 100k on the odometer…..
I plow snow (when we get it) and occasionally tow/haul with a 2.7 Ecoboost that's at about 112k and have had no issues yet (knock on everything wooden)
Ford says there is no way to use that truck with a plow... But I beg to differ. And it's not a small one, it's an old all-steel full sized Western.
That engine was a clean sheet design to be a turbo engine, they are a known quantity, I think they don’t want plows on them because of blocked airflow to the charge air cooler. I don’t think it’s an issue in this cold weather though.
His truck is also very tall, so the Commander could very easily slip under the front air dam to play with the fasteners. I need to lift the front end a bit due to my, uh, composition, but once the bumper is off it's free and easy to crawl under with all 4 wheels firmly on the ground.
I would trust the TurboMax 2.7 if it didn't have cylinder deactivation. Did they not learn anything from "Displacement on Demand" and "Active Fuel Management"?
It shuts down two cylinders. I remember when my grandpa died in 1995, I hauled a bunch of his stuff to Columbus in his '79 Silverado (305 2bbl) and got 12mpg with the cruise set at 65. When my grandma died in 2006, I borrowed a buddy's '04 Silverado 4.8 4x4 to haul her stuff and got 17.9 mpg with the cruise set at 65. 90% more HP than the '79 and 50% better gas mileage. That was peak GM truck IMHO. I don't feel like looking up the EPA ratings for the TurboMax or the DoD/AFM 5.3, but it can't be enough of an improvement over the 4.8 to merit the loss of reliability.
My mom's 2.7T's have usually returned 12-14mpg towing an e36 on an open trailer at 75mph while also loaded with spare wheels and tools. Most recent one towed a 1953 M38A Jeep home from SW PA on the same open trailer, plus loaded down with extra parts and 4 grown men, and returned 12mpg at 70-75mph. I have yet to tow with my '00 2500 but I expect 9-10.
My wife’s Mazda cx30 has cylinder deactivation, because they built counter balancers into the engine, you can hardly feel it, I am looking for a way to defeat the system.
Big twin Harleys do this at idle when they're hot. First time I rented one I thought it was broken. They call it Parade Mode. It can be disabled via some backwards throttle incantations.
It’s on the Harley’s because of rider comfort, in very warm weather, it has absolutely nothing to do with epa or cafe, it turns the fuel off to the rear cylinder.
I had a '73 Honda CB350 that had cylinder deactivation at stoplights. The idle jet on the right-side carb would clog, and voila - you're idling on one cylinder. I rebuilt the carbs and cleaned out the gas tank and that took care of it.
GM couldn't figure out how to diagnose some failure modes with a copy of VTEC. They had it for a few years on the 2.5 4cyl and took it off because of OBD
Who knew that at the end of the day, the electronic solenoids on top of the rockers in a 1981 Cadillac V8/6/4 would turn out to be the most reliable GM design of all? And permanent system deactivation was as simple as unplugging a solitary wire around the transmission.
Your reason to watch NASCAR is the best reason. She will thrive. My offspring will also be in the area where the teams are based if help is needed. Just saying.
So looking forward to Haas this year making steady improvement. More excited to watch the middle of the pack than anything else.
Alonso will of course do what he can with what he has and still look great.
Agreed, I wouldn't be surprised if Alonzo figures out early some non-obvious way employ the new PU idiosyncrasies and active aero to maximum benefit to carry the AM around on his back. Lance will be DFL.
MotoGP starts in Thailand this weekend with Ducati, of course, the favored manufacturer. Two rookies will start this season: Diogo Moreira from Moto2 replacing Somkiat Chantra (demoted to World SBK and missed the premiere due to injury); and Toprak Razgogliotu (spelling?), the reigning WorldSBK champion who replaces Miguel Olivera on a Pramac Yamaha. Dunlop replaces Michelin as tire supplier next year which is a change everyone must absorb. This is also the last season before the big rule changes around aero, ride height devices, and engine displacement take effect.
WorldSBK has already rung in the new season at Philip Island, Australia. Bulega, on a factory Ducati, handily completed the hat trick for the race wins and sprint win this weekend. He did have to come back from a shoddy start during the sprint, but ended with seconds of lead. Bulega was the runner up last year and the easy favorite this year on the new Panigale V4. Otherwise the new BMW boys of Miguel Olivera and Danilo Petrucci were not overly impressive, though they did make points finishes this weekend and that was with Olivera coming from DFL on the grid. Bimota bikes looked solid but obviously lacked a top end.
WorldSSP is set for fights between Can Oncu and Jaume Masia.
As always, the WorldSBK runners show far more aggression and, arguably, bike handling skill than their counterparts at MotoA.
Which I also gave money for but which doesn't start for two months as the Daytona 200 doesn't count for anything but bragging rights.
Shame about the Daytona 200. When I was a kid the best riders in the world raced it on awesome machines, now it's a 600 street bike class with local riders.
And too many of those guys STARTED on a 600.
I started on a 90 and almost died
Don't feel too bad, I began riding on a 1959 Honda 50CC Cub with a pushrod three speed, it didn't have enough power to kill me but I nearly managed anyway, here I am still riding 60 + years later and my auld crock is sort of hip .
-Nate
Same here. Worked my way up through the cc’s. That 90 got stolen and I’m still livid.
I can imagine .
I had a few S90's, one was the single year 1967 in black with turn signals and chrome fenders etc., I foolishly sold them on not realizing the supply of old unwanted $75 Honda Tiddlers was coming to a close .
I still have a gaggle of CT90's, they don't look as cool but are incredible riders, go anywhere if slowly .
-Nate
FWIW, after owning a few turbo charged conveyances in my life, I never thought the Ecoboost was viable, and when shopping around last year (used), it seemed impossible to find any kind of Ford product I was interested in without that mill. I liked the current Explorers but can't get into a motor I know is fair to middlin' at best. And why on Earth would anyone be interested in a NA or turbo 4 in a godawful huge assed SUV to begin with? Talk about an overstressed engine choice.
Which, ahem, brings up another thing - I've decided to let my 2008 Land Cruiser go, it's been fun, but this monster is 100% overkill for me, my taxes refuse to dip below 5 figures, and being under/un-employed is probably going to be the theme of 2026. Time for something cheaper and hopefully similar. Chat me up on the wonderful Substack DM system if you want a nice 200 series!
A theory: Ford did the math. The small CAFE improvement across the fleet from turbo 6's and the fact that a majority haul air will be more profitable than (maybe, barely) in-warranty repairs of those who use them as trucks. Past warranty, 'suck eggs, proles'.
See also, start-stop, cylinder deactivation, loose gum-prone oil control piston rings and 0W20 oil.
Or a correlate of 'If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one'.
You are certainly correct on all counts. It's a shame.
My ‘11 Sienna uses 0-w20.
My '22 Colorado does, too.
That's basically WD-40.
Kerosene.
0W-8 is now common in new hybrids.
I've seen that. Not this kid.
If you crack the manual then, in all likelihood, rest of world specs 5w-30.
Even then....
-Nate
My '25 GM 3.0 DIESEL is *supposed* to use 0W/20 "Dextos-D" (or some such). I use Rotella 10W30 full synthetic.
If the engine shells, it won't be because of running kerosene instead of oil.
saw this yesterday and thought of you: https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/d/san-diego-ford-250-xl-super-duty-x/7917406554.html
I'll have to call you when it's time for MY next truck, that's an immaculate example!
Yeah, vehicles out here don't get destroyed by the snow/salt mix that is back east. I see interesting old stuff all the time around this area.
I switched to 5W-20 in my Fit. The engine runs significantly quieter.
Back when BMW made engines that lasted hundreds of thousands of miles, 20W-50 was the hot ticket.
The hot tip back in the '70s was Valvoline Racing Oil 20W-50.
I eventually switched to a 5W-50 synthetic, but there's no way I want an oil with 8 weight viscosity at high temperatures in anything.
Paging Mr Baruth your farm all F250 has arrived from San Diego see Gate Agent Steve Ward. paging Mr Baruth….
Another 80/20 issue to ponder.
The general car using public would endorse government vehicle durability standards 100x over fuel or emissions standards.
It would be fascinating to see what Detroit could come up with if durability standards were not restricted by any other government regulation.
Turbodiesels for days.
V8’s everywhere!
Do we really need durability standards? My Fit has about 130K miles on it. Still has the original clutch. Having the replace clutches used to be a lot more common. Cars are a lot more reliable than they 40 and 50 years ago. Back then a car was significantly worn by 50,000 miles and mostly a junkyard candidate at 100,000. Rebuilt engines, heads and transmissions were a lot more common than they are today.
It is funny that certain car items have gotten super reliable. Remember when cars had radiator problems or would blow a water hose? Or you would see blue smoke from the exhaust? I last saw that on a Mini, and hadn’t seen that for decades before that. The ghetto highway I used to drive on in Chicago back in the day even had regular car fires.
The durability items I’m thinking about are the internals, mostly due to manufacturer cost cutting, dumb technology and government regulation. Plastic pieces and such other shortcuts.
It just seems that before you buy a used car these days, it’s necessary to search the owner’s forums to see what the car’s fatal or catastrophic flaws are. Those kinds of durability issues just seem to be more common, as opposed to regular wear items that are much improved from decades ago.
Actually more common, or just more visible thanks to the internet? Methinks the latter; cars before the 80's didn't even bother having six digit odometers.
That’s definitely true. But when owner forum amplify real problems that’s a good thing.
"the fact that a majority haul air"
This is the only reason any engineer ever considered putting an I-4 in something larger than an S-10/old Ranger.
You think the engineers wanted to do this on their own?
i was told by agitated mechanics that engineers make all the bad decisions themselves to spite mechanics and for no other reason
One of the satire sites had an article titled "new Ford infotainment system allows you to curse at the engineers directly."
It might have been an engineer who made the decision but it was surely some engineer promoted to manager who hasn't done any engineering in a long time.
Oh, I'm sure the accountants asked, but the engineers didn't say "no, that will just cause more headaches for the company down the road." 🤷
I would bet that it was more like, "do it or we'll find someone who will."
What car company?
A major one.
My twin turbo v6, in the real world, returns several mpg worse than the tested mpg. Does this mean it also produce more emissions in the real world than a theoretical V8 that gets it stated mileage?
Getting the tested MPG means you're lugging at 1,700 RPM in 10th gear at 45 MPH.
The Tundra only uses 10th gear going downhill with no headwind at 75mph. I'm not kidding.
Yes, CO2 emissions are proportional to fuel burned. Other things affect the overall emitted species (fuel quality, short trips vs long to get the cat and everything up to temp) but all else equal, it's a good bet that any new car getting 20 mpg is better than something getting 16 mpg.
Only if you believe the absolute bullshit that CO2 is a pollutant.
I think the point was, even if you accept that, you should also want the bigger engines that do better in the real world.
I've been thinking of adding an F-150 and everything I've read said the 2.7L Nano with a 6-speed is pretty darn bulletproof. None of the phaser or timing chain issues with the bigger 3.5L TT.
I had a 3.5TT F-150 max tow and man did that tow well, though. I was shocked how fast I was going the first time merging onto I-94 with a 8000# trailer. Sold it during COVID insanity for almost what I paid.
I had an F150 with the 2.7 Nano. It's a cool engine, but it's no 3.5 EB.
Concur. Driven a few 2.7 F-150s both towing and empty, and they feel better than a 5.3L V8 in the GM trucks. For an open-deck car and trailer, however, it was more than adequate for all circumstances. Large frontal area with an enclosed or RV would likely change that.
I towed an extra-tall (8 ft clear inside) 22 ft (+ V-nose) enclosed from Illinois to Cheyenne, WY. My daughter lives in Denver -- after dropping the load, I took the trailer down to Denver and sold it on FB Marketplace, just so I wouldn't have to pull it home.
75 mph: 6 mpg.
That's not too bad for towing a mainsail at 75mph. I get 8-9 mpg with a GMT 900 6.2 liter towing a 7 ft inside height travel trailer at 65 mph.
Wind resistance varies as to the square of velocity.
It surely does.
That trip drove my decision to get the LZ0 baby diesel in the Silverado 1500 (as well as a lower trailer). This package is soooooo much nicer (7x16+ V-nose, 6'3" clear inside). I can tell it's back there, but my mileage (and more importantly: power) is much, much better.
75 mph, 14 mpg.
This is why I'll never buy an RV and rent one instead. I'd have at least $300-400 in incremental gas cost to tow to an 'away' track and back vs renting one for $300-400 for the weekend.
And someone else gets to deal with the joy of maintaining, storing, and insuring it.
16 Tundra with the 5.7 towing track car on open trailer maybe 3500lbs all in 75-90 through hills gets 11mpg. On the other hand same speeds not towing max 17.
My understanding is unladen driving on the flat with light throttle the turbo v6 gives good mpg. Dip into the turbos, get some hills or tow and it gets ugly fast
I even notice that varying speeds constantly, without major throttle blips, as when I’m having to jink and jive around slow traffic (and the usual left-lane dawdlers and people who can’t follow any other traffic law except an undeposited speed limit—it’s been a bad week for that), versus when I can just sit in the center lane, has an effect on MPGs, at least according to the current average on the trip computer.
Bold of you to think that they calculate that much.
Someone did it for CAFE benefits, warranty is a whole different department
None of this would have happened without footprint CAFE.
See: the Pinto debacle. 🔥
Do you have any career regrets? I know you've talked about burning bridges and being acerbic as a co-worker.
My biggest regret in recent years is working for Hagerty. I was not a great fit for what the job actually was, I was perpetually sabotaged in my endeavors, and I hated most of the wannabe Illuminati who made up the senior people and major customers.
But that isn't why I regret it. I regret it because I left the senior SRE position at McGrawHill to take the job. Had I stayed there, I could have built the infrastructure to make education available for 50 million kids. I would have been proud of that.
I haven't thought about textbooks in so long. Is everything online for students these days? Are college kids paying $300 for a used psych textbook still? Have a good one!
Triggered. I still remember what I paid for the DSM IV… and what I got when I sold it back.
I didn't buy textbooks outside of one accounting textbook each semester from sophmore year in college to my masters year
I was really good at two (academically related) things in college in the early 2010s: not doing the reading, and googling "textbooktitle.pdf" and working out which links were actual PDFs and which were viruses.
Heh, I have an 8' long shelf of text books in my office here. And another 8' long shelf above it with various computer manuals and reference docs.
oh yeah
they never got cheaper and they appear to decide the price at random
I’m guessing it’s not at random.
ive seen math textbooks for 70 and small booklets for 250
no idea how they arrived at that
We're finding out that screens are not necessarily conducive to learning. Most of the cool things we have today are the products of people who learned from books, chalk blackboards, and who wrote cursive on ruled, lined, looseleaf pages, and who used real graph and log paper.
I wish that were still the case but some still love their Visio.
Idiots where I work try to use Figma to diagram out process and user flows. I refuse to look at them and remind them of Visio.
Tell them to use the upgraded version: Ligma.
One semester of grad school I decided to be fancy and use my new iPad (this was in 2010) as my textbook and buy the .pdf copy instead of the hardcover. It was in a class where you constantly had to refer back to a table of equations in the appendix and it was a huge pain in the dick to flip back and forth. Learned my lesson.
ipads are awesome for taking notes and especially ones with complex formulas in them becuase you can zoom in and out to suit while writing
My section of it was the K-12 online product. We didn't have a lot of use in 2019 when I left McGraw; I spent most of the time playing chess with my fellow admin, who was a bit of a prodigy. However, in 2020, for obvious reasons, they had to expand the product from a few hundred thousand users to millions. It would have been an insanely exciting time and the department swelled by leaps and bounds. While I made good money at Hagerty, I'd have accomplished something useful at McGraw. In the long run that matters more. I've earned several million dollars since 1998 and spent it all. An extra buck in the greater scheme of things doesn't amount to much.
My guess is that in $THE_CURRENT_YEAR, you pay for the PDF, or you pay for access to a vendor’s site for a semester’s access?
A lot of education now is done through an online portal. Materials, testing, all of it.
The resources available now from companies like McGraw-Hill are so much more than a textbook or PDF of a textbook. Interactivity, adaptability, and personalization or beyond what anybody who learned from a textbook could imagine
McGrawHill schoolbooks, eh?
Alternate timeline Jalop headline:
'JACK BARUTH DROWNS AFTER FALLING OFF YACHT'
Wow, didn't know that..some of your best work was on Hagerty.
Which was a miracle because every article and every idea had to go through a Minotaur labyrinth of stupidity.
The gap between how we would conceive the features and how they would end up... Someone would say "Let's take a Miata to Hiroshima, then to Trinity," and it would end up with "Send Brett Berk to suck off a teenager in a new Cullinan."
its almost like they already had an idea of what they wanted before anyone asked
A minotaur labyrinth you say?
Morning glory Autojourno farm?
That's the book I SHOULD have written
Good God, I’d forgotten about that!
And hoped it would stay that way! 😂😂
I had too until I saw that Jack sent someone a morning glory racing farm sticker with their cat tales hardcover. Sadly, it was not me, and my wife will remain untraumatized by it.
I don’t doubt you, but its hard to imagine that level of insanity.
"I was not a great fit for what the job actually was, I was perpetually sabotaged in my endeavors, and I hated most of the wannabe Illuminati who made up the senior people and major customers."
Ahhh ... that neatly describes my current job. And from searching out there, that pretty much seems to be the standard. Not that I dismiss the possibility of winning the lottery.
No Idea that you were at McGraw-Hill. Sometime. We might have to discuss educational technology
I recognize this user name from about 800 Everyday Driver podcasts.
I get around!
A question that's been floating around in my head for a while is this: gun to your head, if you have to buy a $_CURRENT_YEAR 1500 truck, which engine are you choosing to last 300,000 miles? Even the Gen 4 Coyote has a wet oil pump belt. The only major thing I've heard about with Gen 2 3.5s is cam phasers like every other Ford with VCT, otherwise it seems like the most "old" engine in current production.
I think the market says: You buy a NA Tundra and pretend it is from 2025.
The Internet is saying it. Meanwhile, Tundras are selling at the best pace in decades.
I’m realizing there is no replacement for my 16 tundra, not that I was looking, but still where be the progress
Same. They can have my 5.7 Tundra when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
Toyota and I'll tell you why: when push comes to shove, Toyota will make it right. This is the company that put FRAMES in Tacomas.
I fully expect my typical bounce back to happen at some point in the next 4-6 years. That bounce back being every time I buy an American brand vehicle I end up in a basic spec Japanese vehicle to recover from the experience of unplanned maintenance and repair...It's happened with two Jeeps already, so let me know when the 2031 Tundra SR5s hit the lot.
If memory serves me correctly, they gave my dad $12.5k for a trade-in on his 2000 4-cylinder single cab 4WD 5-speed on the original clutch with 340k. It was dark green though. And $1k off a new (2009) Tacoma. If they hadn’t become so expensive (for his budget), he would have bought a new one when it came time to retire the ‘09 (with nearly 400k on it) a few years ago.
Nice conicidence
My SS became a money pit at 95k. I am taking delivery of a 2018 Avalon with 35k miles tonight.
That's a nice pivot, when I say simple I mean it. I went from a loaded WK2 Limited Grand Cherokee to $23k Accord Sport the last time I did this.
Chevrolet SS?
We assume you are typing up your guest post as we speak 😁
Seriously though, how was the SS? Thoughts, feelings? Would you do it again?
Yes. It was an absolutely phenomenal car, the rumors are true. I will probably spend the rest of my life looking to replicate the LS3>TR6060 experience.
That's too bad. An SS gets instant street cred from me; maybe more than any other car because of the lack of flash. The mark of someone who knows their stuff but doesn't need to broadcast it to the normies.
I got a lot of attention from hispanic teenagers
Probably with the intention of carjacking.
Money pit due to hard to get / unobtainium parts?
What did they have before??
Frames, but ones with holes!
I drove a rental Tundra for several months in 2023. That truck better last forever because it's slower, louder inside, and drives worse than my dad's 2017 f150. I'd rather have whatever the second place half ton is and budget for repairs/bus tickets.
Fun story there, I worked with someone who bought a 2nd gen Tacoma right before they switched over to the 3rd gen. There was a paperwork mess up, and the dealer called my buddy saying "look, they are switching over the tooling and assembly line as we speak, we can't build your truck even if we wanted to!". He just escalated it from there, and Toyota said "Oh man, this is our bad! We'll make it right." and CALLED BACK IN a crew on a weekend to pretty much hand build just one more 2nd gen for him. I said at the time "you own either the absolute best built, or the absolute worst built, 2nd gen Tacoma in existence!" I think he still has that truck.
From a reliability standpoint you want the last Toyota off the line. From a features and comfort standpoint you want any other brand.
They are one of the few left that still believe in kaizen through the full product life cycle.
I could never get past the two salesmen I dealt with who made it plain that it was a privilege to test drive a fucking Camry.
I always see newer Toyotas in Northwest Ohio with the blinky-blinky CHMSLs which were probably modded by the regional distributor, or whoever’s the middleman between the factory and the dealers, unlike every other automaker on the planet! I hate to think what else they add to every single vehicle going to the dealers, probably complete with a hefty ADM sticker which cannot be negotiated away.
And THEN you get fleeced once more in the F&I office!
Toyota paid for a new engine in my 92 4Runner at 99,900 miles. The defective head gasket caused the motor to die, Toyota made it right.
I should also point out, Toyota gave me a pretty new Camry to drive for the 10 weeks my rig was at the dealers. There were about 20 pickups and 4Runners in there with the motors out...waiting for new V6s. My only out of pocket was the cost of a new water pump, which wasn't covered by the head gasket fiasco.
I hope that still holds true today. Considering that in other ways Toyota is losing the plot, a great example is making the 2027 Highlander EV only. See below:
https://youtu.be/2TCiK1w-mpY?si=VljXFCoUpTCtbP3Z
So, is the new Grand Highlander going to be a hybrid or full ICE?
Probably the same as now. From the video and the comments on it, Highlander sales tanked once the Grand Highlander became available. Comment also mentioned that Highlander, Grand Highlander, and Sienna are produced in the same location, so making the Highlander EV frees up capacity for the other 2.
When I worked at a Toyota dealer and we would call for coverage of an out of warranty repair the question was "Does the customer deserve it?" meaning is there a record of normal service history, not necessarily at a dealership, and does the vehicle appear to be in reasonable condition? if the answer was yes then the coverage was granted in most all cases.
In the event the vehicle was way out of warranty and/or zero service history Toyota would generally split the cost of parts & labor 50/50 if the case could be made that it was not abuse or neglect but an unusual failure of a Toyota product.
I was shocked when I went to work there after having dealt with other manufacturers.
Honda and Toyota are the only two automakers who think this way.
I still chuckle at Honda replacing the "glass transmissions" on 120k-mile cars.
An oil pump BELT is a design flaw, or negligence. Take your pick.
I have yet to see one on the Coyotes fail. They are very, very different in design than the ecoshit ones.
Maybe, but the oil pump should ALWAYS be driven by something hard. Chain, gears, shaft.
And same with the cams, especially in an interference engine.
I typically agree with this. Especially with cams. But, we don't live in the 1990s anymore. The oil pump belts dont break typically and don't have a tensioner so they are not stressed the same way. I don't love them, but they don't seem to be a weak point on the new Coyotes either.
Where my love for chain over belt comes in has everything to do with never getting pre-owned timing belt cars where I had any idea about previous maintenance. Totally can understand that.
That kind of thinking will give us spaceship reactors with active radiation containment because "it usually works."
I think the main issue seems to be lack of maintenance. People just aren't servicing things at good enough intervals and the OEMs are being incentivized to say their engines can go further and further without normal services. I always look at who the intended market is before I pass too much judgement.
Jack's right in that turbos and trucks really aren't a great mix outside of diesels. But then once Ford did it, the market adapted to the needs of the ecoboosts. People learned to keep the oil change intervals down a bit more with better quality oils. Every single full size truck maker is dealing with some sort of issue across the board. Every one. We all want farm implement service schedules, but we don't have that world anymore unfortunately. If I have to replace an oil pump belt at 200k miles while the timing setup is being gone through with new phasers, that sure seems easier than a new bottom end at 15k miles. There are people who religiously change diff fluid every 30-40k miles. I never hear them saying they have issues... but again, that isn't realistic either.
As my Fit approached 100K, I got paranoid because I hadn't thought about the timing belt. Then I found out that the engine in my car has a chain. It's also naturally aspirated. What's not to like about a naturally aspirated twin cam four? It'd be nice if the engine was a 1.6 instead of a 1.4 but it's quick enough for me.
i mean k20 swaps exist which would make your on ramp expeditions significantly more rapid
All the better for the hilariously short entrance ramps to the Lodge or Southfield Fwy
Coyotes have a planetary oil pump like a 4.6 or LS engine. Cast gears can shatter but that’s about out it. The wet belts are found in the smaller engines.
I think the biggest caveat is the “wet” aspect in that the material breaks down
in the oil despite material choice. A very high grade dry belt while not ideal does have its advantages.
I like to call the Ford turbo V6 "fecal boost," but your nickname is pretty good, too!
You're mistaken. It's the tiny 4cyl ones that are the ecoshits. Those were the ones with all the wet belt failures. The v6 ecoboosts had some teething issues but don't seem to be any more or less reliable than anything else right now. If anything, they're further developed with a wider range of fixes for problems.
That’s my understanding. The rest of the truck will fall apart before the engine, at least one hopes.
See I would say 5.7 or 3.6 Ram but they all have a mild hybrid setup that I’ve heard very mixed reviews on.
The EcoBoost, non-hybrid F150s I’ve heard generally OK things but they’ll eat you alive at like 150k or so.
Idk. The straight answer is just that none of them are reliable enough to do that anymore. I guess I’d do the Coyote and pray for the best.
Around 100k-150k miles the ecoboost F150s are prone to needing timing components and phasers. You get warnings though. Much of it depends on oil quality and change interval. It's the transmissions have their own weak points. Suddenly our 5.4 3v and a 6r80 seems like a beefy and simple mess.
Yeah, the older 3.5 ecoboosts seem to be somewhat reliable if you do 5k OCIs, but following the computer will nail you. I can't even count how many used ones I have seen listed on marketplace noting the timing chains have been replaced. Ford supposedly redesigned the 3.5 ecoboost in 2021 which might reduce the phaser/timing chain issues. Not enough data yet that I have seen.
The 2.7 is probably Ford's most reliable truck engine. Very very few issues noted on the forums. My Dad has 120k on his 2019 now (purchased new) with basic maintenance only. The Coyote might be more simple but had oil consumption issues in the 2018-2020s then Ford lowered the oil capacity in 2021. Probably wouldn't follow the computer OCIs on that engine now either but perhaps it will stay more reliable long-term.
What do you mean by last? No significant repairs or fixable enough to get there eventually?
Not really sure, maybe total mx cost including down time?
I'm going to agree with KoR that the answer might be none of them will make it. I might buy a Frontier and treat it like a half ton.
If they still build the frontiers on the "alpha" frame like they did the prior gen, I can confirm they are indeed very beefy underneath, notably so. Also telling, that as 4Runners and Tacomas of the mid-late 00s are starting to leave the roads for swiss cheese frames (they're simply made with thinner sheetmetal), the Nissans seem to be holding up quite well in this regard. My 05 (first year of that 2nd gen) Xterra lived its whole life in Central/northern PA not being washed enough, and while the frame had a fair amount of scale for me to knock off, and holes in the inner rockers of the body, the frame is 100% structurally sound.
I don't know what they call it but it is still rated for 7k lbs towing.
I usually take it as the later meaning because that's the most realistic way vehicles make it that far.
Easy, 2026 Ram 1500 with the e-torque 5.7 hemi. It won't be showroom fresh at 300k, no; but I'm confident it'll still run and work.
Does the e-torque hold up well?
I don't know to be honest. They just started coming out when I quit the dealer, but the hemi v8 and zf 8 speed are pretty solid. They only come with E torque now though so that's why I specified it
If Toyota built a truck with a ZF 8-speed backing an 6.6 L8T V8, they'd have my ideal vehicle.
Drivetrain reliability wise, yes, I'd trust the hemi and ZF most of anything out there in a half ton today. I still don't think Ram has ever fully resolved the exhaust manifold leak issue though. 1 buddy had his start at around 20k miles and the other somewhere before 50k. Cheaper fix than a blown engine though.
Yeah the manifolds have always been a problem. The 2018/19 revision did help prolong bolt life but they do still break
The problem is the whole rest of the truck is going to fall apart or rust to pieces by 300k. My father in law has one and it's already had at least a single diff and 2 sets of brakes and tires well before they were supposed to be worn out. It's just rough on parts. Looks GREAT though. Super functional. By far the worst overall truck quality though. I'd rather own a Titan than a Ram now.
300k miles is a lot of miles, so I would expect any truck to have interior/plastic/corrosion problems because they'll also probably be 25-30 years old by then unless you're a hot-shot hauler. I used to own a 2015 Ram 1500 with 162k on it. The entire drivetrain was great, aside from the front diff mount being snapped due to excessive abuse by the previous owner. I fixed that, replaced the half shafts, the ball joints, and the radiator. The steering rack was starting to get some play in it, and it needed exhaust manifold bolts but not super desperately. No meaningful rust anywhere, though, and the interior was still in great shape (tan leather, very nice spec). I was making payments on it because in 2022 it was still worth a decent amount, so yeah it sucked that I had to do all that work on the truck on top of financing but realistically unsurprising because, as I said, it was an 8 year old truck with 160k on it. Things are gonna wear out in that time, it's inevitable. Everyone loves to wax on and on about the unflappable and no-wrenches needed vehicles other brands make but in reality that kind of vehicle doesn't exist and never really has.
Now I have a 2000 Chevy with a 6.0/4l80e and 164k miles. The cab rockers are gone and the interior creaks and rattles constantly. The front grille and headlights don't line up anymore. The venerable LQ4 has low compression on 3 of its cylinders and never ceases to smell of burning 10w-30. But dammit Josh, that truck starts up and hauls ass every time I need it and it's dead simple and cheap to fix when something does fail. To me, that's what it means to be dependable and "go the distance" and I think new Rams are still capable of it. If I didn't have to finance it, I'd still have that Ram and I'd have fixed the rack and exhaust by now but it didn't make financial sense when compared to a $3000 Cheby.
I'd probably cross my fingers and order a HEMI-powered Ram. The new Tundras are not yet battle-tested, and I don't hear good things about high-mileage Coyotes.
There are many over 100k miles with zero maintenance. Many of them without even spark plugs which are required for emissions at 40k miles. There's many at or near 200k with ZERO engine issues. One guy 12 weeks ago was at 215k miles claiming original brake pads.
Over 100K, sure. Over 200K...well, most of the contractors with whom I have discussed that engine tend to chop in their trucks around 150 for a newer model, so you may have more complete information than I. Original brake pads? Well damn, I guess all that aluminum wasn't for nothing.
I'm in an owner's group on Facebook. Someone has 170k miles original front pads, new rear pads. Another with 225k original everything. I don't think 200k miles will be uncommon.
Toyota engine problems are only a big deal because it's Toyota.
If you truly need a new pickup to last 300k miles without the engine skipping a beat, I can only vouch for a 2500 Duramax. Emission delete is optional.
And if we're gonna be driving a 1500 forever, I'd get a GM 5.3 and delete the AFM/DFM.
A GM will run poorly longer than just about anything else will run.
The only contradiction I have is that emissions deleting any modern diesel is not optional. But it should also be given a proper tune to pair with the delete. I like diesels that make all the torque and last all the miles, but I don't like diesels that vomit all the soot and all the NoX. I suppose I'd compromise if possible; if there was a way to just disable the limp-mode upon an emissions issue so it doesn't stop the truck dead on the interstate if a sensor fucks up, I think that would be acceptable. Paired with an EGR delete, I think that would do a lot to retain most emissions under control and still allow the truck to last forever while not being a pain in the ass at inopportune moments.
Yeah, don't get a shitty tune. I've seen an '08 LMM make it to just under 300k and it was driven like a race car. A plug and play tune from day 1, pedal to floor, nonstop. Bad fuel caused a few injectors to go early on. What finally did it in was after a head gasket replacement it got a bad tune. Another fella here '08 LMM here just got a full paint job and it's a daily driven.
The L5P is the first stock Duramax that could compare in power to that tuned LMM. Emissions are a pain but my take is at worst keep the system until it's going to cost some money and spend it on a delete. Trump ending the emissions limp mode should be very well received.
One of my college instructors had an 04 duramax, I don't remember which code that one is but is another one that's notorious for eating injectors. Anyway, he tuned it himself on one of the school’s chassis dynos. With 3 bad injectiors and a dogged turbo he got it making enough torque to set the trans into protection mode. I don't remember the specific number he recorded on the dyno but it was pretty high considering the parts issues. Only got stronger as he fixed on it!
Wait trump actually did something about the limp mode thing? Neat if so!
I've got the baby Duramax. The day it comes off warranty, it gets deleted.
EGR is the primary way to reduce NOx. Can't really have it both ways. Same for DPF delete. If you want to get rid of it and dial in a more fuel-heavy tune (they all are), then there will be soot.
Now, whether or not the amount of soot and NOx is truly detrimental to the world can be debated. I think there is a significant disconnect between the emissions regs and human physiology. But I also think that a lot of the venom against aftertreatment isn’t based on experience, but on internet forum brodozer opinion. Those trucks work fine with the aftertreatment intact for most users.
My Gen 1 3.5 Ecoboost with 158k runs like a top. That’s where I’d put my money. A lot of people replace cam phasers because of the sound they make at startup, but there's usually nothing wrong. I've been in the dyno cells and seen thoroughly abused motors come out unscathed. I own one, and yes I tow. They're good motors, despite what the keyboard mechanics would have you believe.
I would say Nissan Frontier in base S trim with whatever cab, as many geegaw deletes/gov spec build as you can get, probably 4 door for them keyids, and 4x4 without all the fake "bold new graphics" pro-4x stuff if was my only truck.
If I weren't using it to do all the things I'd get a 2wd and use it for pavement work. You can rack up miles on a Frontier and it will be relatively uneventful, statistically speaking, without being a pain in the ass to park and commute in because it's smaller than the other CAFE hog 1500s. It also has a real transmission instead of a fake/gay cvt or dct, though there have been a rash of problems (which is unfortunately normal now for most autos).
I also would point out it's a full frame truck with a 7k towing capacity (looking at you Ridgeline). So, it really is a 1500 by my "stuck in the 90s" old man mindset.
You can have a 300k mile truck for a very reasonable mid/low 30s price point by the time you work an aggressive deal and buy smart.
I expect by the time you got past 250k it would be limping across the line, but I honestly feel like it would do it.
Oh, and these are assembled in Canton MS by Americans who care. Which is about all you can axe for nowadays.
It's not just cam phasers. They like to eat turbos, too, ingesting coolant from leaks that develop in the turbos is apparently not good for them.
If one wants a Ford truck get one of the 5.0's...understanding even that is more problematic than it should be, but significantly less so than the other engines on offer.
How many times did you fly last year?
Now you tell me I'm not an important person!
Last year I didnt fly much. Three international trips and a half dozen domestic. This year I might not even match that.
If I'm remembering correctly, I haven't stepped on a plane since 2021
Pshaw! Begone, peasant!
I did 2 international flights last year that were really 8 flights because of connections. One trip in September (IT), another in December (DR). If I don't step foot inside an airport again for the next 5 years, that'll be just fine with me! And if for some reason I must fly again sooner, I'll have to procure some sort of pills to prepare for the journey. There's so much news about airline fiascos and outright disasters lately I almost didn't even go on the family trip to the DR (and wifey almost bailed because her aunts decided to come last minute haha). Then return trip home from there saw a fiasco of our own, and dammed-rough air which was enough to seriously sour me on air travel for a long while.
Flying sucks alone. I don't even want to try flying with the kids.
Yeah I don't know how people do it. If I can have it my way we'll be a roadtrip family in a Pacifica, but not even the finest minivan of all time can get you to Italy or the tropics. I forsee us going back to Italy eventually because we loved it, and the FIL loves doing December trips to the tropics. Having kids will get us out of those for at least a few years I hope.
FYI a family member went to Italy with a baby and the Italian women swooned over him! The motherly B&B hosts volunteered to babysit, and when they went to family restaurants the owners and staff all catered to the baby.
This happens in the midwest. Well, not the babysitting part.
the italian women are not used to seeing an infant not born from an african migrant
Can confirm. We brought a geriatric and small children. Italians love families.
take a ship to europe and drive the rest of the way!
High seas terrify me even more than open skies!
I travel furthest by sailboat now. Does that count?
Get you OUT OF going to the tropics?!? You live in Detroit.
Have you lost your mind, young Wyatt? If you wait until you're "unencumbered" to do stuff, you'll never do anything.
Well yeah, we've been twice and that's enough to hold me over for a while. Your philosophy is why I'm getting back to drifting instead of squirrelling away every penny, and building a damn challenger to do it with instead of buying a car that makes sense like a 370z.
When I flew from Charlotte to LAX in December I had the window seat and in the middle seat was a large woman who was constantly in motion! I do not know how a large person can move that much squeezed and belted into an airline seat, but she did it. I’m a thin guy, and even though I was leaning hard into the bulkhead, she kept jostling me with her foot, calf, arm and shoulder!
She had a bag under the seat in front of her, and her large purse and jackets all piled upon her lap to such a height that when she pulled out a sub sandwich to eat, she only had to move her head forward a few inches to take a bite out of the sandwich. Then after she finished the sandwich she kept pulling out other food items to eat, like a magician pulling rabbits out of his pockets. The unexpected positive result of all her eating was that it soon knocked her out for hours and she finally stopped jostling me.
Even when I'm thin, which I'm not right now, my shoulders are wider than the seats.
I'm a pipefitter. My avatar is a gorilla with a wrench. The seats are "cute".
I always sit next to my wife so rubbing legs or shoulders is juuuust fine hahah
My biggest problem with comfort is with my bag under the seat ahead, I have no fucking leg/foot room. I can't stretch my legs out which aggravates my knees and hips, and my tailbone also gets sore 45min in. God I hate airplanes!
Lucky man! I only travel with one carry on backpack if possible. My week long trip to LA in December was easy to do that way. If I’m short something I’ll buy it if really needed.
I'm at the point where I only fly Economy Plus (Delta Comfort). The days of being packed into the back with the unwashed hordes are over. And no, I will not fly abominations like Spirit or Frontier (and now Southwest is off the list).
I am a Delta loyalist, and agree on the Comfort comfort. I can understand more about why people hate flying when they say they fly any other airline. Spirit is by far the worst I've flown, altho American and United aren't far behind. I hated Southwest's unassigned seating.
Last January I had to go out to LA for a day to meet with a supplier. I don't fly often but when I do, I prefer a window seat. On the flight back home to Detroit, a young man who looked Middle Eastern asked me if I could switch seats with him. I told him that I'd rather not and he scowled a bit. It took me a while to figure out that he didn't want his sister (older teen or young adult) sitting next to a single man.
I had not flown in so long that the pay in advance for your seat was new to me. I’m a cheapskate but I paid to get my window seat.
I wouldn’t give up my paid window seat for anyone. When I fly I just want to ignore everyone and fall asleep. I really need to get some noise canceling headphones phones. Right now I just keep my hearing aids in but turn them off and that muffles everything.
fuck that guy
I call the back row "White-Trash First-Class", and I embrace it rather than chafe at the indignity. I've come to rather like it.
I can get up any time I want, nobody behind me is kicking the seat, and I'm close to the bathroom. There's no appreciable difference in the amount of time it takes deplaning between 39F and 29A, and because we don't check bags -- I'm getting an Uber or headed to rental while the folks up in business class are still waiting in baggage claim.
That’s what I do. As far back as possible.
On the contrary
International travel, this is another 20-30 minutes waiting to clear immigration
My last flight to DFW I just followed some dude from a row in front of me wearing a suit out to the rental car shuttles. Being 5 minutes later to get in that line would have been another 30 minutes of waiting for their horrible shuttle service.
The constant flushing and whiffs of bathroom get to me back there.
Flying sucks, full stop. Nothing like paying good money to be treated like an assumed criminal and packed like a sardine.
My wife made us fly to FL earlier this month with our then 8 month old to visit her dad. The offspring was an absolute model citizen on both flights, and he actually got me out of some of the TSA line hell. I still would have preferred to drive and just shave the drive time off the time spent in FL.
"Nothing like paying good money to be treated like an assumed criminal and packed like a sardine." And then getting tossed around at 35,000 feet so badly it feels like driving down the worst road in Detroit only worse cause you might actually die instead of just bending a rim
I understand your feelings, yet I disagree. Flying is a near-miracle, and is incredibly efficient and reliable. I fly 20-30x per year. My wife lives 1300 miles away from me, and I wouldn't see her much without air travel.
If you choose it, there are rules that go along with it, just as there are driving rules. The minor inconveniences in the airport are tolerable to me, and a few problems on the plane are immensely better than driving 20hrs. It's easy to gain advantages with an airline to make it better.
Driving thru Chicago a few times, trying to cross the GW Bridge in NYC, or crossing South Dakota is enough to make me love flying. Time is worth a lot.
I guess flying stresses people differently. I love driving cross-country, but not every time I travel.
Driving in Manhattan or Chicago doesn't freak me out but I once had to drive out to Long Island to meet with Sammy Ash and my car ended up on the outside lane of the Queensboro bridge. Originally built for trolleys, those lanes sit over the water outside the main superstructure of the bridge. I have acrophobia and even with my fairly narrow little car, I white knuckled it across the bridge. Other than that, flying is usually more stressful than driving for me.
Flying IS a miracle. If it's a connecting flight, I'd rather drive.
Driving 1000 mi/day across the Dakotas or Nevada or Kansas is therapeutic for me.
While the actual flying part is a technological marvel (I personally love the takeoff and landing), government and airline policies and procedures work hand in hand to remove any all possible joy from the experience, for me anyway.
Two brief examples even though I could expound on the miseries of commercial air travel all day:
TSA does a hell of a lot more to keep me from flying at all than they do to make me feel safe. To me, their antics are largely security theater vs actual security.
And would it kill the airlines to include a few mm of padding in the seats? I paid hundreds to potentially thousands of dollars for this ride, why do I feel like I'm sitting on one of those park benches that was designed to be uncomfortable?
Anyway, it's time for me to go shake my fist at a cloud and tell the kids to get off my lawn.
I don't have anywhere I'd like to visit that I can't drive to. The most pleasant flight I've had in the past 10 years was an extradition for work. Complete bypass of the TSA line. Meeting with the pilot before anyone gets to board. First on the plane but unfortunately the last one off. But it was highly satisfying to have a gun on the hip and the flight crew knowing who you are and doting on you.
Because of said gun whose powder seems to cling to anything I wear, I always trigger the TSA alarms in the line from hell when I've flown on my own. Even though they give a choice, I always take the full public patdown. Having worked a booking area removes any tinge of shame.
Whenever possible I used to drive . As my kids got older the road trip was part of the vacation, we’d take 4-5 days going down. Taught them how to use an atlas and there’d pick interesting g spots towns cities etc to visit along the way.
“..interesting g spots..”
Gotta love phones and the spelling sometimes! 🤪
I was fortunate enough that all of my international flights were in business class (company paid). I can't imagine being in economy for 15 hours going LAX - Hong Kong.
I've had my share of airport nightmares (I try to avoid O'Hare if at all possible).
After an unmitigated nightmare of a flight back from Scandinavia in 2005, I vowed to myself that if I ever have to get on an airplane again, I’m only going first/business class. I’m blessed enough that I can afford it, and as I’ve found out, the Delta First domestic product is worth the $pend.
Jack, you and your brother need to give us the deep dive—you promised months ago—into the profit drivers at auto dealerships. How do all the recalls at Ford impact dealer bottom lines? If dealers can’t fill mechanic positions, what’s the impact to profits? How are the captive finance companies competing with 8-year financing? The big-3 used to produce bullet-proof drivelines—slant 6, 300-I 6, GM small block. I get that some of these might have been economically overbuilt, like the old square HP printers. Assuming Detroit is still capable of building reliable drivetrains, is there any longer any incentive to do so—Enshitification, yo?
Car Craft had a great line a long time ago: "You could lubricate the Slant Six with sawdust and fuel it with dog water and only Douglas "Diesel Schmiesel, It's All Gas" Glad has ever managed to break more than one.
its due to a) MBA driven enshitificaton, and b) trying to maximize fuel economy on the unreal world EPA test to meet stupid CAFE requirements.
A hook to hang it on?
https://x.com/GuyDealership/status/2027035933141545359
Am I the only one put off by the advertisement reading “w/engine”? Are they offering rollers for a discount or something?
The rollers might cost more because it is more difficult to get on the transporter. But it saves on labor when you take out the four banger.
Well said.
I'm split on this. On one hand, a few months ago I had a hell of a time trying to find out exactly what kind of powertrain came with a specific model of a car. But yeah, putting that in an ad is lame.
Just thought of this: Probably because the copy was written by AI, or by someone whom isn't a native English speaker. Either way, it seems no one whom IS a native English speaker ever saw this before publishing. Or they did but a combination of apathy and stupidity compelled them to publish that trash anyway. Any of those possibilities speak to just how shit gm is now I suppose.
"That’s a totally natural photo and behavior, I’m always just casually rolling my nomex underwear up and down over my tummy while someone films me."
That said, the women I know would not be displeased by viewing such behavior by most F1 drivers.
I'm hoping for this sort of content from Jack's OnlyFans.
That and kittens playing in his belly hair.
Even women who have cut their wrists over me have no particular desire to see pictures of me.
Which is why it should be 4k video.
Have you ever had dinner with a woman and then gone to see a band play with her without noticing the bandages on her wrists until she tells you about them, or was that just me?
The truly wealthy fly private, not commercial. Does precheck apply to them?
No.
And there are 'private airlines' out there you can take that also don't go through TSA.
No. It also opens up more airports that are not available to the scheduled part 121 airlines.
You walk out to the aircraft and go.
I'm far from wealthy, but I've gotten to fly private for work a couple of times. That shit's awesome. Car waiting for you on the tarmac. Hop out of the plane, FBO personnel handle your bags and off you drive. It was a Citation CJ4. I won't be getting those opportunities ever again, most likely.
There is nothing better than texting the pilots with "we're done early" or "we'll be late."
And robbing the FBO snack counter blind.
Same, but what I quickly learned was that you fly private so you can spend more time working, at the office and on the jet. There’s no “sit back and watch the latest episode of ______” when you’re on the work PJ.
There was a funny moment on the All-In podcast when the one guy who is not a billionaire made an off handed comment about running late and not wanting to miss his flight, and one of the other guys said as a joke and a flex “Why didn’t you just call the pilot and tell him to wait?”
It does not, but those people exercise pressure other ways besides just moaning to their congressperson.
Such as letting said congressperson know when to buy and sell their shares
Top Gear’s Richard Hammond’s influencer daughter tried out a Formula E car with the following results:
https://youtu.be/wG4aOSwDIzk?si=3LoQpyfh_hoDe5ag
Awww... Just like dad!
She should have tried turning the wheel more, sometimes that helps.
It’s just driving a car a bit faster. How hard could it be?
If only she would have had a Dutchman on her outside she might have made world champion material.
Kudos to you for not pre-roasting Alanis! Maybe this is the moment she becomes serious instead of serial (or cereal?) about something.
I'm mostly worried that she will be badly injured, or that she will make a mistake that injures a young racer.
She should probably race a Miata first.
She should do basic level 1 training in a Chevy Cobalt first. A Spec Miata can and will cash your check.
I suppose an Accord Touring 2.0T will, as well! 😬😬
This. This right here.
This is the terrifying reality of the influencer economy. Some things require actual skill vs. just doing it for the clout. Some of those things will hurt you. A smaller subset will kill you. There's real risk involved in driving at speed, to yourself and others.
Jake Paul wanted to be a boxer, at least partially for the clout. That means he's willing to be repeatedly punched in the face vs. cosplay it online. I'd love to understand how women like Alanis measure and understand risk. Even worse are rich girls like Bianca Bustamante, who apparently has some talent but a much larger measure of attractiveness and marketability. Which factor secured her winter F3 seat with Palou, and what happens when she wads the car up and smashes up her perfect body?
Even worse is if they injure or kill someone else due to their lack of skill.
i cant imagine being the parent of a child who was killed because an influencer ran out of talent and the coroner determined cause of death as "woman moment"
Ouch!
I was going to joke about ballast placement, but in those cars I don't know if a heavy driver raises or lowers the cog, or of she is heavy in comparison to her competition.
It's all in the thighs so it's a low center of gravity. Can't knock her over. They call her "the Wall."
Weebles wobble……..
It's a new world friend. Women who would have been nicknamed "hams" back in 1970s HS are thought to be *beautiful*, not in spite of, but because of their wide load.
I don't think I'll ever understand it.
Everything is relative. Fat women are prized now because everyone is fat. The average cup size of an adult British woman is D.
maybe the revealing info is the average band size
And more in the North!
Is that a packaged deal, or is there an option to "customize"?
Everything has limits but 1970's "hams" is probably alright with me. 2026 "hams" is now a whole "whale" and I can't believe these things have romantic partners and relationships.
“She’s a brick…house!!” 🤪
I must not remember why NASCAR matters, or why it is entertaining. Do we all need another adult male-acceptable soap opera to follow, or does all other on-screen entertainment currently fail us, or what? My mind is open to seeing what I am missing.
I like Jordan being a more visible part of it, I admit. Not sure why he cares so much about it, other than him being a overly competitive monster and needing to prove something, or him being from NC, simply being too bored counting his money or betting on golf, or it's an excuse for him to smoke more cigars.
Just like Daytona, I had Sunday’s race on because there’s nothing else on during that time slot.
About halfway in I realized that the race was so unremarkable that I couldn’t remember one thing that happened. I paid attention for the last 10 laps, caught the weekly “overtime”, and watched Hocevar (Michigan boy represent) go from the lead to 4th in less than a second.
The fact that Reddick won with no fender (which I didn’t know until now) baffles me. The cars are so aero dependent but apparently not enough that a fender matters? Or more accurately, the cars are dependent upon under car aero?
Dear Jack,
You wrote:
(Remember that every “popular” revolution is actually a revolution by disenfranchised wealthy or powerful folks, using the “people” as cannon fodder.)
I don't quite see how this applied to the French Revolution... or, trying to be as judicious as possible, at least the time from the outbreak through the end of the Reign of Terror.
The proles killed an awful lot of their societal betters, meaning aristocrats, non-noble rich people, and priests and nuns. At least 35,000 killed. BTW, Robespierre eventually fell victim to the terror he had helped bring about.
Now, perhaps one could view the rise of Napoleon as suiting the upper classes more than it suited the proles. Hard to say.
Also, just because a result came about, does not necessarily mean that the wealthy and powerful folks willed it. The Law of Unforeseen Consequences usually triumphs. The view from 30,000 feet is that the French Revolution centralized French political power in Paris to a much greater degree than under the Kings. Funny, that.
all my best,
john
A common mistake I see all the time is our betters and “experts” thinking and espousing that events of our time move forward in a linear fashion, when it’s readily apparent from a cursory read of history that they do not.
Well, that is part and parcel of the overall lack of humility one often finds among betters and experts.
I think that big trends can be predicted--but only rarely. Ludwig von Mises predicted that letting bank depositors buy speculative stock issues "on margin" would bring down Austria's monetary system, which is a good reminder that the Crash of 1929 was not confined to the United States. And David P. Goldman predicted the 2007-2008 US Housing Bubble Burst. Both fine gentlemen I mention resigned their posts as a matter of principle when their superiors dismissed their totally accurate predictions. OK, I've got two examples...
Just like in Romance, in History it pays to be lucky. Johann Sebastian Bach came from a famous musical family, so it was almost certain that he would become a competent musician. However, he was very lucky, and that made a huge difference.
Bach was born in 1685. That was a time of relative peace and stability. However, had Bach been born at the start of the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648), which killed 4.5 to 8 million (estimates vary), he never would have been able to walk 50 miles to hear Buxtehude improvise--he would have been killed for his boots. Germany was the hardest-hit country during the Thirty Years' War. And if Bach had been born later, his career options would have been narrowed by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.
The Third Estate was led by rich people who wanted more say in the matter.
No actual proles started the Revolution. They were too busy starving.
Dissenting opinion on the smaller turbo engines, I have had two 3.5 twin turbo engines, both in F-150’s, and they were both max tow pkg trucks, I do more frequent oil changes than the manual calls for, yeah, I don’t have a lot of miles on my ten year old truck, but I have had no issues either, Toyota is having issues, with their 3.4 twin turbo engines, and I think they are oil related, the GM 6.2 is having issues with mains and rods, that is in the actual finish on the rod and main journals, I don’t think thicker oil is going to fix that. The Ford and Gm turbo engines are well engineered, and are not anymore complex than the coyote engine, but they are reliable if taken care of.
And the TurboMax is the only truck engine in a 1500 gm that isn’t blowing up….
That, and the occasions I've borrowed my mother's last 3 leases to tow something it's always performed just fine. Not really *impressive* of course, but I never doubted the little paint shaker and I like hearing the turbo spool up under load. Even got fair-to-decent mpg towing too. As I said though, they're leases so I cannot speak to how they last for 10 years as you can about your 3.5 v6.
Given the choice of course, I'd still take a bigger engine. On Dave and Chuck this morning they aired an ad read for a local Ram dealer done by Chuck. The copy mentioned Ram leases are starting at $299/mo and you can still get the "legendary 5.7L hemi V8." Of course, you and I know the 299 lease deal comes with an S.O Hurricane, which is already a league above the little TuboMax (stupid name). Anyhow, that ad finished with a zinger aimed right at the RenCen -er no- the Hudson building: "Why pay MORE for a truck with only a FOUR CYLINDER ENGINE!?"
To be fair to the TurboMax, it was designed to be a turbo engine, and it was designed to be the replacement for the base 4.3 engine, it isn’t an upgrade engine in a high trim level.
Yes, you're absolutely correct! Like I said it does the job just fine, I don't hate it by any means I just wouldn't choose it for myself. The 420hp Hurricane is the new base engine for Ram, and it's stronger than the "upgrade" 5.7 v8 hahah. My mom did lease one of the last 4.3s and I thought that was a decent motor too. Never towed with it, though.
I could see replacing my truck with a Ram and that Hurricane engine. But I am kind of looking for a 2015-19 gm 2500 6.0 and the 6 speed automatic crew in LT trim with like maybe 100k on the odometer…..
I think you're on a great path there, Joe. The only alternative I'd suggest is maybe a 6.4 Ram but you can't go wrong with either 2500.
I plow snow (when we get it) and occasionally tow/haul with a 2.7 Ecoboost that's at about 112k and have had no issues yet (knock on everything wooden)
Ford says there is no way to use that truck with a plow... But I beg to differ. And it's not a small one, it's an old all-steel full sized Western.
That engine was a clean sheet design to be a turbo engine, they are a known quantity, I think they don’t want plows on them because of blocked airflow to the charge air cooler. I don’t think it’s an issue in this cold weather though.
I've actually been told it's because the EPAS + the draw for the pump can overload the electrical.
I generally push in a straight line anyway for the work I'm doing
Makes sense.
I should get a plow for my 250. Right now i do all my plowing with a hitch/winch ATV plow on the Roxor.
I did the install on mine in the driveway, and you have access to much better facilities and mechanical experience than I do.
His truck is also very tall, so the Commander could very easily slip under the front air dam to play with the fasteners. I need to lift the front end a bit due to my, uh, composition, but once the bumper is off it's free and easy to crawl under with all 4 wheels firmly on the ground.
I would trust the TurboMax 2.7 if it didn't have cylinder deactivation. Did they not learn anything from "Displacement on Demand" and "Active Fuel Management"?
I don’t disagree, but I haven’t heard of any issues with the cams in that engine.
Well it is DOHC so that probably works better with AFM
It’s a fustercluck of engineering magic, although, there are many examples of this engine running 200k and more.
CYLINDER DEACTIVATION? What the heck is it deactivating to? Being a thumper?
and you thought parallel twins were only ruining bikes
It shuts down two cylinders. I remember when my grandpa died in 1995, I hauled a bunch of his stuff to Columbus in his '79 Silverado (305 2bbl) and got 12mpg with the cruise set at 65. When my grandma died in 2006, I borrowed a buddy's '04 Silverado 4.8 4x4 to haul her stuff and got 17.9 mpg with the cruise set at 65. 90% more HP than the '79 and 50% better gas mileage. That was peak GM truck IMHO. I don't feel like looking up the EPA ratings for the TurboMax or the DoD/AFM 5.3, but it can't be enough of an improvement over the 4.8 to merit the loss of reliability.
My mom's 2.7T's have usually returned 12-14mpg towing an e36 on an open trailer at 75mph while also loaded with spare wheels and tools. Most recent one towed a 1953 M38A Jeep home from SW PA on the same open trailer, plus loaded down with extra parts and 4 grown men, and returned 12mpg at 70-75mph. I have yet to tow with my '00 2500 but I expect 9-10.
Truly amazing. See the USA in your 1.3 liter Chevrolet.
How depressing.
My wife’s Mazda cx30 has cylinder deactivation, because they built counter balancers into the engine, you can hardly feel it, I am looking for a way to defeat the system.
Is there a way to deactivate the deactivation?
Big twin Harleys do this at idle when they're hot. First time I rented one I thought it was broken. They call it Parade Mode. It can be disabled via some backwards throttle incantations.
Oh that is simply awful
It can be turned off, but I don’t remember the incantation, it’s in the manual, and officially, Harley calls it parade mode.
It’s on the Harley’s because of rider comfort, in very warm weather, it has absolutely nothing to do with epa or cafe, it turns the fuel off to the rear cylinder.
I had a '73 Honda CB350 that had cylinder deactivation at stoplights. The idle jet on the right-side carb would clog, and voila - you're idling on one cylinder. I rebuilt the carbs and cleaned out the gas tank and that took care of it.
It gets better
Unlike small block cylinder deactivation that just collapses the lifter
The 2.7 Slides the fucking cams forward and backwards to engage different lift profiles
why not just use a modified vtec system but instead of a larger lobe its a large circle so the valve is perpetually held open (or closed)
sounds better in my head than a cam that moves in and out
GM couldn't figure out how to diagnose some failure modes with a copy of VTEC. They had it for a few years on the 2.5 4cyl and took it off because of OBD
Well, that is obviously going to work FOREVER.
Isn't that how VANOS operates (operated) on modern BMW engines? I seem to recall it makes BMW engines *so* reliable.
Vanos is just cam phasing.
Valvetronic is a continuously variable lift system that I think is far better engineered than GMs sliding cam system.
Who knew that at the end of the day, the electronic solenoids on top of the rockers in a 1981 Cadillac V8/6/4 would turn out to be the most reliable GM design of all? And permanent system deactivation was as simple as unplugging a solitary wire around the transmission.
Your reason to watch NASCAR is the best reason. She will thrive. My offspring will also be in the area where the teams are based if help is needed. Just saying.
So looking forward to Haas this year making steady improvement. More excited to watch the middle of the pack than anything else.
Alonso will of course do what he can with what he has and still look great.
Agreed, I wouldn't be surprised if Alonzo figures out early some non-obvious way employ the new PU idiosyncrasies and active aero to maximum benefit to carry the AM around on his back. Lance will be DFL.