New Stuff on Vehicles likes/dislikes

[dingbat]

I have owned multiple 70's pick up trucks and Suburbans. I wouldn't drive one of those if they were the last trucks on earth!

Metallurgical and structural design disasters.

$rap metals…..designs didn't come anywhere close to todays 5 star safely ratings.

 

[Scott Danforth]

ABS is about the only recent improvement that I like besides the heated seats. however the Bosch servo unit is now nearly 30 years old in its design. there are a few inherent flaws in it

regarding todays 5-star safety ratings.....to bad they are wrapped in fugly and bad powertrain practices/executions/lack of support with so much electronic crap and plastic pushed by social engineering for you to think its good.

 

[jlh3rd]

I’m 59 and thinking my next truck should be an early seventies at the newest 3/4 ton with a modern engine. 8-10 mpg and 100,000 miles was about the best you could hope for with the original drivetrain so some upgrades are warranted.

I dislike key fobs and pretty much anything that supports lazy/inattentive drivers. There was something like 400 accidents in Tulsa today and the weather wasn’t that bad.

there are more accidents today than yesteryear. There are less fatalities. Safer cars, yep, but a massive increase in inattentive drivers who just don't care and want to project their egos through their car. Tailgating is the rule. Cell phones get the attention. Practically every morning we listen to the reports of accidents in the area.
It was not like this at all in the 60's , 70's. no way.
Nothing wrong with a resto-mod. You can make that 70's truck ride better, quieter, smoother than it did when new. Overdrive trannies or gear vendors ( they still around?) gets you significantly better gas mileage. BUT, always a but. You'll need that computer, and money.
A normal restoration you're dealing with a carb and no overdrive. Around town, that'd work ok, and no computer.
my '08 silverado WT was $21,000, gets 18 mpg combined, and about as bare boned optioned as you could get, but it still has like 24+ modules. (just cruise) . And a new comparable chevy is around $35,000.
I've seen these restored trucks hitting 30's-40's +. And I want that extended cab and long bed.
Choices and decisions.

back to the original point.
Just finished a drive from Pa. to New Orleans and back in the new toyota Cross. My active cruise control works pretty well to the point I like using it. It's adjustable. I don't think it will reduce my attentiveness or make it a reliance. The other stuff is turned off. Maybe this other stuff will work for me being the older type of driver I am. It's the others that think it's ok to text because their cars has all this stuff on it.
But what price am I gonna pay 10+ years down the road if this stuff begins to fail. I discovered that disconnecting my seatbelt turns off my cruise control......what other ECM connections exist that I don't know about that could strand me in the middle of the night 100's of miles away from home.
I need my boat....oh, wait, my 2021 merc. is computer controlled.
sigh🫤

 

[Jeff J]

That's just darwinism

I agree 100% but the number if people deserving to go out that way will dramatically increase as reliance on technology increases. If checkout stands are any indication, it doesn’t seem like anyone under 40 can do simple math anymore.

I don’t really have a problem with technology. My first computer was a Commodore 64 and I don’t think there was a year since that I haven’t owned and used a computer. I love my cell phone and other gizmos that give me quick access to information I need. I’ve been banking online for nearly 30 years and almost never step foot inside a gas station. I believe the benefits of EFI speak for themselves in reliability and durability (my F150 has 240,000 miles). I think it is great we don’t have to farm using horse drawn equipment. All equipment fails at some point.

I do have a problem with technology that replaces the need for higher brain function. I believe it diminishes us when we do not have to think for ourselves and pay attention to our surroundings.

 

[dingbat]

regarding todays 5-star safety ratings.....to bad they are wrapped in fugly and bad powertrain practices/executions/lack of support with so much electronic crap and plastic pushed by social engineering for you to think its good.

Wife t-boned a guy that pulled out in front of here at 60 mph last November. Both drivers walked away with little more than bruising from the seat belts.
That's all I need to know......

 

[Jeff J]

Better metallurgy, stronger designs, crumble zones, seat belts and airbags are great technological advances that save lives without diminishing people.

I like ABS brakes but having that system fail on icy roads is an eye opening experience.

 

[flashback]

2001 gmc 1500, my abs light has been on and off for years, mostly on. brakes still work reasonably well .

 

[bruceb58]

there are more accidents today than yesteryear.

LOL...want a mulligan on that? Absolutely not true if you specify it as number of accidents per million miles driven.

 

[Scott Danforth]

only if you skew the numbers per millions of miles driven

thats because todays crop of drivers crash before they get out of the driveway as they are trying to text and drive

 

[bruceb58]

only if you skew the numbers per millions of miles driven

LOL

What other parameter do think is more accurate?

 

[flashback]

LOL

What other parameter do think is more accurate?

Driving with one eye shut.

 

[jlh3rd]

LOL...want a mulligan on that? Absolutely not true if you specify it as number of accidents per million miles driven.

no...since you seem to know , show me.

basically there are no accident statistics ,except for fatalities , that I can find. There seems to be rear-end collision stats, but not a comparison to the 70's....unless you find it.
fatalities are down using equal measuring as to the highest period on record. No doubt cars are safer. I've seen the 60 Impala vs a modern Impala.
fender benders are accidents, that's what I am saying. If 2 cars are initially involved but 18 other cars rear end each other, that's not one accident , that's 20, because everyone is on each others tail.
I read my newspaper and watched news growing up. There absolutely was not this many accidents or types of fender benders. And a lot of these today are handled between Ins. Co's and not reported as stats, so not counted. Whereas police were normally called for these minor incidents and at least recorded.
Unless YOU know of Ins. reports for all the fender benders out there.

 

[alldodge]

How about let's stay clear of the area you two are getting into. Everyone's opinion is welcome but I'm seeing this will go off the track quick. Points have been made, lets let it go

 

[BWR1953]

I definitely need to get my radar braking checked out. I was on my way to the gym this morning and a car 100' ahead of me made a right turn onto an adjoining road.

My truck hit the brakes after the car had turned and was well clear of the regular lane.

Annoying.

 

[alldodge]

I definitely need to get my radar braking checked out. I was on my way to the gym this morning and a car 100' ahead of me made a right turn onto an adjoining road.

My truck hit the brakes after the car had turned and was well clear of the regular lane.

Annoying.

Had a similar happen a couple weeks ago
Following and car and car in front of the one I was following turned off road and it was on a left hand curve. Truck hit the brakes because I was facing the car that turned off and not the one I was following

 

[dingbat]

 

[jlh3rd]

I've had that braking quirk also. It happens more with in city driving. It also does it going around curves sometimes. Either it's reacting to parked cars or telephone poles? dunno.
It would do it on hwy. driving with cars exiting but I was able to reduce the sensitivity which helped .

 

[BWR1953]

Well DUH!

I was reading the manual some more last night and found that I can dig deeper into the menus and adjust the sensitivity of the ACC. The actual menu doesn't match the manual, but I get the gist.

I have a lot of running around to do today, so will give it a workout. I'll also see if the OFF switch will stay off after a restart.

 

[flashback]

Below 40 degrees outside and my car threw up a caution light of a snowflake. How crazy is that. I guess I'm supposed to keep an eye out for ice.

 

[alldodge]

Below 40 degrees outside and my car threw up a caution light of a snowflake. How crazy is that. I guess I'm supposed to keep an eye out for ice.

The wifes Caddy brings up a messaging saying watch for ice. My Ram so far doesn't show anything