It's been a long time since I rode in a heavy duty truck, but remembered the rough ride quality. I recently rode in my brother-in-law's 2012 Ram 350 dually crew cab without a load. I was surprised how comfortable the ride was.

A little off topic, but an article about the fermi paradox a while ago had me thinking about space travel. The basics behind the fermi paradox (if I remember correctly) is that if there should be so many other forms of life (some intelligent) out there, why haven't we heard from them? The article raised the concept…

I wouldn't recline if I didn't have to. For me, the issue is lumbar support. I have a herniated disk in my lower back and the seats offer no support at all. If the flight is only an hour or so, I can live with it. If it's any longer than that, I need to recline a little to relieve some of the pressure on my lower…

Agreed. I always remember anecdotes about these diesel engines lasting forever and just breaking in at 100,000 miles. Maybe that was the case 10 years ago, but now???

I've lived (and driven) in Boston and now live in Greensboro, NC. I will take Boston drivers over North Carolina drivers any day. Boston drivers may be aggressive, but at least they (for the most part) are focused on their aggressive driving. The drivers here in NC can't be bothered to pay attention to what they're…

I know this isn't just an issue for pick up trucks, but I wonder about the effect these horsepower/torque bumps have on engine longevity. Did Cummins beef up the connecting rods, crankshaft, etc. to handle the extra torque? If they did, then the engine is now heavier and a little less efficient. If they didn't,…

I wonder if mounting above the wing (vs. below the wing) could offer a lift improvement. It seems like pylon from the wing to the engine would divert some airflow into the gap between the pylon and the fuselage, further increasing the velocity of airflow over the region of the airfoil in that gap and thereby…

I haven't had the time to try to understand, but Honda claims aerodynamic benefits to mounting the engines on the wings like they do. If true, not a gimmick.

An EcoBoost V6 always made the most sense in this truck anyways. I'd image the Ecoboost V6 is quite a bit lighter than the 6.2L V8. For a vehicle designed for higher speed off roading, getting rid of all that weight would be a huge win.

Would a pilot be able to do a roll like Tex Johnson did in a modern aircraft like a 787? I wonder if there are envelope protection systems that would prevent a pilot from commanding the plane to an inverted state.

I realize it would take up some space, but I've always thought that the overhead space should be partitioned into assigned sections for each seat. Can't fit all the crap you brought on board into your partitioned space and under the seat in front of you? Check it!

Tom. I'm a little surprised that the surveys aren't anonymous - especially the service surveys where the customer is likely to be a repeat customer. In the scenario you describe above with the out-of-stock part, was the survey anonymous but the customer included enough narrative detail to make it obvious who he was?

I think I moved to the Piedmont last year too. Let me know if you ever figure out what it is.

Neutral - I don't expect my actual mileage to equal the EPA mileage because the EPA mileage is based on a duty cycle (e.g., speeds, amount of starting and stopping, etc.) that is significantly different than real world driving conditions. However, so long as the duty cycle is consistent from one tested vehicle to the…

I'm not saying "blind other drivers." I am saying make the tail lights bright enough that looking at them from unsafe following distances would be uncomfortable. This may cause tail gaters to back off.

A few years ago, I was waiting to board a flight and a professional photographer was carrying a Canon 500 mm 2.8 lens in a soft travel case that was appropriately-sized for carry on luggage. The lens is about $12,000 give or take a little. She also had another camera bag (no doubt filled with very expensive bodies…

This seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen because it could distract following vehicles from noticing a signal of actual braking.

This list does not account for driver skill and/or attentiveness. I recently moved to the Greensboro, NC area and have never experienced so much bad driving (I have lived in the Boston and DC areas, so I have some basis for comparison. I have never been in an accident in my 21 years of driving and riding a…

Pretty terrible, but it does seem to have a groove or two to meet minimum DOT regulations.

I'm not saying they're getting away with something. As far as I know, these vehicles are completely legal. I'm questioning whether they should be legal and I'm looking at the rationale used to ban racing slicks from being used on public streets as a comparison. A heavily-modified off-road truck has the same…