As if Hearse Con 2008 wasn't bad enough, this would definitely ruin your day. Apparently in Russia, the roads are absolutely horrible during the spring, summer, fall, and you guessed it, winter seasons. They are however, at their "worst" conditions between seasons, when all of the insane amount of snow begins to melt, creating a mudd bogging paradise for most southerners here in the states. According to the original source, the authorities don't give a crap about the conditions either (sounds like lovely Russia doesn't it?). Check out the pictures inside.
Exactly one week ago, a category 2 tornado with winds of 150 miles per hour touched ground in Leighton, Alabama. Someone crazy enough to stand near a window during this event, captured some remarkable footage of a group of cars in a parking lot being tossed around, like dead leaves that fell off of a tree. Somehow the trucks on the right portion of the screen were not affected. Check out the video inside.
Just like the scene from Office Space when Dom Portwood asks Peter if he received the memo about his TPS reports, today I ask you Truckblog fans, did you get that memo from last week about Truckblog TV and our other huge stories? If you didn't, below is a list of our top blogs from last week for you to read this Monday morning. "So if you could just remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. All right!".
Are you feeling the Friday Beerblog love yet? This new one was found on Gizmodo, where the latest way to lift your automobile is by hooking up a lift jack balloon to your vehicle's exhaust, using the expelled gas to inflate the bag, thus lifting the car. Is this thing not dumb-ass proof or what? Anyone in their right mind who would get near this inflated hazard, is asking for it, even if the claims are "it's strong enough to lift a three-ton vehicle 18 inches for up to 45 minutes". Videos inside.
“Go Ahead Punk… Make My Day!”… Imagine this familiar voice sounding out from under the hood of your ride; or you pull up in front of your girlfriend’s house and announce your arrival with “I Got You Babe”, or you are out on your boat and you press a button on your FX-550 and – all around you can hear the theme song from “Jaws”. With Horntones the possibilities are endless.
Check out the YouTube video inside! Install article and full review, coming soon.
Researchers at Ford’s advanced driving simulator, Virtual Test Track Experiment (VIRTTEX), are devoting much of 2008 to study how active safety technologies in vehicles should alert drivers of potentially dangerous driving incidents. Ford also conducted customer driving clinics to test warning systems for its new backup system, the Cross Traffic Alert with Blind Spot Monitoring warning system, which alerts drivers backing out of a parking space when traffic is approaching from the sides.
To redesign the 2009 F-150, the Ford engineering team worked with its customer base to determine the needs and wants of today’s truck buyer. The 2009 F-150 gives Ford owners more choice and more options than before – with the ability to create 35 separate configurations – all delivered with Ford quality.
Ford is actively addressing drivers’ demands for increased visibility with the introduction of two new features, the Blind Spot Mirror and the Cross Traffic Alert with Blind-Spot Monitoring System, arriving in 2009. “Ford is delivering innovative features aiding in a better drive experience for the customer,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President, Global Product Development.
Chrysler have announced they will be offering In-Car Internet, beginning this year. "The feature will be added to existing vehicles by dealers beginning this year and later be installed on the assembly line" stated Chrysler's Product Development Chief, Frank Klegon. Chrysler also hopes to make the radio itself a WiFi port. The technology will not be free though, and will utilize mobile phone towers for its signal, so you will need a wireless phone carrier for the system to work. The new Internet option can be added to existing models and will be worked into the future assembly line soon. Now you have an excuse to check out Truckblog even more, and become an even greater traffic hazard! What happened to safety?
Ford will bolster the 2009 Explorer by including Trailer Sway Control. Trailer Sway Control joins an already impressive list of standard safety features, including industry-exclusive AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control).
4wdworld.com sells a product called the EEzy Wheel, which is an inflatable device that lifts your truck tire and wheel onto the hub of your pickup for you, effortlessly. The unit operates from air pressure in your spare tire, eliminating the need for an air compressor (although you can use one if you'd like). The EEzy Wheel Lift supports up to 175 pounds, and is compact and can be easily stored away.
Ford Motor Company has been ordered to pay out $82.6 Million dollars to Benetta Buell-Wilson, now paralyzed from the waist down, for when her 1997 Ford Explorer rolled 4 times during an accident and the roof had collapsed, which severed her spinal cord.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A., Inc. will launch a Customer Support Program to extend warranty coverage on certain 1995 through 2000 model year Tacoma truck frames. Toyota has received reports regarding a small number of Tacoma vehicles exhibiting excessive corrosion of the frame, causing perforation of the metal. The frames of some vehicles may not have adequate corrosion protection. When exposed to severe environmental conditions, including accumulation of road salts, these vehicles may develop corrosion beyond normal surface rust commonly found on metal after years of exposure.
Chrysler has issued a recall for the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Commander SUV's, due to a problem with the vehicle stalling while driving. “The front control module may have been incorrectly manufactured. This could cause the engine to stall while driving or nor to start", stated The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In an article by USA Today, the 2009 Nissan Murano performed the best out of 9 SUV's, in new crash tests of mid-size SUV's, released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Popular electronics blog, Engadget, posted a story about a designer from the automotive design company, Pininfarina, who developed a wiperless windshield that keeps the front glass clear of water and debris featuring a multi-layer system.
Rostra Precision Controls, Inc. has introduced a ParkPilot Ultrasonic Smart Parking System designed specifically for trucks that did not come factory equipped with obstacle sensing. The new ParkPilot Truck Kit uses ultrasonic technology to detect moving and static objects up to six feet behind the vehicle, alerting drivers of unseen objects and facilitating ease of parking.
Porsche has announced a recall of 19,000 Cayenne SUVs, sold between November 30, 2006 to January 18, 2008 because of a fuel line problem. The fuel line can come into contact with the engine block while driving, possibly leaving abrasions in the fuel line and causing sounds. Only five instances have occured and no injuries or accidents have been reported. If you have purchased a new Cayenne since 2006, talk to your dealer as soon as possible. As reported by Detroit News.
Just in case you were trapped in that corporate meeting last week, or you did not have enough time to check out the blog, here is a list of our top blogs from last week.
Ford is further expanding its ‘smart’ features for truck customers, announcing today a collection of industry-exclusive technologies for F-Series trucks and commercial E-Series vans that will help make business owners more productive and successful.
Every Monday morning we give you a re-cap of last weeks festivities, from automotive manufacturer announcements to the hottest (and sometimes worst) products available. Below is a list of last weeks top stories:
As posted by Yahoo Finance, Ford Motor Company announced this past weekend of another recall, effecting 225,000 vehicles this time that were already repaired from the previous cruise control catastrophe. Ford says "the affected vehicles represent a small portion of the about 10 million vehicles that have been recalled since 1999 related to the cruise control switch problem".
Autoweek has published their review of the 2008 Nissan Frontier Nismo King Cab, stating "This is a nice piece to drive, solidly built, plenty of power, good steering feel and handling, given what it is, even a really nice ride for an off-roadable truck. The Nismo folks have gotten their sums right." Powered by a 260 horse power 4.0 liter V-6, this little pickup is guaranteed to handle the trails. Click Here to check out the review.
In an article by the Detroit News, a three-judge federal appeals court have dismissed a lawsuit regarding the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's ruling of requiring tire pressure monitoring systems that apparently was not a strict enough policy.
Round 'em up and come 'n' get it! Only in Texas, would someone build a grill to resemble their gun. This gigantic 19 foot barbecue grill looks like a 1917 Double Action Colt-45 caliber pistol, straight out of the wild west.
The Federal Government has proposed a new vehicle roof strength standard to help improve rollover safety on new cars and trucks. The new tests will measure the strength of its roof, requring the roof to withstand a force equal to 2 and one half times the vehicle's weight, of vehicles up to 10,000 pounds.
Today at the Washington Auto Show and Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Ford Motor Company announced its hot-selling compact SUVs, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, will become more fuel efficient, more powerful and more connected for the 2009 model year.
Let's Go Aero (LGA), manufacturer of innovative Gear Management Solutions(tm) for the automotive and recreation industries, has developed The Moover(tm) Transporter to serve the needs of the mobility, mower and other powered equipment markets. The new Moover Transporter consists of a high capacity, fixed, straight-out-of-the-hitch rack platform - and a durable Ramp with Anti-Skid tape and D-Ring Tie Downs.
Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC has announced the availability of its Ride-Rite air helper springs for the new Toyota Tundra, both 2WD and 4WD. The Ride-Rite kit provides heavy duty support for Tundra owners to safely and comfortably tow heavy loads by using air pressure to adjust Firestone's air helper springs, compensating for varying load capacities and road conditions.
The Ford Explorer America concept showcases a new kind of utility for the vehicle customers have known and loved for years: even better fuel efficiency. “Customers are smart. They value vehicles, the more efficient, the better,” said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president of Marketing and Communications. “Ford gets it."
While walking around SEMA 2007 last November, I came across a revolutionary product that eliminates any rattle caused from your trailer hitch moving while towing, as seen in our SEMA video part 2. The product is called Quiet Hitch, and it works with any 2 inch hitch receiver. Constructed of ASTM A-500 and ASTM A36 steels, the Quiet Hitch supports a class 4 rating of 10,000 pounds and is available in 2, 4 or 6 inch drops. Read on for more details.
AutoWeek, have posted their review of the 2008 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4x4 Edition, stating the new SUV "handled a snowy weekend in Detroit with ease". With all the furious competition in the SUV market, the Ford Explorer still proves to be a serious contender, and offers great features with supreme dependability.
As reported by Yahoo Finance, truck maker Volvo AB announced they are recalling 125,000 trucks in North America, due to a potential fire hazard in the main switch with its lighting system. The models affected are the Volvo VN, VHD and VT's produced from 2003 to the present. "There's a problem in the main switch in the lighting system which can lead to an overheating in the component. The light can go off, or the component could short circuit and lead to a fire," said Tommy Kohle, a spokesman for the company. Volvo stated they will fix the problem free of charge.
For years, Red Bull USA energy drink has sponsored extreme athletes performing wild stunts and consistantly pushing the boundaries. Being dubbed "The Red Bull Experiment", on the strike of midnight on New Years Eve, famous Formula D driver, Rhys Millen, will attempt a first-ever backflip in an off-road racing truck, hoping to set a new record in the Guinness Book of World Records. Millen will actually jump twice, once at the strike of "12" on the East Coast, and once again for the West Coast.
The Detroit Free Press reported that Chrysler LLC is recalling almost 600,000 2001 to 2002 Dakota pickups, Durango SUV's, Dodge Ram Vans and 2002 Dodge Ram pickup trucks, due to a concern that the vehicles could shift out of park without the key in the ignition. In some reported cases, long term wear can occur on the gearshift assembly due to corrosion. Nine accidents have been reported so far with no fatalities. Owners will be notified beginning January 2008 to fix the assembly.
High-intensity headlights subject motorcycle riders to eye-straining reflections from their rear-view mirrors-especially at night. AlphaMirror has developed a solution for these high-intensity reflections: the Billet Auto-dimming Mirror for Trucks.
The Detroit News announced this morning that Ford is recalling 1.2 million 1997 to 2003 F-Super Duty pickup trucks with the 7.3 liter diesel engine, due to a faulty engine sensor that can cause the diesel motor to suddenly stall.
The recall also includes E-series vans that are equipped with the 7.3 liter diesel engine. The announcement states that "the sensor can degrade over time and cause the vehicle engines to stop, which could lead to an accident. Ford said it had 14 reports of accidents or loss of control related to the faulty sensor." If you are effected by this recall, Ford will contact you later this month and offer a free repair.
The Toyota Tundra received the 2008 "Top Safety Pick" award from The Insurance Institute for Highway Safetey (IIHS). Recognizing vehicles that do the "Best" job of protecting passengers on all sides of the vehicle, this is the first time that a pickup truck has won the award. The IIHS based their reports on crash test ratings they performed in the Institutes tests from vehicles equipped with electronic stability control units, which reduce the risk of crashing.
Xsighting Lighting are now offering a full line of HID lights for Jeep applications. The Xe7 Xenon HID Bi-Function, Bi-Function allowing for high and low beam transfer, and the Xe7R headlamps. Both kits provide nearly three times more light output over the stock Jeep headlamps, with less power. The Xe7R kit offers bezels for different styling options. Read on for more about the Xe7 & Xe7R Xenon kits.
Xsighting Lighting have released their GMT800 HID light kits for the 1999 to 2002 Silverado, 2000 to 2006 Suburban, and 2000 to 2006 Tahoe. The Xenon HID technology provides over two times the light output of factory head lamps and are street legal. The kit includes one set of headlamps that replace the factory OEM's, and utilize the exsisting vehicle wiring connections for installation.
Baja Designs, Inc., the leader in high performance off-road racing and adventure lighting has teamed up with Grote Industries, the experts in LED WhiteLight technology to introduce a revolutionary innovation in forward lighting solutions. Together, the parties are unveiling the Soltek LED light just days before the upcoming 40th anniversary running of the rugged Baja 1000.
The Toyota Tundra has slipped in it's reliability rankings for the eight cylinder version, and is no longer recommended by Consumer Reports. Toyota Motor Company has fallen from first to fifth place, being replaced with Honda, Acura, Scion and Subaru. The rankings are based off of an average predicted reliability, of a specific brand of vehicle, gathered from survey reponses from subscribers to the Consumer Reports magazine and website. For more information about Toyota's rankings and other vehicles, visit CNN Money.
Baja Designs, Inc., the leader in high performance off-road racing and adventure lighting has teamed up with Grote Industries, the experts in LED WhiteLight technology to introduce a revolutionary innovation in forward lighting solutions. Together, the parties are unveiling the Soltek LED light just days before the upcoming 40th anniversary running of the rugged Baja 1000.
