Well ladies and gentlemen, you can rest assured Dodge has done itself proud with the new brakes and ABS all wheel system.<br><br>Last night at about 55MPH after dark a deer came down off the bank to visit in the middle of my lane. Full panic stop and steered around it to the left with no problem. Actually, woulda gone around it but got stopped in the left lane prior to having to go around it.<br><br>In case you don't know I learned this in some pursuit driving classes a few years ago.<br><br>We had newer Chevy Caprices with ABS. You would come into a &quot;barrier&quot; at 55MPH then be told at the very last second to go left or right and stop in a dead end alley (all cones) You had to apply full ABS lock up, you DO NOT skid, you STOP, and YOU CAN STEER FULLY whilst locked up.<br><br>Most folks do not realize that you can still fully steer with full ABS lock up.<br><br>And, with the Dodge 2003, I have never felt a full lock up so smooth, there is not that &quot;chatter&quot; like on the old systems when the braking computer is locking and releasing to keep you outta a skid. This is very smooth and probably the best controlled panic stop I have ever done.<br><br>Oh, this was on a wet rainy road, asphalt type construction<br><br>I like these new monsters more each day<br><br>Thought I would pass on some braking thoughts in case you were not fully aware of the all wheel ABS system our vehicles come to.<br><br>Happy Hunter and Undented Daisy ;D<br><br>

<br>Well ladies and gentlemen, you can rest assured Dodge has done itself proud with the new brakes and ABS all wheel system.<br><br>Last night at about 55MPH after dark a deer came down off the bank to visit in the middle of my lane. Full panic stop and steered around it to the left with no problem. Actually, woulda gone around it but got stopped in the left lane prior to having to go around it.<br><br><br>In case you don't know I learned this in some pursuit driving classes a few years ago.<br><br>We had newer Chevy Caprices with ABS. You would come into a &quot;barrier&quot; at 55MPH then be told at the very last second to go left or right and stop in a dead end alley (all cones) You had to apply full ABS lock up, you DO NOT skid, you STOP, and YOU CAN STEER FULLY whilst locked up.<br><br>Most folks do not realize that you can still fully steer with full ABS lock up.<br><br>And, with the Dodge 2003, I have never felt a full lock up so smooth, there is not that &quot;chatter&quot; like on the old systems when the braking computer is locking and releasing to keep you outta a skid. This is very smooth and probably the best controlled panic stop I have ever done.<br><br>Oh, this was on a wet rainy road, asphalt type construction<br><br>I like these new monsters more each day<br><br>Thought I would pass on some braking thoughts in case you were not fully aware of the all wheel ABS system our vehicles come to.<br><br>Happy Hunter and Undented Daisy ;D<br><br><br><br>Just wondered ---but did you guys (LIKE) that system on gravel roads? ( the caprice was nice, ...cept for seats.... but on gravel , could get to be a handful ) <br>

Hunter...Stop telling these driving stories....my baby is sick in the shop...your making me :'( :'( :'(!!!!<br><br>We thought you would like to find out how tough the front grill was on these babies!!<br><br>Take care<br><br>Wantabee

Hunter,<br> Glad to hear you did not hurt your baby ;D Every ABS I have ever had did that stuttering thing when you hit them hard. It would be interesting you see how DC is actualy implementing the ABS to make it that smooth. Latter,<br>The Boss Hog<br>

Duelin<br><br>Never did have to do a panic stop on a gravel road. Not sure on that one, but on ice...no problem at all, no sideways slip, steer where you want to go fully locked. And I don't know if the Caprice had all 4 wheel ABS. But for sure, it had front disc and rear drum.<br><br>The Dodge has 17&quot; disc front and rear, and ABS all wheels.<br><br>Boss, the &quot;stutter&quot; is not in the girl, not even!<br><br>The Caprice had that stutter (it is the only ABS I have locked up besides Daisy Dodge) and Daisy has no stutter. Either they have improved the ABS, it is the 17&quot; brakes or the combo of all disc. Anyway, they got it right!<br><br>Sending message #2 re. lock up short short.<br><br>Hunter

You folks are not gonna believe this. But, I hope they do not come in 3's :(<br><br>We were on our way to the Coast today, on a County road between two state highways, a short cut, and yes, I was late and moving out.<br><br>Came around a curve on wet, rainy, leaf filled road and a tiny, and I do mean tiny gray car crept up the top of this ridge on a driveway to my right. Moving like, hmmm, 5 MPH?<br><br>Anyway, figured they were gonna stop at the top of the gravel drive, the car did not slow, and I saw no &quot;driver recognition&quot; that would be eye contact checking me out coming from her left. Knew immediately it was a problem and went into FULL panic stop mode. I locked up ABS, went around her to her rear passenger door in the wrong lane, Shih Tzu boys smashed their heads on back of our seats, wife screamed, Daisy handled it just fine, and I could not find the horn until she was like 15' away! Put my fist in it and she looked around to the left, for the very first time, an old gray haired lady.<br><br>Ok, to make matters worse, this is a pretty small laned road and she tore off like a bat outta heck! I had a kinda tough time keeping up with her, as she obviously lives on that drive and knows the local roads. Wanted to tell her how close she came to dead today. But, no luck.<br><br>After about 3 miles we got to a major highway, she went on the left Y and I went on the right Y toward the coast. A big rig was coming from her right, and she sat at the stop sign. I was just opening my mouth to tell wife &quot;at least she looks one way&quot; and she pulled out in front of a big rig 80,000# boy. He had to slow way down and she putts off. This would be after sitting at the stop sign for like 15 seconds as he bears down on her.<br><br>The lady is not long on this earth.<br> <br>#1. If I had not been driving Daisy and the brakes were not so awesome. She would have been T boned and knocked into a canyon beyond.<br><br>#2. My wife said it, not me &quot;Thank God you still know how to drive&quot; and my reply was, &quot;That was the luckiest women on earth, my reflexes are not all that good any longer&quot; <br><br>But, I guess they were today.<br><br>So, Thank God, Thank Dodge, and Thank Hunter in that order we don't have a fatality in Northern Oregon today.<br><br>I am almost afraid to find out if these things come in 3's<br><br>Some of you may not think these 2 things happened to me within 24 hours and I am working for Dodge, totally the opposite is true. They happend, I will give credit where it is do and man, I really did not have to change shorts! Still got some of the &quot;good stuff&quot; left I guess, for some grand kids grammy is still alive.<br><br>Hunter<br><br>

Hunter,<br> WOW :o Two in such a short time has to make you nervous just going out in public! I live in SE Florida so this is a everyday occurance for us, especialy in the winter. Only here, they will make eye contact and still pull out in front of you :( Makes for some exciting motorcycle riding. Take care,<br>The Boss Hog<br>

Hunter:<br><br>Make sure your rig has full insurance...the way things are going...it looks like you may need it [laugh]<br><br>Take care<br><br>Wantabee

??? Hunter, Sounds like granny is operating with a sub-conscious death wish. Could be she is having one Senior Moment after another while behind the wheel. She won't last long at the rate she is going. ??? &quot;A near miss is as good as a Mile.&quot;

CBS Evening News tonite (Thursday, 11-14) has a feature on Old People behind the wheel, should they or shouldn't they be driving.<br><br>(Not practicing any self promotion, but since I HAVE to watch it, others might as well GET to watch it)<br><br><br>phox

How old is &quot;OLD&quot;? [eyecrazy] [eyecrazy]<br><br>Old?Bob

Being retired isn't what qualifies you as old. Neither is drawing a pension or living off of investments. I would say the Old Person is one who thinks the tax payers of this country owe them a decent living without working. They sit there all day complaining about what they don't have, vegetating in front of their TV watching stupid shows. Their minds are mush and never have an original thought.

Now you've done it. You told the world about me, and I told you to keep it a secret. :P<br><br>MushHeadBob

Ah shucks, Bob. Didn't mean to give away any secrets bout us.
Carrying an AARP Card doesn't make you old. I knew of a couple of young? ladies in their mid forties carried cards, in their mid-forties. They told all the the guys they were in their thirties, but pulled out that AARP card whenever they could to get their 10% off. [laugh] [laugh]

Where's Gonzo, thought he would have chimed in bout now? Few weeks back someone, can't remember who called him &quot;an Old ____.&quot; Had to defend him.

Gonzo? I heard that about him too. :o I think he has gone to the other side. [laugh]

Well guys, in my days on patrol duty.<br><br>If I pulled an &quot;old&quot; person over, actually age has nothing to do with it. <br><br>We had the authority to write up a &quot;retest order&quot; for DMV, this included &quot;eye test only&quot; and or &quot;full retest&quot; which included manual, vision and drivers test like you were 16 years old.<br><br>If the affected driver did not show to take the required tests, they were automatically suspended. <br><br>If you did show up, and failed one of the above, you were suspended. Many times until you could get a doctors order to allow you to retake the tests etc.<br><br>I can't even begin to tell you how many family members came to us to have us intiate the above procedures on family members that were no longer able to operate motor vehicles.<br><br>They could do this anonymously if they came to us and we did the paperwork for them. Many a son/daughter/wife came away happy after the person that was scaring the daylights out of them driving failed and DMV lifted their license to drive.<br><br>You can't believe how many came to us and said you &quot;saved&quot; &quot;my dad&quot; &quot;my sister&quot; &quot;my mom&quot; etc, as they could no longer drive, safely.<br><br>Personally I think it is a wonderful program, it keeps the family outta it, so they think the State is the big bad guy when the drivers license gets lifted. And I was most happy to be the bad guy! Lives saved<br><br>Ok Fiver, expect a note from Florida soon [laugh]<br><br>Hunter<br><br>

Hunter - had to reply to your &quot;old&quot; string. Let's see - I'm 68 next month - retired from airline flying in '94. Spent the next five years cruising our sailboat throughout the South Pacific with just my wife as crew. After we came back to dry land I bought a dwarf car to race. Although I drove years ago, I wasn't in competition since 1963. But - driving in the Northern California Dwarf Car Association races for the past two years, I finished 15th out of 34 drivers in 2001 and won rookie-of-the-year against 7 other rookies, the youngest being 16. I think that age is sort of a state of mind, but must admit that I was very pleased when my wife was able to get her father off the road - he was a menace. God Bless my friend.

Blue<br><br>Thanks! see how it is a blessing to get the driving impaired off the street, keeps your loved ones around longer and they don't &quot;take out&quot; someone elses loved ones!<br><br>Hunter

Whew!<br><br>Trouble comes in threes they say, so glad to be over with it!<br><br>Brakes are getting a workout for sure <br><br>Or, Daisy has some kinda animal fetish<br><br>Been elk hunting all week and no success, dinner last night with brother who lives 40 minutes away. Coming home in the black of night........<br><br>See a flash of orange on the right, no time to even attempt to brake and pulled her left. 30+ elk standing on the shoulder of the highway, and some milling in my lane. Wife said closest elk butt that went by Daisy looked to be 1' away from her when it went by. <br><br>No brakes, god was willing again, good steering and still got a few reflexes I guess<br><br>Good morning all, gone huntin' (last day)<br><br>Hunter

My condolances, Hunter. &quot;Been elk hunting all week and no success,. . .&quot; Daisey's trying to get you one and you won't let her. &quot;30+ elk standing on the shoulder of the highway, and some milling in my lane.&quot;<br><br>It's that time of year. Six point buck was on the road last night surrounded by some 20 does. Think he was saying, &quot;take a number girls, no need to shove&quot;. <br><br>I think I'd be staying home for a couple of days, don't want to test your luck. [laugh] [laugh]

Well, gearing up for travel now Phil.<br><br>Can't wait to get Daisy pulling. How much did you notice your load when you first got rolling (virgin trip)<br><br>Did the power, perfomance etc. seem to improve the more you towed etc.?<br><br>Not sure what you had prior but I had a tired 7.3 Ferd. This is gonna be like driving a Mack truck in comparison me thinks<br><br>And, spent the afternoon spit shining Daisy etc. so she gotta stay home next Saturday when the wifes elk season opens<br><br>Got a little 1986 Ram to do the honors<br><br>Hunter

Hunter, on virgin trip towing as I remember it toow about the first two hours, 100 miles, to get the feel of the 2003 towing. Getting readjusted to stick towing took the longest, up shifting and down shifting at the right time. My previous tow vehicle was a 5.9 L v-8 gasser with 4.10 axle with auto tranny. <br><br>When I leave my house the 1st half mile is 10 % climb, then the next one mile is 14% down grade. After that it has a gradual downgrade, all of which is on narrow two lane roads with trees next to the pavement so I'm watchin out those side mirrors constantly scanning and watching ahead for Bambi. Steep down grades I took in second gear. Thank God and D-C for those big 4-wheel dual caliper disk brakes. After 14 miles I finally reached the freeway, Hwy US-50. The 10 % grade at the start she climbed in third gear picking up speed all the way to the top.<br><br>The first real pulling test was going from I-5 across a mountain range by Clear Lake to US-101 just north of Ukiah. It pulled these grades in 4th gear without a whimper. It was about this time that I began to really get the feel of the vehicles.<br><br>With the 4x2 and it's rack and pinion steering it was so responsive on curves that I didn't feel I was towing 11,000#. This can be a problem with all the power you have underfoot, tendency to go faster. Gotta hold them horses back. <br><br>On level stretches I would tow in 5th with cruise set. As I would approach a grade if a downshift was a possibility I would cancel cruse and downshift to 4th. Since you have HO you will be able to take most is overdrive. <br><br>Under load towing I up-shifted above 2000 rpm so that I always maintained 1400 rpm minimum (max torque). <br><br>On the second day I felt right in the groove towing with her from the start.<br>Yes, she did seem to loosen up more and more with each day. Changes were not so dramatic from day to day after the first 500 or so miles of towing.<br><br>The only time I started out towing in first gear was on an uphill grade, otherwise 2nd gear. ( 2nd gear on manual is a lower gear than 1st on 47RE tranny.)<br><br>Once you get in the groove towing you will relax and enjoy the ride and view ahead instead of dreading the next hill.<br><br>Phil<br><br><br>