Whew,
Just got back today from a 3300 mile long road trip to PA and back.
Went through North Carolina on the way home to stay with a friend who lives on Lake Norman. That is a really nice lake. That is on my list of places to live (thinking of leaving Texas).
Went to Erie PA after NC and visited with the folks and the 3 nieces. 6,4 and 1. They are a blast. Aunt Billie and Uncle Rob spent all their time with them. Went to the zoo, the waterpark, the amusement park, fireworks and Lake Erie Speedway with them. Miss them already.
Truck ran great, got 19.5 mpg cruising at 75 mph (Smarty on level 1).

Observations from the Road:
PA still has crap roads.
I-40 just west of Memphis is ALWAYS under construction.
I-40 just east of Memphis is ALWAYS under construction.
I-40 in eastern Tennesee/ western North Carolina is beautiful.
People have NO CLUE what cruise control does or how to use it.
The seats in the Dodge are REALLY uncomfortable.
People in PA actually used their turn signals.
Texas is freakin' HOT.

~Rob

 

Cruise Control scares me... Even on vehicles with Cruise Control, I never use it because it's... creepy...

 

I set my cruise for about 5 mph over everyone else...

 

Forgot my other observations:
Dodge Caravans with handicapped plates can travel no less than 80 mph.
Cavaliers with any plates can travel no less than 80 mph.
Nissan Titan drivers operate their vehicle as if they are mad at the world and have something to prove.
Erie PA doesn't have enough diesel pumps at gas stations that are not on the highway.
The area back home has a few HD trucks (mostly Ford and Dodge), but they are all gassers.
I'm glad I don't need a plow attachment for my truck.

~Rob

 

Wow, I thought I was the only one that felt that way. Nice to know I'm not alone, but then again, it's creepy just knowing that I'm thinking like Begle!



chaikwa.

 

Welcome home!

My nephew likes NC pretty well, but says it rains too much. I can't believe you're considering leaving the Great State of TEXAS. Maybe you have forgotten the winters up there.

 

Eastern TN is nice. Beautiful scenery and cool roads through the mountains.


Quick Q about cruise. Does anyones cruise take off like a bat out of hell when you hit resume? It's like a full throttle assault back up to speed. Scared the crap out of me when I first used it.

 

Mine does that and never stops until you hit cancel or the brakes! Many others have the same issue.

 

When I tap the brakes or hit the cancel button when I am using cruise control, the truck lurchs a bit as it turns off the cruise, it is not a smooth transition. This is with the Smarty on level 1. I have not tried using it on level 7, but I would suspect it to be the same. When I hit the resume button, it accelerates abruptly, but stops at the desired speed (maybe a little overshoot, but settles back to where I initially had it set).
I believe there is a red-neck* fix for this (something about using something like the little red hose from a can of WD-40 and putting it in a vacuum line). I think people with Smarty's have tried this, don't know about stock.
Check out this thread (post #11 from MikeD)

*Disclaimer: this is no way infers that MikeD is a red-neck

~Rob

 

Run! Run to the nearest Dr.'s office and get a shot!