Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
My 05 (3,200 miles) and I were deployed with my rescue airboat to downtown New Orleans on the third day of the disaster. This post is not to tell about the rescues we did but to praise my 05. Oo. Wow! I really had to put the new girl through the paces with nary a break in period. She performed flawlessly. 
Here's a little list of what the truck had to go through:
Travel to Louisiana (from NW Ohio) pulling an airboat and enought food and fuel (gas and diesel) to last a minimum of 72 hours. Can you say overloaded. . I'd rather pull a 30 travel trailer than an airboat. The wind resistance with the airboat is unbelievable!! Milage was a respectable 11. 8
While traveling in convoy (which we did everywhere) to the staging areas, the convoy speed would surge from 20MPH all the way to 70MPH at times. And it never failed, I'd just get up to speed and the person in front of me would slam on his brake :--) s! The airboat trailer has no brakes, but damn, the 05 didn't seem to mind at all. :-laf
I'm sure as evidence of the heavy red dust coating my front rims, that my front pads are going to need replacing soon. I was VERY happy that I didn't have my (old) 97. I would have been in a serious rear ender with it's brake system:{
Thank you D/C for instaling tight fitting door seals!!!
We traversed water (and I use the term "water" loosely) for miles at a time that was 2 inches higher than the bottom of the door!! And not a drop inside the truck. Also, I checked all fluids and NO water contamination! :--) Axle vent's that work. Hmm, do I have a abbynormal truck?
Last but not least, clear coat. My truck started out the trip as a nice shinny mirror black. It ended up a gray color that was an actual crust composed of just about every chemical and bio-hazzard you could think of. Well guess what? After a decomtamination with bleach and two scrubing withDawn dishwashing detergent, the black beauty is back again. . Oo. We were really worried that our paint was going to be eaten off by the vile fluids we were in, but happy to report, my clear coat wasn't damaged at all.
Just a little note to give folks an idea what the vehicles went through down there. .
Brian
Here's a little list of what the truck had to go through:Travel to Louisiana (from NW Ohio) pulling an airboat and enought food and fuel (gas and diesel) to last a minimum of 72 hours. Can you say overloaded. . I'd rather pull a 30 travel trailer than an airboat. The wind resistance with the airboat is unbelievable!! Milage was a respectable 11. 8
While traveling in convoy (which we did everywhere) to the staging areas, the convoy speed would surge from 20MPH all the way to 70MPH at times. And it never failed, I'd just get up to speed and the person in front of me would slam on his brake :--) s! The airboat trailer has no brakes, but damn, the 05 didn't seem to mind at all. :-laf
I'm sure as evidence of the heavy red dust coating my front rims, that my front pads are going to need replacing soon. I was VERY happy that I didn't have my (old) 97. I would have been in a serious rear ender with it's brake system:{
Thank you D/C for instaling tight fitting door seals!!!
We traversed water (and I use the term "water" loosely) for miles at a time that was 2 inches higher than the bottom of the door!! And not a drop inside the truck. Also, I checked all fluids and NO water contamination! :--) Axle vent's that work. Hmm, do I have a abbynormal truck?
Last but not least, clear coat. My truck started out the trip as a nice shinny mirror black. It ended up a gray color that was an actual crust composed of just about every chemical and bio-hazzard you could think of. Well guess what? After a decomtamination with bleach and two scrubing withDawn dishwashing detergent, the black beauty is back again. . Oo. We were really worried that our paint was going to be eaten off by the vile fluids we were in, but happy to report, my clear coat wasn't damaged at all.
Just a little note to give folks an idea what the vehicles went through down there. .
Brian
