Attention: TDR Forum Junkies My daily commute is 35 miles each way on I-80 throguh north NJ. Not the smoothest stretch of highway one could find, and the freeze-thaw cycle has been rough this winter. But I know where the real jerkers of the potholes are and I avoid them pretty easily.
Until tonight. A note here, I get off work at 8pm, so it's dark and kinda cold.
A new one cropped up in a stretch that's normally pretty smooth, right in the left-tire path. Next-to-left lane of a 4-lane per side stretch of roadway. I hit that sucker at about 70mph and the Death Wobble struck hard. Almost had to come to a dead stop because I couldn't steer and a slight bend was coming. Then I hear it.
SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE
"No way" I think, and I quickly make a beeline for the shoulder, and traffic was polite enough to yield for me.
Driver's side cab running board has broken free at the bed end thanks to The DW. Lovely. No tools with me (bad KC, bad!). So I grab the cell, call Dad, and he comes out. I jump in his Caravan and dash the 13 miles home, grab some tools and a wire reel, and dash back. Sockets won't fit (my first thought was to drop the board altogether and toss it in the bed). So I start unrolling the wire (basically a reel of heavy duty twist-tie material), and I manage a damn decent job of lassoing the board to some chassis holes, and it stays secure for the ride home.
Meanwhile, no apparent tire, shock, spring, or steering damage from The DW, or body damage from the wayward running board. Now I'm just debating removing them altogether, since I'll be ordering a 2005 later this year, and can certainly live without the boards for the rest of the year.
Needless to say, the 2005 will NOT have body-mount running boards - I'm going with frame-mount full-length nerf tubes. I had pretty much already considered this anyway, but this sealed the decision.
/vent
I feel better now... sort of.
Until tonight. A note here, I get off work at 8pm, so it's dark and kinda cold.
A new one cropped up in a stretch that's normally pretty smooth, right in the left-tire path. Next-to-left lane of a 4-lane per side stretch of roadway. I hit that sucker at about 70mph and the Death Wobble struck hard. Almost had to come to a dead stop because I couldn't steer and a slight bend was coming. Then I hear it.
SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE
"No way" I think, and I quickly make a beeline for the shoulder, and traffic was polite enough to yield for me.
Driver's side cab running board has broken free at the bed end thanks to The DW. Lovely. No tools with me (bad KC, bad!). So I grab the cell, call Dad, and he comes out. I jump in his Caravan and dash the 13 miles home, grab some tools and a wire reel, and dash back. Sockets won't fit (my first thought was to drop the board altogether and toss it in the bed). So I start unrolling the wire (basically a reel of heavy duty twist-tie material), and I manage a damn decent job of lassoing the board to some chassis holes, and it stays secure for the ride home.
Meanwhile, no apparent tire, shock, spring, or steering damage from The DW, or body damage from the wayward running board. Now I'm just debating removing them altogether, since I'll be ordering a 2005 later this year, and can certainly live without the boards for the rest of the year.
Needless to say, the 2005 will NOT have body-mount running boards - I'm going with frame-mount full-length nerf tubes. I had pretty much already considered this anyway, but this sealed the decision.
/vent
I feel better now... sort of.
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