NYT wrings hands over deleted diesels

[LittleLebowski]

Anything the state can’t control is now “conservative.” Never mind the instant boost in mileage and reliability by removing the emissions gear because fuck the working man.

https://web.archive.org/web/20201125...pollution.html

[Yung]

That author's name sounds like a Sunday cartoon character.

[Nephrology]

I love that its 2020 and the NYT staff couldn't Google for long enough to figure out that nobody has sold a "Dodge Ram" in about 10 years

[AKDoug]

I could write a book about how much is technically wrong with that article, but in the long run it really just doesn't matter. Just another shining example of the divide in this country and the desire from the media to widen it.

[Stephanie B]

I was out for a walk some years ago. There was a big-ass diesel pickup coming the other way. The driver made eye contact, then he stomped on the gas and smoke poured out of his truck's pipes like an old Northern 4-8-4 hauling a heavy load up a grade. I held my breath; I was enveloped in a cloud of black smoke and I held my breath until I had walked out of it.

I have not a shred of doubt that the @sswipe driving that truck did that deliberately. (That was, by no means, the only truck that I've seen doing the "rolling coal" bit; just the only one that sprayed me with it.)

So when the EPA (not the New York Times) claims that over a half-million diesel trucks have had their emissions controls removed or tampered with by their owners, I believe it.

[mmc45414]

Deleting emission controls, petrol or diesel, has always been a violation of federal law. It just used to be pretty hard to get caught, just like pirating software (I used to sell software). Then people started being flagrant and flamboyant about it, like you know, doing it on TV and shit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_Brothers

Rolling Coal is like open carrying your SKS into Starbucks, it ain't exactly Grey Man. If people had just deleted their DEF systems and gone down the road nobody writing for the NYT would have a clue about it. But now ya gotta be completely self sufficient because they are cracking down on the shops that service them. A friend had a Duramax that was unbelievable, but he had the oil changed at a dealership where a friend worked and they asked him to never come back.

[BehindBlueI's]

I love that its 2020 and the NYT staff couldn't Google for long enough to figure out that nobody has sold a "Dodge Ram" in about 10 years

In fairness, several parts manufacturers haven't figured it out either. You have to look up "Dodge" to find the Ram for fitment. Hell, Chrysler didn't seem to notice at first. My 2012 is a Ram sold under the Ram brand and there's a cubby on the dash with "Dodge" embossed on it. The split was more about marketing and franchise opportunities. If you had a Chrysler dealership, you couldn't sell trucks because Chrysler didn't make one under the Chrysler name...and pickup sales matter a lot. Same reason GMC and Chevy both sell trucks, so both franchise holders can have a truck to sell.

[rd62]

Have smog and air pollution levels been on the rise in the US over the last decade? I appreciate the Covid tie in too. As if a heavy duty diesel truck passing by will make you more at risk to die from Covid.

[BehindBlueI's]

Have smog and air pollution levels been on the rise in the US over the last decade?

Yes.

As if a heavy duty diesel truck passing by will make you more at risk to die from Covid.

The COVID tie in is just to get clicks, it's the hot topic of the day. Soot contamination in the air is a known cause of lung cancer for decades, though. The issue isn't one truck any more then the issue is one cigarette.

[snow white]

I was out for a walk some years ago. There was a big-ass diesel pickup coming the other way. The driver made eye contact, then he stomped on the gas and smoke poured out of his truck's pipes like an old Northern 4-8-4 hauling a heavy load up a grade. I held my breath; I was enveloped in a cloud of black smoke and I held my breath until I had walked out of it.

I have not a shred of doubt that the @sswipe driving that truck did that deliberately. (That was, by no means, the only truck that I've seen doing the "rolling coal" bit; just the only one that sprayed me with it.)

So when the EPA (not the New York Times) claims that over a half-million diesel trucks have had their emissions controls removed or tampered with by their owners, I believe it.

There are some guys around who do that in the summer when my little town is packed with tourists. Its beyond disrespectful and childish. Leaving adults and children in a cloud of black smoke. The lack of dignity in some men is shocking.