Storm Chasing Vehicle Project and Suggestions!

[Shane Adams]

All of this unproductive banter needs to stop. This entire thread and others like it are an unnecessary thorn in the side of ST and are an embarrassment to put it mildly.

It's human behavior. It's disagreement. It's working things out.

For anyone who thinks they can post with impunity I'd recommend you take a time out and think better of it.

For any member of the current admin team who thinks this micro-management style of moderation will fly going forward, I'd suggest you take a time out and think about it. As already stated in the ST forum thread, one of the huge turnoffs was the nazi moderation. We're adults, and we can disagree. We can work through the not-so-tactful exchanges and come out the other side the better for it. Again.....it's human nature. To purposely stifle that is, IMO, one of the key cogs that set the ST machine on a downward spiral.

Save the threats and suspensions and bans for serious offenses, such as personal attacks (not back-and-forth jabs between members in a conversation/debate), attempting to hack the site, legal proof of criminal activity, etc etc. Let the members talk, let them fight, and let them work it out. No way I'm sticking around after all this time, all this waiting, for more of the same (over moderation).

 

[Mark Blue]

You've managed to stay out of it all day Shane, but I guess you can't resist. If you guys can't understand that there is also an onus on the veterans to be respectful of others as one would commonly expect, then it's your way of doing things that won't fly going forward. I'm in a position to backup what I'm saying, you on the other hand are expected to abide by the rules. Last time I checked they haven't changed.

 

[Jason_Dasho]

Reading through this thread is really is a summary of all the complaints I have read in the change of leadership thread.

First off I would like to point out and thank you Mark, Skip, Steve (SMOK) and Dan for posting in a manner that they did in attempt to guide this discussion in a respectful manner.

Marcus, I want to commend you in your leadership in development in the podcast on Sunday. Amazing how it has improved since the first beta. I think it is a much needed adjunct in developing the education of new chasers and enriching those that have been around the block as the show continues to develop over time. Being in this role however, turns you into a role model. Others will look up to you. This is a great opportunity to help develop attitudes and behaviors in chasers.

Stormcruzzer, you made a statement about not even knowing you. You are absolutely correct, and introductions best start with a name. This is part of the reason I hope new leadership brings back the name rule. I have never met anyone one on this forum in person (except one Warren Faidley (my chasing hero growing up)) - but hope i get know more of you over time) I have been reading these threads for several years before joining and have recently decided i need to start participating more. That said I really dont think this thread represent the type of person Marcus is based upon his many posts. We all get fired up over things where our responses don't necessary represent our normal demeanor. So I ask you to forgive and suck in the wealth of knowledge available here at Stormtrack. Majority of time you will find the answers without posting and just searching the archives.

 

[Jason Boggs]

Great post Jason. That sums up a lot of the things I agree with.

 

[Jason_Dasho]

Thank you Jason. That always sounds weird to me lol


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[Travis Cruz]

I have edited my original post to hopefully make everything a little more clear. I've already forgiven and forgotten, so I hope you all can do the same. In no way has any of this deterred me at all from becoming a member of these forums, or lessened my passion for chasing and weather in general. And I don't see that ever changing in the future.

 

[Jason Boggs]

That's very respectable Stormcruzzer.

 

[Jason Boggs]

I agree with you Shane. It will always work itself out. We are adults here, and we will often have conflicting opinions when discussing certain topics, but that's human nature.

 

[Jon Strebler]

I hope that my post in this thread wasn't taken as any sort of insult or anything of that nature because that wasn't my intention. I just wanted to point out a few concerns I had with some of the things that he said in his original post and I'm pretty sure he understood what I was saying. I don't want to scare anyone away from chasing, but I do want to stress safety. Some parts of chasing can only come with experience, but some of the etiquette type things can be understood just from conversation. Cruzzer caught on to that rather quickly so we don't need to flame him over a few things he said, but we should point out our concerns. I can remember one of my first times out chasing and someone driving by stopped and screamed at me to close my door and since then I've always been much more aware of how to respect other people who are also out on the roads. When Cruzzer talked about going down bumpy, muddy roads at 70mph it just reminded me of my experience and I think new chasers have to be reminded that they share the roads with a lot of other people. I know that Dan started a list about hot button topics, and I also think we should come up with some chaser etiquette/road safety tips for people to read when they join. There's a bunch of simple ideas that people will grasp very quickly and it will prevent issues such as flame wars later down the road. It would benefit all of us in the end.

 

[Travis Cruz]

I hope that my post in this thread wasn't taken as any sort of insult or anything of that nature because that wasn't my intention. I just wanted to point out a few concerns I had with some of the things that he said in his original post and I'm pretty sure he understood what I was saying. I don't want to scare anyone away from chasing, but I do want to stress safety. Some parts of chasing can only come with experience, but some of the etiquette type things can be understood just from conversation. Cruzzer caught on to that rather quickly so we don't need to flame him over a few things he said, but we should point out our concerns. I can remember one of my first times out chasing and someone driving by stopped and screamed at me to close my door and since then I've always been much more aware of how to respect other people who are also out on the roads. When Cruzzer talked about going down bumpy, muddy roads at 70mph it just reminded me of my experience and I think new chasers have to be reminded that they share the roads with a lot of other people. I know that Dan started a list about hot button topics, and I also think we should come up with some chaser etiquette/road safety tips for people to read when they join. There's a bunch of simple ideas that people will grasp very quickly and it will prevent issues such as flame wars later down the road. It would benefit all of us in the end.

I took no offence at all to what you said, I actually respected the way you came across. I replied to your post, on the second page, if you want to read over that.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Hi Travis - I saw you in Denver last summer. My only suggestion, aside from all the unnecessary drama here that will soon be resolved, is that if you're driving such a large vehicle, try to be considerate of others....I was barely able to squeeze past you on a narrow dirt road east of Denver, having to put my right side wheels off the edge of the road while you sat comfortably across the centerline.

No worries, but just keep that in mind...your chase rig is massive, and while most of us chase in smaller cars, that doen't mean we dont have the same rights of passage.

Good luck in 2015. Hope to see you in Colorado again, and next time I'll stop and say hi...if I can get by.

 

[Travis Cruz]

Hi Travis - I saw you in Denver last summer. My only suggestion, aside from all the unnecessary drama here that will soon be resolved, is that if you're driving such a large vehicle, try to be considerate of others....I was barely able to squeeze past you on a narrow dirt road east of Denver, having to put my right side wheels off the edge of the road while you sat comfortably across the centerline.

No worries, but just keep that in mind...your chase rig is massive, and while most of us chase in smaller cars, that doen't mean we dont have the same rights of passage.

Good luck in 2015. Hope to see you in Colorado again, and next time I'll stop and say hi...if I can get by.

I actually remember exactly when you're talking about, sorry about that. Once you passed I realized I was way in the way and felt like a jerk and moved over hope to see you out there!

 

[Jeremy Perez]

We're adults here

...dust the sand out of their xxxxxx...

This is supposed to be ironic, right?

 

[Adam Lucio]

I also agree with Joey who agrees with Shane.

On the subject at hand, thats a nice truck. I myself prefer chasing in a larger, more capable vehicle. I read accounts on El Reno day of chasers in smaller vehicles struggling to gain speed and traction against the increasing winds. Should they have been there? No...but...having a more capable vehicle could have helped them get out of the situation. I sometimes wonder why Twistex chased in such a dinky car to begin with knowing how agressive they were. I also wonder if they would have survived in something larger. Bettes and his crew survived after being thrown into a field and Twistex did not. I for one wouldn't feel comfortable chasing in something so small that cant accellerate in strong winds or gain easier traction on backroads. Thats just my opinion...fuel economy is not a priority of mine, functionality is.

That being said, you cant let chasing in a more capable vehicle give you false confidence either. Because when I go for a drive after a good snowstorm, its almost always SUVs and trucks I see in the ditch, and I cant help but think the reason for that is the drivers thinking they are invincible. Your chase vehicle is the most important piece of equipment, use it wisely.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

I chase in a turbo subaru forester...I prefer to be miles away from storms, thus buying a long lens for my camera instead of hail shields or armor plates.

And my fuel economy stinks, but my dry gravel road speeds are spectacular.

 

[Tyler Graham]

This is supposed to be ironic, right?

This is my first post in months...I was reading through this thread, as I keep up to date with all of the latest news on the forum, and seeing this made me laugh so hard. It pretty much sums up high school for me. Reading this thread is like being in high school, just on a screen. Vulgarity and arguments with nothing really getting solved and walls of isolation building upward. But what do I know?

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Tyler- this is my first day able to post (lurking for a while) and i see the same thing...might as well be calling out join dates and post counts. Too much OG vs noobs happening.

I didn't really notice it as much when I couldnt post, but wow...lots of arrogance here. This should be a welcoming and learning experience for new enthusiasts, not a flame fest. For F's sake people.

 

[Mark Blue]

Thanks for chiming in Tyler and Marc. I knew from the get go that I wasn't misinterpreting some of the responses to Travis (the OP) early on and I appreciate your candor and unadulterated views of how disruptive this can be. We plan to readdress this soon when the site rules are updated under Steve's leadership, so stay tuned and please let us know if you have any other ideas or suggestions.

 

[Justin Wilcox]

This "issue" was almost resolved within 2 pages. The constant whining is the problem.

 

[Shane Adams]

Posts being deleted again that were quite relative to the discussion. Nice.

 

[James Hammett]

I read accounts on El Reno day of chasers in smaller vehicles struggling to gain speed and traction against the increasing winds. Should they have been there? No...but...having a more capable vehicle could have helped them get out of the situation. I sometimes wonder why Twistex chased in such a dinky car to begin with knowing how agressive they were. I also wonder if they would have survived in something larger. Bettes and his crew survived after being thrown into a field and Twistex did not. I for one wouldn't feel comfortable chasing in something so small that cant accellerate in strong winds or gain easier traction on backroads.

As much as I'd like to buy myself some additional safety I'm unconvinced that a larger vehicle is safer against the storms. Struggling to gain speed was the result of losing traction on the rain-slicked unpaved roads in severe winds. I chase in an AWD Subaru with mud tires...so a compact car with all the escape power and traction at speed that a big truck would provide. Bettes was pushed off the highway by the relatively weak edge of tornado winds while Twistex was likely directly impacted by an intense vortex and lofted so that's a big difference. Also many trucks & SUVs are more likely to roll and crush under their own weight in a rollover.

 

[Travis Cruz]

I also agree with Joey who agrees with Shane.

On the subject at hand, thats a nice truck. I myself prefer chasing in a larger, more capable vehicle. I read accounts on El Reno day of chasers in smaller vehicles struggling to gain speed and traction against the increasing winds. Should they have been there? No...but...having a more capable vehicle could have helped them get out of the situation. I sometimes wonder why Twistex chased in such a dinky car to begin with knowing how agressive they were. I also wonder if they would have survived in something larger. Bettes and his crew survived after being thrown into a field and Twistex did not. I for one wouldn't feel comfortable chasing in something so small that cant accellerate in strong winds or gain easier traction on backroads. Thats just my opinion...fuel economy is not a priority of mine, functionality is.

That being said, you cant let chasing in a more capable vehicle give you false confidence either. Because when I go for a drive after a good snowstorm, its almost always SUVs and trucks I see in the ditch, and I cant help but think the reason for that is the drivers thinking they are invincible. Your chase vehicle is the most important piece of equipment, use it wisely.

"I read accounts on El Reno day of chasers in smaller vehicles struggling to gain speed and traction against the increasing winds. Should they have been there? No...but...having a more capable vehicle could have helped them get out of the situation. I sometimes wonder why Twistex chased in such a dinky car to begin with knowing how agressive they were. I also wonder if they would have survived in something larger. Bettes and his crew survived after being thrown into a field and Twistex did not. I for one wouldn't feel comfortable chasing in something so small that cant accellerate in strong winds or gain easier traction on backroads. Thats just my opinion...fuel economy is not a priority of mine, functionality is."

This is on point. Just because I have the ability, doesn't mean I'm always going to use it. But if I were to ever get in a situation where I do need it, I'll be glad as heck i have it.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

I'm of that same opinion...better to have it and never need it, than to need it and be without. Applies to lots of things...like recovery straps...or a full size spare.

 

[Travis Cruz]

I'm of that same opinion...better to have it and never need it, than to need it and be without. Applies to lots of things...like recovery straps...or a full size spare.

Yupp that's perfect. I have rescue gear, full size spare and a bunch more in the back. Even if I blow 3 tires, with the dual rear wheels, I can swap them around to easily make it back to a repair shop.

 

[Justin Wilcox]

Posts being deleted again that were quite relative to the discussion. Nice.

yup, pretty childish...