Keep a watchful eye for TDR #124 to be delivered to your mailbox within the next week or so.

Inside the magazine, what will you find?

To start, I was at a social gathering and the investment guy was talking about how great his collectable cars had appreciated. Me, the car guy, told him how nicely my company-matched investments had done.

We compared notes. You’ll have to check out pages 13-17, “Ready to Travel” for insight into our automotive and stock market discussion.

And you thought the TDR was just Ram/Cummins maintenance tips and advice.

• Have you wondered about the value of a vehicle when attending a car show? “No, Bill, for the price of one of those ‘Unobtanium Superfast 5.9’ cars, I’d rather have three of those ‘Obscure Triple Charger’ cars.” With this statement as a lead-in, you’ve probably guessed-it: Yes, “I’m Back” and I attended the Mecum 2024 Kissimmee auction. On pages 12-17 you can look at my discoveries.

• To further address “wondering about the value of a vehicle at a car show,” we have a four-page report from TDR writer John Martin, “The Cost of Admission.” He has an interesting perspective on the top echelon of car shows (Oakland Roadster and Detroit Autorama) and the investment (in dollars and time) that it takes to bring home the trophy. See pages 8-11 for a discussion.

• Car shows, car shows: Polly Holmes files a report on a local event at the VA hospital. Local interest and local fun, you bet! See page 63.

• While on the discussion of car shows, a look at the New Car Auto Show landscape will tell you that these events are struggling. Andy Mikonis gives us a look at the Chicago Auto Show on pages 6-7.

• Why do people like trucks? On pages 54-55 TDR’s Mark Barnes gives us a unique answer to the question that you’ll find entertaining. I’m certain that we all have that friend (acquaintance) that’s kind of weird. Mark gives us an analysis as he recaps the conversation from a dinner party.

• In our “Technical Topics” feature I do a follow-up article to the Issue 122 discussion where we discussed advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and the coefficient of friction of your brake pads. Yep, brake pad friction is a factor in stopping distance. However, it is the “friction” of the tire to the road surface that is the “big elephant in the room."

• So, let’s talk about the elephant and I give you a few eye-opening things to think about when you have to replace your tires. (Tires and lube oil, my favorite topics.) Wait, the final paragraph in the “Technical Topics” article does discuss lube oil… There you have it, both favorites, one article.

• We’ve all turned our share of wrenches. So, how well calibrated is your “Armstrong” wrench? I tended to think my right arm was/is fairly accurate. I read Doug Leno’s “Testing Your Torque Wrench” (pages 98-101, and I put mine to the test on some lug nuts. I discovered that I need to spend a little more time in the gym. I also discovered that my tools were out-of-sync. Then I discovered it is fun to purchase some new tools.

Upon arrival of #124, I’m hopeful you’ll find these topics and more to hold you for an evening of entertaining reading.

Thanks for your support of the TDR!
Robert Patton