Latest news with #DodgeDakota
The Drive
03-08-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
In-Depth Dodge Dakota Aero Analysis Shows the Old Truck Is Actually Pretty Slick
The latest car news, reviews, and features. I've never once thought about how aerodynamic the second-gen Dodge Dakota may or may not be. Of course, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to stuff like that; the closest I've been to a wind tunnel was when the AC went out at my high school and they stuck fans at the end of the hallways. But fortunately, there are some smart cookies at Premier Aerodynamics who specialize in this practical type of airflow analysis. A customer recently asked them to simulate their Dakota, and as you're about to see, the truck's designers actually got a lot right considering it's just an old mule. Premier Aerodynamics runs these simulations in a program called OpenFOAM. It's open-source computational fluid dynamics software, or CFD for short. They've tested some interesting concepts, from a car with rows of spoilers on the roof to every kind of helicopter blade and aircraft wing design you can think of. Personally, I'm a little too simple for most of that, so the Dakota appeals to me just fine. Premier Aerodynamics via YouTube Replicating a 65-mph air environment, the aero wiz host shows the Dodge pickup from multiple angles, changing heights while also tweaking the display to show flow as well as low- and high-pressure zones. He points out that because the second-gen Dakota's front is so rounded, it's actually on-par with a lot of cars. It's even better than some supercars at allowing air to pass up and over the hood, while even creating some downforce below the bumper. 'Look at how much low pressure there is,' the host insists. 'We've said it time and time again: A rounder underneath is better for drag, and it can also produce good downforce. Dodge accidentally proved it here.' Premier Aerodynamics via YouTube He draws special attention to the truck's flat roof. It allows for a fairly consistent flow speed, which results in less energy lost, but what's more important is how it directs the air as it heads toward the bed. This is where it gets more technical, but he does a great job of explaining how the air can take one of three paths after rolling off the rear of the cab: far past the tailgate and into the wake, just short of the tailgate where a high-pressure zone forms inside the bed, and just over the top of the tailgate. The latter is the preferred option, but also the least likely in the Dakota's stock form. Any way you can keep the air from landing just shy of the tailgate is for the better. By forming a high-pressure area, it creates a considerable amount of energy that is pushing against the rear of the truck, which is the opposite of what you want. He mentions that you could find a way to flare the roof at the rear of the cab, sending more air slightly up so as to avoid crashing into the rearmost part of the bed. 'By playing with that flare angle, you can dramatically reduce the drag of a truck,' he explains. I won't waste either of our time by rehashing everything he says, because it's better illustrated in the video where the views aren't static. One relevant note is that he recommends a tonneau cover for aerodynamic efficiency, adding that it really only needs to cover the back half of the bed to net a noticeable benefit. As arguably goofy as they look, those fastback truck bed covers are some of the best in terms of drag coefficient. You should definitely check out the rest of the video if you want to learn how the air interacts with different design elements on the truck, whether that be the wheels that sit mostly flush with the front fenders and bedsides or the trailer hitch underneath the back. He gives some handy tips, not only on how to improve the Dakota's aero performance but also on how you can avoid making it worse with different mods. Most conventional truck 'upgrades' tend to make them less efficient, but you know, there are some diehard hypermilers out there. The Dakota's 0.44 drag coefficient lands dead-even with a Porsche 911 GT3 RS going roughly 180 miles per hour with a window down, but slightly ahead of—as in, better than—a Lamborghini Countach and Jaguar D-Type. That's crazy to me, but then again, I'm in unfamiliar territory with all this. I have a feeling we both have a lot to learn from this channel. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Names released in Butte county fatal crash
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Names have been released for a two-vehicle crash that left one man dead and another seriously injured. The incident happened on Wednesday, May 7, at 5:56 p.m. According to a news release, Darin Michael Hanson, 22, was driving a Chevrolet S10, traveling south on Beet Road near its intersection with Reid Road. A Dodge Dakota, driven by Joseph Lane Hanson, 24, was traveling east on Reid Road, approaching Beet Road. The driver of the Dakota failed to yield, entering the intersection, and was struck by the S10. Both vehicles came to rest in a drainage ditch. Darin Hanson was ejected from his vehicle and flown to a Rapid City hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. Joseph Hanson sustained fatal injuries. The South Dakota Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash. Gunshots damage parked vehicles in downtown Sioux Falls Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Indianapolis Star
06-05-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Court docs: Instagram posts, texts, surveillance video led police to gas station shooter
A teen accused in the April killing of Malachi May will face trial as an adult. Investigators believe 18-year-old May was the victim of a robbery gone wrong. The 17-year-old accused of shooting him has been charged with murder in adult criminal court. The events of the shooting About 11:23 p.m. April 15, police responded after a person was shot at a gas station near the intersection of 34th Street and Emerson Avenue. Officers found May in the driver's seat of his blue Dodge Dakota. His pickup had rolled into a retaining wall after he'd been shot in the head at point-blank range. May died in the hospital two days later. May pulled up to a gas pump at 11:12 p.m, surveillance footage showed. After he parked, two teen boys walked into the gas station's convenience store. One wore a gray and blue hoodie, and the other wore a green and white letterman jacket that read "Struggle University" on the back. The pair exited the store and approached May, who remained in the driver's seat with the window rolled down. The teen in the letterman jacket was seen speaking with May before putting a gun through the window and shooting him in the head. As May's pickup rolled away, the shooter ran, stopping to pick up a spent shell cartridge. The other teen followed, dropping a vape, a screwdriver and a two-liter bottle of soda behind him. Six witnesses from the gas station gave statements to police. Officers searched the area with the help of a drone and a police dog, but were unable to locate the teens. Fingerprints were recovered from the inside of the driver's side window, where the shooter had placed his hand. Investigation into the killing of Malachi May In the days after the shooting, a friend of May told his family and police that he'd given May a handgun to sell. An Instagram user known as "hopout jmoney" had arranged online to buy the 9mm Glock pistol, the friend said. Police obtained a picture of two people associated with the account. The purported buyer vanished from Instagram right after the shooting, but the account became active again by April 22. According to court documents, the user's posts showed a teen wearing the same shoes and hoodie the suspect wore on the night of the shooting. Investigators found a string of text messages on May's phone between him and a contact named "Jmoney W," where the parties agreed to meet at the gas station at the time of the shooting. The "Jmoney" phone number, which had been associated with a teen in previous police reports, was still registered to that teen's mother. Police matched BMV photos of the teen associated with the phone number to "very clear" surveillance video from the gas station, according to court documents. Investigators found a second Instagram account that appeared to belong to the teen wearing the letterman jacket. That account's posts showed someone posing with a semiautomatic handgun in multiple locations blocks away from the homicide. Police were able to figure out where that teen was staying after he posted a selfie on the porch of a house with distinctive brickwork. In the photo, he posed with a semiautomatic handgun. Detectives drove around in a residential area blocks away from the shooting and recognized the house from the selfie. On April 28, detectives were surveilling the house when they said he again began filming himself with a gun. He was arrested, and police recovered both his phone and the firearm used in the pictures. Investigators uncovered a second gun in the nearby park. Its make and model were the same as the firearm May was trying to sell. A search of the teen's home uncovered the letterman jacket, distinctive shoes and ammunition. Detectives collected his fingerprints, which matched those recovered from the inside of May's window. It's unclear if the other teen present during the robbery was arrested. IMPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and court documents suggest that they may be brothers. Under Indiana law, people between the ages of 16 and 18 accused of certain serious crimes, including murder, are automatically treated as adults by the criminal legal system.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
Athens man charged in hit-and-run that injured child
JACKSON, Ohio (WCMH) — A man was arrested and charged a week after a hit-and-run in Jackson County left a child with serious injuries. Ohio State Highway Patrol Officers responded to a crash at about 8:00 p.m. on April 22 on State Route 93 in Madison Township. According to a release from OSHP, a Dodge Dakota traveling southbound on State Route 93 struck a 2-year-old boy in the roadway. The driver of the Dodge Dakota drove away southbound. OSHP stated the child was originally taken to a local hospital in Chillicothe before being transferred to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus. Local man's T-shirt compay goes global More than a week after the accident, OSHP arrested the driver, 38-year-old John D. Miller Jr., of Athens. Miller was located Friday at a McDonald's restaurant where he surrendered. According to a release from OSHP, an arrest warrant was obtained from the Jackson County municipal court after several leads from media exposure and other resources pointed to Miller. Miller is being held in Jackson County jail and is charged with leaving the scene of a serious injury crash. His first court appearance has not yet been scheduled. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
1 dead, 4 injured following two-vehicle crash at Clinton County intersection
CLINTON COUNTY, Ky. (WKRN) — A 21-year-old died and at least four others, including minors, were injured after two vehicles collided at an intersection in Clinton County Thursday afternoon. According to Kentucky State Police, troopers were sent to the intersection of U.S. 127 and KY 558 at approximately 4:10 p.m. to respond to the two-vehicle crash. A preliminary investigation reportedly indicates that 21-year-old Kayelyn Garrett, of Livingston, Tennessee, was traveling west on KY 558 in a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe when she approached the intersection of U.S. 127. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → Officials said she entered the intersection into the path of a 1999 Dodge Dakota, which was traveling north on U.S. 127, and both vehicles collidied. According to KSP, Garrett was taken to the Medical Center at Albany, where she died from her injuries. Meanwhile, the 18-year-old driver of the Dodge and a minor passenger in the Chevrolet were both taken to the University of Kentucky Hospital to be treated for serious injuries. Police added that a 23-year-old woman and an additional juvenile in the Chevrolet were taken to the Medical Center at Albany for minor injuries. ⏩ Several agencies—including the Clinton County Sheriff's Department, Albany Police Department, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Clinton County Fire/EMS—responded to the scene. The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation, per KSP. No additional details were released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
