SRV Dominator

SRV Dominator
SRV Dominator 1
Overview
Designer	Reed Timmer, Kevin Barton, Terry Rosema
Body and chassis
Class	First Generation Storm Research Vehicle
Layout	4-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	General Motors LS based small-block V-8, gasoline
Transmission	Automatic
Dimensions
Curb weight	8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Stock 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe truck

The SRV Dominator is a series of tornado interceptors owned, operated, and maintained by meteorologist Reed Timmer, with funding partially provided by AccuWeather and the Discovery Channel. The Dominator Series consists of the Dominator 1, a modified 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe,^[1] the Dominator 2, a modified 2011 GMC Yukon XL,^[1] the Dominator 3, a modified 2012 Ford F-350 Super Duty,^[1] and Dominator Fore, a name utilized for three different Subaru Forester's,^[1] two of which have since been totaled.^[2]

Dominator 1 was modified from a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe that was used during the 2008 storm chasing season and debuted in the 2009 chase season. The modifications included adding bulletproof sheet metal and transparent Lexan armor to protect against flying debris near tornadoes, and an external roll cage and racing-style safety harnesses in case of a vehicle roll.^[3] Dominator 1 is not designed to intercept (due mainly to a lack of an anchoring system as employed on the TIV 2) but is able to get as close as "humanly possible" to tornadoes. In 2009, a tornado in Aurora, Nebraska unexpectedly strengthened right over Dominator 1 and blew out the driver's window, when its exterior Lexan window failed to roll up. Reed Timmer and one of his passengers suffered lacerations to the face from flying glass.^[4]

During the Off-Season in 2009, Dominator 1 was upgraded by strengthening bulletproof and LINE-X sheet metal and Lexan Windows. Further upgrades added mid-season include a vertically-scanning radar intended to profile the winds at different heights within a tornado, as well as compressed-air launchers intended to launch wireless parachute probes to gather and transmit data on tornadoes to a chase. At the end of the 2010 Season, Dominator 1 was sliding while intercepting a mile wide EF4 tornado in Wadena, Minnesota nearly ending in a disaster.^[5] Early in the 2011 storm season, Dominator 1 suffered various mechanical issues; such as the Four Wheel Drive not working, the Lexan on the drivers side not fully closing, the braking system, borderline total brake failure and hydraulic system failed before the Super Outbreak, but were later fixed.

In 2018, Dominator 1 was left in the parking lot of Tornado Safe, an Oklahoma City company that built storm shelters. In 2022, after many years of sitting, Timmer was able to get Dominator 1 running and was able to drive it to a new storage location. Dominator 1 had suffered damage sustained from sitting such as faded Lexan windows, Timmer losing the keys and other various repairs needed.^[6] Dominator 1 was put into service for a limited amount of storm chasing during the 2023 season.^[7]

In early 2011, Timmer and other members of TVN purchased a 2011 GMC Yukon XL, which would be the base vehicle for a second Dominator vehicle named Dominator 2. Changes from Dominator 1 are said to include a flex fuel engine, improved aerodynamic streamlining thanks to the fully sealed outer shell, higher ride height, swiveling rear passenger seats, improved hydraulics, and upgraded armor protection as well as anchoring spikes that could allow it to engage tornadoes stronger than those Dominator 1 could safely face. Timmer also stated that both vehicles would be used with one going into tornadoes to gather data from inside the funnel while the other would collect data from comparing the two sets of data.^[8] Dominator 2 features reinforced sheet metal and transparent Lexan has been strengthened with higher-quality steel and an additional LINE-X coating. This shell is firmly affixed to the frame and chassis of the GMC Yukon XL. Dominator 2 retains a roll cage and racing-car safety seats with full-torso belts for added crew protection.^[9]

Dominator 2 first saw action during the tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011 in central Oklahoma, shown on the fifth season of Storm Chasers.^{[citation needed]}

On May 31, 2013, Dominator 2 was damaged when it intercepted a record breaking multiple-vortex tornado near El Reno. According to KFOR-TV, posts by Reed on Facebook, and as shown in Season 2, episodes 11 and 12 of Tornado Chasers, the hood was ripped off of the vehicle when the Dominator 2 collided with a downed power line. The tornado would go on to be 2.6 miles (4.2 km) wide with winds measured by radar exceeding 290 mph (470 km/h) (at about 100 m (330 ft) above the surface), making this the largest and strongest tornado ever intercepted by any of the Dominator vehicles.^[10] During the chase, Reed and his team found the wrecked SUV of Mike Bettes and his team from The Weather Channel's Great Tornado Hunt after it had been rolled into a field by a sub-vortex from the main tornado. Joined by members from Oklahoma City's KFOR-TV Channel 4 storm chasing team and first responders like the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Bettes and his crew were rescued and evacuated to receive medical attention. Reed later learned that TWISTEX founder Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and storm chasing partner Carl Young, were fatalities of the El Reno tornado.

Dominator 2 sustained engine damage during a storm chase and was parked in a storage lot in Norman, where it sat for many years. In 2022, Timmer made plans to get Dominator 2 back on the road. Dominator 2 needed to be towed to the new warehouse.^[11] As of July 2024, Dominator 2 remains inoperable.

A third Dominator vehicle was completed in late April 2013.^[12] This vehicle, named Dominator 3, was built using a 2012 Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup truck as the base vehicle — the first Dominator vehicle not to use a General Motors vehicle as the base. The vehicle features an electric winch, airbag lowering suspension, hydraulic anchoring spikes, and gull-wing doors (which were augmented with touch-activated actuators in early 2014) for the driver, front and rear passengers. It is also the first Dominator vehicle to utilize a diesel powerplant.

Dominator 3 first saw action during the tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013, making three separate intercepts on an EF4 tornado near Shawnee, Oklahoma on May 19.^{[citation needed]}

Dominator 3 successfully intercepted an EF1 Tornado near Spalding, Nebraska on May 12th, 2023.^[13]

On May 31, 2024, the Dominator 3 hit a large deer while driving in Texas, causing structural damage and a radiator leak.^[14]

Dominator Fore is a Subaru Forester. The Dominator Fore is a stock vehicle, unlike Timmer's other storm-chasing vehicles, which are heavily fortified trucks. Timmer has said that the Forester is a good choice for certain situations due to its smaller size and maneuverability. This allows him to navigate tight spaces and avoid debris during storms. While not specifically built for the purpose like Timmer's other Dominator vehicles, the Subaru has taken its fair share of punishment over the years. Timmer has documented the car's many dents and dings sustained while chasing storms, including hail damage and encounters with tornadoes. In September 2022, the original Dominator Fore was caught in the storm surge of Hurricane Ian and left battered and non-functional. In December 2022, Timmer purchased a 2016 Subaru Forester 2.5i as a replacement Dominator Fore. Timmer swapped the hood from the original Dominator Fore onto the replacement vehicle. In June 2024, while chasing a tornado in Texas, the engine on the replacement Dominator Fore seized up,^[15] and the vehicle was subsequently scrapped.^[16] In October 2024, Timmer purchased a 2015 Subaru Forester, which he referred to as "Dominator 4.5" in social media posts.^[17]

In July 2024, Timmer announced plans to construct Dominator 5.^[18] Timmer stated that Jake's Custom Diesel out of Norman, Oklahoma would be spearheading the build.^[19]

• Tornado Intercept Vehicle

• Official YouTube Channel