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Full-size pickup sales - F-150 best selling truck, but for how much longer?

577 messages,  Last post on Jan 18, 2013 at 8:53 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Dodge Ram Pickup 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Nissan Titan, Car Buying, Truck

    

Messages Page 47 of 59

#455 of 577 Ford F-150 Least powerful truck. by carspace7

Jan 21, 2008 (8:47 pm)

Ford comes out with a new truck & will not release horsepower numbers who are they kidding. Is this because Ford is still in last place in the horsepower wars. Comparsion below for most powerful engines in fullsize pickups.
  
Chevrolet Silverado 367hp 6.0 liter V-8
Dodge Ram 380hp 5.7 liter V-8
Ford F-150 300hp 5.4 liter V-8 2008
Gmc Sierra Denali 403hp 6.2 liter V-8
Nissan Titan 317hp 5.6 liter V-8
Toyota Tundra 381hp 5.7 liter V-8

#456 of 577 Re: 09 F150 [sknabt] by cruiser69

Jan 21, 2008 (9:53 pm)

Replying to: sknabt (Jan 21, 2008 7:26 pm)
All good points. Competition is good. I thought the same thing about the Ridgeline initially too. But after seeing its similarities in side profile to the original Chevy Avalanche, which started out in GM cladland, they both ended up being decent vehicles with their pros and cons like anything else. The Ridgeline does have questionable styling, but i do give credit to those who try something different then the overly conservative GM truck styling, with the exception of the ugliest truck on the road today, the Chevy Colorado.
 
My in-laws bought a Ridgeline and after driving it for several days it is a very nice light duty vehicle. It rides and handles very well. It gets very good fuel economy. It has a fair amount of payload capacity and the in bed trunk is great to use. The standard auto 4wd and available 5,000 pound towing capacity is perfect for the average truck buyer. The frame and unibody structure combined give it a very stiff chassis.
 
Weak points are bed length, interior appearance, and pricey for the entry level model. I suspect they will play with the design soon and spice it up a bit. The late model Pontiac GTO's were very competent sleeper cars and excelled in what they did but they were too conservative in their styling. The Ridgeline may be too much of an exercise in molded plastics and metal left in the sun too long. Its a difficult balance to get right when you want to stand out.
 
The Ram styling will be liked, eventually. Hell, i still think the 98 Taurus was so far ahead of its time it still looks futuristic today, even the wagon version. Too bad it was a trans eating, electrical gremlin nightmare. Oh, and people still think it was ugly too.

#457 of 577 Super Duty to equal Commercial Duty? by mschmal

Jan 22, 2008 (6:01 pm)

The new 2008 Super Dutys are more expensive and have greater and in some cases MUCH GREATER GCWRs than the old model.
 
The F-150 has capacities creeping up also.
 
I think that the cost increase on the 08 Super Duty vs. the 07 and the extra capacity of the 2009 F-150 is going to allow customers who previously needed the Super Duty to get the job done to stick with the F-150.
 
Incidently, the reason that HP wasn't released as in part to give something Ford to talk about at the next auto show.
 
Mark.

#458 of 577 Re: Super Duty to equal Commercial Duty? [mschmal] by markan

Jan 23, 2008 (2:37 pm)

Replying to: mschmal (Jan 22, 2008 6:01 pm)
Mark,
 
I know you're a Ford guy in some capacity and I would appreciate your opinion. I still don't understand the limited availability of the 3050 payload package. Seems to me that would be perfect for what you are suggesting and probably heavy enough for many F250 buyers. As I remember this was first marketed a few years ago to make the F150 a great towing vehicle for lighter duty trailers. I've had two F150's set up like this and they are a perfect compromise of comfort and capacity. I know it's all about numbers and potential markets, not to mention the fact that Ford makes more money on F250's. There are some of us that prefer the ride and comfort of the F150. What do you think?

#459 of 577 Heavy Duty Payload package. by mschmal

Jan 25, 2008 (11:48 am)

The reason we don't stock them at my dealer is they only come with BUTT UGLY 7 lug steel wheels.
 
Also, with the 4.10 rear you are loosing a little fuel econ.
 
Mark.

#460 of 577 Coil springs ON THE REAR? by mschmal

Jan 25, 2008 (11:49 am)

So if you saw the info on the new Ram, you will see that the dropped the leaf springs in the rear and went with coil springs. According to Rick Titus, Driver's Talk Radio, this will kill the trucks cargo and trailer towing.
 
In addition, I know coil springs are much less able to take a beating compared to leaf springs. Ever have the springs in your car break?
 
Anyone have insight into this? What was Dodge thinking? Or is Dodge only trying to cater to the people who "use their truck like a car"?
 
Mark.

#461 of 577 Re: Coil springs ON THE REAR? [mschmal] by rsholland

Jan 26, 2008 (7:49 am)

Replying to: mschmal (Jan 25, 2008 11:49 am)
Dodge knows what they're doing. The new Ram 1500 will be able to tow and haul just fine. Will it win the "bragging rights" war? Maybe not, but for 99% of owners the vehicle will be perfect.
 
BTW, you're flat out wrong about leaf vs coil springs. Oshkosh, the maker of huge severe-duty trucks for the military and airport service makes trucks, not only with coil springs all around, but also IFS/IRS and AWD. It's just a matter of time before this technology trickles down to consumer vehicles, and at realistic prices.
 
http://www.oshkoshtruck.com/defense/products~wtanker~home.cfm
 
http://www.oshkoshtruck.com/defense/products~lvsr~home.cfm
 
http://www.oshkoshtruck.com/airportmunicipal/products~striker~home.cfm
 
Bob

#462 of 577 That new dodge will work fields... while them tundra ones bust quicker... by farmerrube

Jan 26, 2008 (10:36 am)

Yep, that new dodge will work them fields, cuz them big3 ones is just built that way from the get go. But them forien ones got that feather thin frame and them t100 pumpkins... them pumpkins pop and that frame twists quick if worked any now. Folks is quick too work that tundra on that hi-way now, but where is them folks that is workin them forien ones in them fields? We need them big3 ones with haul, not them shiny forien ones that bust when worked any. Facts is facts on this one. Good luck on this one now!

#463 of 577 Re: Coil springs ON THE REAR? [rsholland] by 1offroader

Jan 26, 2008 (3:57 pm)

Replying to: rsholland (Jan 26, 2008 7:49 am)
rsholland
Sorry to disagree with you. I do agree that coils can be made to be very heavy duty, but doing so destroys the reason they would be used on a 1/2-ton, which is ride quality. Coils also require panhard bars and trailing arms to keep the rear diff from moving sideways and front-to-back. Leafs are bolted directly from the diff to frame and don't need all that extra junk. Also, panhard bars and trailing arms travel in an arc, which means overall generally less travel than leaf springs in the same application. Trucks are supposed to have a lot of travel, due to the varying loads they are required to carry and extreme road conditions they encounter.
 
Dodge is using coils due to improved ride quality, so you can bet they aren't extreme heavy duty springs. They also don't expect the truck to carry heavy loads, needing a lot of rear travel.
 
For many people, esp. those who value a softer ride and who use the truck bed to carry light loads on occasion, the coils will be fine. But for those who use their trucks as trucks, they will move away from Dodge.
 
Dodge is making a big bet on a change in their demographic. If they're right, they'll gain a few sales. If not, they'll become a distant 4th in sales, behind Tundra. There is a lot at stake for Dodge.
 
1offroader

#464 of 577 Re: Coil springs ON THE REAR? [1offroader] by kcram HOST

Jan 26, 2008 (4:59 pm)

Replying to: 1offroader (Jan 26, 2008 3:57 pm)
A lot of the people making the claim about how the new Ram's rear coils won't work are using nearly 40-year-old GM trucks as their basis of comparison. C'mon people... technology has done wonders since that point in time. We were driving on bias-ply tires back then, for crying out loud.
 
The Ram's rear suspension is a beefed version of the design used in the current Grand Cherokee - and no one seems to be complaining about the GC's abilities off-road in terms of travel or articulation.
 
kcram - Pickups Host

Messages Page 47 of 59

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