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WTH? What's wrong with this Tundra Frame?




Shotokan1509

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Motortrend car of the year! err I mean truck

 
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85_Ranger4x4

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Motortrend car of the year! err I mean truck
It is cute how they waited until just after the deadline last year to release it so it didn't go head to head with the new Silverado. If their truck is so wonderful that would have been a great time to rub GM's (the number one selling truck) nose in it.

For the record though, for frame strength the new F-150 is unriveled. If it was 5 years ago the Tundra would probably be cleaning house against it. For years trucks have been fine with a more flexible frame. Our 1980 F-350 has had the bed dent the back of the cab on both sides from flexing at some point in time, it is still a good truck IMO.
 

metalmacguyver

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that is the kind of testing that i like to see. actual real world testing!
 

Danger-Ranger96

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i've seen another video tested by the same guys about tow hooks: F-150 vs the tundra hooks.

Be-it that hooks may not be the best way to judge a vehicle however overall quality and placement is key for when designing them (as stated in the video)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DdABRH9EsSw
 

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krugford

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Ever driven down a gravel road? While that is an extreme scenario, I've been on country roads that do just about the same thing. It still represents a comparitive view between the trucks. That, and the more your frame flexes while driving down the road, the less effective your suspension is at keeping the tires in contact with the pavement. I don't want dents in the back of my cab because I decided to go for a drive...
 

metalmacguyver

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washboard roads. the only way to drive them is incredibly slow or at a fairly high speed so you float over the tops of the bumps.
 

Thumper113

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washboard roads. the only way to drive them is incredibly slow or at a fairly high speed so you float over the tops of the bumps.
Yup, there's a bunch of washboard roads around here. Problem here is.........if you drive 'em at a high rate of speed, you'll slide off a cliff or into a wall of rock & dirt because they're really bad on tight turns. I usually encounter them on my way to run a trail so I air down once I hit the dirt road since I'd I'd do it at the trailhead anyway. After airing down to 10-12 psi, I can barely feel the washboards & the tires stay on the road surface.

About the video, I didn't post it as a bash on the Tundra, I posted it as an example of "There is no perfect truck". Where the F150 excells in the frame department over the Toyota, I'm pretty sure that there would be something else sub-par to the Toyota on a different part of the F150. It just struck me as very funny when I saw that video since the new Tundra is marketed as the best light duty truck...............EVER.

The "C" Channel frames on Rangers & previous F150's sure have a lot of bend to 'em kinda like the Tundra does. They may not wobble the hell out of the bed like the Tundra but they're not real strong either.
 

ozzy85

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Damn! That thing has a frame as stiff as overcooked pasta. I had a stock '73 Dodge 1/2 ton that would blur vision if you tried that stunt. I tried.
 

ozzy85

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I have to say that I get it that frames have some flex... if it was too stiff, the rear wheels would be in the air too much and you would get no traction...this is an ElCamino separated in the middle. People want soft suspensions like this on their trucks.
 

Will

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I'll bet the Ridgeline would be the best at that--no joke. Unit body and independent rear. No movement and the tires wouldn't leave the ground anywhere.

It seems like a stupid test. None of that movement will hurt any of those trucks.

But it isn't a stupid test really. All of those trucks failed it. They were all beating the shit out of the truck and driver though the F150 was doing the best. The reason I say it wasn't a stupid test is that when you live on a gravel road, the road gets like that a couple of times a year and the county has to keep them graded. The road out to my inlaws gets so bad that in an empty pickup you turn sideways on curves and have to make running starts on hills because the rear tires are on the ground--rarely. It gets bad.

With an independent suspension and not much unsprund mass to deal with, it's barely noticeable. Look at the front of those pickups--they are all independant. A straight axle front does abpout what the rear does--throws you side to side banging your head off the windows and makes it even harder to keep the truck straight.
 

LittleBigFoot

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Yup, there's a bunch of washboard roads around here. Problem here is.........if you drive 'em at a high rate of speed, you'll slide off a cliff or into a wall of rock & dirt because they're really bad on tight turns. I usually encounter them on my way to run a trail so I air down once I hit the dirt road since I'd I'd do it at the trailhead anyway. After airing down to 10-12 psi, I can barely feel the washboards & the tires stay on the road surface.

About the video, I didn't post it as a bash on the Tundra, I posted it as an example of "There is no perfect truck". Where the F150 excells in the frame department over the Toyota, I'm pretty sure that there would be something else sub-par to the Toyota on a different part of the F150. It just struck me as very funny when I saw that video since the new Tundra is marketed as the best light duty truck...............EVER.

The "C" Channel frames on Rangers & previous F150's sure have a lot of bend to 'em kinda like the Tundra does. They may not wobble the hell out of the bed like the Tundra but they're not real strong either.


The trail road up to St. Marrys is horrible. I was slideing around more then when on the trail in the snow.

Same thing w/ Red Cone. It was rough. Harder then most hte trail even.
 

dranger21

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Theres quite a bit of these washboard roads around here especially on turns. It may be somewhat of a stupid test but I dont want to be down over a bank because i cant control it around a turn. I would have liked to see how a dodge handles it too.
 

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