Guna take a hard look at Tundras today. I had a Tacoma and always felt like I paid too much for what it offered.
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Let’s Talk Full Size/Half Ton Pickups
- Thread starter Mac11wildcat
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HIGHRISK
Member
There definitely overpriced but shit these days what brand isn’t proud of there logos?
I remember back when gas was over $4 a gallon they were giving them away. Buddy of mine bought a year old fully loaded ram for 15k
brovercleveland
Member
I agree about the tacomas being overpriced but i think tundras are priced right there with competitors. Like you said, trucks, hell, even SUVs are way overpriced now a days.
I like my trucks a lil older guys.... Oh yeah thats it ! 
Senorman
Member
Naw man, the truck is a four door caddy! Hauls the 8,000lb trailer, wife, kids, dog, and toys with safety, comfort, and of course style.
Hey a topic i hold near and dear to my cold black heart. Minus opinions and like an asshole every one has one there are facts. And the simple fact is the pu market is more competitive than its ever been. Due to this companies are putting out the very best available product. There are no weak performers. So lets dive in.
The tundra is a stunning product. The nuts and bolts are all top notch. The largest and brauniest axle in the half ton segment. A solid reliable v8. But they have been running the same tech since 2007. Nothing has changed. Despite that its still a strong performer in its segment. But IS showing its age to what specifically Ford and Chevy are putting out now. Once at the top of its class now trails SIGNIFICANTLY especially to the ecoboost powered f150. The tundra is in need of a refresh honestly. But in the end who cares? Its a solid ass truck. Just wont be the most powerful or the fastest.
The nissan? Who cares. Its disgusting
The Ram is a great truck. They are quite unconventional tho. They are the only ones running coils in the rear and not leafs like everybody else. Which has advantages in ride quality and keeping the axle planted under acceleration but you give that up in max towing. IMO Rams sag the worst under near max conditions. But they did this for a reason. They polled their audience and found that only ~20% use their Ram for hauling or towing. So knowing that they built a chassis to be less capable. Thats right. LESS CAPABLE. Since the vast majority of 1/2 Ram owners use it for a commute only vehicle. I truly dont know how to feel about this. On one hand its smart but in the other hand its not my cup of tea. The 5.7 Hemi is the only real option id consider and its long in the tooth but still very capable in its segment. I just wish theyd offer the 392 in 1/2 ton form. The advantage of Ram running the 5.7 in its lineup for 16 yrs is theyve had a long time to perfect it and its nearly invincible. Sounds awesome under a nice catback. And makes good reliable pushrod power. Old fashioned and cheap to upgrade.
The Chevy is what i refer to as the old faithful. Chevy has a long long line of proven reliability. 3 separate generations of their v8s have officially gone in the record books with 1,000,000+ miles on a stock engine. More by far and away than any auto maker. GM v8s are more reliable than death and taxes. Wicked stupid easy to upgrade. Especially if your interested in a serious build on the engines rotating mass. More so than any other v8 on the market. Parts are cheap to find, easy to build and have near endless possibilities for unbelievable power. Thats chevys biggest asset. Cheap budget friendly pushrod power that will outlast them all. If you are seriously thinking of going that route id consider the 6.2 upgrade over the standard 5.3. The 6.2 pushrod can be bored and stroked to 416 ci or 6.8 liters. Thats well in to big block territory. That can produce about 650hp NATURALLY ASPIRATED and reliable or near reliable as stock. Dont wanna mess with the internals? Thats fine. It makes 420hp stock. More horsepower than any other stock pu. A simpler route is to just supercharge it. Cost maybe 6k but thats not much. Can produce about 600 supercharged as well. Remember the truck vortec versions are closely related to the hyper expensive LS variants found in the vaunted corvette. Many parts are interchangeable like the intake, high flow heads and many other parts. So if you wanna be the true king of engine builds chevy boasts that far and away.
The Ford has the most interesting options i think of all the choices. Same great top tier reliability as GM just a different flare. No you cant create insane engine builds with ford because these engines are designed to be boosted not bored and stroked. And jo it wont be as cheap either. But the coyote 5.0 is an animal esp under boost. Invest 6k in a supercharger and youll produce more hp than any other competitor with minimal boost thanks to its exotic 32v DOHC design. The smallest displacement out of all the v8s but makes the most power. Even in stock form
. Did i mention how it sounds? Fagetabout it. My honest opinion? Unless you plan on boosting it choose a larger displacement v8. Because with trucks torque is king and the lil 5.0 doesnt make enough of it down low to satisfy for towing. The new 3.5 ecoboost is the brawniest, ballsiest thing on the 1/2 ton market and no one is even close. It produces 450 hp and 510 lb ft tq out of its twin turbo charged v6. And it produces nearly all of that tq BEFORE 3000 rpm. Infact in the ike gauntlet test it out towed the mighty 5.7 Ram each pulling a 6,000lb trl up the mountain BY 14 MINUTES. Thats not a typo. 14 minutes. Its destroys all. It can pull harder, longer and with less strain than a traditional v8. Worried about reliability? Look up durability testing on the ecoboost. It was run in a lab at WOT for 300 hrs straight, among many many other things. After tear down no loss of compression was noted.What the Inside of a Tortured Ford EcoBoost V-6 Looks Like - PickupTrucks.com News
IMO the facts dictate the 3.5 ecoboost F150 is the most robust engine and truck combo in the 1/2 ton segment. Its even encroaching on diesel numbers of yester year. I get it. It sounds gay. Not cool like a v8. But when push comes to shove that ecoboost is gonna stomp a mud hole in all competitors asses.
Cant really go wrong tho man. I favor the chevy and the ford. I like the toyota as a 3rd option. And i like everything about the ram EXCEPT the suspension set up. To each his own.
Heres my current garage:
My 08 3v 5.4 F150 4x4. Had it 10 yrs. Tougher than an abrams tank. I abuse it. Offroad it. Tow it. And am anal on maintenaince and still own it 10 yrs later. What can i say its reliable american made power.
Also my 06 5.3L Tahoe. Another long term truck. Seriously cant kill these american v8s. It takes turns towing my boat with my f150. Is a luxury ride. I run the nivomat self leveling gas charged shocks. They adjust to weight and are weight barring and sag none...ever. Supple ride when empty. Confident under load. Handles most of the family vacation duty and has a couple bolt ons and a diablo tune. Has police interceptor like speed. Can sink right in to that plush leather and kill 700 miles w/o blinking an eye. Have a supercharger planned for it soon. Thought about a 6.0 swap to make endless NA power but still may just supercharge it. In one word? Presidential
And also my new mustang GT. Runs 11.9 in the quarter and 0-60 in 3.9 stock naturally aspirated. Nuff said
My build plans are for an easy 1000hp streetable power.
I wouldnt let the aluminum turn you off. Ford has stock piled all the aluminum commodity for the time being. ALL competitors will be running this in the future. Thats a fact. Alot of pros Ford is now the lightest half ton available in which traditionally its always been the heaviest because Ford puts more chassis stock in there pu than any one ever. They have the most robust chassis avilable bar none. No rust and a ton of weight savings. It will be the new way of making body panels as govt CAFE standards are squeezing auto makers to increase mpgs
Nice combo!
Senorman
Member
Those Denali's just ooze class
Hella nice rig man!
Thanks man! About to drag that trailer down to South Padre for a month of family vacation kite-boarding, back home for a few weeks, then off to the Pacific NW for more kiting and mtn biking for the summer. Only bummer is, I'll lose 10lbs, which is hard on a skinny dude....first world problems I know.
mp46
New Member
If you haven’t made a purchase yet, just get what you like. I’ve been through them all in personal and business use. The Tundra will get the worst MPG and the Titan will be the weakest, but still do whatever you need.
Unless you’re towing big than no need for the Ecoboost or Chevy 6.2, it literally comes down to what you like.
The ford/gm 10spd has some complaints related to response time but so far nothing about reliability.
Unless you’re towing big than no need for the Ecoboost or Chevy 6.2, it literally comes down to what you like.
The ford/gm 10spd has some complaints related to response time but so far nothing about reliability.
Oldschool
New Member
My work truck is a Toyota Tacoma. I've put 30 thousand miles on it down dirt/caliche roads checking oil wells and I really like it. I'm with you on the maintenance thing. Taking care of what you choose is more important than the choice.
johntt44
New Member
Standard 2019 motors
Chevy Silverado 1500 355hp 383torque
Toyota tundra 5.7l 381hp 401 torque
Nissan Titan 5.6l 390hp 394 torque
Weakest? No
My 2014 nissan makes 385 torque but only 317hp.
boost creep
Member
Buy something a few years old and save yourself a bunch of cash. JMO.
Worf
Member
Chevy Silverado with a 6.2 gas if you can find one
Greek_beast95
Member
Have a 2018 f150 2.7 ecoboost , best bang for your buck. Just as fast/ faster then most v8 trucks and better gas mileage . Had a 2017 Tacoma , hated it. Slow , worse mileage than my f150! And paid only a few grand less than my ford for a truck half the size lol . I’m a ford guy , and people who are scared of trusting the eco boost can go get the 5.0 v8 which is known as a solid running motor .
Greek_beast95
Member
I respect the tundras and agree there great trucks but for me personally if I showed up to a job site with a Japanese truck I’d get roasted hard
The 5.0 is the best option if u want a performance pickup. Same supercharger applied across the board the coyote powered f150 makes 160hp more than any other make or model. Its a wonderful thing. And roush and whipple will warranty it up to 730hp. Forged crank stock. Cant beat it. Its built from the factory with boost in mind
Greek_beast95
Member
That’s right ! Which is why when my three year lease is up I’m going to be getting one for myself to supercharge haha, I wanted a 5.0 this time around but I bought my truck end of November last year and had a killer deal, but honestly man the 2.7 is pretty fast. And I’ve seen some pretty impressive dyno runs on 2.7’s with just an ecu reflash
