Truck Nuts

[Pato del Muerto 53352]

Got the topper put on today, so now the snow can start. 

Not sure if the 4x4 auto selection is good for snowy roads or if it will wear out the system from changing back and forth. 

All of my highway snow driving heretofore has been in a fwd suv with awd system. 

[utee94 16071]

I just bought my first pickup, a 2015 F150 3.5L ecoboost Platinum with the max towing package, which is why I actually needed a truck, as a I also just bought a new RV that weighs a lot more than my old one.

So, I'm happy to join the Truck Nuts thread.  I'll post some pictures if I ever upload them for image hosting.

I'm really happy with the performance, only mod I'm considering is a leveling kit for the front end.  Anyone have a rec in Austin for a place to do it, and maybe an approximate cost?

 

Edited October 30, 2018 by utee94

[PvilleStang 2979]

20 minutes ago, utee94 said:

I just bought my first pickup, a 2015 F150 3.5L ecoboost Platinum with the max towing package, which is why I actually needed a truck, as a I also just bought a new RV that weighs a lot more than my old one.

So, I'm happy to join the Truck Nuts thread.  I'll post some pictures if I ever upload them for image hosting.

 I'm really happy with the performance, only mod I'm considering is a leveling kit for the front end.  Anyone have a rec in Austin for a place to do it, and maybe an approximate cost?

 

Your garage, and a 6 pack.  Did my buddy's kit in like an hour.  Not much to it.

[Mother mopar 3379]

Went and looked at a Dodge 2500 (2007) yesterday with my old man. 5.9 Cummins, 125k miles, auto. Not a bad truck, they're asking 21k for it. I've heard the transmissions are weak. I'm not a surly 1%er, so I like older used trucks. Any previous owners have any thoughts?

My last diesel was an 02 Ford with the 7.3 power stoke and that motor would pull anything.

[Yarbr 123]

9 hours ago, utee94 said:

I just bought my first pickup, a 2015 F150 3.5L ecoboost Platinum with the max towing package, which is why I actually needed a truck, as a I also just bought a new RV that weighs a lot more than my old one.

So, I'm happy to join the Truck Nuts thread.  I'll post some pictures if I ever upload them for image hosting.

I'm really happy with the performance, only mod I'm considering is a leveling kit for the front end.  Anyone have a rec in Austin for a place to do it, and maybe an approximate cost?

 

Same truck but 18, same situation. I'm going back and forth between a level kit or Bilstein set at 1.75 in front. I got a quote from a place in Temple for a 2" Rough Country level for $300 including alignment or $750 for the Bilstein adjustable struts and the shocks as well.

Hard to do that right now as my commute is RR to Temple and I'm getting 23 on the highway and the level would knock the mpg down 1-2 mpg according to my research and past levels.

Edited October 30, 2018 by Yarbr

[utee94 16071]

I'm coming from a 5.3L V8 so the gas mileage doesn't worry me all that much.  But, I'm also not commuting RR to Temple, so...

Thanks for the replies.  I'm not in any hurry to do it, since I'm basically hemorrhaging cash after buying both a new truck and a new RV in the same month.  But maybe as a nice Christmas present to myself...

 

 

[UnivTex34 1765]

4 minutes ago, utee94 said:

I'm coming from a 5.3L V8 so the gas mileage doesn't worry me all that much.  But, I'm also not commuting RR to Temple, so...

Thanks for the replies.  I'm not in any hurry to do it, since I'm basically hemorrhaging cash after buying both a new truck and a new RV in the same month.  But maybe as a nice Christmas present to myself...

 

 

Weren't you the one with the badass restored Airstream? What did you replace it with?

[utee94 16071]

5 minutes ago, UnivTex34 said:

Weren't you the one with the badass restored Airstream? What did you replace it with?

Ha, yup, that's me.  I replaced it with something not anywhere close to as bad-ass-- but also modern, fully functional, and with a full extended warranty.

 

 

[Anton Chigurh 3334]

Ha, yup, that's me.  I replaced it with something not anywhere close to as bad-ass-- but also modern, fully functional, and with a full extended warranty.
 
 

That’s no way to go through life!!!

[utee94 16071]

4 minutes ago, Anton Chigurh said:

 

That’s no way to go through life!!!

 

Believe me, I know!

With the 9yo and 11yo kids, the Airstream just wasn't practical and functional enough for us.  It worked for 3-day trips, but was brutal when we got up into the week+ range.  

No worries, as soon as they're out of the house, I'm going back to a vintage Airstream.  But for now, where my family's at, it's hard to argue with a completely separate bedroom for my wife (no pics) and me, a completely separate bedroom for my kids and their friends, a large slideout with couch and dinette, and of course... an outdoor kitchen!

 

Edited October 30, 2018 by utee94

[Spaulding Smails 1610]

11 hours ago, utee94 said:

I just bought my first pickup, a 2015 F150 3.5L ecoboost Platinum with the max towing package, which is why I actually needed a truck, as a I also just bought a new RV that weighs a lot more than my old one.

So, I'm happy to join the Truck Nuts thread.  I'll post some pictures if I ever upload them for image hosting.

I'm really happy with the performance, only mod I'm considering is a leveling kit for the front end.  Anyone have a rec in Austin for a place to do it, and maybe an approximate cost?

 

If you decide to pay someone to do it, go to Texas Hitch & Truck Center.  Two locations in Austin.  Nick the owner is a Longhorn alum and I believe a fellow Surly.  Good dude and knows his shit when it comes to trucks.  

[GringoSalado 1652]

On 10/30/2018 at 6:56 AM, Mother mopar said:

Went and looked at a Dodge 2500 (2007) yesterday with my old man. 5.9 Cummins, 125k miles, auto. Not a bad truck, they're asking 21k for it. I've heard the transmissions are weak. I'm not a surly 1%er, so I like older used trucks. Any previous owners have any thoughts?

My last diesel was an 02 Ford with the 7.3 power stoke and that motor would pull anything.

That is a good year for that truck but yeah, if it were me I'd try and find a 6 speed. The older New Venture 6 speeds had issues (in powerstrokes also), but the later G56 (2005 +??) is/was a good transmission.

 

All that said I don't have any personal experience w/ the Dodge auto, so if it was a good deal I suppose you could talk me into it, especially at such low mileage. I haven't shopped for those in a while so I'm not sure if $21k is fair or not, but I've seen worse (more expensive).  

[Mother mopar 3379]

I bought the truck final price was 19,500 after some back and forth. 07 were the last year for the 5.9 cummins and the most powerful as well. So I'm happy with it.

[HOOKEM4 5152]

On 10/30/2018 at 8:08 AM, Yarbr said:

Same truck but 18, same situation. I'm going back and forth between a level kit or Bilstein set at 1.75 in front. I got a quote from a place in Temple for a 2" Rough Country level for $300 including alignment or $750 for the Bilstein adjustable struts and the shocks as well.

Hard to do that right now as my commute is RR to Temple and I'm getting 23 on the highway and the level would knock the mpg down 1-2 mpg according to my research and past levels.

Yes, level will cost you 2 mpg. I did Bilsteins around 40k miles ago. They are great and somehow keep the geometry correct as opposed to the plates. I bought them online and showed up at my mechanic and told him to install them. I think all in I paid $350 for them installed.

[Brew 3049]

The Fox leveling kit I put on my truck was well worth the money. It’s much more stable than the normal cheap kit I used on my last truck and I have zero complaints on the front 35k miles in. However, I will not go with Fox rears on my next truck. They are way too soft for any real towing.

[Goofyboy 3428]

My BAKFlip from Bert Orange. I finally had a chance to install it. Thanks again sir!!

[Anastasis 23704]

your neighbors tree gonna fuck up that side walk eventually. 

[Goofyboy 3428]

Every neighbors tree is gonna fuck up our side walks. The developer put one tree in front of every house between the sidewalk and the street.

[NoRagrets 1137]

22 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

your neighbors tree gonna fuck up that side walk eventually. 

What trees? Looks like Lubbock.

[fattyflattie 4640]

14 hours ago, NoRagrets said:

What trees? Looks like Lubbock.

There’s actually a whole shitload of big pecans and whatnot just out of that pic, in a creek/walking/biking trail.  

Also can confirm the tree in front of every single house between sidewalk and street, for whatever reason. 

*I live about 200 yrds from this pic. 

[Goofyboy 3428]

There’s actually a whole shitload of big pecans and whatnot just out of that pic, in a creek/walking/biking trail.  
Also can confirm the tree in front of every single house between sidewalk and street, for whatever reason. 
*I live about 200 yrds from this pic. 

Stalker.

[fattyflattie 4640]

Howdilydoodilyflanders.gif

[Bert Orange 1168]

23 hours ago, Goofyboy said:

My BAKFlip from Bert Orange. I finally had a chance to install it. Thanks again sir!!

 

Lookin’ good. Glad it worked!

[Pescado_Rojo 19565]

Upgraded my rig yesterday. Traded in my 05 F150 Lariat 4x4 for this 2017 Tundra 4x4. 

[BearSchlong 8234]

Nice truck and welcome, Tundra brother (not eskimo)

[Pescado_Rojo 19565]

1 hour ago, BearSchlong said:

Nice truck and welcome, Tundra brother (not eskimo)

Not that you know of, anyway. 

[A-Tex Devil 2495]

I have never owned a pick up truck, but thinking about changing that.  Have owned several SUVs in my life, but have been driving an IS 350 the last... (checks watch)... 11 years.  I don't need it for towing a boat, or the hunting lease, or the construction site.  But there have been several times over last few years where my life would have been easier with a pickup.  I need a full size crew cab (two kid seats), but otherwise want something bent toward performance. 

Given that, I think I want the Raptor, but convince me otherwise.  When I first started looking I swore I'd want the Tacoma, but it uniformly ends up last or next to last on so many comparisons, I am a little spooked by that.  

[Goofyboy 3428]

If you have two kids seats, you do not want a Tacoma. I traded mine due to the small back seat. I picked up a Tundra TRD Pro and I’m really happy with it.

I wanted a Raptor, but couldn’t justify the extra $20k. I have a buddy that has one and he’s really happy with it.

[A-Tex Devil 2495]

6 minutes ago, Goofyboy said:

If you have two kids seats, you do not want a Tacoma. I traded mine due to the small back seat. I picked up a Tundra TRD Pro and I’m really happy with it.

I wanted a Raptor, but couldn’t justify the extra $20k. I have a buddy that has one and he’s really happy with it.

My bad.  I meant Tundra.  I am getting a big truck.  Thanks.  

[Goofyboy 3428]

Oh, it’s an older style truck. The interiors are nice but not as badass as the other trucks.

That said, I love my Tundra. The back seat is massive. The gas mileage is pretty on point at 15mpg and I have a heavy foot. It’s got plenty of power. Lastly, it’s a Toyota truck. It should go 200k.

[utee94 16071]

1 hour ago, A-Tex Devil said:

I have never owned a pick up truck, but thinking about changing that.  Have owned several SUVs in my life, but have been driving an IS 350 the last... (checks watch)... 11 years.  I don't need it for towing a boat, or the hunting lease, or the construction site.  But there have been several times over last few years where my life would have been easier with a pickup.  I need a full size crew cab (two kid seats), but otherwise want something bent toward performance. 

Given that, I think I want the Raptor, but convince me otherwise.  When I first started looking I swore I'd want the Tacoma, but it uniformly ends up last or next to last on so many comparisons, I am a little spooked by that.  

I've had GM SUVs for over 20 years and have really liked them.  When I started looking at pickups, I started off focused on GM products, but I found that the Ford supercrew has substantially more room than the largest GM cabs.  My wife has a Toyota convertible and I really like the Toyota trucks but none are really outfitted for towing the way I wanted.  

Anyway, my advice is, if you're looking for something that fits the kids well, take them with you on test drives and get an idea of how they fit in the space.  After multiple GM and multiple Ford test drives, it was obvious to me that the Ford was the cab that was going to work for my family.

As far as performance, I can't really comment as I'm much more geared toward towing. I can tell you that my F150 twin turbo V6 3.5L  has a heck of a lot of pickup, and most importantly to me, it has that turbo-boosted power available across a broad band of its torque output, which makes towing a pleasure, to be honest. It's also an FX4 4WD which I absolutely must have for towing the RV trailer through sand and back country, and for towing the boat on slick boat ramps.

 

[Pato del Muerto 53352]

My 302 super crew gets just over 15 mpg in city driving. It will jump into 5th at around 32 mph to do that. 

Highway is tough for me to gauge because any long highway mileage is up and down mountains so I’m in higher rev situations more often.  It’s the 6 speed trans though  

Love the backseat space though. Full size adul humans can sit back there pretty comfortably.  Tundra crew max looks just as big though. 

[Archer 474]

I love my Raptor (2014) it is the most comfortable vehicle I have driven. For the past 5+ years before the Raptor my back would start locking up 2-3 hours into a trip. The only big road trip in the Raptor I went almost 6 hours with no problems. Down side is nothing is cheap, I put front and rear bumpers and side rails on my Jeep for $500. The rear bumper I want for the truck is $2,000. 

 

I really liked the Tundras but couldn’t configure a 2017 the way I wanted. I wanted some of the Platinum features and some of the TRD Pro features but couldn’t get it from the factory. The lack of options was the big downside I had with Toyota. 

[Bert Orange 1168]

Like GB above, I had a TRD Pro before getting my Raptor. The driving experience aside (it’s very very different), I often found the little things missing on the TRD Pro (like memory seats) bothered me. It was like they took away all the best features of the Platinum and replaced them with more rugged off-road bits and styling. Why not both?  There’s certainly a place for both in the competitive high end truck world. 

Now back to driving, the crisp tight steering and power band of that turbo 6 in the Raptor is money. As is the handling on and off road. It is in another category for sure. But you certainly pay for that. No doubt about it. I justified the extra with the insane resale values of the Raptor. 

That said, I was offered $42,000 for my three year old TRD Pro with 34k miles on it. So the Tundra certainly holds its value very well indeed. 

Edited November 13, 2018 by Bert Orange

[utee94 16071]

45 minutes ago, Bert Orange said:

Like GB above, I had a TRD Pro before getting my Raptor. The driving experience aside (it’s very very different), I often found the little things missing on the TRD Pro (like memory seats) bothered me. It was like they took away all the best features of the Platinum and replaced them with more rugged off-road bits and styling. Why not both?  There’s certainly a place for both in the competitive high end truck world. 

Now back to driving, the crisp tight steering and power band of that turbo 6 in the Raptor is money. As is the handling on and off road. It is in another category for sure. But you certainly pay for that. No doubt about it. I justified the extra with the insane resale values of the Raptor. 

That said, I was offered $42,000 for my three year old TRD Pro with 34k miles on it. So the Tundra certainly holds its value very well indeed. 

I have that same turbo 6 in my F150 Platinum, its response is really just ridiculous.  That and the large cabin are what convinced me (along with being able to tow 11,500 lbs).

 

[Bert Orange 1168]

5 minutes ago, utee94 said:

I have that same turbo 6 in my F150 Platinum, its response is really just ridiculous.  That and the large cabin are what convinced me (along with being able to tow 11,500 lbs).

 

Well, not exactly. But it’s still no slouch for sure. 

[Lat22 4070]

If you don’t go for the Raptor, go for a new F-150 with the 3.5L Ecoboost. From what I’ve heard, you’ll be impressed with the performance. Not Raptor impressed, but impressed nonetheless. 

You’ll wonder why you waited this long to own a truck and you’ll never go back. 

[Bert Orange 1168]

2 minutes ago, Lat22 said:

If you don’t go for the Raptor, go for a new F-150 with the 3.5L Ecoboost. From what I’ve heard, you’ll be impressed with the performance. Not Raptor impressed, but impressed nonetheless. 

You’ll wonder why you waited this long to own a truck and you’ll never go back. 

Or get the 2019 limited with the same engine and all the luxury!

Edited November 13, 2018 by Bert Orange

[Anton Chigurh 3334]

Well, not exactly. But it’s still no slouch for sure. 

 

This is true, but the Limited from 2019 does get exactly the same engine.

 

Edit: you beat me to it!

[Lat22 4070]

I forgot about that. Hell yes. 

[Bert Orange 1168]

There have been a few tests in the real world where the SO of the 150 actually beat the HO Raptor off the line. Raptor is heavy as shit. 

[Mother mopar 3379]

Pulled the trigger on the 2007 Dodge 2500 5.9 cummins, I looked at 2 weeks ago. Excited about some 610 lbs feet of torque. One owner 125k miles, not too shabby.

Going to start running through the filters and fluids here shortly. Ordered an exhaust, intake and coolant filtration system.

[utee94 16071]

28 minutes ago, Bert Orange said:

Well, not exactly. But it’s still no slouch for sure. 

Oh yeah, you're right-- the non-Raptor is actually faster, because it weighs a lot less.

 

 

 

 

[Bert Orange 1168]

See post above

[utee94 16071]

(although admittedly, my Platinum FX4 with max towing, full technology package, automatic running boards, etc. is probably not a lot lighter than a Raptor, if at all 😉 )

[Brew 3049]

50 minutes ago, Anton Chigurh said:

 

This is true, but the Limited from 2019 does get exactly the same engine.

 

Edit: you beat me to it!

If I stay gas when I trade next summer, this will be the direction I go. There are things about the loaded F150 that I prefer over the Raptor at this point although I’ve been damn close to buying one in the past. I’m going to look at the diesel option and F250’s again before I decide for sure though.

[Lat22 4070]

36 minutes ago, Mother mopar said:

Pulled the trigger on the 2007 Dodge 2500 5.9 cummins, I looked at 2 weeks ago. Excited about some 610 lbs feet of torque. One owner 125k miles, not too shabby.

Going to start running through the filters and fluids here shortly. Ordered an exhaust, intake and coolant filtration system.

Not even broken in. 

[Mother mopar 3379]

My thoughts exactly.

[DaggerHorns 3150]

3 hours ago, utee94 said:

Oh yeah, you're right-- the non-Raptor is actually faster, because it weighs a lot less.

 

 

 

 

Wrong. Motortrend actually clocks 0-60 in 5.2 for the Raptor. If he uses “Sport Mode” you don’t skip gears. “Normal” goes 1 to 3 to 5 to 7 and so on. The video conveniently leaves no mention of what mode the truck is in. 

Given the upgraded exhaust for the Raptor, it forces much more air through the engine when the turbos are wrapped up and higher RPMs leaving the Raptor as a much faster truck with a 4.10 rear end. The F-150 has 3.73 in the rear end.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/ram/1500/2019/the-12-quickest-pickup-trucks-motor-trend-has-ever-tested/

...or 5.1 seconds?

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-ford-f-150-raptor-crew-cab-test-review

Edited November 13, 2018 by DaggerHorns
Another article and shit

[utee94 16071]

16 minutes ago, DaggerHorns said:

Wrong. Motortrend actually clocks 0-60 in 5.2 for the Raptor. If he uses “Sport Mode” you don’t skip gears. “Normal” goes 1 to 3 to 5 to 7 and so on. The video conveniently leaves no mention of what mode the truck is in. 

Given the upgraded exhaust for the Raptor, it forces much more air through the engine when the turbos are wrapped up and higher RPMs leaving the Raptor as a much faster truck with a 4.10 rear end. The F-150 has 3.73 in the rear end.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/ram/1500/2019/the-12-quickest-pickup-trucks-motor-trend-has-ever-tested/

...or 5.1 seconds?

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-ford-f-150-raptor-crew-cab-test-review

Meh, I know what I saw.  You got a Raptor?  I'll happily race you.  For PINKS.