The Dangerous Rise of the Supersized Pickup Truck

nate · 10-21-2021, 08:56 AM

This is exactly right: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d-pickup-truck

I am ready for some draconian regulations against these things, even though it will never happen in this country. At the very least they need to be regulated as passenger vehicles since that's the way people use them.

FC · 10-21-2021, 09:13 AM

Agreed. I comment on this all the time. It's ridiculous.

3LOU5 · 10-24-2021, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nate

This is exactly right: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d-pickup-truck

I am ready for some draconian regulations against these things, even though it will never happen in this country. At the very least they need to be regulated as passenger vehicles since that's the way people use them.

It's nuts how full-size pickups are growing in size and height the past few years.

My '94 Silverado looks like a mid-size rig compared to my coworker"s newer Silverado.

I think the skyrocketing price of fuel is going to make people think twice in purchasing these behemoths.

John V · 10-25-2021, 12:39 PM

After I bought the Ram, I did a search to see if it would be possible to lower it. My main aims were 1) fitting it in my garage and 2) better fuel economy, since I almost exclusively use it for long-distance towing. There were a few threads on the various Ram forums asking the same question and the people who asked were basically laughed out of their own threads.

robg · 10-25-2021, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nate

This is exactly right: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d-pickup-truck

I am ready for some draconian regulations against these things, even though it will never happen in this country. At the very least they need to be regulated as passenger vehicles since that's the way people use them.

Yep. And there seem to be a direct correlation between amount of lift and driving like an a-hole. People used to joke about men buying sports cars as a way to "compensate".... I think in the case of some of these pickup owners that is actually true. They seem to drive in a way that shouts "DON"T QUESTION MY MASCULINITY!!!!! I'M A MAN DAMMIT!!!! ARRRRRR!!!"

Nick M3 · 10-25-2021, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

After I bought the Ram, I did a search to see if it would be possible to lower it. My main aims were 1) fitting it in my garage and 2) better fuel economy, since I almost exclusively use it for long-distance towing. There were a few threads on the various Ram forums asking the same question and the people who asked were basically laughed out of their own threads.

Luckily, all I had to do to take an inch off the front end of mine was tweak the torsion keys. I might raise it back up since we moved offices, though. Pulling a 6'4" truck into a 6'4" garage was a little tighter than I wanted. That tweak got me clearance to go almost everywhere.

Theo · 10-25-2021, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robg

Yep. And there seem to be a direct correlation between amount of lift and driving like an a-hole. People used to joke about men buying sports cars as a way to "compensate".... I think in the case of some of these pickup owners that is actually true. They seem to drive in a way that shouts "DON"T QUESTION MY MASCULINITY!!!!! I'M A MAN DAMMIT!!!! ARRRRRR!!!"

Yea all my friends for YEARS have called those giant jacked up trucks “TPT” ’s.

John V · 10-25-2021, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick M3

Luckily, all I had to do to take an inch off the front end of mine was tweak the torsion keys. I might raise it back up since we moved offices, though. Pulling a 6'4" truck into a 6'4" garage was a little tighter than I wanted. That tweak got me clearance to go almost everywhere.

That would be nice. I was only able to lower the rear by removing the leaf spring spacer block. That got the truck level and able to fit into my garage. The factory setup had about two inches of F/R ride height "rake" and the cap would just graze the garage door opener.

The front end could be lowered with aftermarket springs or cutting a coil off of the factory springs, but I decided it wasn't worth the effort for an inch of lowering, and there simply isn't that much suspension travel up front anyway.

Nick M3 · 10-25-2021, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

That would be nice. I was only able to lower the rear by removing the leaf spring spacer block. That got the truck level and able to fit into my garage. The factory setup had about two inches of F/R ride height "rake" and the cap would just graze the garage door opener.

The front end could be lowered with aftermarket springs or cutting a coil off of the factory springs, but I decided it wasn't worth the effort for an inch of lowering, and there simply isn't that much suspension travel up front anyway.

Oh yeah... And I installed mild drop shackles in the back. Forgot about that. I never felt a difference driving it after these tweaks, so I'm not highly motivated to change it back. We'll see, of course.

Glad you were able to find the adjustment needed. One of the reasons why I like my truck is how "tiny" it is compared to today's options.

John V · 10-26-2021, 10:28 AM

Yeah, I liked the size of my former truck (same body style as yours except extended cab vs crew cab) but the GM-ness of the interior at ~ 200,000 miles started to grate on me.

I like having the huge payload and towing capacity overhead that comes with a 3/4-ton even though I'm only pulling around 4,000lbs plus another 500lbs in the bed. And I like the Cummins... a lot. Beyond that, if it could be closer to the ground and not weigh 8,000lbs that would be nice.

10-21-2021, 08:56 AM	#1
nate Oh, are they? Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: S4 Location: H-town Posts: 10,270	The Dangerous Rise of the Supersized Pickup Truck This is exactly right: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d-pickup-truck I am ready for some draconian regulations against these things, even though it will never happen in this country. At the very least they need to be regulated as passenger vehicles since that's the way people use them. __________________ "People keep saying I'm crazy as hell, but sooner or later they're going to realize I know what I'm talking about." - Charles Barkley

10-21-2021, 09:13 AM	#2
FC Solving problems Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: M5 / 718 GTS / Cooper S / GTI / LR4 Location: Metro Boston Posts: 25,264	Agreed. I comment on this all the time. It's ridiculous.

10-25-2021, 12:39 PM	#4
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	After I bought the Ram, I did a search to see if it would be possible to lower it. My main aims were 1) fitting it in my garage and 2) better fuel economy, since I almost exclusively use it for long-distance towing. There were a few threads on the various Ram forums asking the same question and the people who asked were basically laughed out of their own threads.

10-26-2021, 10:28 AM	#10
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	Yeah, I liked the size of my former truck (same body style as yours except extended cab vs crew cab) but the GM-ness of the interior at ~ 200,000 miles started to grate on me. I like having the huge payload and towing capacity overhead that comes with a 3/4-ton even though I'm only pulling around 4,000lbs plus another 500lbs in the bed. And I like the Cummins... a lot. Beyond that, if it could be closer to the ground and not weigh 8,000lbs that would be nice.