5 speed or 6speed dosent matter to me as long as its a manual and not some little wimpy thing either i want a good heavy duty trans. im my mind the last good manual ford offered were the 4 speeds in the mid 80s especially the NP435s
I think one's choice is determined greatly by the traffic you have to put up with every day. Personally I prefer a stick, had one in my '01, but went with an auto. in my '06 simply because the constant stop and go quickly takes away the enjoyment of shifting and makes it a chore to get from point A to point B. Still, Ford needs to offer the options people want, like V-8's with sticks, and manual transfer cases and hubs for 4x4's.
I quess nobody told you guys. The Big 3 quite making half ton pickups about 10 years ago. There were replaced by the 1/2 ton car. If you want a truck buy a 250 or larger.
I quess nobody told you guys. The Big 3 quite making half ton pickups about 10 years ago. There were replaced by the 1/2 ton car. If you want a truck buy a 250 or larger.
ur an idiot
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2007 Ford F-150 5.4L 4x4 King Ranch, 2" A/S, Edge EVO, Volant CAI, Factory NAV
2008 Lexus IS250 Black on Black
2005 Mercedes CLK-320
2007 Honda CR-V EL-X 4WD
2004 Chevy 3500 Duramax Dually 4x4
1997 Chevy 1500 Suburban 2WD
Why? Becuase I ain't afraid to say it like it is. Actauly according the the US govt. a 1/2 ton truck never did exist if you realy want to split hairs about it. But when I see a vehicle that is used more often to shuttle to and from from soccer practise then it is used to haul a load I'd say it's a car.
I quess nobody told you guys. The Big 3 quite making half ton pickups about 10 years ago. There were replaced by the 1/2 ton car. If you want a truck buy a 250 or larger.
I disagree.....my 95 had a bed payload of 800 lbs...and a tow rating of 5000. My 07 has a bed payload rating of 1800 i think and a tow rating of 9500. I'm pretty sure my half ton truck is a heck of a lot more of a truck than my 95 was. Just because the truck has more creature comforts and rides nicer doesn't make it less of a truck.....
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2007 Lariat screw - tri coat met - chrome package - Black leather captains chairs - sunroof - audiophile
I disagree.....my 95 had a bed payload of 800 lbs...and a tow rating of 5000. My 07 has a bed payload rating of 1800 i think and a tow rating of 9500. I'm pretty sure my half ton truck is a heck of a lot more of a truck than my 95 was. Just because the truck has more creature comforts and rides nicer doesn't make it less of a truck.....
I'm not sure what the payload is on my 89' f150. I do know that I've spent 2 months out of past year pulling wagons weighing as 6 ton every 2 days. The truck handled it just fine. I do know that the ext. and crew cabs pushed so hard by the dealers (and I suspect FoMoCo) Reduce the bed length and require long loads to stick out the back. I do know that the "old' motors used by Ford where alot more reliable. There must have been a reason the 300-6 was used for 30 years. I also know that in 89' FoMoCo offered 4 different manual transmission and a automatic, plus a few I can't think of right now. Creature comfort are like brakes, there are nice when they work. As a vehicle gets older they start to fial and reduce the overall reliablity of the truck.
But like anything time will tell. I've been wrong before. So 30 years from now I'll either say I was right and we'd be better off with the pre-96 Ford or I'll be proven. With all the recalls on vehicles as of late It ain't looking like I'll be proven wrong.
If they do not have the option of putting a 6 speed auto or 6 speed manual they are just wasting our time. We all know what we want just build the darn thing. I am not sure why they do not put manuals into the f150, I have heard that one theory is that they do not want to replace parts on a truck that someone does not know how to drive and breaks things because of it. That is nosense because they dream at night trying to figure out ways to no replace parts on warranty, they can figure this out too. FORD stop being soft lets have the 6 speed manual option!!!!
At this point in time it looks like Ford will not offer a manual trans in Superduty in 2010. It's all about cost reduction. Spike torque from a clutch makes the max torque transmitted to the drivetrain from a given engine greater with a manual trans. You can cost reduce the driveline if it's automatic trans only. You also eliminate a whole lot of parts by offering one trans only. You get rid of the manual trans assemblies (I think there are 4 for Superduty) and all its service parts as well as clutch pedals and cylinders and such.
One transmission simplifies the assembly line as well. For a Superduty 4x4 you have 3 engines X 2 transmissions X 2 transfer cases for 12 4x4 combinations. For a 4x2 you have 3 engines X 2 transmissions for 6 combinations. If you eliminate the manual and only have one trans per engine and you have eliminated 9 of 18 driveline combinations. I don't think it's the right thing to eliminate manuals but these companies are try to cut cost wherever they can. Some people will also argue that by offering manual only they can raise the base price of the truck by $1000 or so.
GM manuals are gone, the 2007 GMT800's were the last. If Dodge is smart they will hold out and be the only truck with the manual trans and the best diesel engine IMO.
Last edited by BrockwayMT : 12-26-2007 at 06:03 PM.
I disagree.....my 95 had a bed payload of 800 lbs...and a tow rating of 5000.
My 79 f150, 2wd, 300I6 with a 4 speed, I loaded near 2700 lbs of granite stone into the bed (weigh in upon entry and exit at this place) and it still had about 2 inches from the bumptops to the axle housing, now thats a good payload. Personally I wouldn't mind having a 4spd with granny low on a new f150! I think it would be sweet.
On another note, my 79 f150 has a 5 leaf pack with an overload spring also and coil over shocks, anyone know if this was a special payload package?
More then anything else (IMO) the things that sperates a truck from a car with a bed is the ability for vocational users (farmers, contractors, etc.,) To adapt a vehicle for their intended purpose. There are sitution which exist where an auto will work but is not desireable. Auto tranies have improved greatly the past few years, but they are not there yet, until they do it would be in the best interest of the Big 3 if they kept the manual as an option.
If Ford drops the manual option for the super duties it will be the last ford that I will ever buy new. I 'll hang on to my 2008 until the wheels fall off and have to suck it up and buy a dodge if they are still offering a manual in the future. The manufacture's can only cut costs so far with eliminating options before their loyal customers start jumping ship.
So, who's the smart one here, people using their trucks as designed, or those who put everyone else on the road in danger overtaxing the capabilities of their truck?
I hear people talking about manual trannies yet they fail to realize less than 1% of 1/2 ton truck owners actually buy them. Most people talking about the manual trannies aren't Ford's customers, they are people who buy old trucks because they can't or won't buy new trucks. If the buy rate on manual trannies was higher than 1% you can bet Ford would offer more options for them --- but the reality is people who actually buy NEW trucks don't want them. Heck, the buy rate on Super Duties with manuals isn't that high either -- and they lose the start off advantage a good torque converter gives.
People have been using trucks for a variety of things since they were invented --- not just for the farm, but also for transportation, racing, carrying the family around, hauling of heavy items, towing the boat to the lake, towing a recreational trailer, loading the back with items from the store, carrying tools, carry equipment from chain saws to computers, etc. Saying the only real truck owners are those using them for traditional redneck, rural or blue collar income generation is like saying real houses have wheels and metal skirts.
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Ken Payne
Gone Fishing...
LACK OF PLANNING ON YOUR PART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART.
2006 Roush F150 Project: Roush Supercharger, Troyer & My Tuning, 9lb pulley, Level 10 Trans, E-Fans, Oil Separator, Brandmotion GPS, BlueConnect Hands-Free Phone & iPod Direct Connect, Black Headlights & Taillights, Retrax Retractable Tonneau & more.
2004 F250 King Ranch Crewcab 4x4 6.0L PSD project: DP-Tuner Tuning and MBRP Stainless Dual Exhaust.
2000 Ranger Supercab XLT 3.0 V6 project: Bright Box, Mac Intake, Tonneau, my tuning.
RIP: 1967 & 1975 F100, looking for a 66 F100
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