I don't watch much TV, so when I saw this ad I was dumbfound people would buy it. A Nissan Titan frame with the tires, wheels and axels on it is hooked to a locomotive. A chain is hooked to the frame and to the locomotive. The locomotive is put into motion. The frame snaps up and some how hits a post dead center perfectly lined up on the post?? The locomotive is brought to a dead stop. Some how the light weight chain doesn't snap?? Also the frame doesn't even flex in the commercial?? Then more tension is put on the chain and the chain snaps, at the coupler?? not in the middle of the chain were it took the major shock when it snapped into place when the locomotive was stopped.

 

I guess you haven't seen many Tundra commerials or the commerical where the F150 stops a plane or the backwards slalom course......

 

The F-150 commerical was real actually, I saw the filming of it. That was not a particullary big plane anyways

 

I'm thinking Computer Graphics. Any truck frame will bend like a limp dishrag with a locamotive tugging on it like the Nissan commercial. They have to put out something to sell those babies. Or tank the whole company.

 

I am a Railroader by profession and let me assure you that with strong enough chains any newer EMD or GE locomotive would twist up that truck frame like a pretzel if the Engineer is allowed to use all the available power and traction. Most likely what you observed was a gentle "one" throttle start to pull the slack out of the chains that were apparently pretty weak. In "one" throttle the engine isn't making much pulling force, figure about 5K lbs of tractive effort. By comparison a modern freight locomotive will make about 4300-4400hp and can pull well over 180,000ft-lbs of force at the draw bar in "eight" throttle with the sanders going. So, if the Engineer was pulling on that like he meant it....either the chains would have broken as chains are not all that strong, or the truck frame would have been doubled over. If Nissan is claiming that their Titan frame can withstand 90 tons of raw pulling pressure on a small cross section of the frame, and the forward momentum of a 208 ton Locomotive then they are seriously full of crap.

I have seen one vehicle (a Chevy Suburban) that was used by a company officer get stuck so badly in the bentonite mud in Wyoming that a tow truck could not recover it, and then the weather got really bad and it was left for a couple of months. Well the company decided they wanted to get it out and a tow truck still couldn't pull it. So some genius got the bright idea to hook up some helper locomotives with bull chains to it and give it a try. Well the locomotives took off gently and pulled the slack out (pretty impressive show by the engineer being gentle) of the chains, and started pulling. Slllloooowwwwlllyyy letting off the independent air brake and notching up on the throttle, the chains did NOT break, but the vehicle frame did. Left in the dried mud hole were all four wheels, the rear axle, the front control arms and cv joints, and a good portion of one side of the front of the frame. Coming out of the hole were the rear section of the frame, and the front drivers side half of the frame with the motor/tranny and of course all the sheet metal (which was pretty mangled after being ripped forcibly past the wheels protruding into the wells.

It was hilarious. One of the funniest things I have ever seen.

 

lolz obviously the titan is in desperate times, yeah the plane stopping was real thow i havent seen the backwards slalom yet

 

Ford slalom commercial was real. Stunt driver had to make several passes I'm sure. Other wise the camera would have taped entire sequence without breaking points of view. Which they had several breaks of camera positioning and view. Lighting is a little different as well. So one could deduce that the day (s) time transpired during the taping.

According to talk on a couple other sites that I frequent. Nissan is in talks with Chrysler to have an American made truck with the Nissan name plate. So maybe there are more shapes to come from the Dodge truck plant, and the Nissan nameplate! Maybe with the Nissan V-8 engine? Who knows. They are just talking at the moment.

 

Huh??? Why would Nissan do that...They already have an American made truck with with the Nissan name plate...They call it the Titan...

Tim

 

Just reporting what I have read elsewhere. I don't know about their motivations. I would assume it is because the Titan does not sell well even today.

 

I wasn't doubting what you said...Just wondering why Nissan would do that?

Tim

 

What I want to know is who gives a crap. How many are going to use a truck to stop an airplane, or test a locomotive's power, or pulling a 10,000# trailer from over a cliff. What it shows me is how dumb these companies believe we are. The sad thing is maybe they are right.

 

F-150 own end of story has for the last 31 years theres trucks, are always still better. companies got dumb commercials, because ford doesint have to make a good one to show how there trucks better, its proven, everyday, no company can touch the F-150 and they all know that. heh really test trucks, not this dumb, weak crap, crappy pictures...etc, all trucks need to go to proven grounds, of Ford, prove there trucks, the Tundra got a crappy suspension, no flex id hate to have to drive on and angle in that truck. its would almost be impossible.

 

In case you haven't seen the Nissan commercial (like me), here it is:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-4ccjCCYD4k




Complete BS...

 

Titan's are made in Canton, Mississippi, and no where else.

Renault has a controlling interest in Nissan, and spends next to zero on ads.

The latest commercial is showing the strength of the Titan's fully boxed frame, on every Titan since day one. The commercial is dumb, just like all the other truck commercials that are stopping aircraft, pulling locomotives, Tundra's doing their teeter-totter schtick.

While there are a few Titan ads on TV, there hasn't been an ad printed in an enthusiasts mag for a long time. There were next to no ads at all for the 2005's, 2006's, 2007's..in print or on TV.

The frogs have never understood the US market, and every French car once sold here, is gone from our shores. The last three sold here: Citroen, Simca, Peugeot = all gone.

Southern California: The Titan outsells the GMC Sierra, and was close to Ram sales over the past couple of years, but with Dodge now offering huge $15,000.00 discounts to get rid of their overabundance of trucks, Ram sales are now closing in on Silverado sales.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2HWMnkI_uA

The Titan comercial is so fake, its really sad Nissan trys and make that claim,