People said the same thing back in the 60's and 70's about cars. GM went from over 50% U.S. market share to fewer than 28% today. Ford division is forth in U.S. car sales this year, down from the number one position a few years ago. It happened with cars and it will happen with trucks if the threat isn't taken seriously. There is no big 3 anymore, Chrysler has been taken over by Daimler-Benz. If things continue this way, Ford and/or GM may be owned by a foreign automaker in the future.

 

Ford recognizes the threat Japanese have on the automakers. Ford let there cars get outdated so yeh but Ford has several new models hitting showrooms at present. There car side off the business should improve dramatically.. I hope Fords one and the same like it has been for 101 years. With Henrys great grand son in control Bill Ford Jr. has the ship on course.

 

I just bought a Titan. The 5.6 motor is awesome! It's hard to make an apples to apples comparison to the 5.4 Ford though because the Ford weighs more and has a 4 speed auto. But as a whole, the Titan feels much faster. It sounds cool too, has a nice throaty roar even at low throttle settings. Almost sounds like I already have some sort of cat-back system.

I feel that given the same weight of truck though that the Nissan would still be faster. Some people have said that adding an aftermarket chip to the 5.4 3v really perks it up, but I have no experience with this to verify this claim.

I also drove a Dodge. The 5.7 "Hemi" does have lots of go to it, but the Dodge does not have a usable back seat as compared to the Ford and Nissan crew cabs, so it was not an option.

I did not drive any Chevrolets or Toyotas. I am 6'7" and the Toyota is the smallest full size pickup. As for the Chevy, seems like half the people I know who own them (cars and trucks combined) have coolant leaks. Especially the 3.1, 3.4, 3.8 and 4.2 inline six in the TrailBlazer. I think I'll pass.

On a side note, the latest reliability figures show that Dodge has passed Chevy in initial reliability. I was discussing this with a Ford dealer when I was test driving 04 and 05 F150's. Chevy and GM just can't seem to get it straight in some ways. I won't own one until they make significant strides in reliability.

 

Lots of posts here about everything except engines. I thought that was what this thread was about!

But to make an observation or two about the new Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Hemi being quicker than the Armada - it probably is. The Armada weighs about 5600 lbs, at least in the 4x4 version I own. So, 800 lbs less weight and a lot less interior room and cargo space is probably comparing apples to oranges. But that does show you what these new engines can do in lighter bodies.

I have, as a curiosity, run this 5800 lb (including me) full size Armada in the 1/4 just as a curiosity and it did surprise me with a 15.3 at 91 mph in the summer heat of south Mississippi. That is not how I, as a 54 year old, intend to use this truck, but it is a very respectable performance. A truck that can do that and tow my equipment trailer with a very heavy Kubota diesel tractor with attached disc (somewhere between 7000-8000) better than any thing else I tested (and I tried everything I could get my hands on), without breaking a sweat, and has all the creature comforts, can haul eight people on long trips, and is a good daily driver is a plus in my book.

If Ford could just get off its can and give us a really good, efficient five speed auto and a DOHC 5.4 to compete with the Nissan and Hemi engines, then, it would really have something for the Expedition. If it did, I would still be driving one.

 

No, maxing out trucks does not cause problems to arise. And no, I don't tow 10k 450 miles every day, but I tow 8500 5 days a week 450 miles, the other days there's no trailer. If you have a tryck, and you use it for what the manufacturer specs it to, then you shouldn't have any problem, I don't care if you're at the exact limit. Ratings aren't made up numbers, Budly, no matter how much you would like them to be.
As far as you thinking I am a distraction and that I don't offer anything, then stop replying to my posts and bringing me up. I obviously matter to you. And no, I didn't say that I am close minded about everything, I said that I believe that the F-150 is a better truck than the Dodge, and obviously, people buying trucks agree with me. If that makes me close minded for having an opinion on a better truck, then I guess I'm close minded, but not on everything. Also, if you have a problem with me, take it to a moderator, that's what they are for, and they obviously don't think that I never offer anything or need to be gone. I am here because I am a Ford Truck Enthusiast, and I give my opinions where I see that the side I am looking at the issue from hasn't been stated. If you don't feel that I offer anything, then don't read my posts, simple as that.

 

I have been to races down at a abandoned airport and one race that was interesting was a 04 dodge truck with the "hemi" and a 03 SS chevy silverado both single cab automatic, i was expecting the dodge to whoop all over the chevy but the complete opposite happened the silverado was ahead 2 truck lengths and won the race plus 1,500 bux pretty good money just for a race, now if i only had a fast truck and some cash i would race but cant really do anything with speed with a stock I6

 

All current Silverado SS's are extended cabs and I think '04 was the first year for them. The early 90's SS's were reg cabs. The one you saw must have been a dealer or owner decal job.

 

Right, but you consider that that's kind of comparing apples to oranges. The dodge hemi is not their performance truck. That's like comparing the F150 3v 5.4 to the SS. A better comparison would be the lightning to the SS, or even the SRT-10 to the SS.

It does speak well for dodge, however, that their normal production truck comes that close to the chevy performance truck. I realize ford makes a great truck, but they haven't come close to the SRT-10 yet.

 

I couldn't have been an 03 reg cab SS, as there is no such animal. If it was a true ext cab Silverado SS, then it has the 6.0 and they are very quick. A stock Silverado SS runs high 14's/low 15's which is about the same as a reg cab hemi, which is very respectable for an ext cab truck. Add a programmer to the SS and it will walk away from the hemi. I have said earlier in this topic, that if the 6.0 was offered in a plain reg cab Chevy that it would be a three way tie or the 6.0 may even edge out the hemi and 5.6. The 6.0 is a very stout motor and I give it the respect that is deserved. One thing about racing is that you never know if a truck is stock or really modded. The truck that you saw could have been a reg cab with a 5.3, which is a very quick combination, since Chevy's are very light. It wouldn't be faster than a reg cab hemi ram stock, but there are tons of mods available for those engines and with a little work it could be much faster than a stock hemi. On the other hand there is not much available for the hemi yet, but that will change with time.

 

There are video's all over the internet with an 03 hemi running 12.6's with 125 shot of NX and no other after market mods what so ever. That is even including stock tires. He was runnning 14's completly stock.

 

As far as I can tell, the only Hemi Ram over on their board running high 12's and low 13's is using both juice and has aftermarket intake, headers and dual straight exhaust and uses all the typical drag tricks (ices down the intake manifold between runs, runs without a tailgate and no spare tire, all that stuff). It's a fast truck, but it's sure not stock, even excluding the nitrous.

 

I have to agree with Budly that you are a wingnut that adds little of value to this conversation. Also, if I had 8500 lbs to tow daily, it would be with a SuperDuty and not an F150. A couple of tidbits for you:

"When the Ford was saddled with a trailer and three passengers, it took 20.2 seconds to hit 60, nearly 3.5 seconds slower than the Titan (16.8)."

" The Titan was the quickest truck in our test, even when towing a trailer. The true truck guys out there may wonder how this import upstart can beat the Ford when the F-150 has a higher tow rating. But as we all know, tow ratings are like horsepower figures — they make for great bragging rights but what really matters is how well the vehicle performs in real-world testing. The F-150's higher tow rating didn't stop the Titan from cleaning the Ford's clock when it was time to pull 6,000 pounds through the quarter-mile and up a steep highway pass."

"Tow ratings develop at the brochure"

Now don't get me wrong, I think the F150 is a marvelous truck. But your closemindedness, to the point of banging your head into a brick wall, is ignorant at best and dishonest at worst.

Just because something has an excellent "tow rating" doesn't mean it's the best at towing in the real world. I'd rather have something with a 15,000 lb tow rating to tow an 8500 lb trailer than a truck near it's limits. Sure the F150 CAN do it, but is it optimal? I'd say no.

 

This thread sure took an interesting twist. Trucks that that can win drag races and quarter mile times. Well excuse me I didnt think people bought trucks to serve that purpose. But thats what Dodge want you to think with there hemi nonsense. There geetin the job done.

 

I agree that this post has gotten off topic, but thats the norm. Winning drag races and quarter mile times do say something about the engines though. You would be surprised how many people do buy their trucks for that purpose. Most people don't buy a truck to use on the farm and tow 8000 lbs every day. Times have changed, and many truck owners want a vehicle that can pull a boat or trailer occasionally, commute to work with every day, and also be fun to drive. I don't think Dodge has any more nonsense in thier commercials than anyone else. Yeah, they do have alot of commercials showing their trucks racing, but their just showcasing thier engine just like Ford would do if the F150 had the Rams acceleration abilities. I remember when the 04 F150 was being introduced and Ford aired a commercial showing the F150 outrunning the Ram. An independent company tested the trucks, and Ford promptly quit airing the ad. Their just seems to be alot of titan and hemi envy around.

 

But Dodge started it though. Ford would have never done that. I still use my truck the old fasion way. Now Fords comung out with this hurricane motor. Have you filled your gas tank latly. Must be a lot of rich people around buying these gas hog hemis.