Big Cars are killing Americans

[Tomtint]

I drive a Mazda 6 a few days/week. (UAW-built at Ford Flat Rock) I also drive a Chev 2500 HD (my 3rd) a few days/year. 50 yrs ago I'd bought my first new car for college with much help from the 'foss' and practically lived in it for ten yrs. Some of us have fewer places to go, and I've never hit anything but a deer while driving. (2x at ~40 mph in my '88 LeSabre T-type)

I wouldn't want to hit a bicycle driving my barn queen. It has f'glass front & rear vs urethane, L-82 Auto, and is for sale with < 30k mi. Will it start after 15 yrs??

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btw, I check TBN ~4x/day and FB ~4x/year. Today I'll be having chili for lunch.

80 or 81 ?

 

[the old grind]

'80, so car is a 'flexible flyer' C-3. It's also just bunch of parts vs a real piece. Bought in '81 (silver/Navy) and I should'a bought the blue one with L-48 power instead. Ran when parked (16 yrs?), hasn't killed anything/anybody, and taking up space vs a tractor.

THM 350-C locks up, 3.08:1 rear std on ST/AT that year. RPO ZBC on engine block. Mods are cosmetic, exterior badges removed and f-glass F & R added when repainted. I wouldn't pay the $5k I'm asking for it but I can hope and will consider offers. Four recently but no one had the $$ I don't even need. I'm about to donate it to public radio and deduct that much.

Sorry for sidetrack, but I have two CUTs parked outside and the tarps make checking battery maintainers work to monitor every other day. I'd rather be trapping.

 

[OzarkChris]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/41502/c4-corvette-with-a-gooseneck-hitch-is-a-tow-rig-triumph

Maybe, but it appears (from his front end) that he just might be overloaded - and I'd hate to be coming at him at night if he didn't re-aim those headlights. I recall several posts about liability when towing excessive weight - most recently a 350 dually towing a yacht comes to mind. Besides, my cow trailer with just a few cows weighs over 5500# (~1,500#/cow plus the trailer weight of 2,200) - guess I need to make 8 trips to the market!

Still though, the concept does appeal to me, at least aesthetically.

 

[Jstpssng]

I would like to understand what drove the change to the larger vehicles especially the height. I know the requirement for child seats caused a need for a very accessible back seat but the height to me is just stupid. You can't reach over the side of the bed and reach the center of the bed so you need to climb up in the bed much more which is not a safe option - how many times have you slipped getting in and or out of the bed of a truck? If you need to tie something down it is much more difficult to do so. This is not mentioning that load height is much higher and entry height used to be almost a straight slide in whereas now you need to climb up into them. As somebody else mentioned - the axles are still the same height - they do not go through any more but their ride center is higher making them easier to roll. The front ends are bigger and not as sloped causing more blind spot in front of the vehicle. Rear cameras are a virtual requirement because you cannot see anything backing up.

I have an 05 Silverado 2wd and I pulled up next to a new one the other day and the bed height was at least six inches higher. When other newere truck owners get in mine they often comment on how much smoother it rides than theirs. Please tell me - what is the advantage of the new designs other than added features?

I could be mistaken, but believe that it started when they had to cram airbags in every nook and cranny, resulting in higher doors and other sheet metal. Then the bed sides had to be raised to make the lines match.
Again, I could be wrong about that.
Yet the tailgate of my 2004 Ranger was at the exact same height as that of all of the Silverado 1500 company trucks I’ve had over the last several years.

 

[kenb1023]

Yes with inch to spare. I can put two one ton pallets of pellets if one is in sideways. Tons of room in that bed

Will a 4 X 8' piece of plywood fit in the back with the tail gate up ?

 

[Creamer]

The new ride. Gets between 14 and 20 MPG depending on road conditions, traffic and speed. Will hold 4,000 Lbs. and stay level. Room for five adults. Will pull 25,000 Lbs. And for a 3500 ride is very comfortable on long hauls

I have never heard of a 50% difference in mileage due to road conditions - do you mean hauling/towing and speed?

 

[lostcause]

When the Ford Superduty came out I thought the cab looked tall compared to others of the era. may have just been style or windshield angle, but it looked tall. The I was working in Texas and passed one on the highway. There were 4 guys in it - all with big hats. It all made sense then

 

[kenb1023]

I have never heard of a 50% difference in mileage due to road conditions - do you mean hauling/towing and speed?

Variables include but not limited to speed driven, road type such as rural, city or highway, topography of road, altitude, temperature and DEF Regen status. When I got the 20 MPG it was speeds from 55 to 65 on semi hilly terrain with little to no traffic on state highways with minimum road stops. Driving in the city, Albuquerque in the down town area is when I get the worst MPG. Stupid stop lights LOL. Once that beast gets rolling she does good. She does not like stop and go. If I keep my foot out of it on the interstate I can get the best MPG. Going over 70 MPH MPG drops off. Hope that helps to explain it.

 

[Jstpssng]

I have never heard of a 50% difference in mileage due to road conditions - do you mean hauling/towing and speed?

I dropped the mileage of an F150, which normally got around 16 mpg, down to 10 simply by oversleeping then trying to make up the time by sticking my foot in the carb for 110 miles.

 

[JasperFrank]

Well, a big one killed me on any consideration of getting a GM Truck again. Bought a used low miles, 1996 G30 van, with the 454 engine and throttle body injection. I spent 9,500 dollars on a piece of crap that only lasted 5 years, and then fell apart rather spectacularly in every way imaginable. Ended up just selling it off as scrap: A total loss for me. It is anecdotal, and i understand that, but this van was a piece of crap for me, and a huge mistake to have bought it. Everything failed. Nothing was easy to fix. And for some reason, the tow package, a major selling point, turns out that the rear differential was not limited slip. How does on sell a tow package with out knowing the differential is limited slip? Well, they did and sold it that way. And I just assumed it was there. I couldn't conceive that it wasn't there in a tow package.