Ford Lightning not the fastest truck

Go to

formatting link
click on autos, then look for article entitled "Viper-powered Dodge Ram SRT-10 fastest".

A junky Dodge truck with a Viper V-10, 500 horsepower engine. I guess I will have to supercharge my Mustang.

Aghnis

Reply to
aghnis
Loading thread data ...

I really hope I don't offend anybody by this; but, IMHO, trucks aren't meant to go fast. I bought my truck to haul stuff; not to weave in and out of traffic and to win races at the drag strip. That's not to say that you can't make a truck fast --you can-- but the amount of work put into it could make a car so much faster. Why not use the right tool for the job?

I see so many guys racing their trucks and SUV's on the highways. They don't handle well and one day, they're going to get them self into a bad situation. Building "fast" trucks seems to be building a sense of confidence in buyers that I'd rather not exist. I'd rather people buy trucks and SUV's to be used for what they're meant to be used. And this isn't even getting into fuel consumption our current price of gas.

Again, I hope I didn't offend anybody by that.

Reply to
Fao, Sean

I agree totally with your post, but the Big 3 do not since they are putting more big V8s in both trucks and SUVs. Also, I have a Mustang that gets 2 to 3 times the gas mileage that this Dodge Truck gets with the Viper V8. I hope Chrysler falls on its fat rear-end with this silly project. The Big 3 will soon become the Little 3 as Toyota and other manufacturers surpass them with profits. Toyota is producing an ever expanding line of high gas mileage Hybrid vehicles and makes a good profit on each model sold.

Aghnis

Reply to
aghnis

"aghnis" wrote in news:1111991415.992556.320130 @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Newsflash, brainiac: The Viper engine is a V10.

Another newsflash: Hybrid advertised gas mileage is basically a load of crap. Have a look at some real world information:

formatting link
Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 12:16:09 GMT, Joe wrote something wonderfully witty:

Thanks for that link. Very insightful. I had not heard about the downsides to the hype. The numbers reported in that article are less then a lot of conventional vehicles and that is quite surprising & disappointing.

Reply to
ZombyWoof

ZombyWoof wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

wrote

Mustang

Exactly. Sure, everything should be taken with a grain of salt, but these issues are real. When you run the front defroster or Max A/C on a hybrid, you have to ask yourself where the power is coming from to run those accessories. I also wonder what effect a killer stereo would have on a hybrid's mileage...

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

Dude, I mistyped, I know the Viper is V10, learn some manners. And the future of vehicles lies in hybrid or hydrogen power, not in the Arabs oil.

Aghnis

Reply to
aghnis

"aghnis" wrote in news:1112034705.056209.114350 @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

Dude, learn how to reply to a post. And don't tell me about manners, you crudling.

Don't kid yourself - we haven't seen the _real_ future of vehicles yet. The existing "hybrid" crap that's on the market now is garbage.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 17:25:10 GMT, Joe wrote something wonderfully witty:

I found it strange that A/C or defroster requires the use of the gasoline powered engine, you would think that they would make those electrically run off the battery segment. Apparently the GM semi-hybrids have effectively dealt with this issue some how.

The application of the technology is still fairly young. I suspect that they will work the kinks out sooner or later. I'm surprised no one has sued over false advertising.

Reply to
ZombyWoof

ZombyWoof wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

wrote

The GM hybrid trucks I've seen apparently don't get much better mileage than their regular counterparts, maybe a couple mpg or so. So, is the $3k-$5k increase in their cost worth a couple mpg savings?

The defroster uses the A/C to dry the air, and A/C is, well, just A/C. As you know, in a regular internal combustion engine the compressor runs directly off the belt just like the water pump, p/s, etc. So how does A/C work on a hybrid if it's not running off the internal combustion engine? If it runs strictly from battery, that's gotta kill the power real quick, meaning the ICE will kick in sooner.

I've started seeing more and more flap over the bogus hybrid mileage claims. I suspect that there's a lot of lobbying muscle behind hybrids, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Internal combustion engines are fully capable of 35mpg+, but the buzz is the hybrids. There were plenty of 4-bangers around that could achieve that kind of mileage and better, but the resources are being concentrated elsewhere now. Shame.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

How much oil usage does it take to produce hydrogen? :)

-Rich

Reply to
RichA

Aside from a little more energy to run the fans at a higher speed, what affect does Max A/C have that running the A/C on its lowest settings, doesn't already produce? I mean, the compressor is already spinning in no matter what. Right?

Reply to
Fao, Sean

formatting link

Reply to
aghnis

"Fao, Sean" wrote in news:4ch2e.6$ snipped-for-privacy@news.abs.net:

settings,

Normal A/C cycles on and off, i.e., the ICE shuts off and comes back on to spin the compressor. Max A/C doesn't cycle - the compressor runs full time as does the ICE. This is all regardless of the blower fan setting.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

Actually, a 100% stock lightning beat the record breaking truck at my local drag strip. It was a very tight race, I think the L won by about one tenth. The SRT had the MPH though, so it has more power. The L still won the race though! Erik D. '94 white lightning '01 white GT

Reply to
Erik D.

No offense taken. I would like to inform you though, that you should really try driving a 1st generation lightning. You will change your mind. In my opinion Ford built that truck with everything in mind. Its not super fast, but its quick with the 4.10 gears and 1800 stall(Mine ran 14.85 with a chip, pullies, flowmaster, and K&N). Light to light it keeps up with alot(not from a roll though). It handles better than anything I have ever driven, and I don't just mean better, I mean a helluva lot better. It stops just as fast as a mustang, if not faster. And, i've towed a mustang with it, had a four wheeler in it, and done all the other truck duties in it. Also, it doesn't take much at all to make a Gen 1 fast. All it takes is a little boost and a good tune and these trucks will make insane horsepower. Many stock longblock trucks have run 11's. I have personally seen one(and ridden in it many times) run 12.5 at 110 on stock tires with nothing other than a turbo and some fuel system parts. He was bouncing off the speed limiter at the 1000' mark. That was a full weight, daily driver. Not too shabby if you ask me. Also, I have read articles(haven't seen it in person honestly, never been to autocross) where Gen 1's have beaten M3's, mustangs, vettes, and vipers in the autoX. Again, no offense taken, I just think you should give respect where it is due. Erik D. '94 white lightning '01 white GT

Reply to
Erik D.

On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 00:06:38 -0600, "Erik D." wrote something wonderfully witty:

Man I would like to read an article where anyone in a Gen 1 beat a Vette, Viper or Mustang in an autoX, cause it had to be some version of the Special Olympics. If a dude in a Vette/Viper/M3 can't out drive a dude in a pickup, he should give it up.

Reply to
ZombyWoof

My 3-cyl 90 ci Toyota Echo gets 37 mpg cruising at 80 mph. Sure it's a shitbox, but that's a refreshing change from the 12 mpg my other cars get.

You can't argue with the Honda Accord hybrid's approach, however. The Accord hybrid is actually the high performance version of that model.

180 Out
Reply to
one80out

I used to think that too....until I rode in a Gen 1 lightning. They are really great handling vehicles. If you get the chance you need to take one for a hard spin. I couldn't find what I read on them, in fact I may just be thinking of a post I saw on NLOC. I am in search though and I put a post on nloc if you are interested:

formatting link
very well could have been a case of a bad driver versus a good driver, but still thats impressive for a truck if you ask me. In fact, I think I am gonna go ride around in my truck for a lil while right now! :) Erik D. '94 white lightning '01 white GT

Reply to
Erik D.

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote in news:1112200065.870697.231260 @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

model.

Does the hybrid Honda get better mileage than the Echo?

Joe Calypso green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.