The Viper Pickup's Fate > Death By Lightning

How is this for a fast truck?

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WOW!!!

Erik D. '94 white lightning

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Erik D.
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That was damn impressive... I'm just curious as to why all of the smoke. Was it a diesel, or was it just tuned extremely badly? You'd have to wonder how much faster it could be if tuning was the problem... dumping that kind of gas out the tailpipes...

JS

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JS

Reply to
Michael Johnson, PE

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote

It should have STAYED unthought of. I guess it's just me, but there's something gross, even disgusting, about 5,000 pound 500 hp trucks. Yet I would have no problem with the same motor in a car -- but with a

4000 lb max. (These 6000 pound Maybach four seaters are even more gross than 5000 pound trucks.) All these trucks and SUV's they just leave me cold. And the Chrysler engineer quoted that he is more stimulated designing trucks than he had been designing Lamborghini's? I know he's just trying to be a team player, but that's sick.

We are living at the pennicle of

I bet if you read some of the car books in late 1969 and early 1970 you would find the exact same words. The point being that there are at least three things that could kill this market overnight: government regulation, insurance companies, and gas prices. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, I love this horsepower race. I just think it will end and probably pretty soon and pretty suddenly, just like it did with the 1971 model year.

180 Out TS 28
Reply to
180 Out

Joe, actually there won't be any '04 SVT products. The $32K price was on a vehicle shopper's website.

0 for '04.

Oh, I know it'll be interesting.

It truly is. We're living in the good ol' days.

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

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Patrick

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Erik D.

I am no kid by a long shot, but an extra $1000 a year in insurance is why I traded in one Ford truck for another one instead of buying a 2003 Cobra. I just couldn't see giving the insurance company that much more money every year.

Reply to
Mark Jones

I'm generally with you on this. I have an SUV and I have absolutely no desire to make it faster or handle better. I look at the new Porsche SUV and think "What a waste of good engineering to throw at a truck wannabe". Who in there right mind would take that vehicle off-roading? I would rather take my chances with a four-wheel drive 911. It would be much more fun on the 355 days a year here when we don't have snow on the roads.

Insurance rates are already outrageous so I don't think they can sky rocket to much more. The fact is they don't make enough of these utra high horsepowered beasts to totally saturate the market. The 1,500 Ford GT's, 10,000 Cobras, 10,000 Lightnings and the other dribble of cars from DC and GM are just a drop in the bucket to the annaul total car sales of 15 million.

My guess is most people buying these vehicles are replacing the last gen versions because the maker has upped the ante with substantially more performance. The makers up the performance to keep that small pool of buyers coming back for more and to attract those few still sitting on the fence waiting to buy for the first time. It's a delicate balancing act to keep it going though.

Reply to
Michael Johnson, PE

I see it differently. I think it's an engineering marvel to see these SUVs and trucks with that kind of power and handling right off the showroom floor. It's an old story with cars, but not so with trucks.

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

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news:-5CdnWHgY snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Reply to
Joe

I think the engineering is tremendous but while I respect a truck like the Lightning I just have no desire to own one. I think the Dakota like you have is fine. It's a truck with a nice, torquey V-8 but it hasn't been thrown over the edge. To me they are going to the ragged edge with these supertrucks the way Michael Jackson has over indulged cosmetic surgery. At some point he ceased to be human and at some point these will cease to be trucks by the classic definition. Doesn't the Lightning had a payload capacity of around 500 lbs? Is that really a truck anymore? I do admire the engineering and raw performance of these vehicles though.

Reply to
Michael Johnson, PE

Oops. Totally missed the fact that you were talking about the '03 Lightning - I forgot that Ford will be dropping the SVT line for '04...

So the whole thing is moot. Enter the SRT-10, exit the Lightning. Looks like DC will have met its goal for its PVO division.

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

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Patrick) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Reply to
Joe

Aw, Michael, you're getting too old too quick. ;) I say bring 'em on

- the faster and more powerful the better. Of course, the whole concept of a "truck" gets lost in vehicles like the Lightning, but at that point the vehicle's gone beyond the classic definition of "truck" - it's something else entirely. Whatever it is, I like it. :)

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

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

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Joe

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Michael Johnson, PE

While they are fast and handle well, they are still trucks:

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They can haul stuff too. I use mine all the time, 4 wheelers, boats, ice chests, whatever. And with a stock 340 ft/lbs mine does a pretty decent job at towing a boat!

Erik D. '94 white lightning

Reply to
Erik D.

snipped-for-privacy@ourhouse.com (Michael Johnson, PE) wrote in :

Nope. The current generation Lightning has a payload rating of 1,200 lbs. and is rated to tow 5,000 lbs. It even comes standard with a real tow hitch, as opposed to the usual ball-on-the-bumper. Add to that its sports- car handling, braking and acceleration (0-60 in 5.2 seconds), and you've got a combination of fun and utility that arguably exists in no other vehicle.

-- Jim

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Jim J

Now if it would only haul more than 2-3. Make mine an extended cab :-)

Right Joe?

Mike

1995 Eagle Talon TSi
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Mike

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Joe) wrote in :

Make that '05. The Lightning is being produced for '04, but on the old chassis (i.e.: it's the same as the '03 L). SVT production is supposed to be suspended for the 2005 model year to give the team more development time with the new Mustang and F-150 chassis.

Nevertheless, the current L in stock form is still a little quicker than the SRT-10 (at least according to performance figures which have been released for the latter). Put a 4# lower pulley on the L for a couple hundred dollars, and it won't even be close.

-- Jim

Reply to
Jim J

I guess thats what the harley davidson edition is for. It doesn't have quite as much HP(360 IIRC), stock, but they can be modded to run 13's very easily. They handle pretty good too, though not as well as the lightning. Erik D. '94 white lightning

Reply to
Erik D.

Hmm, I haven't seen the stats that puts the L faster than the SRT10, where did you find this if you don't mind my asking? As for building the '04 lightnings, I think they will be hitting the sales floors very soon(possibly before the SRT10 in some places). Erik D. '94 white lightnig

Reply to
Erik D.

Yeah, I don't mind them although they are becoming pretty common. Nothing beats the little 'SVT' badge on the back :-)

Mike

1995 Eagle Talon TSi
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Mike

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