In the classic 1976 film comedy "Silver Streak," there is a scene in which the hero, George Caldwell (Gene Wilder) attempts to explain a crime to a dim-witted redneck sheriff, hoping to spur him to action. The sheriff gets confused and attempts to arrest him, whereby George steals his gun and his police cruiser. As he's driving away, recently arrested Grover T. Muldoon (Richard Pryor) pops up in the back...
All I can say is, if you were choosing that method of murder/torture, I'd have to recommend an unladen 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 double cab, like our long-termer. Put it on the 405 freeway at speed and you're good to go. I have never been more bounced in my life. Felt like I was in a washing machine. The suspension is very active, clearly designed to be loaded up with heavy stuff and pulled up a mountain grade. If you have a Tundra, pack it with dirt, bags of concrete, potted plants, 2x4s. Pull a trailer, Something! Fill it with cinder blocks if you have to. Just don't drive it empty unless you want your fillings to fall out.
Doug Lloyd, Senior Copy Editor @ 19,465 miles
cx7lover says:
12:51 PM, 05/30/08
Probably has something to do with the weak chassis.
louiswei says:
01:12 PM, 05/30/08
"Probably has something to do with the weak chassis."
Yeah, I'll be the class leading towing capacity has something to do with the weak chassis too...
desmolicious says:
01:47 PM, 05/30/08
He was talkin' about Doug...
;)
dadoftay says:
02:07 PM, 05/30/08
Sounds as though poor Dougy hasn't been in a truck for a while. Probably been in that smooth ridin', sweet handlin' Smart car...
johnmarco says:
02:12 PM, 05/30/08
Sounds like the Tundra fails the coffee test: Can you sip a hot cup of coffee while coasting on the freeway? I can't in my Tacoma either. Good thing I don't drink coffee.
funkymunky says:
02:31 PM, 05/30/08
Dadoftay:
You figured me out. Not a truck driver. Part of the observation is, why would so many people drive anything LIKE this if they don't actually need its useful functions? Certainly not cuz of the ride. Can't beat it for function, though.
stovt001 says:
07:48 PM, 05/30/08
I'll still never understand why people think trucks and truck-based SUVs are the perfect single occupant commuter car. Sure they're wonderful for hauling stuff, but unloaded ride is just awful. It is trends like the truck/SUV craze that really blow economist theories of reasonable consumer decisions right out of the water, and it drives me crazy.
beach15 says:
08:20 PM, 05/30/08
Common Tundra complaint--though, despite what people generally think, not exactly common anymore with other big trucks. In general, with their leaf spring rears and lack of weight back there, every truck tends to "ride better" when it is loaded.
But the Tundra, which has the most loosey-goosey frame of ANY full-size truck (still baffled why Toyota thought it was proper...but alas), combined with relatively stiff suspenders, and it's just one bouncy rear end. GM, Ford, Dodge, etc. surpassed this trait many, many years ago with much more solid and robust frames and bodies and greatly improved suspension tuning...yet the Tundra is far below the pack in this regard. Great merits, but misses sorely when it comes to strength and rigidity, which is shocking "for Toyota". Video proof:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRfE_XAk2mE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWjTbiYo3x0
The second one really shows, visibly, what the prehistoric frame strength (lack of it) combined with a stiff suspension does. Not pretty.
Drive an unladen new GM or Ford competitor today, and it's a tank-like luxury car in comparison.
rsholland says:
05:29 AM, 05/31/08
It will be interesting to see if the all-new '09 Ram 1500, with coil rear springs, will ride better when unloaded than traditional leaf-spring pickups.
As I recall, the IRS-equipped Honda Ridgeline, which has a comparable payload rating to the Tundra, doesn't ride so bad when unloaded.
dadoftay says:
05:35 PM, 06/ 1/08
I'm with Doug and everyone else who can't make sense of this phenom. I sell construction products so it's a necessary evil. A 6' scaffold and 1,500 lbs of screws don't mate well with a Camry. Everytime my wife rides with me I get the "What's wrong with your truck?" line. Her Murano rides just a little better and the mpgs nearly double mine
bimmerjay says:
11:17 PM, 06/ 1/08
There is almost as much dead cat space there as on the Silverado!