The stupidity of American vehicles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Broad statements about how truck owners rarely use these to capacity come across much like complaints that fancy kitchens are often owned by non-cooks who only order out. They're ignorant judgements - useless noise.

Most of the guys I know drive with empty beds 85% of the time, but the 15% they do use it are frequent enough to warrant or demand consideration. There is often a reason people spend the money on these vehicles, though I'm certain there are outliers.

Americans aren't hauling more and bigger stuff now compared to the early 90s, 80s, or 70s, so this is a worthless post. Back in those decades, trucks and hauling vehicles were MUCH smaller and still functioned perfectly fine. In fact, they've done comparisons, and sta really funny is the fact that many of these stupidly sized vehicles we have these days actually have LESS flatbed room than much smaller cars and older trucks. Consumers are stupidly brainwashed by the auto industry into spending 10s and thousands of more dollars on these stupidly sized cars that have less space than before to haul things.

It's idiotic. And it's killing tons of people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. I absolutely feel the need to buy an SUV so I can be safe on the road against the giant trucks.

Exactly why it's so dumb.

They have a nuclear bomb, which means I need one too to feel safe!

What could possibly go wrong arming the entire world with nukes? We will all be more safe, right?

[Anonymous]

A fool and his money are soon parted.

Also, there's a sucker born every minute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tanks have better visibility because they are actively seeking to "engage" people.

Why does a consumer pickup truck have worse visibility than a Peterbilt semi? Explain that one.

The Peterbilt has a much higher seating position relative to the hood.

Read the fine print. The diagram assumes a very short driver with the lowest seat setting, i.e., looking through the steering wheel. That's an unrealistic situation. Yes, we have the odd driver like that. That's because they don't know how to adjust a seat. They are dangers to everyone including pedestrians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love them. Almost as much as love the rage they produce.

The guardrail point above is just odd. Seems to be the experience of that poster to hit guardrails often.

And on the charging more for large trucks, they already do for annual registration.

Ah, I see what happened here. You think that the only way for a person to know something is to experience it personally. Reading can help you! Try it! There's been a ton of press over the last year about the weight of modern cars (EV and SUV) vs the strength of guardrails.

Most guardrails are improperly installled. https://jalopnik.com/improperly-installed-poorly-maintained-and-frankenstei-1850562593/

Installing every bolt in a guardrail is too much work for DOT employees.

[Anonymous]

My brother has one of these giant monstrosities of a truck. The most he hauls in it is his kayak. He claims he needs a truck this big because he's 6'4".

The truck also doesn't fit in most parking spaces. Forget trying to take that thing into DC. It basically fits in like zero parking garages or structures there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love them. Almost as much as love the rage they produce.

The guardrail point above is just odd. Seems to be the experience of that poster to hit guardrails often.

And on the charging more for large trucks, they already do for annual registration.

Ah, I see what happened here. You think that the only way for a person to know something is to experience it personally. Reading can help you! Try it! There's been a ton of press over the last year about the weight of modern cars (EV and SUV) vs the strength of guardrails.

Most guardrails are improperly installled. https://jalopnik.com/improperly-installed-poorly-maintained-and-frankenstei-1850562593/

Installing every bolt in a guardrail is too much work for DOT employees.

With a link from a car advocate site. Color me convinced

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broad statements about how truck owners rarely use these to capacity come across much like complaints that fancy kitchens are often owned by non-cooks who only order out. They're ignorant judgements - useless noise.

Most of the guys I know drive with empty beds 85% of the time, but the 15% they do use it are frequent enough to warrant or demand consideration. There is often a reason people spend the money on these vehicles, though I'm certain there are outliers.

Americans aren't hauling more and bigger stuff now compared to the early 90s, 80s, or 70s, so this is a worthless post. Back in those decades, trucks and hauling vehicles were MUCH smaller and still functioned perfectly fine. In fact, they've done comparisons, and sta really funny is the fact that many of these stupidly sized vehicles we have these days actually have LESS flatbed room than much smaller cars and older trucks. Consumers are stupidly brainwashed by the auto industry into spending 10s and thousands of more dollars on these stupidly sized cars that have less space than before to haul things.

It's idiotic. And it's killing tons of people.

The truck owners I know use their trucks. I guess you know a lot of idiots? Sound like it to me.

There are precisely 2 options for smaller pickups - Maverick and Santa Cruz - and I know multiple people who eagerly switched. They are great! They don't fit everyone's need - from size to payload capacity to towing capacity. An undersized vehicle can actually be incredibly dangerous hauling everyday items - even ones as seemingly simple as tile.

As to your bed size point, many people prefer the shorter bed length/larger cabin space to be able to store tools/cargo inside while still being able to haul with the bed. Many tradesmen get their plywood delivered in lifts so the 8' dimension is less universally important, though still applicable to some.

It's incredibly arrogant of you to speak as if you're knowledgeable about what Americans need and how they should use their vehicles. Pretty pathetic as well to hang "killing tons of people" on folks just trying to get to work. But then, pathetic sounds like it fits you.

I've driven compact cars most of my life and drive less than 5k/year, so I've got no dog in this hunt, but I don't like idiots speaking nonsense for the masses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broad statements about how truck owners rarely use these to capacity come across much like complaints that fancy kitchens are often owned by non-cooks who only order out. They're ignorant judgements - useless noise.

Most of the guys I know drive with empty beds 85% of the time, but the 15% they do use it are frequent enough to warrant or demand consideration. There is often a reason people spend the money on these vehicles, though I'm certain there are outliers.

Americans aren't hauling more and bigger stuff now compared to the early 90s, 80s, or 70s, so this is a worthless post. Back in those decades, trucks and hauling vehicles were MUCH smaller and still functioned perfectly fine. In fact, they've done comparisons, and sta really funny is the fact that many of these stupidly sized vehicles we have these days actually have LESS flatbed room than much smaller cars and older trucks. Consumers are stupidly brainwashed by the auto industry into spending 10s and thousands of more dollars on these stupidly sized cars that have less space than before to haul things.

It's idiotic. And it's killing tons of people.

Nope, this wrong. Flat wrong.


I grew up riding Hunter-Jumper horses. In the 80’s we pulled a 4 stall horse trailer with a 1979 Ford one-ton pick up (smaller than current one-ton/3500 series trucks).

Going up our mild small east coast mountains was a struggle. The truck would strain to maintain 30 mph. And braking? Absolutely terrifying. You had to plan carefully on down grades and time your shifts carefully to control the descent. The drum brakes would overheat and fade. It was really really scary and dangerous to tow any kind of real weight with these trucks, despite them being the biggest truck available at the time.


Our current tow truck for an even heavier trailer today is a 2019 Ford SuperDuty diesel 4x4. It can tow an even heavier trailer almost effortlessly. Not only does it maintain the speed limit going up mountains, it can even accelerate while doing it. And braking? The braking is the most impressive part. It can stop a heavy trailer going down a 8% grade like it’s coming to a stop sign.

It’s a night-and-day difference between trucks then and now. They are MUCH safer today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broad statements about how truck owners rarely use these to capacity come across much like complaints that fancy kitchens are often owned by non-cooks who only order out. They're ignorant judgements - useless noise.

Most of the guys I know drive with empty beds 85% of the time, but the 15% they do use it are frequent enough to warrant or demand consideration. There is often a reason people spend the money on these vehicles, though I'm certain there are outliers.

Americans aren't hauling more and bigger stuff now compared to the early 90s, 80s, or 70s, so this is a worthless post. Back in those decades, trucks and hauling vehicles were MUCH smaller and still functioned perfectly fine. In fact, they've done comparisons, and sta really funny is the fact that many of these stupidly sized vehicles we have these days actually have LESS flatbed room than much smaller cars and older trucks. Consumers are stupidly brainwashed by the auto industry into spending 10s and thousands of more dollars on these stupidly sized cars that have less space than before to haul things.

It's idiotic. And it's killing tons of people.

Nope, this wrong. Flat wrong.


I grew up riding Hunter-Jumper horses. In the 80’s we pulled a 4 stall horse trailer with a 1979 Ford one-ton pick up (smaller than current one-ton/3500 series trucks).

Going up our mild small east coast mountains was a struggle. The truck would strain to maintain 30 mph. And braking? Absolutely terrifying. You had to plan carefully on down grades and time your shifts carefully to control the descent. The drum brakes would overheat and fade. It was really really scary and dangerous to tow any kind of real weight with these trucks, despite them being the biggest truck available at the time.


Our current tow truck for an even heavier trailer today is a 2019 Ford SuperDuty diesel 4x4. It can tow an even heavier trailer almost effortlessly. Not only does it maintain the speed limit going up mountains, it can even accelerate while doing it. And braking? The braking is the most impressive part. It can stop a heavy trailer going down a 8% grade like it’s coming to a stop sign.

It’s a night-and-day difference between trucks then and now. They are MUCH safer today.

I believe you, but you've got to admit that you're an edge case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broad statements about how truck owners rarely use these to capacity come across much like complaints that fancy kitchens are often owned by non-cooks who only order out. They're ignorant judgements - useless noise.

Most of the guys I know drive with empty beds 85% of the time, but the 15% they do use it are frequent enough to warrant or demand consideration. There is often a reason people spend the money on these vehicles, though I'm certain there are outliers.

Americans aren't hauling more and bigger stuff now compared to the early 90s, 80s, or 70s, so this is a worthless post. Back in those decades, trucks and hauling vehicles were MUCH smaller and still functioned perfectly fine. In fact, they've done comparisons, and sta really funny is the fact that many of these stupidly sized vehicles we have these days actually have LESS flatbed room than much smaller cars and older trucks. Consumers are stupidly brainwashed by the auto industry into spending 10s and thousands of more dollars on these stupidly sized cars that have less space than before to haul things.

It's idiotic. And it's killing tons of people.

Nope, this wrong. Flat wrong.


I grew up riding Hunter-Jumper horses. In the 80’s we pulled a 4 stall horse trailer with a 1979 Ford one-ton pick up (smaller than current one-ton/3500 series trucks).

Going up our mild small east coast mountains was a struggle. The truck would strain to maintain 30 mph. And braking? Absolutely terrifying. You had to plan carefully on down grades and time your shifts carefully to control the descent. The drum brakes would overheat and fade. It was really really scary and dangerous to tow any kind of real weight with these trucks, despite them being the biggest truck available at the time.


Our current tow truck for an even heavier trailer today is a 2019 Ford SuperDuty diesel 4x4. It can tow an even heavier trailer almost effortlessly. Not only does it maintain the speed limit going up mountains, it can even accelerate while doing it. And braking? The braking is the most impressive part. It can stop a heavy trailer going down a 8% grade like it’s coming to a stop sign.

It’s a night-and-day difference between trucks then and now. They are MUCH safer today.

I believe you, but you've got to admit that you're an edge case.

Not an "edge case." You just have a limited perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love them. Almost as much as love the rage they produce.

The guardrail point above is just odd. Seems to be the experience of that poster to hit guardrails often.

And on the charging more for large trucks, they already do for annual registration.

Ah, I see what happened here. You think that the only way for a person to know something is to experience it personally. Reading can help you! Try it! There's been a ton of press over the last year about the weight of modern cars (EV and SUV) vs the strength of guardrails.

Most guardrails are improperly installled. https://jalopnik.com/improperly-installed-poorly-maintained-and-frankenstei-1850562593/

Installing every bolt in a guardrail is too much work for DOT employees.

With a link from a car advocate site. Color me convinced

Feel free to provide your evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broad statements about how truck owners rarely use these to capacity come across much like complaints that fancy kitchens are often owned by non-cooks who only order out. They're ignorant judgements - useless noise.

Most of the guys I know drive with empty beds 85% of the time, but the 15% they do use it are frequent enough to warrant or demand consideration. There is often a reason people spend the money on these vehicles, though I'm certain there are outliers.

Americans aren't hauling more and bigger stuff now compared to the early 90s, 80s, or 70s, so this is a worthless post. Back in those decades, trucks and hauling vehicles were MUCH smaller and still functioned perfectly fine. In fact, they've done comparisons, and sta really funny is the fact that many of these stupidly sized vehicles we have these days actually have LESS flatbed room than much smaller cars and older trucks. Consumers are stupidly brainwashed by the auto industry into spending 10s and thousands of more dollars on these stupidly sized cars that have less space than before to haul things.

It's idiotic. And it's killing tons of people.

Nope, this wrong. Flat wrong.


I grew up riding Hunter-Jumper horses. In the 80’s we pulled a 4 stall horse trailer with a 1979 Ford one-ton pick up (smaller than current one-ton/3500 series trucks).

Going up our mild small east coast mountains was a struggle. The truck would strain to maintain 30 mph. And braking? Absolutely terrifying. You had to plan carefully on down grades and time your shifts carefully to control the descent. The drum brakes would overheat and fade. It was really really scary and dangerous to tow any kind of real weight with these trucks, despite them being the biggest truck available at the time.


Our current tow truck for an even heavier trailer today is a 2019 Ford SuperDuty diesel 4x4. It can tow an even heavier trailer almost effortlessly. Not only does it maintain the speed limit going up mountains, it can even accelerate while doing it. And braking? The braking is the most impressive part. It can stop a heavy trailer going down a 8% grade like it’s coming to a stop sign.

It’s a night-and-day difference between trucks then and now. They are MUCH safer today.

Ah yes, Americans, the most rugged out doors people on the planet, yet somehow they're also some of the most obese.

However do billions of other people on the planet survive without massive SUVs and trucks? They must never haul things or be as outdoorsy, right?

[Anonymous]

My biggest complaint about over-sized vehicles is when their drivers can’t be bothered to learn to drive them correctly. I don’t know how many times one of them has drifted into my lane, especially when they are making turns. I don’t care what size car someone else has (although I drive a Ford Fiesta), but if you can’t drive safely within a single lane, you need to get a smaller car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is absurd and needs to be banned:





The best part are the clowns driving these $90k monstrosities claiming they need it to haul stuff even though 99% of the time you always see these types of trucks in absolute prestine condition. They didn't need these behemoths back in the 70s or 80s. The size of US vehicles is absolutely out of control, and they're killing more people than ever before. Literally zero good reasons for these stupidly sized trucks and SUVs. They only exist because the car industry lobbies Congress to allow loopholes for these stupid vehicles so they're not regulated as commercial trucks where you'd need a CDL to drive them. Enough is enough. Banish these awful vehicles to hell where they belong.

Toyota and Nissan sell pick ups that are just as big. Why leave those out of your crazy rant?