New Towbicon

[tobyw]

I belive it was OG that stuck me with the "Tobicon" moniker back when I procured a 2003 TJ Rubicon... Much water has passed under that bridge, and while it may be hard to believe, Jeeps aren't the only vechile I frequently change (yes, it is gross I know) . I sold my last pickup back in early 2011, and have missed it dearly ever since. Last night, after a long battle with vehicular ADD, I took care of that. Introducing the latest Towbicon:









Tundra TRD Crewmax, nicely equipped but not over-the-top. No, it's not a 1-ton diesel that gets 35mpg while towing 32,458lbs up an 18% grade at 90mph, but rather a nice little 1/2 ton pickup that will dutifully serve for family transport, parts getter, ATV / boat hauler, hunting/fishing trip machine, and yes, the occassional tow rig. Drove it 153 miles home from the dealership last night, and I have to admit, it was the cushiest 153 miles I have driven in any pickup, ever... Oh, and I got a hand-calculated 16.8mpg to boot.

[colemancooler]

Nice truck

[Danny]

Nice. My sister-in-law has a trunda, older model, and it rides like a dream.

U R going to need extra drivers to move all that cra...aaaa rolling stock back here!

[tobyw]

U R going to need extra drivers to move all that cra...aaaa rolling stock back here!

I'm already working on a plan... I need some carne asada, two match sticks, and a paperclip...

[tobyw]

Sometimes, I even surprise myself with the extent of my vehicular ADD Sold the Tundra back in early January, and just picked up it's replacement this afternoon:



2003 F-250 Lariat, V-10/auto, fully loaded, ~85k original miles. It harkens me back to the days of my beloved '99 F-250, only with an upgraded interior and room for the whole clan. I'll deal with the blingin' dubs as soon as suitable replacments are located

[Danny]

Dear ADDCON

You are too much. Had the V-10 in my 96 F-250 and my 02 motor home and loved them both. I'm sure you'll like it.

Wish those bling wheel would fit on my soon-to-be Wrangler

[Jafo]

Toby.... do you have any underwear left?

[iaccocca]

Surprise, this guy is rollin' on Dubs...

[Danny]

Toby, is it going to the Mint???

[SPR]

Toby,

Why the trade in trucks? Just curious.

[SquirrelCrusher]

He realized no man should drive a Toyota?

[OldGreen]

Toby,

Why the trade in trucks? Just curious.

I can answer that. . .it is PURE ADD. . .

[OldGreen]

Wish those bling wheel would fit on my soon-to-be Wrangler

Danny. . .spit it out. . .

[tobyw]

Toby,

Why the trade in trucks? Just curious.

I can answer that. . .it is PURE ADD. . .

While Jimmy is at least partially correct, there is a method to my madness: truth be told, I pulled the trigger too early on a Tundra. Having only been on the market a few years, used prices are still comparativly stiff. For the same given purchase price, you can get MUCH more truck in the domestic arena... The Tundra was cloth, only had a power driver seat, had some minor cosmetic issues, and had just over 107k miles on the ticker. While I got it for a great deal in Tundra terms, the F-250 was nearly $10k less and is arguably twice the truck, especially given the Lariat interior appointments, flawless exterior, and lower overall mileage. And, the one time I did tow with the Tundra, I honestly wasn't impressed with the way the transmission reacted - the dual overdrive setup was constantly hunting and it annoyed the crap out of me (and yes, this was in Tow mode).

Bottom line though, the above is just rationalization for my ADD

And Danny - we can get some wheel adapters so you can put these bad boys on a Gekko Green backdrop whenever you're ready

[Danny]

Toby....don't think that's going to happen. You can trade them whenever.

Jimmy, YES, I'm working on it.....stay tuned.

[Lurch]

Those "blinging" wheels look nice then what I've got lol

[79chevy39.5's]

toby i cant agree with this move any more, the v10 fords can be had for a fraction of the diesel cost and in my opion are a damn solid motor lurch can probably say more for them or less than i can but ive seen a few over the 300k mark that were relatively trouble free while the 6.0....

long story short ive contemplated buying a v10 ford multiple times

[Lurch]

Hey, I love the 6.0l. Wouldn't own one (I have a 7.3 with a 6 spd manual) but I make a lot of money fixing em

[TJDave]

Very nice truck Toby

Hey, I love the 6.0l. Wouldn't own one (I have a 7.3 with a 6 spd manual) but I make a lot of money fixing em

Good to hear the 6.0 litre Powersmokes are keeping you gainfully employed Tim.

If only I could find a nice 7.3 manual....or maybe a V10 manual...

If only I had the money to buy one...

If only I had a job!....

[79chevy39.5's]

Hey, I love the 6.0l. Wouldn't own one (I have a 7.3 with a 6 spd manual) but I make a lot of money fixing em

i forsee a few 6.0 trucks getting egr cooler deletes in my near future as well 5 or 6 to be exact. i dont mind working on them either but would not buy one without a swap in mind for when the 6.0 went south....the 7.3's are good money makers as well with thier hate for oil being inside, they just dont die enough

[SPR]

Toby,

Please post your freeway mileage running empty and legal speed.

[Lud]

Aren't those the modular V-10's that like to throw spark plugs?? I've seen 2 cases now where the plug threads gets stripped out and the plug is thrown from the engine.

If it does happen I guess it's easy to fix though. And even then it's still better than being seen driving a Tundra. j/k

[TJDave]

Aren't those the modular V-10's that like to throw spark plugs?? I've seen 2 cases now where the plug threads gets stripped out and the plug is thrown from the engine.

If it does happen I guess it's easy to fix though. And even then it's still better than being seen driving a Tundra. j/k

I did a little reading on that subject before we bought our motorhome.

Ford Triton V10 spark plug issue
3-4 threads were initally used for the spark plugs in the cylinder heads.
Initial Ford reaction was to change the torque procedure at the factory, apparently to reduce over- or under-torque. This was around the 2000 timeframe.
Late in the calendar-year 2000, Ford altered the head to include an "alignment feature" that reduced cross-threading or incorrect torque at the factory.
Late in the calendar-year 2002, Ford increased the number of threads in the head to approximately 7-8 threads, called "long-thread" heads.

[Lud]

Cool, Dave. Guess they did fix that one finally.

[tobyw]

Toby,

Please post your freeway mileage running empty and legal speed.

I'll have to get back to you on that, only put about 150 miles on it thus far and it's sitting at 1/2 a tank according to the gauge... I will say that over the ~72k miles I put on my '99 Super Duty with a V-10, I averaged a hand-calculated 13.2mpg with a very solid mix of city, freeway, and towing. I will never come close to that with these silly tires/wheels, but once they hit the curb I do expect to be in the neighborhood of 12-13mpg.

Here is the '99:



And here is how it spent the majority of it's weekends:



I bought the truck brand new and kept meticulous records. I ran a leveling kit but only 285-75-16 tires, so there alone is a HUGE difference between these two trucks... And not that it's a true comparison point, but our motorhome with the V10 gets about 8mpg no matter what.