We will build them bigger, stronger, faster....

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 06/30/2015 at 08:21 • Filed to: None

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I stumbled across this scene on my way to work yesterday. The differences between the new and old Rams was striking. The size difference isn’t just parallax at work. The new one really is quite large compared to the old. The old RAM in front was 4WD with a small lift, and it was still shorter than the new one. I !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the lengths and the new SWB Regular cab is over two feet longer than the old one.

If you can’t tell, trucks are really popular here in Louisiana.

450X_FTW > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 08:29

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I’m sure a lot of it has to do with crumple zones for safety.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > 450X_FTW 06/30/2015 at 08:33

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Can I sign a waiver or something? I don’t need 25 feet of truck. I just want a small truck to do truck things. I don't understand why the automakers don't take a chance with a small truck anymore.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 08:38

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All I want is a new S10/Sonoma. Or Syclone.

And I DO want 4x4, Crew Cab (Or Extended with usable rear seats), a maunal and an engine with lots of low-down grunt.

Basically I want a play truck that doesn’t take up an acre of space. Maybe I should just do a manual swap...

450X_FTW > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/30/2015 at 08:41

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Demand does not outweigh the cost to build them. And if the automakers could have us sign a waiver they would all have us do it before buying any car that would exempt them from any recalls possible.

BigBlock440 > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 08:44

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I don’t think the one in front has a lift. And the slab sides and bigger wheels make the newer one look so much bigger. I have a scene similar to that in the parking lot at work, except with the trucks side by side. The rear bumper, bedsides, and roof are at exactly the same height, neither is lifted, both 4x4. The new one does look bigger, but that’s only until the older one is parked right next to it. Maybe the new one has a little more cushion from the side for a bigger side crumple zone, but it’s not really as drastic as the angles in the picture make it look. I don’t have a phone that I can upload pictures from, so no SR20.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/30/2015 at 08:50

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As we were discussing yesterday , there isn’t a lot more utility (in terms of bed space) in the new trucks. The bed on the new Ram seen here (SWB) is shorter (65.5”) than the bed on my old Mazda (72”). Granted, this truck looks like an Express model, but even the “regular” bed on the Ram is only 74.5”.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > 450X_FTW 06/30/2015 at 08:51

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While I agree there would be inherent costs in building them, truck profits are usually a lot higher than a passenger vehicle. I'm purely speculating here, but why couldn't an automaker take some type of existing architecture and drop a truck body onto it?

jmalek > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 08:51

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Just because I was curious (and slightly bored), here are the dimensions of both full size and small trucks from GM showing their growth over the last 20 years:

450X_FTW > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/30/2015 at 08:55

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Majority, if not all current, of trucks are body on frame. While majority of cars are unibody. So there’s no smaller frame they can just build a truck on. Jeep Wrangler might be the only exception.

TheRealBicycleBuck > BigBlock440 06/30/2015 at 08:58

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I had the joy of driving behind and beside these guys for a couple of miles. When they were side-by-side, it was clear the new one was bigger.

The old one does have a small body lift. Look at the bumper, it should be more closely aligned with the body line, even given that the bumper has been dinged and isn’t straight. It was easier to tell when looking through the wheel well at the gap between the bed and frame.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 06/30/2015 at 09:02

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Your list is mutually exclusive. You might get an AWD Syclone, but it won’t handle the same duties as a 4x4!

The extended cab was perfect for me for many years. Then came two kids and I realized that jump seats just aren’t safe.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > 450X_FTW 06/30/2015 at 09:05

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Damn, forgot about the whole BOF thing. I guess that throws a rather large monkey wrench into my idea.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 09:06

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No. I want one or the other. I want an off-road capable compact, or a fast AWD street compact.

I usually only have me in mine, but I do often pack all 5 seats as well, and I like that capability... If I went backwards now I’d really miss it.

450X_FTW > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/30/2015 at 09:11

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Closest we could have is a Holden Maloo, which I will gladly sacrifice my life savings and retirement for

thebigbossyboss > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 09:11

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Yup. In 2006 one of my bosses drove a late 90’s F350. One of his bosses drove a new (then) like 2007 F150. The F350 was only slightly larger.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 06/30/2015 at 09:16

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I went with a fast AWD hatch for kid-hauling and daily driving needs. When I need more space, I borrow my wife’s Explorer.

The poor old Mazda is gathering cobwebs. I try to drive it every couple of weeks to keep the mice out, but now the windshield is cracked beyond repair and it won’t pass inspection. It may be time to pass it along to someone who needs it more than I.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > 450X_FTW 06/30/2015 at 09:16

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And you probably would need to do just that, too. Why can't we have cheap cars/trucks any more?

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 09:19

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Rear-bias or 50-50 AWD, with manual (or well set up auto)... sure. Although I do like trucks.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 06/30/2015 at 09:23

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I had two incidents in the old truck that sold me on 4WD or AWD. Both times the limitations of 2WD were painfully clear and I had to get assistance to become unstuck. The most embarrassing was the time it was stuck in a small swale in less than two inches of mud. It was fine when parked, but the rainstorm that hit that day changed everything.

BigBlock440 > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 09:29

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I think it’s just bent, that gen had a gap above the bumper (it was difficult to find a rear or rear 3/4 shot). I don’t know why someone would go through the work of putting on a body lift for 1/2”.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 09:35

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All the people that say you don’t need it, you don’t need it...

No, you don’t. I’m surprised you far I can get in 2wd. But it sure is nice having it there to back you up when you hit crap roads (And if you go looking for the fun way home, that happens :) )

TheRealBicycleBuck > BigBlock440 06/30/2015 at 09:42

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I guess I wasn’t clear enough. There was a clear gap between the bed and the frame, visible through the wheel well while driving next to the truck. It had a small lift.

Lift kits are pretty common around here. Two of the biggest off-roading shops in the area are within a couple of miles of this intersection.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 09:46

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Just because I like looking at Rams:

But whats everyone excuse for buying a truck there? In Michigan people say they need a truck for the snow.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 06/30/2015 at 09:49

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Having owned the truck for 19 of its 21 year life, I can proudly say that it has only been stuck twice. I can also say that both times happened in Louisiana, within the last 3 years, and were entirely my fault. Louisiana isn’t my home turf, so I keep getting surprised. The mud here is just.... different.

BigBlock440 > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 09:53

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Look at the top picture, a stock 2WD truck without the inner fender liner. You can see a gap between the frame and the bed. Here’s an ‘03 without the inner fender, there’s a gap there also.

If the older Ram has a lift, it’s one of the smallest ever installed. Just because lift kits are common, doesn’t mean every truck has one.

source: I own a stock ‘97 Ram

TheRealBicycleBuck > Milky 06/30/2015 at 09:59

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“But whats everyone excuse for buying a truck there?”

People need an excuse?

From what I have seen, there are several distinct groups:

The work truck crowd

The street truck crowd (lowered + loud exhaust)

The 4x4 mud driving crowd (lifted + loud exhaust)

The toy-hauling crowd (boats, 4-wheelers & side-by-sides, camping trailers)

The work-hauling crowd (mostly lawn & landscaping equipment on a trailer)

The cowboys (most recognizable by the horse/cattle trailer - these are few and far between)

The urban commuter (crew cab, short bed, one driver, may full-size or Tacoma-sized)

There are still a surprising number of older Mazdas, Rangers, and Frontiers running around, mine included. I’d guess a third of the vehicles are trucks, another third are SUVs, and the last third is cars and minivans.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 10:09

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Yea I was referring to the “urban commuter”. You know the person who has zero need for a truck and would be better off not getting 15mpg.

TheRealBicycleBuck > BigBlock440 06/30/2015 at 10:22

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I appreciate you trying to edify me about the distinction between the presence and absence of a lift kit. Perhaps the angle doesn’t make it clear, but this truck has a small lift on it. I don’t know why he would put a small one on. I didn’t stop and ask.

I don’t know why he wouldn’t start with a more reasonable suspension lift. Maybe it once had 33’s and he figured out that the gas mileage was busting his budget. I’ve seen some of the local bro trucks with street wheels/tires but big tires sitting in the bed. Go figure.

The rig below was put together as a beater by one of the local shops. Since the shop is local, I regularly see trucks in various stages of transformation as these guys save up and buy the next set of parts.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 10:26

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4WD simply means you can get twice as far off the trail before getting stuck.

Gonemad > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 10:28

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For the first time, for both computers and cars: More RAM added.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Milky 06/30/2015 at 10:38

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My old truck, had it been full-sized, would have been viewed under the “urban commuter” category. But that belied its actual use on the weekends when it would be full of bikes, garden stuff, the dog, and occasionally furniture. Here’s a pic in prep for a hurricane. The bed is full of sand bags, used to keep the water from the back ditch away from the house.

I do have a friend with a full-size F-150. I think the only thing that has ever been in the bed is camping gear. On our first Scout trip this year, mine was one of two cars at the campsite.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 10:41

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Well just for sake of conversation my mom only gets groceries in her Silverado. You at least used yours.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Milky 06/30/2015 at 10:56

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This shot from Google maps is just fantastic. Note the narrow, shoulder-less road (this section is sans the inescapable ditches), a full size Ram pulling a tiny trailer, the small ship awaiting its next sail, and the “camper” - what the locals use for “camping” or for tailgating at the LSU games. It is common to have 9 foot lanes with deep ditches.

Even better is the next frame - it reveals a smaller boat, and a smaller camper hiding behind the other stuff in the yard.. In all fairness, there are two residences here....

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 11:06

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I had to use a come along to extricate my F-150 from my backyard after I drove into a gopher hole.

It’s a RWD F-150, but the mere fact that it got stuck was pretty funny.

TheRealBicycleBuck > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 06/30/2015 at 11:19

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I nearly got stuck in the side yard trying to deliver a load of dirt to the back yard. The recent rains made the ground really soft. It was a good thing I had some dirt handy to fill in the ruts.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2015 at 11:22

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Much tow, very truck.

TylerJ > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/06/2015 at 10:36

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As a fellow Louisiana native, I’m surprised you missed the 4x4 asphalt driving crowd.

TheRealBicycleBuck > TylerJ 07/06/2015 at 20:20

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Louisiana resident, not native. You are right, I did leave out the urban “bro” truck crowd. To be fair, most of the trucks I see fall under one of the other categories. But there are a couple of pockets of “bro” trucks in the Baton Rouge area.

TylerJ > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/07/2015 at 08:59

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Ah, you are in my favorite Louisiana city. I’m a couple hours northwest of you and here bro-trucks are the most common vehicle. Parking sucks at Wal-Mart and the theatre since they all take up ~1.2 parking spaces.

TheRealBicycleBuck > TylerJ 07/07/2015 at 21:13

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I see bro-trucks around, but they aren’t the most common vehicle. I see more real 4x4s and toy-haulers than bro trucks.