Go here for a pic
go to autoweek.com for the full story.

 

yea, we have 3 or 4 sitting in a pile right now. we allready smashed the crap out of them,[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]. we have to do it for your safety! its lots of fun , sending $70,000 pick ups to their end.

 

I own a Lightning so let me clear up a few things.....

The 99-02 Lightnings have a limited bed cargo weight of 800 pounds due to the performance leaf springs on the back,*BUT* they still have a tow rating of 5000 pounds. Infact many people use them to pull their race cars. I have pulled my two 4 wheelers on my 14 foot trailer many times and you cant hardly tell that they are back there. 2003 Lightnings now have the same bed cargo weight rating as a regular F150.

They come from the factory with heavy duty engine cooling,oil cooler,transmission cooler,the transmission and rearend that is used in the F250 diesels,trailer hitch with light hook ups,and huge 4 wheel disk brakes. Not to mention unbelievable lowend torque that makes towing so easy.

Lightnings are not only the fastest production truck made today, but they can also still work just like a "normal" truck.

Andy

 

andy G, I don't think the Viper truck will be any different. the designers have the truck part figured in. I don't think anybody would buy a truck , and not think it couldn't do its job.

 

True,but you cant buy an SRT-10{Viper truck} yet.

Andy

 

Ford is making the Lightening a 3 valve. THis will bump the HP. They are very dependable even when pulling light loads such as a 4 wheeler trailer.

Like a major company will really put 500+HP in a light weight truck! If they do, and it is $70,000, give me a lightening and $30,000+ to play with. I promise 500 HP will be a p!ss in a bucket! I have a friend that dropped a Viper V-10 in his 98 shortbed. It would outrun lightenings for sure, but it wouldn't hook up. It is a death trap. Ford was going to put the lightening engine in a ranger but decided against it for safety reasons.

Techtip-you aren't outrunning new lightenings with a chipped sport. Maybe the 93 lightenings.

For the diesels. The new powerstroke will be years ahead of all others. I just wish they had built it on the old 7.3 block. Auto trannies are good, but these trucks are made to be pulled. I rebuilt my tranny in my 96 ford powerstroke (E4OD) at 113,000. When they dropped the pan, the filter was laying in it. The dealer that I had change the fluid at 48,000, put the filter in wrong. Who knows how long it had been laying in the pan. In the 65,000 miles that I drove it since the oil change (and the filter could have been laying in the pan since then) I put over 30,000 pulling a trailer. I know of at least a dozen 100 mile+ trips that I weighed in at over 30,000lbs. The reason most of these trucks have auto's is because they are smoother shifting, more women drive them now, they are easier, and they are safer.
I have an uncle with an 88 ford diesel that has rolled 400,000 with no problems. He also has a 97 powerstroke that has 250,000. Another uncle has a powerstroke with 300,000. I have seen 3 dodges that have been rebuilt before 150,000, versus seeing one powerstroke that was rebuilt at 180,000 due to taking in water.

 

Well in my opion I would have to say that a combination of the new H.O turbo diesel from Dodge with the most low end troque will kick ford and cheys butt. With 555ft lbs of torque at 1400 rpm it will horse any trailer right out of the ground coupled with there new 6 speed manual. Also if your going to state facts like ford out sells dodge and chevy combined maybe you should learn some facts. Gm alone outsells ford. With there GMC and Chevy pickups. So you add dodge in there and then it's totally blowing ford out of the water.

 

The topic is off from the original post, but here is a tidbit. Not sure if someone said it already. The 5.7 Hemi that Dodge makes is not only available in the 2500 and 3500 trucks anymore. You can now get the Hemi in the 1500. So that is another option.

 

2 guys had a couple of the new Hemi half tons 2wds at the track the other night. One ran a 15.40 and the other ran a 15.47. Neither of them could even break the tires loose on the line. I wonder if they are down on bottom end torque? Either the Ford Lightning is underrated on horsepower or the Hemi is overated one or the other. I've seen one new Silverado SS run and he ran a 15.38 at 89 mph. That isn't bad for a heavy 4X4.

 

What all do you have done to your cummins zookyrider? The cummins' will flat out scat with a chip and some injectors.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]