Smokehouse69

Now I might pizz some of you off, but here goes:
Last weekend I got my first up close and personal introduction to a Silverado SS. I was totally underwhelmed by the whole experience. Maybe it is a finely constructed truck with a lot of goodies in the drive train, but you can't tell it by looking at it or driving it.
The interior is no great shakes the SS badging doesn't really make it anything special. The performance is OK, yeah just OK, but a F@rd Lightening would eat it alive (that really gags me.) It doesn't sound all that good and the exhaust comes out of a single pipe.
The real topper are the ugly as a sack of azz-holes 20 inch wheels. They look like they were carved out of blocks of wood and spray painted with aluminum paint. They are just crude and ugly looking.
You would expect for a $10-13K premium over the standard Silverado that you'd get something a little more exciting that would perform a whole bunch better.
I'm going to buy a new pickup sometime in the next year or so, and I seriously considered the SS when I heard about it, but I can't imagine paying $40K for it when I can buy a regular Silverado with a 6.0, put my own dual cat back, and good looking wheels for $10K less than the SS. Regular positrac is good enough for me, what need do I have for the Cadillac "all wheel drive" chassis under the SS.
I have heard a rumor that next year Chevy is going to sell another version of the SS that is more in line with what I'm looking for, anyone heard anything about it?
Sorry if I offended anyone who owns a Silverado SS, I am a Chevy guy through and through, that's why I'm so dissapointed.

Schmucker

Go get yourself a nice Toyota Tundra and you'll be much happier. I honestly can't see anything good at all about the SS or any of Chevy's trucks, or Fords, or Dodge's. They haven't been doing too good of a job on any of their vehicles lately.

Robert N

It's all about image IMHO.

LAvetteman

What kind of performance does a Tundra offer?? Can it compare to a lightning?? I think many would be quite inpressed with a lighting.

Many people who use to hate Fords love them now, I am one of those folks.

Corey_68

A Tundra?? :lol: Maybe for light duty, but for a REAL truck it's one of the big three no doubt about it. A Tundra can only DREAM of pulling a heavy load.

I like our 3/4 ton Serria Denali w/ All-Wheel Steering, 6.0L 325hp/380tq. :thumbs:






[Modified by Corey 68, 6:01 PM 7/25/2003]

RJR99SS

well it is rather hard to get anything but ok performance out of a 5000 lb vehicle.

I dont get the whole ss truck thing anyway. You get a performance vehicle that's too slow to go fast, and a truck thats too good looking to haul anything.

WA 2 FST

I agree... the Silverado SS is a complete yawner. It is basically like the old Ford Harley Davidson trucks. Now at least Ford put the blower motor in that big thing (still not my taste).

With the Silverado SS being priced too high, there is no reason NOT to look at an SVT Lightning. It has towed one of my cars on numerous occassions with nary a wimper, hauls plenty of stuff in the bed when needed, handles, accelerates and brakes better than many modern-day "sporty" cars. If you don't like the looks of it, that is a matter of personal taste, but it is hard to argue with the raw numbers of the thing (not to mention a very comfortable interior w/ supportive bucket seats).

I haven't had mine to the track since I've done my last mod to it (which was a pulley swap on the blower), but in decent air it will turn 12.9x on stock tires. What's not to like about _that_ kind of performance?

WashingtonRacer

The Tundra is moving up. As for HEAVY HAULERS like what trucks were meant for, I think the Ford takes the cake with their turbo desals. The lightling is just a toy truck, HP and looks, If I want HP I would look at a car, heck 2 seater, just like a vett, or throw them both aside, get a bike :)

Corey_68

Motor Trend compared each of the BIG three diesels and the Ford Powerstroke came in last. The Dodge Cummins pulled 15,200lbs, Chevy Durmax Diesel pulled 15,000, and the Ford Powerstroke came in at 13,000lbs.

:cheers:





[Modified by Corey 68, 9:10 PM 7/25/2003]

SharkAttack

Who? NOT ME! :lurk:

The_Dude

link?

Dalannex

Here's an opinion for ya'. I don't understand what somebody would want a pickup for anyway. Unless you use one for work pulling or hauling, or use one once in awhile for hauling some stupid little thing, I see nothing to like about them. I do own one, keep it around for pulling the trailers, hauling stuff now and then, and sometimes in the snow, although pickups in the snow are about worthless. Mine probably doesn't get 4000 miles per year. I just don't understand wanting one for a daily driver. They get terrible gas mileage, and for what most new pickups are used for a mid size car would do the same thing with a better ride and get double the mileage. I guess I have the Corvette, which I'm just fanatical about, everything else is just transportation and has a definite purpose to serve. As long as it serves it's purpose, that's all I need, nothing more. :yesnod:

Okay, I know how most guys are about their "trucks" so I now have my flame suit on and am ready. :lol: :D

-Justin

A C

This is a good topic. The Silverado SS kinda pisses me off. Why don't they put that motor in a mid sized RWD car? I realize there are all kinds of hoops to jump through, but BMW and Mercedes do it with their big V8 luxury cars. I am not asking for a car like that, just a nice basic Chev (plain, good looks would be nice) with a big powerful motor. :D

As for trucks and hauling stuff, there is not a lot of difference between hauling 13,000 lbs and 15,000 lbs...it's just a rating. Chevy and Ford one ton vans are rated the same too, but I can tell you who owns 90% of the local work truck market for 1 ton vans. Our cars are about 3-4K pounds, give or take with spare stuff...any 3/4 ton Ram, Ford, or Chev would do fine with the load. I just like Ford because I have had two different Ford E-350's that have been beaten on, overloaded (there was one van at our shop that the 11,000 pound lift at the tire shop could not get off the floor), and driven to high miles, and they have been fairly reliable.

Back to your original post...I am sick of trucks with supercharged V8's. Bring back cars with V8's! :cheers:

Corey_68

I can't find the link, but it was on Car and Driver TV last week on TNN.

:cheers:

fauxrs

Thats easy......cause they dont have one! It wont be long before GM makes only trucks, theyll only stop when we get it through our thick skulls that a 110 lb woman DOES NOT need 10000 lbs of steel around her to buy fekking groceries.

We are going through the same classic American phase that we had in the mid 70's when cars were 18' long and got 5-10 mpg - only now, they are 18' long, 7' high and get 10-15.

For me if I want a sports car, I buy a sports car, if I want a truck, I buy a truck. I dont need a 14 sec 1/4 mile truck to haul drywall and plywood - besides if the truth be known I would bet that something like 1% of Ford Lightnings are used as trucks, the rest are owned by guys that think a truck is a good substitution for a car, especially performance and sports cars.

:rant:

whew, that felt good :thumbs: :jester

Smokehouse69

Schmucker, the Tundra is a fine, well crafted vehicle, but it has No Torque. The little 4.2 litre V-8 just can't cut it, when it comes to pulling any sort of heavy load. I understant Toyota is developing a bigger engine with an acceptable amount of torque, (also so they can race in the Craftsman Truck series) but they don't have it yet.

munday

OKAY!!!

I sell chevy's in houston..

the ss is underpowered. My lightning would toast one major, but it would make an awesome tow vehicle being all wheel drive and all, you and floor it from a dead stop 90 degree turn and not loose much traction.

and the 6.0L normal style is powerful but somewhat slow revving.

A 5.3 with locking diff and some wider tires is a much better powerplant

and for those who like the toyotas................................. ..
toyota helped us design our new engines that's why we use the 5.3 now instead of the 5.7 litre,
it makes more power across the bored, longeivity is better and gas mileage better, in turn we showed toyota how to build the sequoia and the tundra.

if you don't believe me look at a RAV 4 and a Tracker, THEY LOOK THE EXACT SAME!!!!!!! and both have a suzuki engine.

now in the works, not knowing if it will hit the market is a single cab version with a 6 speed manual.

a single cab 5.3 litre sportside (tough to find) automatic, hauls major behind


P.S. come buy your chevy from me :)
:party: :party:

mike bentley


[Modified by munday, 6:48 AM 7/26/2003]


[Modified by munday, 6:50 AM 7/26/2003]


[Modified by GDaina, 2:21 AM 7/26/2003]

GDaina

Mike, I edited your phone #. That's a forum no-no. Hope you understand.

Your friendly modirator

The_Dude

Ok, I understand why now. All of these trucks are rated at 20,000 GVW. The Ford weighs 7,000 empty, so it can legally only haul 13,000. It is just a rating. They're all good trucks, but the Ford is a big heavy hunk of iron.

mrvette

Justin, Dalannex, you are totally correct there, I consider pickups to be just about worthless, only good for mud puppy work digging foundations, the like...
any smart contractor that does significant interior work will drive a 3/4 ton passenger van, with gutted interior and seats removed....like I do....
it's DRY inside, tools, work, materials stay dry....important in kitchen and bathroom work....if you have a certain work schedule and time/job flow, you can't be concerned about chasing/dodging raindrops....

seems that Jax Fl. here is home of the unused pickup truck....all these new pickups running around, and not nearly ONE of them ever doing a damn thing....only the old ones'......you know the type, bubba drives one...

GENE