Best Small Truck...

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So far the Ranger intrigues me the most, as that design has been around for some time now, BUT, I recently found out Ford uses a composite (plastic!) intake mainifold on their 4-banger engine (which I was interested in).

The idea of a plastic component directly on an engine doesn't sit well with me. I've poked around and found out there has been some problems indeed associtaed with these composite components. I was also disturbed to hear that GM uses this production as well, and many other companies are looking into that material usage.

I just can't imagine that being a durable part - and I bet it won't last 20+ years like I'm used to!

Jim

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You are going to have a hard time finding a vehicle that does not have a composite intake manifold these days. The two V6 engines available in the Ranger also use composite intake manifolds. On 3.0L ones, you may be able to use an aluminum intake manifold from an older 3.0L, but I am not sure if it is a perfect replacement. The 2.3L Duratec has always had a composite intake manifold though, and newer ones have a composite valve cover.

Both the I4 and I5 in the Colorado use composite intake manifolds and composite valve covers.

The Tacoma also uses a composite intake manifold, as well as a composite valve cover on 2.7L engines (not sure about the 4.0L).
 
This market seems wide open for a Chinese import, a basic truck that will give confidence in a new product line.
Hey, why not fit it with a common rail turbo Diesel!!
 
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This market seems wide open for a Chinese import, a basic truck that will give confidence in a new product line.
Hey, why not fit it with a common rail turbo Diesel!!

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Currently all China has to offer are downgraded replicas of Toyota, Nissan, and Isuzu vehicles from years ago. The remakes are usually death traps. I think China has a long way to go before they will have a vehicle ready to sell here. Emissions and safety are two things they have put little to no effort into.

Korea on the other hand may be in a position to fill a void. Hyundai and Kia have announced plans to one day build a pickup, but not a lot of detail has been given.
 
No. All of the four cylinders in small trucks have composite intake manifolds and valve covers.

I would not worry too much about it. Composites are better than they used to be.
 
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Toyota's axles design is the best on any small pickup and has been since day one.


I completely disagree with that statement. I think they have the worst design. The gaskets have a tendency to leak where the housing bolts together and can be an expensive PITA to replace the gasket. GM has the best design, with oil bath bearings and the rears will last the life of the truck if maintained.

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Toyota's rear axle design which is also used by some Nissan trucks is by far the best design on the road. The GM design is the worst. The axle bearings ride on the axle shaft instead of a race so many times when the bearing goes bad you also have to buy new axles(STUPID) If the Toyota design loses a bearing it will not damage the axle becouse of it's design. GM trucks have had countless axles put in due to that #@$%!-poor design. I have only resealed a few Toyota diffs in 15 yrs. and the certainly are not expensive nor complicated to do by an average joe in his yard.
It obviously is the better design because any truck over 2 tons uses that design including millions of 18 wheelers. Yes, they can be busted if you try hard enough but so can any other diff. It also doesn't require a box full of shims to set one up after replacing the bearings in one. My old Yoda has 630K on it and the diffs. get oil changed every 60K and have not had any repairs done to them so I think it is safe to say it's a good design.
coffee.gif
 
I don't know of any small or for that matter large GM truck that comes from the factory with a Strange 12 bolt so I guess GM figured out it was a good rear end and discontinued it. I don't think Strange engineering builds diffs for street trucks that are factory stock.
 
^^^ All that internet hype about the Toyota rearend but I have seen more of them break and leak than GM, even though there many more GM's on the road. BTW if you service the GM rearend you won't ever have bearings go bad.
 
The Ranger can tow up to 6000 lbs, depending upon configuration, which is about as much as a Tundra, a full size truck !

A neighbor had a Ranger, traded it in on a Tacoma a few years back, and during the first snow in the new truck he complained that it didn't handle as well in snow. He managed to break the rear end loose and hit a curb, hard enough to damage a wheel. I sold him a couple of sand tubes that I had, but otherwise don't know what the real problem was.
 
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^^^ All that internet hype about the Toyota rearend but I have seen more of them break and leak than GM, even though there many more GM's on the road. BTW if you service the GM rearend you won't ever have bearings go bad.

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Point was it's a GM design/housing. Don't see any Strange Toyota rears availible for my ride.
 
I have a 95 Ranger 2wd 4 cyl/longbed. It has been great. Body is galvanized, only the hood seams and tailgate seems tohave any rust in the salty W-NY roads.

I have towed trailers with both an open wheel racing car and VW GTI and it was fine. Slow, but you need to know when to change gears.

I have owned three Hondas and had a high expectation of relability, that I was leery about with the Ford. I got it because it was cheap. I have been far exceeded in my expectations.

Generally, maintenace and very few problems (belt tensioner, one sensor) in the 150k I have on mine. I looked at Toyotas (with a anti-domestic bias!) before buying this. Toyota drivetrains are solid, but the bodies are nothing compared to the domestics. So I went with the Ranger.

I have replaced the water pump, alternator, and starter all around 120k. Easy and cheap.

I wouldn't touch a Ranger with automatic (I hate automatics anyway) or with 4WD (don't need) for reliability.

No question, i would buy a new one, if I need one.

I get ~28 mpg hwy, 25 mixed, 21 towing. Mobil 1 5W-30 every 5k.

Original clutch.
 
That is almost funny! I have never seen a rear end on any Toyota fail in a stock vechile! Let me tell you between 20 year of Army exposure, liveing in Deep south and many years in Europe I have seen more then my share of Toyota's. Never mind Mom and Dad and most but not all of the family have owned them since 1971. I just gave a 1982 Toytoa Starlet away a few days ago and it's rear end is in perfect shape. It is a car that was rear wheel drive and slightly smaller then a Chevette. I towed a 4 Runner with a Vette motor with it once at low speeds when the Radiator was damaged on the 4Runner. I routinely loaded that little car with so much weight in the rear on long road trips that the front end felt really light if you know what I mean.

Me and my buddies had many solid axle and IFS 4Runners and HILUX pickups that had 44 inch Super Swampers on them or Micky Tompson Baja's. The only problem we ever had that was out of the ordanary was with shortened ball joint life with the bigger tires and shorter brake life wich is common on all makes when big tires and suspension lifts are installed.

Even with all of V8 conversion's I have done to 4Runners and HILUX 4X4 pickups I have never had a front or rear end fail! I have had drive shafts fail but not diff's!

The fact that strange soes not make a rear end for any of the Toyota's is not supriseing but means nothing. How often do you see people stuffing big blocks into Toyota's? Not that often. Now I do wish that beefier axles were available for Toyota's for those of use that like to Rock Crawl but that is not that big of a deal for all but the hardest hard core rock crawlers. The pre 1986 solid axle front ends had a few weakness's but after market parts are available to address this.

As a matter of fact if you do not like the Toyota third member rear ends then you must also hate Fords 9 inch and Mopars 8 3/4 and I think Pacard also had a third member rear end. Seeinghow Toyota compied their rear end from those three you must really hate American engineering!
 
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