Top Truck Challenge 2015

Non-repair car talk
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kevm14
Posts: 16020
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Top Truck Challenge 2015

Post by kevm14 »

The Tow Test and Frame Twister
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZmCaqF99fc

The Mini Rubicon and Obstacle Course
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh9QWPuxZoE

Observations after watching the first vid and getting like halfway through the second: yeah there's way too much GM here but they say this was fan voted. That's pretty weak on the magazine's end because it shows that rather than a field of top performers it's a field of trucks the viewers (the ad viewers) want to see. Brings down the legitimacy of the competition.

The second and far more interesting (or at least technical) observation is that there is one LS swap, the truck driven by Agan, a 2005 LQ9. And one truck, driven by Bowman, has what he says is the stock TBI engine (probably L05). But the thing is, most of the other trucks have drivability issues or outright stalling but those trucks NEVER hiccup. Why do these other guys insist on carbs??

They can afford these very, VERY expensive axle and suspension setups so clearly it's not a cost issue (meaning they could farm out the EFI part of the engine if they just refused to learn how to use computers). And let's not pretend that an off-road carb is cheap, either.
kevm14
Posts: 16020
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Top Truck Challenge 2015

Post by kevm14 »

Other annoyances:
Leaf springs suck. All I'll say is axle wrap.
V-belts suck. Most of them seem to squeal. At least one V-belt was thrown. Serpentine is cheap, easy and plentiful. It works. Use it.
kevm14
Posts: 16020
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Top Truck Challenge 2015

Post by kevm14 »

Observation:
When they switch to the in-truck cam, it instantly becomes obvious that this is waaaaay harder than it looks from the outside.
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