Toyota Tundra to get Cummins 5.0L V8 Diesel too

[HHR]

I have encountered a number of 2007+ Tundra pickups that have rust perforation in the front and/or rear bumpers (one was only 2 years old). This along with the massive amounts of frame flex these trucks have leads me to scratch them off my list.
Hopefully Toyota addresses their issues in the redesign that I assume that they are planning to coincide with the new diesel launch.

 

[bm3]

I bought a 2010 Tundra 4x4 5.7 , no problems . I have hauled JD 250 skid steer with no trouble and plenty of power. My truck has 42,000 miles on it and was bought in 09 when first came out. A diesel sounds great but so far what I have works for me ..... last year picked up a 2005 Tundra , 4.7 4x4 for a daily driver , no problems

 

[GManBart]

The Tundra's been around for about 20 years now, and still isn't what I'd call a player. I really doubt adding a diesel version is gonna change things all that much.

The Tundra wasn't a true full-size truck until 2007, so it's not really 20 years, it's more like 7 years. I don't think anybody expects them to try challenging Ford, GM or Ram in total sales, but over time I expect they'll probably gain more market share.

I haven't towed more than about 7,500lbs with mine so far, but it handled that just fine. I just put E rated Michelins on it in anticipation of a trailer that will let me get up to the 10K limit if needed (my LS with FEL, counterweight, and one implement will put me at that).

 

[GManBart]

I have encountered a number of 2007+ Tundra pickups that have rust perforation in the front and/or rear bumpers (one was only 2 years old). This along with the massive amounts of frame flex these trucks have leads me to scratch them off my list.
Hopefully Toyota addresses their issues in the redesign that I assume that they are planning to coincide with the new diesel launch.

I don't know about the front bumpers, but there have been a number of discussions about rear bumpers on the Tundra forums....seems most were traced back to dealers buying 3rd party bumpers to save money.

I'm pretty particular about driving dynamics, and have no idea what you're talking about when you say "massive frame flex". I drove all the comparable models from the Big-3 and certainly didn't see any major difference in frame flex. Granted, I haven't done any rock crawling, or towed more than about 7,500lbs yet, but I'm not buying it. They have spec'd P-series tires that lead to a softer ride, they seemed to allow more body movement than I'd like. I put E rated tires on, and that's gone.

 

[Fordman1981]

I don't know about the front bumpers, but there have been a number of discussions about rear bumpers on the Tundra forums....seems most were traced back to dealers buying 3rd party bumpers to save money. I'm pretty particular about driving dynamics, and have no idea what you're talking about when you say "massive frame flex". I drove all the comparable models from the Big-3 and certainly didn't see any major difference in frame flex. Granted, I haven't done any rock crawling, or towed more than about 7,500lbs yet, but I'm not buying it. They have spec'd P-series tires that lead to a softer ride, they seemed to allow more body movement than I'd like. I put E rated tires on, and that's gone.

Just do a little searching on the net. Frame flex on Toyota is a known issue. Now if you use the truck within it's limits it should be fine. I like the tundra and if I was in the market for a light duty truck I would consider one. I hope when they do the upcoming redesign they do like they did in 07 and build one of the toughest trucks on the road and address the poor fuel mileage issue.

 

[GManBart]

Just do a little searching on the net. Frame flex on Toyota is a known issue. Now if you use the truck within it's limits it should be fine. I like the tundra and if I was in the market for a light duty truck I would consider one. I hope when they do the upcoming redesign they do like they did in 07 and build one of the toughest trucks on the road and address the poor fuel mileage issue.

I'm familiar with the "bed bounce" issue some folks complain about...have been since before I test drove a couple, then ordered one. If that's what he was talking about, it's massively overblown in the press. I think I've encountered one or two situations (concrete roads with particular expansion joint spacing) where I noticed it a little bit....speed up, or slow down, one or two MPH, and it goes away. The folks that seem to complain about it the most are often new to trucks, and expect them to ride just like a sedan would. Of course, Ford capitalized on it, and put out a video showing bed movement, and comparing it to an F-150....but they had to do it at a specific speed, or the test wouldn't work....that says a lot to me. Harmonics can twist, and bend, anything if the frequency matches up just right, and most folks seem to think that's all we're seeing there. Sure, it probably should be looked at/changed/corrected, but after 6 years it hasn't caused me a bit of concern, and has shown up so few times it's simply not worth worrying about.

I've been driving trucks as a daily driver for over 20 years, and pretty much all of them will have some point/speed/load/road conditions that makes them ride in an unusual, or uncomfortable, fashion, and I don' think that's ever going to change as long as it's a true truck.

On the fuel mileage issue....I guess I don't buy a truck with the biggest engine they offer to get good mileage, and my Tundra is better than the 2010 Expedition I was driving for work a while back. I'm in line to get a work truck (4x4 with an extended cab)....so I put in a request for an F-150 in the hopes that it's late enough in the year to be a 2015....would be an interesting comparison.

 

[DeereMann]

Remember guys, the reason they are doing this is not 'cause they think people are clamoring for diesels - they are doing this in response to recent EPA mandate to increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy for trucks in the U.S.!! They are pulling out all the tricks to get there - Ford even announced an all-aluminum truck! Guess how much more THAT is gonna cost! :shocked:

 

[bm3]

You can thank the King and his regime for that Deeremann , I do believe fuel is going to skyrocket

 

[fordmantpw]

Ford even announced an all-aluminum truck! Guess how much more THAT is gonna cost! :shocked:

Less than the cost of a diesel engine...

 

[DeereMann]

Less than the cost of a diesel engine...

True that. The thing with aluminum is the cost swings wildly based on economic cycles - the cost is actually pretty low now. Just wait until it booms again (relative to steel).

The wild card is the recent U.S. Government mandate to ultra high fuel economy. Vehicle makers will pull out all the stops to meet it, but probably sell less vehicles due to the higher prices (prices are already sky-high, but mostly due to all the electronic gizmos). Look for aluminum AND diesel soon. Regardless of price.

In fact, Ford started a light duty diesel engine program code name "Lion". I posted about that somewhere, I think.

Take care of your trucks, fellas - won't be able to afford a new one again!