Where the Hummer Engineers went.

[elripster]

http://www.chevrolet.com/hd-to-hd-truck-comparison/

Check out the frame twister where the Ford buckles it's tailgate.

Frank

 

[alrock]

Pretty cool stuff. I know many here have abandoned GM but I still like their stuff.

 

[elripster]

If I was looking for a full size I'd go with GM. If I were looking for a trail truck well that's another story.

Frank

 

[06 H3]

That was cool to see. I have no doubt the Chevy powertrain is built tough and better then Ford and Dodge but my concern is fit and finish. The interior has literally fallen apart on my moms denali, yet the powertrain has done great also. If I needed to haul I would probably still go with the chevy.

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

IMO, I would go with the Ford or Dodge, simply because they have never failed us, and have some very nice features. I have nothing against Chevy, they make great trucks. I just dont really like how they keep the interiors basically the same on all of their vehicles. I would like a truck to feel like a truck. And not have a similar interior to almost every other vehicle the brand makes.

 

[06 H3]

I can agree with the similar interiors GM uses the same interior for the Yukon XL denali, Chevy trucks, burbans, even the H2.

I wonder how ride quality is with the Chevy being IFS and the ford/dodge being solid up front

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[LagunaH1]

Interesting but.... In my opinion this is obviously marketing stuff. Tomorrow Ford could come out with a very similar video that would "highlight" some real or perceived weakness of the Chevy. In my opinion, these trucks are all pretty darn good, tough and strong. Probably more a matter of personal preference for engine, design, amenities etc.

:cheers:

 

[06 H3]

Interesting but.... In my opinion this is obviously marketing stuff. Tomorrow Ford could come out with a very similar video that would "highlight" some real or perceived weakness of the Chevy. In my opinion, these trucks are all pretty darn good, tough and strong. Probably more a matter of personal preference for engine, design, amenities etc.

:cheers:

Agreed. Even though they stated "test by independent group" it was still bias and I also noticed some tests were done only comparing ford to chevy and not chevy ford and dodge. Dodge might have done as good or better in some categories but didnt show that.

 

[Fish]

Interesting but.... In my opinion this is obviously marketing stuff. Tomorrow Ford could come out with a very similar video that would "highlight" some real or perceived weakness of the Chevy. In my opinion, these trucks are all pretty darn good, tough and strong. Probably more a matter of personal preference for engine, design, amenities etc.

:cheers:

Exactly.

 

[MaxPF]

Pretty much agree with everyone else here.

I have seen the frame twister test before. GM's frame is boxed, whereas Ford's is open C channel. The boxed frame has more torsional rigidity, but it also has some undesirable drawbacks. Where Ford probably failed is not putting in enough cross members to control torsional flex of their open channel frame. Open channel has advantages over a boxed frame in some areas: under load, a certain amount of flexibility is desirable to dampen out shock load stresses as the truck travels over bumps and such. Also, open C channels allow thorough coating of every surface of the metal with paint or other rust preventative materials, and more importantly they don't trap and hold water. I learned all this some time ago reading about medium and heavy truck frames. They are all c-channel ladder frames, made from heat treated medium carbon steel or high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels. They tend to have many cross-members for torsional rigidity. Due to the material and heat treat used, welding willy-nilly on the frames is not allowed. Most things are bolted on. When welding is necessary, special guidelines exist to ensure that the structure of the piece welded on adequately compensates for the loss of strength in the heat affected zone caused by the welding. Also, even though nobody thinks about it and it seldom causes a problem, light truck frames are made from similar materials and should follow similar limitations on welding.

 

[elripster]

All things equal stiffer frames are better. They ride better because they encourage the suspension to absorb the impact instead of the chassis flexing and passing that force onto the cab and therefore you. Over years, the reduced torsional flexing of the cab will reduce squeaks and rattles.

To me this is no different than the FJ cruisers cracking inner fender wells due to frame flex. Some engineers simply failed. Anytime a vehicle damages itself while operating within acceptable parameters that's a huge problem.

You can fix a lot of things on a vehicle with aftermarket parts but you can't do much about a flimsy frame. GM has always been a good powertrain company and now they are a good chassis company so maybe if they get the interior right they'd have the trifecta.

I'd agree that the Dodge probably did very well. The solid axles probably flexed well enough that it didn't stress it's frame and given the decades of off road expertise at Chrysler they likely know how to design a frame. Ford hasn't built a dedicated off road vehicle since the Bronco way back when. I but most of those folks have retired and Ford has little off road savvy engineering left in it less a small group and bolted-up the Raptor much like any of us could do with lift kits, etc...

All said in a truck I'd trade interior for a stronger frame any day.

Frank

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

Very nice opinions in this thread. But when its all said and done, if they where both the same price, with similar options, I would be hard pressed on which one to choose. I like the Chevy for its force proven drivetrain of the allison and duramax. I also like the Dodge for its cummins drive train and stylish interior. What I love about the Ford is all the unique features it has, from the interior to the exterior. The drivetrain system in it is ok, but getting better. For a DRW and only hauling toys or just "stuff" around I'd probably go with Ford or Chevy. For a DD, and a truck that can tow, but won't be needing to tow as much, I would go with a Dodge SRW. But even now that I think about the different possibilities that there are, I am not sure on the truck I would choose. I am more of a Ford person, but I would still be caught between the other two.

 

[MaxPF]

Engine-wise, the Cummins is best hands down. The Allison is the best transmission. Ford and Dodge have a much better transfer case. GM and Dodge have the best frames if you believe the GM marketing vid, but the Ford frame wouldn't worry me one bit. Dodge and Ford both have solid front axles, which are a durability advantage if the truck has to be used in environments with really crappy terrain (i.e. oil fields, ranches and farms). Ford has the best interior, and arguably the best looking exterior.

If I had to choose one, it would be a toss-up between the Chevy and the Dodge. I'd imagine it would be easier and cheaper to swap an Allison into the Dodge when the 68RFE dies than to fix all the crap I don't like about the Chevy...