Damn, you’d think they want to paint a rising sun flag on my white Dodge truck.

After speculating what on the new Ram might be right and wrong (The New Ram Part Duh; the Game Changer) the members cued up to educate me about Furrn trucks and Uhmurricun trucks.

Apparently I touched a nerve by comparing Dodge’s power and acceleration claims to the current half-ton leader Toyota Tundra. My “love for the Tundra” was showing because I pointed out it appears to accelerate better than the new Ram.

I don’t love the new Tundra or any other new truck. Marketing, promotion and advertising is all about the bragging, especially in pickup trucks; on the other hand, failing to compare the new Ram to current product leaders would be an error on my part. Don’t worry, I’m not running out to trade my Ram on a Tundra.

Then there were the comments about durability and how Toyotas don’t hold up. I suspect driving style, proper loading within limits, and routine maintenance have a lot more to do with reliability, and so do some fleet managers. One comment noted $1600 damage from a load of firewood that shifted in a mid-80s Toyota, but I saw similar load shift do more than double that to a late ‘80’s GM pickup.

Another comment derided Toyotas as reliable if you just drive them but not if you work them. I haven’t a fleet of either but know people who work both Toyotas and “domestics” at the same percentages of GVWR and no single brand has proven more reliable than the others.

Then there was the comment about those timing belts that have to be changed every 100,000 miles instead of chains for driving the camshafts. Exercise caution when arguing with databrain.

Of the three engines offered in the Tundra, only the 4.7 V-8 uses a timing belt, which can be traced to 20+ years ago as the engine developed for the then-new Lexus LS400 ultra-quiet luxury car. The 4.0 V-6, and the 5.7 V-8 that I was using for comparison to the Ram, both have chain-driven camshafts. I’ll take chains over belts for longer life, but I’ll take gear-drive (like the Cummins) over chain-drive for max longevity; don’t get me started on how some think pushrod engines without chain tensioners are less complex than OHC engines without pushrods and rocker arms.

Next thing you know I’ll be a commie for suggesting that contributers to the rising price of diesel might be its similarity to heating oil (how much snow did the northeast get around Easter?) and the depreciating dollar. The April, 2008 Car & Driver has some good info on diesel pricing.

But until W and company repeal the First Amendment we all get our say. Bring it on . . . my blubber’s plenty thick.