Fifth Wheel Tailgate Options for the Toyota Tundra
If you decide to make the move to a fifth wheel trailer hitch, then you are going to have to also eventually replace your Toyota Tundra’s tailgate. While some people choose to drive around without a tailgate at all, this represents a fairly big compromise in terms of the type of cargo you can carry safely, a problem which might rear its head at the worst possible moment and leave you in the lurch.
There are a number of different aftermarket companies out there that manufacture tailgates that feature a fifth wheel cutout that allows enough room for safe operation. Many of these tailgates offer a louvered, grille or bar design, which is intended to allow air to pass through the tailgate while towing and theoretically reduce the amount of drag encountered by your truck while traveling at highway speeds. The fact that the air is simply passing through the tailgate and hitting the trailer head-on seems to be ignored by the manufacturers of these units, and it’s in fact almost impossible to find a non-pass through fifth wheel tailgate design.
Let’s take a look at a few of the available fifth wheel tailgates for the Toyota Tundra. Read more…
Ford FINALLY Expands F150 Airbag Recall, But Where’s The Fine?
In February, Ford announced an F150 recall pertaining to spontaneously exploding airbags. This recall was significant because:
- NHTSA instructed Ford to recall approximately 1.5 million trucks for this problem
- Ford decided to ignore the government and recall just 150k trucks instead
- Now, two months later, Ford has finally followed NHTSA instructions and recalled 1.5 million F150s
Of course, I cried foul when Ford ignored the government recall recommendation. How could Ford blatantly disregard NHTSA safety instructions? What’s more, how could Ford ignore a government safety mandate without risking a media firestorm and a massive NHTSA fine?
Yet Ford Motor Company somehow managed to ignore a NHTSA two months ago – and then flip-flop – without any sort of outcry. Be it political influence or just plain ignorance, something stinks at NHTSA.
Toyota Tundra Tire Survey
Tires are like opinions – everyone’s got a set. More importantly, everyone chooses that particular set of rubber for different reasons. Some owners are still riding on the stock Tundra tires that came with their truck, while others liked their stockers so much that they replaced them with an identical set when the originals wore out. Others decided to experiment with a different brand of tires in order to give their Tundra better comfort, more grip or a quieter ride, while some focused in on specialty tires designed for off-road adventure, maximum performance on the pavement or solid towing stability.
We’ve put together a simple tire survey to try and get a better idea of what TundraHeadquarters.com readers are running underneath their trucks. The idea is to figure out what the best or most popular brand of tires for the Tundra are. We realize that some of the brands listed don’t offer OEM replacement sizes for the Tundra, but there are many drivers out there who have gone taller, narrower or wider with their tire selections. In the end, all we are looking for is your own opinion on what you think is the best brand of tire for the Toyota Tundra. Read more…
Tundra Resale Value Reigns Supreme…Again
It’s always great to say that the Tundra’s resale value is the best in the industry, but it’s starting to get a little old, isn’t it? We’ve talked at length about the Tundra’s superior resale value, citing studies from independent authorities like IntelliChoice and KBB.com that show the Tundra is number one in terms of resale.
Allow me to add Edmunds.com to the list for 2011. According to their newest study, the Tundra has the highest retained value of any light-duty pickup truck. Surprised? Me neither.
What is interesting, however, is that this year’s Edmunds.com study is an even more accurate measure of resale than any year prior…and that the way Edmunds is calculating ‘retained value’ should have favored Ford and GM a lot more than it did. Read more…
Activated Charcoal Cabin Air Filters – Do They Live Up To The Hype?
Cabin air filters are intended to keep the air quality inside your Toyota Tundra as fresh as possible. Most vehicles on the road have at least one cabin air filter installed, with luxury models such as the Lexus LS sedan offering five or more in order to maintain spring meadow-like levels of passenger compartment freshness.
The questions is, can we improve the quality and/or performance of these cabin air filters by switching from paper to activated carbon? Is it worth it? Here’s our take: Read more…
