All Entries in the "TundraHeadquarters.com" Category
Are Truck Owners Worried About Gas Theft?
Gas prices are creeping back up, and we’re wondering if you’re wondering about gas theft. Here’s a recent story from Cummings, Georgia that illustrates gas theft is indeed happeneing:
Four men wearing hooded sweatshirts were seen siphoning gas from a pickup truck…The thieves fled with about 10 gallons of gasoline in two separate pickup trucks. The theft is estimated at about $33.
$33 doesn’t seem like enough reward to put the time into stealing gas, especially if it’s split four ways…but criminals have never been known for common sense. A full tank of gas in a 2007 or newer Toyota Tundra is about 26 gallons, and if gas is $4 a gallon, that’s over $100 worth of fuel. With so much fuel in your truck, is there a reason to be worried? Keep reading to share your opinion:
A Tundra Owner’s Guide To Horse Trailers
The Toyota Tundra offers an impressive towing capacity, with the 2011 model maxing out at 10,400 lbs with the optional tow package installed. While five tons of towing power might seem like more than anyone would ever need to use, there are a few applications that routinely touch – or even crest – this lofty weight figure. Of those, one of the most common can be found in the equestrian world, where horse trailers, the animals themselves and the gear that goes with them can add up to a hefty load to haul around.
A 2007 Tundra pulling a Lakota HUT (horse utility trailer), i.e. 2 horse with a changing room. Image from MrTrailer.com review - click to see the original review.
What follows is a description of the basic horse trailer options for 2007+ Tundra owners, including an interview with Sundowner, a horse trailer manufacturer.
2011 Prius vs 1993 Geo Metro
I like to read as many auto blogs as possible, and occasionally I find something that strikes a chord with me. About a week ago, Christopher Demorro at Gas2.org lamented that the Prius isn’t advanced enough and that it was “falling behind.”
Christopher’s argument (which you can read at the link above) goes a little bit like this:
- Toyota had a 10 year jump on everyone in the segment that they didn’t take advantage of
- Toyota’s latest gen Prius only gets 50 mpg, which isn’t much better than the 40mpg Focus, Fiesta, Cruze, Elantra, etc.
- Toyota’s new Prius minivan was an obvious need years ago – why didn’t Toyota do it sooner?
While I’m not qualified to judge other auto writers for tearing down a manufacturer’s decision making – I do it all the time myself – Christopher’s whole rant against the Prius is poorly considered. I told him as much in the comments, we went back and forth, and here’s what we’ve come to:
93 Geo Metro XFI vs 2011 Toyota Prius - Gas Mileage Is Similar, But That's It
Christopher says he’d rather have a 93′ Geo Metro XFI than a 2011 Toyota Prius, since they both get about the same mileage and the Metro is cheaper and easier to fix.
if you put a Toyota Prius and a Geo Metro in front of me, and told me I could have either car…I’d probably take the Geo. It isn’t safer, or faster, or better looking, but it is simpler with an equivalent MPG.
OK Christopher you asked for it. Here’s why I say that’s ridiculous:
Driving Isn’t In Our Collective Automotive Future
The tendency in automotive media (of which I consider myself a peripheral member) is to focus on the positives and negatives of the cars that are available in the hear and now. Which truck has a more realistic tow rating? Which car is a better value? Which auto executive is smarter than the rest? Etc.
One topic that doesn’t seem to get enough attention in the automotive press is the idea that, in the near future, driving is going to be incredibly easy. In fact, drivers themselves may be mostly unnecessary in a generation (maybe sooner).
Stick with me and think about how driving has changed in just the last twelve years:
- No more manual transmission options on most vehicles – driving complexity is greatly reduced
- Many vehicles offer proximity sensors to help with parking, and some cars even park themselves
- ABS and traction control are found on almost all new cars – correcting for inclement weather is easier than ever
- Stability control and roll-over sensors prevent accidents before they ever happen. Poor judgment on behalf of the driver is corrected now more than ever.
- It’s now possible to buy a car that will warn you when you’re following too closely and automatically apply the brakes if you aren’t paying attention.
- Safety systems have become so effective that NHTSA had to re-calibrate their “5 star” ratings
While many will argue that these enhancements aren’t really enhancements, there’s no denying that driving is less complex and therefore easier today than it was a short while ago.
The amazing thing is that these enhancements are just the tip of the iceberg.
2nd Annual Tundrastop Meet Truck Show Coverage
Just this past Saturday, TundraStop.com – in collaboration with DubzDirect.com, Toyo Tires, and Fuel Off-Road Wheels – hosted their second annual meet and truck show in Brea, California. The show included too many 2nd generation Tundras to count, some very nice 1st gen Tundras, some dedicated off-road trucks, and even a couple of very nice Toyota Tacomas.
2nd Annual Tundrastop.com Meet 2011
We sent freelance photographer extraordinaire Shannon West to try and capture the event, here’s what she found:
