A couple weeks back the guys over at The Fast Lane Truck held a rather epic half-ton pickup truck drag race. It's not something we see all the time, but given the popularity of pickup trucks – not to mention the bragging rights that brand-loyal owners love to claim – it's something that's more than a passing interest to most. The previous showdown was won by the Ford F-150 and its EcoBoost V6, but apparently, the V8 crowd was none too happy with that and filled TFLT's YouTube comments with demands for a rematch.
To be fair, those comments were warranted because the action took place near Denver, Colorado, where the thin air at a mile above sea level certainly favored the boosted truck. As such, a new race was set up in the same place under the same conditions, pitting four full-size half-ton V8 pickups in a battle of the beds. Thing is, it's still not quite as simple as that. We'll explain in a minute.
The players for this drag race are the same V8 trucks from the previous video: the Nissan Titan XD, Ford F-150, Ram 1500, and GMC Sierra. As before, Toyota didn't have a truck available for testing, and the venue is also the same – a straight section of tarmac at IMI Motorsports Complex where there is no timing equipment or prep like you'd find at a drag strip. In other words, the races are about as close to real-world situations as you'll get.
Therein lies the inherent problem in comparing pickup trucks for acceleration. It's not uncommon for automakers to offer dozens upon dozens of options and configurations for trucks, and we're not just talking about a choice of colors for floormats. A Ram 1500 can be either a single-cab 2WD pickup or a 4WD four-door model, and as different as those two trims might be, it's still a Ram 1500. Add in the weight of various options, the differences in suspension setups, changes in gear ratios for towing, and suddenly you can see just how big a difference there can be in acceleration from models of the same company. It's not unlike comparing apples to spaceships.
In other words, enjoy this video but know that your results may differ, and by that, we mean they most likely will. That's especially true since once again, the Ford F-150 holds an advantage in this contest as being the only 2WD truck. Can you guess which one wins?
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