Manual vs auto trannys in the snow

[LaramieSkiBum]

note that i'm far from a ford fan, but i gotta say that the AT transmissions in the 200X F350 pickups w/ powerstroke are not to shabby, atleast the ones with Alason 5 or 6 spds i can't remember.

I drove 5,000 to 12,000 pound loads DAILY at 65 to 80mph (very heavy H2S 10,000psi rated lubricator and blow out preventors), and for short distances towed 20,000 pound wireline and grease trucks off location. We did have one transmission blow up, but the guy driving did not take it out of overdrive when towing one of the heavier loads, something you should always do when towing.

When i left the trucks had upwards of 80,000 miles, HARD miles. Rough roads, major loads, major wyoming temperature swings (20F in the morning and 80F in the day) and constant daily work 8 months out of the year at an easy 200+ miles per day.

not exactly on topic, but my 2 cents on the heavy duty transmission blow up that everyone seems to talk about. If you don't drive like a total dumbshit when towing, they seemed to hold up awesome.

[Arty50]

I know this is a rerun but anyone thinking of buying a truck or suv should watch this the only thing that comes close in durability is German built Mercedes (not the M series crap) or comercial Land Rover products.

The old FJ series Toyotas were built like mini tanks. They're some of the best 4x4s ever made. Up there with Land Rover, the Merc G series, and Jeep CJs. I've put my 83 Jeep CJ-7 through its paces over the last 13 years. It's been incredible. There's something to be said for a car that's built simple and strong. All of the above qualify. I have to give Nissan a nod also. Some friends of mine had an old Nissan Patrol. That thing was bombproof. It's been sad to watch the demise of the true 4x4. There are only a handful left. Thankfully, Toyota still knows how to build them.

Also, one of the many reasons I went with the 4Runner was it's safety record. It had the second lowest driver death rate of any vehicle made (Mercedes E class was #1). This was for the 99-02 models since the statistics were compiled a while back, but the 03-05 models have gotten excellent crash ratings also.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2.../15/sr4003.pdf

[lemon boy]

natty- Hadn't seen that Q offers an inferior front suspension option for the GM vans. Guess I will have to start looking very carefully. Damn things are hard to spot.

Laramie- You can't get an Alison in the light fords. If they're the 6.0s then it is the torqshift for autos (5spd) and 6spd manny.