April 13th, 2010

Daily Tips – Toyota Pickup Value Tips, 4/08 – Rear Shock Absorbers

March, 2010 was a great month for Toyota sales both in the GST area and nationally.  Toyota posted more retail sales than any other manufacturer.  Camry was the biggest selling car and second only to the Ford F-Series pickup in sales rank.

Opportunities?

  • 115,181 new full size pickups* rolled out of showrooms in March
  • Of full-size trucks, 10,785 were Tundra sales, or about 9.4%
  • 19,220 compact / mid-size pickups** were delivered in March
  • 9,441 Tacoma sales accounted for nearly half of the compacts sold (49.1%)

Obviously customers have a much higher opinion of Toyota Pickup value in the compact/mid-size segment. Tundra shares all of the engineering, technology, performance and durability features that make Tacoma a clear winner and beefs them up to levels that the competition simply can’t match.

Combine Toyota Pickup toughness and performance with the highest levels of retained value and it appears that Tundra has a huge upside potential.

Based on the first 3 months of 2010 around 1 million new pickups will find new owners.  Get to know what features make Toyota the right choice for a wide range of customers’ needs and claim your fair share of the truck sales pie.

*Includes Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Avalanche, Cadillac EXT, GMC Sierra, Ram Pickup, Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra

** Includes Ford Ranger, Mazda B-Series, Ram Dakota, Nissan Frontier, Suzuki Equator, Honda Ridgeline, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Toyota Tacoma

Feature

All Tacoma and Tundra models feature staggered gas pressurized rear shock absorbers mounted outboard of the springs.

Function / Competitive Advantage

Outboard mounted staggered rear shocks provide optimal control under acceleration and cornering while allowing a fairly smooth ride.

Gas-pressurized shocks resist performance deterioration in severe conditions.

Silverado, Colorado, Sierra, Canyon,  Dakota, Ranger, Frontier and Titan have staggered rear shocks mounted inboard of the rear springs. F150 has outboard mounted shocks but they are not staggered.

Details / Technical Information

Staggered rear shocks – one mounted on the front of the axle canted forward and the opposite shock mounted to the rear of the axle canted rearward – control axle hop or “tramp” during acceleration.  As torque is applied to the road, the axle can wind up on the leaf springs causing a loss of traction.  The higher the power, the more critical controlling for this condition becomes.  Staggering the shock absorbers counteracts this torque wind-up and allows smooth power delivery.

Placing the shocks outboard of the springs allows for good axle control with a softer shock setting than would be required for shocks mounted closer to the center of the axle.  This improves ride and handling compliance.

Only Toyota has this combination of outboard and staggered shocks among all competitors.

Pressurizing the shock fluid with nitrogen gas prevents foaming and capitation that can occur when a shock absorber is used in severe conditions and the shock fluid is agitated.  Severe conditions can include rapid sharp jolts as are caused by highway expansion strips, as well as off-road conditions.  Preventing foaming allows the shock to perform properly in all conditions enhancing safety and performance.

Customer Benefit

Toyota pickup owners benefit from engineering that improves performance and safety.

Please visit our website:

www.team-toyota.com

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