Toyota Commercial

Have you seen the commercial that talks about the Toyota Tundra towing the 300,000 pound Space Shuttle?
It makes me laugh as they don't mention they never went over 5 mph, nor how fast they could stop it or how far the Tundra towed it. But this misleading commercial leads you to believe that the 1/2 ton pickup would be safe in towing anything. I hate misleading commercials. What do you think?

Jim, we loved our Tundra pulling our NorthTrail 21FBS, but yes, I think this is very misleading!!!


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Jim, I believe its a crock. I watched as they showed the pix of the drive line. With that much weight the drive shaft at the pinon gear should have gone straight up and almost bound up or twisted off.

You mean a Tundra can't tow a large 5th wheel? I need to cancel my "Year End Sales Event" order.

With that done I have to ask; which tow vehicle should I buy for my 5th wheel?

The new line at every RV dealer in the countrywait for it "You have a Tundra... you can pull anything on my lot with that"

It really DID happen as the shuttle tow was covered on LIVE TV in the L.A. area. There is a LOT of unreadable, very fine print, on the video screen during those pictures. This might have been at the 1 overpass they COVERED in steel deck plates from all over southern California as they didn't think the asphalt would bear the load, so the rolling resistance might have been much less than the rest of the route.

I looked this up on Google and read this link: http://jalopnik.com/5951454/how-a-5600+pound-toyota-towed-a-292000+pound-space-shuttle

On the 3rd paragraph in the link the Toyota engineer in charge says that most any truck with 400 foot pounds of torque or more could have done it - So your rig could have done it too!! And also, it was done to keep the weight of the regular heavy tow vehicle off of the overpass at the same time as the shuttle, as collapse of that overpass was a real fear.

jmgratz said:

I hate misleading commercials. What do you think?

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I wonder how many people have actually had a hamburger or pizza that looks anywhere near what is pictured on TV.
My burgers are usually squashed flat with almost no condiments. No where near "piled high".

Peace
Dave

It was definitely moving at a crawl.

What was the trans temp?


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One day I'll put something clever in here.

I found it very interesting, and assume that Ford, Chevy/GMC, or Ram would have jumped at the chance if given as well. The dynamics in play are similar to those in the "strong man pulls the bus" demonstrations. The tow platform was taking all of the load of the shuttle so this was a flat tow. So consistent torque at a relatively low value could get the thing rolling if applied long enough and resistance of the tow platform was low enough - for which is was already engineered. Even funnier though for Toyota is that you could have likely done this with a Corolla as well, so not really proving much.

But there are millions out there who now think they can pull the biggest, baddest coach on the road with a Toyota Tundra. Well played gentlemen, well played... Would have been more fun though if they had strapped a Heartland Cyclone and a Ranger Bass Boat behind the shuttle for a California "triple-tow".

I've been lucky enough to see in person both a launch and a landing. Guess I should have flown to the coast to see it traveling the streets of the city as well. That launch is something I will never forget - a story for another day perhaps!

rgwilliams69 said:

I've been lucky enough to see in person both a launch and a landing. Guess I should have flown to the coast to see it traveling the streets of the city as well. That launch is something I will never forget - a story for another day perhaps!

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Been fortunate enough to see 2 launches in fantastic viewing area, will never forget and only wished I could have seen a Sat V launch!

As to this event, disappointed that toyo was picked and not one of the big 3, even if it was done with all 3 in a tandem tow.

I think I remember seeing somewhere that Toyota already has some type of strategic business alignment with NASA, which is why there were able to get the opportunity.

rgwilliams69 said:

I think I remember seeing somewhere that Toyota already has some type of strategic business alignment with NASA, which is why there were able to get the opportunity.

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Actually, the article I linked said that Toyota has had a long term relationship with the L.A. science museum that got the shuttle.

Its like the question what came first, the Chicken or the egg? Regardless if it could or could not have done the pull, it is representing a pull without weight on the TV. Put some weight in the back of the Toyo and then lets make and advertisement. I would expect a different result....

I do have to respond to all this sarcasm, We pull our North Trail 28BRS with our Tundra, we are within all weight limits and it pulls our trailer like a charm. Would I ever pull a 5th wheel with it NO, but for certain TT, it does a very good job. We knew of this commercial before purchasing our Tundra...we just felt that the Tundra would do the best job for us until we upgrade to a 5th in a few years. Was the shuttle pulling a bit over the top

Well to each his own.

I guess my original post in this thread was not to knock the Tundra but the ad agencies that produce the misleading ads. They are all over the place but this particular one just 'got my goat'. I think it would have had more of an impact on the public if they tried to set a Guiness record by having the fewest amount of human power pull the Shuttle across the bridge. Truth in advertising. C'mon man.

Oh I completely agree..the whole advertisement is very cheesy, but the vehicle works well for me..now if our North Trail is planning to orbit the moon...I will purchase another , better vehicle. I understand how other Heartland owners might view view this, we kinda have a smaller group of Heartland owners in the TT class. I do enjoy all the debates about TV's

Advertisement is just that, fabricated results. Just like the 2012 Presidential Campaigns. I could careless if a Tundra towed the Shuttle at 10 ft per minute even though they struggle with 10klb at 70mph. People will be really disappointed buying a Tundra based on the results of that commercial.

What has me all bent with this commercial is that its another slap in the face for the people in Houston/Clear Lake, Texas. One of the Shuttle's should be spending the remainder of its life at NASA in Clear Lake, TX. Not a model.


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mattpopp said:

Advertisement is just that, fabricated results. Just like the 2012 Presidential Campaigns. I could careless if a Tundra towed the Shuttle at 10 ft per minute even though they struggle with 10klb at 70mph. People will be really disappointed buying a Tundra based on the results of that commercial.

What has me all bent with this commercial is that its another slap in the face for the people in Houston/Clear Lake, Texas. One of the Shuttle's should be spending the remainder of its life at NASA in Clear Lake, TX. Not a model.


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I agree NASA at Clear Lake should have a real shuttle. It was just another way the administration took a shot at Texas. BLAH