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CyberTruck

John McLaughlin

Jetboaters Captain
Messages
780
Reaction score
1,916
Points
237
Location
Ocean Pines Md
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2011
Boat Model
SX
Boat Length
21
I am thinking of trading our F250 2012 Diesel for a Cybertruck. Now I know there are other threads on the truck, however, I was wondering if you have one are still enjoying it? Also if you would could you please tell me the extras you had added, how difficult is it to charge with AS hooked up (ours is a 2012 25 FT FB) and any other information that might sway my decision. Many thanks[flag]
 
In before politics.......Just saying, it's gonna be hard to avoid on this one.

To answer the question, I don't have one. Likely won't for a variety of reasons. Big issue's I see from the outside, having sat at charging stations with them, and chatted with a few owners.

Charge port is on the left rear, and they're intended to be backed in to superchargers. This is going to be an issue for "most" superchargers while towing. I've run across several pull through superchargers, and those will likely just kind of work OK depending on how busy they are. Having a trailer will either block the aisleway, or block the next charger with the trailer. I would research your common routes, and use google satellite view to see what the charging situation is, and how you would approach it with a trailer. My Rivian has a charge port in the front, so I've looked at the chargers I expect to use and think I can get away without dropping the trailer due to the lack of popularity of charger and the parking lot layout.

Range might or might not be an issue for you. I've met a couple CT owners that tow locally, and they like the experience, but they're towing smaller trailers relatively short distances. Range was an issue for me towing in IN/KY, but now that I'm in NY I expect it to be less of a hassle. There are SC's between me and the lake, and the lakes are closer now. I've not seen great data from CT towing, but I'm sure it's out there. Do your due diligence here, it could be an issue, it could be nothing.

I think you need to consider your location and the political climate a little. I'm seeing some hate towards the brand online, as well as vandalism of the trucks/cars from the brand. I don't know if this is wide spread, or localized, but it's something to consider. Draw your own conclusions here, I'm not picking a side, just think it's worth more than a cursory dismissal either direction.

Finally, someone will bring it up so I'll go ahead and toss my $0.02 in here. WhistlinDiesel and JerryRigEverything have both destroyed a Cybertruk hitch on YouTube. Both, IMO, were BS clickbait style videos. JerryRigEverything was "more scientific" than the other, but it wasn't even close to a fair assessment IMO. I, personally, don't think there are any quality or design issues with the CT hitch/structure given the loads one would expect to see if not driving like an idiot, or purposefully overloading the vehicle. I actually did my senior FEA project while getting my engineering degree on trailer hitches, their attachment to frame, and the effects of various accessories like drop hitches and hitch extenders have on the hitch. With that background, I can confidently dismiss both of those Youtubers tests as being mostly invalid.

Good luck with your search and let us know how it shakes out. I'm interested in hearing where you land.
 
Something to keep in mind in the volatile resale values of EV’s, and probably Teslas in particular. Seems the Cybertrucks have had their share of recalls, with the latest one being almost all of them due to the glue used on the trim failing.
 
Something to keep in mind in the volatile resale values of EV’s, and probably Teslas in particular. Seems the Cybertrucks have had their share of recalls, with the latest one being almost all of them due to the glue used on the trim failing.
I didn't touch on this, but it's a very valid point. I leased my Rivian for this exact reason. 3yrs is a long time for an EV currently, and tech is changing quickly to the point it could cause values to fall off a cliff. If you're buying to own forever, it's a non-issue. If you think you're only in it for 5-ish years, a lease is a reasonable consideration to give it a try with a known financial penalty.
 
leasing is the only logical choice on EVs currently.
 
We’ve had our Tesla MY Performance for about 4 months now and we LOVE it. Hands down the most fun car I’ve ever driven and makes me smile from ear to ear every time I drive it. It’s sooooooooo fast. I’m totally satisfied with it.

I’d totally get a Tesla truck if they actually had a normal truck. I just can’t do the Cyber Truck. A lot to do with the looks but mostly because of functionality. Headlights in a poor position, truck bed, etc. Not to mention price and resale as already mentioned.

Honestly, even though I’m REALLY satisfied with Tesla I think I’d do a Lightening first and I think Ford has a lower build/design quality. But it’s just a more functional truck.
 
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We’ve had our Tesla MY Performance for about 4 months now and we LOVE it. Hands down the most fun car I’ve ever driven and makes me smile from ear to ear every time I drive it. It’s sooooooooo fast. I’m totally satisfied with it.

I’d totally get a Tesla truck if they actually had a normal truck. I just can’t do the Cyber Truck. A lot to do with the looks but mostly because of functionality. Headlights in a poor position, truck bed, etc. Not to mention price and resale as already mentioned.

Honestly, even though I’m REALLY satisfied with Tesla I think I’d do a Lightening first and I think Ford has a lower build/design quality. But it’s just a more functional truck.
I agree wholeheartedly on the lightning being a better choice overall if you’re going for an electric pickup. The cybertruck from technology standpoint has the massive advancements of 48v architecture and steer by wire. But too many tradeoffs for the rest of it, and I don’t want to drive a car that is so polarizing, there’s no getting away from that unfortunately.
 
In before politics.......Just saying, it's gonna be hard to avoid on this one.

To answer the question, I don't have one. Likely won't for a variety of reasons. Big issue's I see from the outside, having sat at charging stations with them, and chatted with a few owners.

Charge port is on the left rear, and they're intended to be backed in to superchargers. This is going to be an issue for "most" superchargers while towing. I've run across several pull through superchargers, and those will likely just kind of work OK depending on how busy they are. Having a trailer will either block the aisleway, or block the next charger with the trailer. I would research your common routes, and use google satellite view to see what the charging situation is, and how you would approach it with a trailer. My Rivian has a charge port in the front, so I've looked at the chargers I expect to use and think I can get away without dropping the trailer due to the lack of popularity of charger and the parking lot layout.

Range might or might not be an issue for you. I've met a couple CT owners that tow locally, and they like the experience, but they're towing smaller trailers relatively short distances. Range was an issue for me towing in IN/KY, but now that I'm in NY I expect it to be less of a hassle. There are SC's between me and the lake, and the lakes are closer now. I've not seen great data from CT towing, but I'm sure it's out there. Do your due diligence here, it could be an issue, it could be nothing.

I think you need to consider your location and the political climate a little. I'm seeing some hate towards the brand online, as well as vandalism of the trucks/cars from the brand. I don't know if this is wide spread, or localized, but it's something to consider. Draw your own conclusions here, I'm not picking a side, just think it's worth more than a cursory dismissal either direction.

Finally, someone will bring it up so I'll go ahead and toss my $0.02 in here. WhistlinDiesel and JerryRigEverything have both destroyed a Cybertruk hitch on YouTube. Both, IMO, were BS clickbait style videos. JerryRigEverything was "more scientific" than the other, but it wasn't even close to a fair assessment IMO. I, personally, don't think there are any quality or design issues with the CT hitch/structure given the loads one would expect to see if not driving like an idiot, or purposefully overloading the vehicle. I actually did my senior FEA project while getting my engineering degree on trailer hitches, their attachment to frame, and the effects of various accessories like drop hitches and hitch extenders have on the hitch. With that background, I can confidently dismiss both of those Youtubers tests as being mostly invalid.

Good luck with your search and let us know how it shakes out. I'm interested in hearing where you land.
Not to derail this topic, I’d be very interested to hear more about the effects of accessories on hitches if there are some universal impacts. I have wondered whether the riser I use to get level has a big impact on things or not, for example.
 
Honestly, even though I’m REALLY satisfied with Tesla I think I’d do a Lightening first and I think Ford has a lower build/design quality. But it’s just a more functional truck.
Has anyone seen a good review of the For Lightning? I have seen plenty of bad reviews. How about the Silverado EV? Is that animal out yet? The GMC Sierra Denali EV is supposedly, and not talking the Hummer EV. It's cool, but way too much money and over the top like the cyber truck.

I'm with the others, I want it to look normal as not to draw unwanted attention. What I don't get are the yahoos vandalizing Teslas without realizing they have cams built in recording all the way around them.
 
Has anyone seen a good review of the For Lightning? I have seen plenty of bad reviews. How about the Silverado EV? Is that animal out yet? The GMC Sierra Denali EV is supposedly, and not talking the Hummer EV. It's cool, but way too much money and over the top like the cyber truck.

I'm with the others, I want it to look normal as not to draw unwanted attention. What I don't get are the yahoos vandalizing Teslas without realizing they have cams built in recording all the way around them.
I haven't. If I had to go EV truck, I would wait and strongly considered the RamCharger. My Ram 1500 has been rock solid for 5.5 years now. I think that truck is going to change everything.
 
Not to derail this topic, I’d be very interested to hear more about the effects of accessories on hitches if there are some universal impacts. I have wondered whether the riser I use to get level has a big impact on things or not, for example.
Essentially, it all boils down to the loading that gets applied. We "think" and intuitively "feel" like towing is a VERY strenuous activity, but when you start examining the strength of the joints and really get into the active loads, it's not nearly as large as you would expect.

For instance, lets take a 10k lb trailer. How much force would you think gets applied during acceleration? 10k? 20k? 5k? The truth of the matter is that even the fastest, hardest accelerating trucks, barely pull 1G on "launch", so that "pull" force is barely 10klbs. Aside from some really serious abuse, you'll be hard pressed to generate 7.5k of pull force. So the loading, in general, is much lower than most anticipate.

From there we can look at things like strengths of materials, bolting patterns, and other mechanical properties. What I found was that most of these are designed with dynamic safety factors well into 7-10 range. This means that they are designed to not just "not fail", but to "not deform" at 7-10 times the "rated" loads. This is "life safety" device territory, like you would find for lifting lugs on harnesses and such. This, somewhat holds true in it taking almost 11k lbs to pull the rear hitch off the cybertruk, when pulled straight down. It's rated for like 1.1k lbs of tongue weight I think, and 11k lbs of down force is the equivalent of a 10G of force on the hitch, or a safety factor of 10. So, you can see it's a little disengenuis to claim that hitch will fail with a 11k lb trailer. That load case would require some significant abuse to reach.

Now, in your particular case, something like a drop hitch doesn't really change the magnitude of the load, but rather the dimensions at which it's applied. This will "eat into" that safety factor, but what you have to look at is the total change from stock to new position. For instance, lets say you normally run a 0in drop, and you're new trailer of the same weight requires a 6in drop. The important measurement is how much the change is from the old to the new in reference to where the hitch bolts to the frame. If it's already 9in above the 0in ball, you've increased it to 15in with the drop hitch, or less than a 2x magnification of supported moment. If you already have a 7x safety factor, you now have a 5x safety factor. So the risk of failure (and most peoples experience supports this) is pretty low.

We can also talk materials. The choice of a cast aluminum on the Cybertruk is an interesting one. There are some downsides, like the fact that it's brittle and not ductile (little to no warning before failure), it doesn't have a fatigue life (this really only matters if you are stressing it to measurable deformation levels), and it's not exceptionally well suited for impacts (see ductility issues above). HOWEVER, all those bad things are offset with some good things like considerably more robust geometry from the casting process, higher safety factor deployed in design, and lightness for the larger percentage of time you're NOT towing. I see how Tesla got where they are, and I totally see the misunderstanding from JQPublic; especially in a VERY VERY conservative group of people like those of us that tow regularly. Had a guy tell me on reddit the other day that I needed a 2500 to tow 7k lbs regularly, these people exist in high numbers in the towing community, and they're just chocked full of these old adages, misunderstandings, and general "My experience dictates I'm right" mentalities.

Let me know if I answered your question. I can talk about this crap for hours, and tend to ramble some.
 
@biffdotorg TFL had a Lightning for some time. They had pretty honest reviews of it. Like all EVs they experienced long range towing issues. But towing local they found it a beast. The guy that does State of Charge is also quite positive about the Lightning.
 
Has anyone seen a good review of the For Lightning? I have seen plenty of bad reviews. How about the Silverado EV? Is that animal out yet? The GMC Sierra Denali EV is supposedly, and not talking the Hummer EV. It's cool, but way too much money and over the top like the cyber truck.

I'm with the others, I want it to look normal as not to draw unwanted attention. What I don't get are the yahoos vandalizing Teslas without realizing they have cams built in recording all the way around them.
I've driven a lightning and the Sierra EV.

The Lightning is an F150 with a battery and electric motors. Same fit/finish/style/interior as an F-150. It's the closest thing you can get to a "normal" truck with an electric driveline. Take that as you will for good/bad aspects of it.

The Sierra EV is nice. It's as big as a 2500 pickup. has very GM build quality, but fits in the "Denali" line quite well. GM owns the market on range, and I'll likely look at a Sierra as my next truck. GMC has always been good to me, I have no doubts this will be the same.
 
Love the Tesla Tech, but can't get over Cyber Truck looks.
Also still not sold on Truck EV stuff. Tow range is not great unless you use it locally. Driving it to big box stores to get mulch?
Price is another huge pain point $80-100k plus wiring house for EV. And Ram Charger is delayed till 2026, probably would not buy first year model anyway.
We just got my son brand new 2024 F150 STX 5.0 V8 4x4 with extended fuel tank for $47k. plus $1.6k for 100k mile warranty. 700 miles on a tank is pretty sweet. Can tow pretty well and actually his V8 gets better milage then my EcoBoost.
So point is, I rather buy 2 F150 trucks then buy EV from Chevy, Ford, Ram, or Rivian for double the price and deal with their EV issues.
Yes you can find 2023 F150 Lightning Pro under $50k, but range is 240 miles and it is filled with issues they are correcting for the past 2 years.
 
I also am still not sold, at least for my usage, on the idea of an EV pickup. The RamCharger could be a game changer, but as it still hasn’t been released, and the price is unknown, 🤷. I’m glad I only have 48k miles on my 2020 Ram 1500, as there is no truck on the market I would currently trade it for.
 
I'm a fan of Tesla, but the Cybertruck is about the last vehicle I'd buy. I test drove a Lightning before I got my M3P, really really liked it, but at the time it was still hilariously expensive. Those prices have come down a lot, and if I were buying today, I'd dump my F150 and buy that. Whenever I get tired of the Model 3, I'll likely dump both that and my truck and get a lightning.
 
Essentially, it all boils down to the loading that gets applied. We "think" and intuitively "feel" like towing is a VERY strenuous activity, but when you start examining the strength of the joints and really get into the active loads, it's not nearly as large as you would expect.

For instance, lets take a 10k lb trailer. How much force would you think gets applied during acceleration? 10k? 20k? 5k? The truth of the matter is that even the fastest, hardest accelerating trucks, barely pull 1G on "launch", so that "pull" force is barely 10klbs. Aside from some really serious abuse, you'll be hard pressed to generate 7.5k of pull force. So the loading, in general, is much lower than most anticipate.

From there we can look at things like strengths of materials, bolting patterns, and other mechanical properties. What I found was that most of these are designed with dynamic safety factors well into 7-10 range. This means that they are designed to not just "not fail", but to "not deform" at 7-10 times the "rated" loads. This is "life safety" device territory, like you would find for lifting lugs on harnesses and such. This, somewhat holds true in it taking almost 11k lbs to pull the rear hitch off the cybertruk, when pulled straight down. It's rated for like 1.1k lbs of tongue weight I think, and 11k lbs of down force is the equivalent of a 10G of force on the hitch, or a safety factor of 10. So, you can see it's a little disengenuis to claim that hitch will fail with a 11k lb trailer. That load case would require some significant abuse to reach.

Now, in your particular case, something like a drop hitch doesn't really change the magnitude of the load, but rather the dimensions at which it's applied. This will "eat into" that safety factor, but what you have to look at is the total change from stock to new position. For instance, lets say you normally run a 0in drop, and you're new trailer of the same weight requires a 6in drop. The important measurement is how much the change is from the old to the new in reference to where the hitch bolts to the frame. If it's already 9in above the 0in ball, you've increased it to 15in with the drop hitch, or less than a 2x magnification of supported moment. If you already have a 7x safety factor, you now have a 5x safety factor. So the risk of failure (and most peoples experience supports this) is pretty low.

We can also talk materials. The choice of a cast aluminum on the Cybertruk is an interesting one. There are some downsides, like the fact that it's brittle and not ductile (little to no warning before failure), it doesn't have a fatigue life (this really only matters if you are stressing it to measurable deformation levels), and it's not exceptionally well suited for impacts (see ductility issues above). HOWEVER, all those bad things are offset with some good things like considerably more robust geometry from the casting process, higher safety factor deployed in design, and lightness for the larger percentage of time you're NOT towing. I see how Tesla got where they are, and I totally see the misunderstanding from JQPublic; especially in a VERY VERY conservative group of people like those of us that tow regularly. Had a guy tell me on reddit the other day that I needed a 2500 to tow 7k lbs regularly, these people exist in high numbers in the towing community, and they're just chocked full of these old adages, misunderstandings, and general "My experience dictates I'm right" mentalities.

Let me know if I answered your question. I can talk about this crap for hours, and tend to ramble some.
Thank you, I appreciate the answer
 
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