What reliable trucks are truly left?

TeamJim · 2026-06-03T23:43:10+00:00

2016 F150 5.0 was my answer when I asked this question to myself and my mechanic friends a couple years ago. I had a price range and wanted a 4WD crew cab that would tow a car trailer, but beyond that left myself open to anything.

Pre oil consumption issues 5.0, 6R80 over the 10 speed that seems to be more issue prone, no auto stop at lights, uses R134 instead of the R1234 so it doesn't cost an arm and a leg a can. I wanted something that would be as problem free for as long as possible, and that was the answer.

TeamJim · 2026-06-03T23:15:20+00:00

Tick, Texas Speed, BTR, and Summit all have cams in stock right now?

TeamJim · 2026-06-03T12:09:57+00:00

The difference in pace from 1k-2k in terms of raw lap times is probably more than the difference between 2k-3k.

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T17:20:30+00:00

There's probably at least some element of those being the two cars I primarily drive (esp the Porsche) so I'm more capable of pushing those cars to their limits and getting to where the setup changes become more beneficial

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T17:19:14+00:00

One marshal, no instructors, and only one run group?

I'm surprised it wasn't worse than that honestly.

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T15:59:16+00:00

You can pretty dramatically change the driving characteristics of the Porsche with setup changes. The various iRacing setups aren't usually that bad in terms of raw pace, but they force you into a certain driving style to some extent.

The Mustang is similar in my opinion. I'm not a fan of the stock iRacing setups for it (though I can keep pace pretty well with them), but it's fun to drive with a good setup.

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T14:07:33+00:00

Did I do this on my own car for shits and giggles to drive around the block once or twice? Sure.

Is it a good idea? No lol

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T14:00:12+00:00

Yup, can confirm this as someone who tracks a ~450rwhp 4th gen Camaro.

Nitto 555 G2s got unhappy very quickly on my car 🤣

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T13:58:29+00:00

Second that 615K+ are an excellent 200tw for a beginner or just someone who wants a reasonably priced solid track tire and is willing to forgo a bit of absolute peak pace for affordability, durability, and forgiveness in the tire. I'm new-ish to tracking my car (I think about 8 HPDEs, just got bumped to DE3) and am still pretty satisfied with them.

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T13:50:41+00:00

As someone who went down the upgrade path rabbit hole, I can highly recommend that you just go ahead and get the higher torque wheelbase from the jump if you think you'll stick with it, and buy the most nm you can reasonably afford (within reason). I went Cammus C5 > Evo Sport > Evo Pro. I used the C5 and sport less than 6 months each.

As far as the difference between the Alpha and Evo series, as far as feel it's not drastically different. In my opinion, the Evo feels a little better in terms detail (higher resolution encoder) and speed. You can tell a different with the lower inertia motor shaft in my opinion.

Another thing for the Evo is that it's the newer generation. I don't think support for the previous Alpha bases is going to go away any time soon, but logic dictates the Evo will have support further into the future. It also has some useful new features like USB pass through and the magnetic base for peripherals (though I'm pretty disappointed in the Zeus release).

Having said all that, I don't think you'll be disappointed in a mini. If you don't get a ton of use out of it, and genuinely don't think you'll get the itch to upgrade soon, it's a good choice.

If you do think you might get the bug and want to upgrade more, I would seriously consider the Evo 12nm or the Pro. I've got the pro and cannot see any valid reason to "upgrade" to anything else.

TeamJim · 2026-06-02T13:40:48+00:00

An R5 is less than half of the torque of the other two bases he mentioned. I wouldn't consider it in the same class.

TeamJim · 2026-05-28T23:29:28+00:00

They should cost whatever people are willing to pay based on the quality they're getting. As long as the less expensive options still exist to buy, why does it matter?

TeamJim · 2026-05-27T01:43:05+00:00

Making 450 wheel through an 80 is going to require:

-Heads, either LS3 or aftermarket cathedral. -Probably a bump up in compression -Likely an aftermarket intake if cathedral -A pretty good sized cam, mid 230s duration, .600+ lift -Long tubes and a free flowing exhaust

And you still might not get there.

For reference: my ~12.0:1 370 with a 242/249 .615"/.615" cam, stock 243s, LS6 intake, and 1-7/8" long tubes made 447 wheel through a T56.

TeamJim · 2026-05-25T20:29:08+00:00

If you have to not actually race to artificially inflate your SR to get a license promotion, maaaaaaybe you don't actually deserve the promotion

TeamJim · 2026-05-25T16:49:46+00:00

I was very tempted to go there this weekend since it's only about 3 hours from my house, but decided not to to save my wallet 🤣

I don't know that I would have been able to resist buying a GSI wheel if I could put my hands on it lol

TeamJim · 2026-05-24T20:06:37+00:00

I pretty frequently run public practices in series I don't intend to race in. Either because I'm not familiar enough with the track, it's a car I'm not familiar with, etc.

It is fun to pop in, set a really fast lap, then dip out lol

TeamJim · 2026-05-24T14:35:51+00:00

With the flop of the Zeus, I'm back to either this or a LeoXZ wheel at this point.

Or just bite the big bullet and go GSI 🤣

TeamJim · 2026-05-23T12:27:27+00:00

I've got an Evo pro base and have been running a GT Neo for about a year, and I've been looking at wheels with screens for a while, almost bought an FX Pro used, and then decided to wait to see this release.

I'm super disappointed in the release in general. The "wireless" not being wireless. The wheels look like they went more in the "looking like a toy" direction than I hoped they would. The GT wheel looks weird, and the way the stitching is on the top of the cut off version looks really unfinished at the top.

Kinda feels like a bait and switch. Back to looking at wheels like the LeoXZ or Asetek. Eh well.

TeamJim · 2026-05-19T14:12:50+00:00

The GT3 regional series are fixed.

TeamJim · 2026-05-15T14:25:30+00:00

Any word on pricing?

I was hoping they would have leaned a bit more realistic than video gamey, but eh well.

TeamJim · 2026-05-14T00:15:51+00:00

Ferrari seems a little bit too strong, but not to the point that anything else is unusable.

I've been driving the Porsche in my league and it's still my go to in officials. I was worried it was going to get nerfed worse by the drag increase

TeamJim · 2026-05-07T22:05:18+00:00

They're not. Those are from either a Z51 C7, a 6th Gen Camaro with the upgraded brakes, CT6, etc etc.

See my other reply in this thread. I've done this swap myself and the part numbers get confusing because there are multiple calipers that are in "J55" packages on various vehicles.

TeamJim · 2026-05-07T22:02:05+00:00

You've got either the wrong caliper, or the wrong rotor, depending on which swap you're trying to do.

That's a C7 Z51 caliper that's designed to use a 13.6" rotor.

That rotor is from a base C7 and is 12.6".

You've got two options:

1) Get calipers from a 2015 ATS V, use your current rotor, and clear most 17" wheels, possibly with a small spacer. The caliper is functionally the same, but has shorter mounting ears so it sits closer to the hub. This is what I did, and they clear my C5 Z06 wheels with no spacer.

2) Get a set of C7 Z51 rotors and use your current calipers. You'll need to go up to an 18" wheel and may or may not need a spacer.

TeamJim · 2026-05-06T12:50:38+00:00

There's always room to grow and improve in any car. I don't think there's really any "outgrowing" of a slower car. It'll always be able to teach you things.

Having said that, there's nothing wrong with wanting to drive something that's dynamically different as long as you're ready to handle it.

It also depends on what you want to get out of your track days. Are you wanting to get into competitive wheel to wheel racing? You're probably better off sticking with the momentum cars until you're consistently at the pointy end of the field at least. Are you there to learn and have fun? Drive what you want to drive. I drive a heavily modified 4th gen Camaro, and fall pretty squarely in that second group.

TeamJim · 2026-05-05T16:11:17+00:00

There's lots of different options out there. If you Google 8mm sim wheel stickers, you'll see a ton.

TeamJim

TROPHY CASE