K5 vs Bronco lbs cargo spec video

[wazzabie]

I had no ideal that the K5 far out performs the bronco in lbs cargo capacity.

http://testdrivejunkie.com/1981-che...rd-bronco-manufacturer-dealer-training-video/

 

[Slade001]

That 1 MPG would have been the deal breaker!!

 

[rebelgregory]

Did he really try to highlight the K5's "new aerodynamics"?

 

[badmix]

Haha..that was fun to watch. that 2wd Blazer didnt look right, lol.

I find it hard to believe the Bronco cant carry more than 3 cider blocks, lol.

 

[Blue85]

Who ever got 21MPG in either of these rigs? At least until the next year when the 6.2L was offered.

Notice they didn't compare the "convenience" of getting back out of 4WD. I wish the ad highlighted Bronco TTB. "Under the Blazer we have a truck axle, which is durable and useful. Under the Bronco we have this broken in half axle thing which is good for........." Then the camera would zoom in on the front tires, which already had ridiculous camber, even from the factory...while the guy laughed his head off.

 

[dyeager535]

Yes, I find those MPG figures crazy, as that was even before OD in the K5. I never got over 17 in an '83 K5 (305/700/208/3.08/235's) and I think I'm pretty capable of extracting excellent MPG out of rigs.

Granted, that's out of a truck that was already like 12 years old at the time, but I just don't see losing that much MPG. Could be wrong about losing that much over time, but that's a massive change.

 

[Blue85]

The EPA schedules changed after that because the numbers were always higher than people ever achieved in real use. Maybe everything at exactly ideal conditions and a speed too slow to safely be on the highway you could get there at steady state, but based on the fuel pump and odometer I bet their "city" 16MPG was about all you could ever get in real highway driving. Could be that the manufacturers just kept inflating the numbers every year, too. Without any good standard method, the MPG ratings get like oil-less air compressor HP numbers or the power ratings of amplifiers in the JC Whitney catalog.

 

[Blue85]

So in real use was there really much difference in the cargo capacity of Bronco and Blazer or was it just GM and Ford calculating things differently? A K5 has very soft rear springs - was Bronco any softer? Did the overload leaf make the difference? The 9" diff is definitely stronger than the GM 8.5", is the wheel bearing capacity any different?