Titan Rear Wheel Steer Option

[dman]

Originally Posted by outahere

That is because of the springs and shocks, and not because of the steerable rear axle.

Ah but additional weight may be a factor as well. With more weight Chevy may have deemed it necessary to install stiffer springs...creating a rougher riding truck.

[dman]

Personally I don't feel as though the quadrasteer system offers any great advantages. Sure it may turn a bit quicker or park a bit easier but I always feel that less complicated and few parts mean less can go wrong with your vehicle and cheaper long term ownership.

[maverick17]

dman has a point.

Also... anyone know of someone who has a GM with Quadrasteer? Whats the alignment maintenance needs/cost like for that feature? I'm sure that its higher than a front-steering vehicle just like maintenance costs are a little higher for 4x4s over 4x2s.

[outahere]

Originally Posted by dman

Ah but additional weight may be a factor as well. With more weight Chevy may have deemed it necessary to install stiffer springs...creating a rougher riding truck.

The springs are stiffer because Quadrasteer is only offered on the 3/4 ton Chevy pickup, and not on the half ton truck. If QS were available on the 1/2 ton Chevy, I see no reason why it should adversely affect the ride.

[outahere]

Originally Posted by dman

............ but I always feel that less complicated and few parts mean less can go wrong with your vehicle and cheaper long term ownership.

Do you buy your vehicles without A/C, power steering, automatic transmission, limited slip differential, alarm system, audio system, power windows, or air bags? After all, these things make a vehicle more complicated and are susceptible to future problems.

[Derodeo]

Originally Posted by dman

Personally I don't feel as though the quadrasteer system offers any great advantages. Sure it may turn a bit quicker or park a bit easier but I always feel that less complicated and few parts mean less can go wrong with your vehicle and cheaper long term ownership.

A BIT quicker? A BIT easier? Quadrasteer makes a huge difference to turning radius (close to 40% improvement). Backing up with a trailer is easier and requires far less room to maneuver. You can back a trailer into spots you wouldn't even consider with any other truck. I was really quite shocked when I tried it on a neighbor's 3/4 ton GMC. I never tried drove it at highway speeds where the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels (the opposite is true at low speed) but apparently this makes lane changes very slick indeed. As far as complexity goes, quadrasteer is a pretty proven technology by now and doesn't present a lot of additional maintenance outside of the need to keep all 4 wheels aligned. Really the only real drawback about the technology is the cost of it and GM has recently shown it doesn't cost nearly as much as they originally insinuated by making it a >6K option.

[dman]

Originally Posted by outahere

Do you buy your vehicles without A/C, power steering, automatic transmission, limited slip differential, alarm system, audio system, power windows, or air bags? After all, these things make a vehicle more complicated and are susceptible to future problems.

So you don't agree that having fewer parts generally means fewer things to go wrong? Think about it for a bit. Seems pretty rational to me. Lets see I have a thingamadoodle made up of 2 parts...then I have a thingamajigger which is a thingamadoodle but has 2 more optional parts. Seems like common knowledge that more can wrong with the thingamajigger with more parts. BTW, sorry for such a stupid analogy.

But of course I get my vehicles with a lot of those things, but I also didn't get navi, no 4wd, no quadrasteer (obviously not on a Titan but would not have with a Chevy either), no rear backup beeper, etc. Obviously I like a few creature comforts and a lot of these things I had no choice on. Actually there are a few bells and whistles on my Titan that I would prefer not to have...power seats, power pedals, etc. Obviously there are already problems showing up with the power seats...hence my point. I am only saying that even if the quadrasteer were offered on the Titan at $1000, I would not purchase it. It offers no real advantages to me PERSONALLY and I would be concerned with future problems and/or maintenance costs. Imagine the cost to fix this system should it break?

While vehicles have gotten much more advanced over the years, we still have a lot that can wrong on these technological wonders. O2 sensors always going out, transmission problems, many electrical problems, brake warping. Not saying these are all Titan problems just common problems in the industry.