2008 Platinum and TEMS

[Gator Smiles]

I've enjoyed reading posts in the thread started by beckerg and am trying to decide whether the Platinum or Limited is for me. I am in Central Florida (on an unrelated note--I saw Wesley Snipes going into the courthouse today) and am getting a 2wd. The air conditioned seats would be really nice, but it is hard to justify the additional $3000 for a Platinum over a loaded Limited just for the seats. So, how effective is TEMS?

I don't plan on towing much but am used to the concept of adjustable suspensions. Is there a noticeable difference between comfort and sport? What setting would you leave it in most of the time (around town and highway).

[keg97]

Don't own one, but we had a Platinum for a weekend test drive. I can't say that there is a "noticeable" difference btwn comfort and sport. Is there a difference? Yeah, I suppose, but I'm not sure that you would necessarily surmise that there is a difference w/out knowing that the system was in there.

[crashing_sux]

I've had different results, I find the difference to be very noticeable, especially on potholes and railroad tracks. There is a normal setting which I actually almost never use, I use comfort most of the time and use the stiffer settings only when I'm driving on twisty roads or dealing with extra weight in the truck like towing or filling it up with five of my friends. I went down a couple of gravel roads which had stutter bumps on them and it made a very nice difference. Still, if I didn't tow or deal with any tounge weight I probably wouldn't pay the difference just for the TEMS (although don't forget you get the memory seats/mirrors/telescoping steering wheel too).

Personally I have a trailer on my Sequoia more often than not, and when I don't have a trailer on it I will have a motorcycle directly on the hitch. The tounge weight requires the air bags to be inflated, and when they are pumped up you definitely want the suspension to be stiffer (sport mode) or the ride gets bouncy like you have blown shocks.

[srock]

Dont want to hijack this thread but how does that motorcycle carrier work. Looking at one myself.

[crashing_sux]

I don't have that one, but I used to have a two bike model that carried the bikes by the frame (instead of the wheels). The company is out of business so I'm ordering a two bike model from addabike.com. The frame and addabike units hold the bikes closer to the back of the truck which reduces the leverage the bikes have on the hitch.

A lot of bike carriers, including the one in the picture above, require you to tie the bike down to them with tie down straps. I don't care for those designs, they move around on the back and if you hit the brakes hard there is a real chance you would put a handlebar through the back window. The frame mounted models hold the bike by the footpegs and there is no way it's tilting. The addabike has a cool bar that goes over the seat so they load up very quickly, but the bar also serves as an absolute stop preventing the bike from rocking towards the back window. Hit their site up, they have a 30 second video showing the bike loading up and driving away, it's very simple.

When I have five friends going with me I fill up the Sequoia and pull a trailer, but when it's only two of us the bike carriers are really nice. It was a big part of why I bought the Sequoia, able to handle 1000lbs of tounge weight and suspension that I can stiffen up when I add air to the air bags, plus the ability to fit six guys inside without headroom issues or having to sit three accross like a supercrew. Getting a 30 year old guy to sit in the middle is absolutely impossible, they'll just drive their own car instead of hopping in my rig and forking over gas money

[crashing_sux]

By the way, if you're intersted in the addabike brand you have to call or email to get the two bike model, they don't advertise it on their website.

Note the bar preventing the bike from getting too close to the rear end of the Sequoia, much more important on an SUV than a pickup. A lot of people use these on the back of a truck to get a third bike when they allready have two in the bed, so the designers don't pay enough attention to keeping the bike away from the back window, or they just space the bikes out too far from the vehicle which just increases the leverage it has on your hitch. That could lead to bending or breaking your hitch, and just makes the truck drive funny with the front feeling way too light.



My two cents, for a single bike go to UltimateMXHauler.com or AddABike.com. For two bikes stick with AddABike.

[beckerg]

On my test drives, I noticed a marked difference between the low and high settings. Low setting did a great job of smoothing out the ride over rough spots, and the high setting made for a much "sportier" ride with more control and less lean in corners. I did not try the "normal" setting.

FWIW... I have owned several vehicles with adjustable suspensions, and consider it a highly desirable feature. I've got a 30 mile (one way) daily commute that is a mix of highway and town driving. On my MDX I use the soft setting on my (very rough) driveway, switch to sport for the highway, then back to comfort for in town. Obviously the ability to firm up the suspension is a boon for towing as well.

[srock]

Thanks for the MX hauler rundown.