YouTuber WhistlinDiesel is extremely entertaining while also being — in some ways — insufferable (no disrespect). The channel is a guilty pleasure that I only occasional partake in, but this video showing the destruction of a Tesla Cybertruck is absolute gold. I cannot stop watching it, so I’m going to share it with you, dear reader. Watch as the Cybertruck’s rear gigacasting literally tears off the truck, which, it turns out, is literally bomb-proof.
My god this video. I know, I know; this guy does some really strange and over-the-top and nonscientific nonsense, but sometimes you just have to turn off your brain and allow entertainment to fill your mind with happy chemicals.
It’s OK to watch, just this once. Trust me, it’ll be worth it:
After struggling to figure out how to charge the Cybertruck, the host, Cody Detwiler, begins the test by taking both vehicles over a large stack of logs:
Both trucks manage the obstacle, though clearly the Cybertruck — with its big 35s and fully independent suspension — offers a significantly better ride. From there, WhistinDiesel and his team race the two trucks, and the electric Cybertruck unsurprisingly destroys the gas F-150.
After that, the two machines go over some big cement pipes — well, one of the trucks does. The Cybertruck manages to crawl over the top of the line of pipes, though it ends up high-centered before it’s able to drop off the end:
The F-150 comes to the rescue, yanking the Cybertruck off the obstacle, though the tail end of the stainless steel-skinned machine hits that last pipe pretty hard:
The F-150 is unable to crawl over top of the pipes (I bet with a bit of a run-up it’d have managed, but WhistlinDiesel just called it at this point):
The Cybertruck comes to the rescue, pulling the F-150 off the obstacle, though, then this happens:
The rear gigacasting… just fails! I mean, it just tears right off! You can see in the screenshot above that a bolt hole acts as a stress concentration.
After that, the crew of content creators straps “C-4” to both trucks, and the Cybertruck withstands it quite nicely! Check out what one pound of “C-4” does to its door:
And now compare that to the aluminum door of the F-150:
The rest of the video shows the Cybertruck’s numerous build quality issues, its steer-by-wire failure making it hard to tow the thing onto a trailer, and other problems, though it does ultimately demonstrate the truck’s superior off-road capability and the toughness of its body panels.
The Cybertruck’s performance in the video is mixed, though the host ultimately crowns the F-150 the winner by one point.
Now, how much should we judge the two trucks based on this video? How big of a deal is the Cybertruck’s rear casting failure? Is the build quality really as horrible as it seems in this video? Are the F-150s’ aluminum panels extremely weak?
The answers to these questions cannot be found in an extremely unscientific, giggle-filled video like WhistlinDiesel’s. It’s just a bunch of guys screwing around with some vehicles, and it should not be taken as any sort of real, valuable review. Honestly, if you do view it as a review, you’ll just be disappointed; if you view it as entertainment, well, I bet you’ll actually enjoy it. Maybe with a bit of guilt, but you will enjoy it.
Screenshots: WhistlinDiesel (YouTube)
One part that I’ll admit to finding irrationally funny.
Tesla Support: What error code are you getting?
WD: (looks at a screen full of notifications) Yes…
What a colossal waste of time that video was! A bunch of bros smashing two trucks while shouting WOAH!!!!
I’d like that 20 mins back, please.
Ah yes, C4 impacts are my biggest concern when buying vehicles.
That is an extremely polite way of putting it (disrespect not withheld)
I normally can’t stand this guy but I think my hate for the Cybertruck is so overwhelming that I was able look past my hate and watch this haha.
There you go.
This.
Engagement, Shmengagement. Yes it brings, traffic to The Autopian writing about WD, and yes, he makes his money from all gawking afficionados. I get it – okay. Nevertheless, I highly despise him and what he does. It is his own property, but celebrating the destruction of good useful vehicles (especially looking at the F 150) churns my guts. There are countless families that would be so glad to have a vehicle such as the ones he stupidly and needlessly destructs. On top of all that, my car-loving heart just gets shattered every time he mistreats defenseless cars and trucks. That goes even for the Cybertruck. Please do not promote this clown any further. I know my opinion apparently differs from most people’s, but it is what it is. :.( Just makes me sad.
Screw the haters this was a great video. the outspoken people claiming “how DARE autopian link THIS GARBAGE on this site!!!!” get a life. If you don’t want to watch it just don’t watch it. Why do you have to do some sort of virtue signaling pronouncing to everyone that you are too good to watch a youtube video.
He’s quite literally known for doing stupid, trashy stunts and occasionally fucking up wildlife reserves. Calling him “garbage” isn’t virtue signaling. Christ dude.
Fucking up wildlife reserves? Can you elaborate on that wild and unsubstantiated claim?
“Unsubstantiated” Hur hur.
Did you forget the time he drove his “monster” truck into a protected area?
I’m remembering the time he got his monster truck stuck on top of a sand dune in an OHV park……..
Ugh, I thought he was better than that. I remember when StreetSpeed717 did basically the same thing with a broken Raptor. $58k wasn’t nearly a high enough fine.
I wish he’d stayed a little closer to the original premise of subjecting both trucks to the same torture. Getting the Ford stuck is not as damaging as actually dropping it off the no ramp end of the obstacle. The jumps were at nothing like the same speed. I wanted to see the band of internet idiots whallop tf out of the Ford too.
The jumps were not the same speed because the Ford could not accelerate as much in the same distance. He just floored both from the same distance and they went off the jump at whatever speed they did. I think that’s a fair comparison
I don’t. Give the Ford more runup=fair.
It compensates for the fact that the Cybertruck is faster, and in the real world it is very possibly going to be hitting things faster. They also don’t have to be the same speed to illustrate that the Cybertruck rides significantly smoother than the F150 and that the airbag suspension doesn’t really appreciate it. I don’t know what you think would have happened differently if the F150 had hit that jump faster…….. It would have hurt more to be inside?
No, it was not a good scientific test of anything(not even entirely sure what was being tested), but that should be no surprise if you watched the rest of the video.
So the nhtsa should adjust crash tests based on vehicle acceleration capabilities? Braking distance should be measured after a set distance acceleration? Nope.
It might have broken the Ford suspension. I don’t think it would have, but. Better idea, jump both trucks at the same speed and choose a speed the driver isn’t hurt at?
The bigger one was the pipes. Not dropping the Ford off the end just because it got stuck.. or maybe it would have broken the driveshaft again. Don’t do that, I’m sure it was enough of a pain to stop production just to fix the driveshaft once.
I bet DT could have driven the Ford over the pipes, not gotten either stuck in the mud hole either.
I wish he’d stayed a little closer to the original premise of subjecting both trucks to the same torture.
Wow nearly an entire comment section of the Morris Marina Owner’s Club.
I saw the second image and was like “That’s an F-250, not an F-1– Oh. Ohh…”
You can mute the audio, but not that guys face. What a knob.
This is not a kind thing to say but I really wish whoever that guy is in the thumbnail would shave his mustache. Maybe if he falls onto the edge of a Cybertruck it’ll trim those wisps right off.
He’s going for the reverse Cantinflas.
It doesn’t matter the source, the Cybertruck is a shoddy, over priced piece of junk. Stop hating on those who expose it. Also everyone just take a breath. It’s a YT channel not domestic policy.
Isn’t this guy the enemy of everything The Autopian is supposed to stand for?
I don’t think so……. Why would he be?
Does it celebrate the unifying quality of automobiles?
No, but I don’t think it in any way opposes the unifying quality of automobiles…..
It’s a comparison test(if a loose and unscientific one) of two different cars. I don’t see how it would be any more anti-Autopian than Matt’s comparison of his Forester vs his CR-V.
Given the decisiveness in the comments, I wouldn’t call this article unifying.
David has found the secret sauce to really drive engagement on this website and these comments make for some great Saturday entertainment.
On topic: I don’t have the energy to have a strong opinion of either the cybertruck or whistling diesel. They both have pros and cons. They’re acceptable in small doses but they both get very tiring very quickly.
Cyberjunk.
Once you watch enough of his stuff and you learn his character and charactor a bit.. you’ll realize he’s actually a stand-up guy with a really good heart. Few take the time..
Which is a shame, because he’s a jalop through and through. quite brilliant.
Speaking as someone who doesn’t have a rich father, and as someone who worked his ass off for every vehicle he’s owned.. I don’t really appreciate that channel and I’m very disappointed to see David promoting it.
He didn’t have a rich father that helped him with anything. He was disowned by his Jehovah Witness parents. He’s entirely self-made.
Getting out of the JW’s is a feat. Respect.
It’s a weird cult. My dad married a JW woman and now he’s in it. It’s weird seeing someone voluntarily get into that crap
I wish I’d been home the Christmas Day that the JWs door-knocked my parents’ house right in the middle of Christmas dinner. My dad got up to answer the door, still chewing a mouthful of turkey, because who knocks on the door on Christmas Day but family or friends or neighbors? When he opened the door, he found two Jehovah’s Witnesses there to tell him how he was doing it wrong by celebrating Christmas. My mom said he responded with some swear words he probably hadn’t said since Vietnam. He was so mad, he probably would have napalmed them if he had any. My uncle told me I picked the wrong Christmas to not be able to come home, because it was hilarious.
I don’t know if this works with all of them but try telling them you’re Jewish. For me it’s half true because my mother is. Once I told the local JWs that they pretty much said “Oh, really? Well then you’re good. Have a nice day and we’ll see you in Heaven.” And they haven’t been back since. No idea if this is official doctrine or just something they believe in my area but they seemed to think that Jews and JWs are the Chosen People.
I’m working to keep my daughter from following that path. Much younger Mech somehow thought things through even less than contemporary Mech, and got tangled up with that mess in a family way. I’m so grateful she’s smart enough to listen to evidence from the outside, despite largely being raised inside it.
To keep things from getting too heavy and a little more Autopian, I started a toolbox for her a week or two ago and she made a grand presentation of opening and displaying her tools. After one figuring out how to open the utility knife to get to the spare blades, she noticed her hands were dirty and asked what it was. I told her it was machine oil from manufacturing and she said “Cool!” and I kid you not, I actually teared up just the tiniest bit. She loves learning the tools and processes. Last night we tapped holes in the toolbox to put a handle and latches on it. I’m optimistic for her.
You’re completely misguided in that statement
I’m sorry, my algo will be fucked for good if I click the link to that video
Alternate browser… Don’t log in. I had the same thoughts.
on the one hand funny joke. on the other, that’s seriously not how youtube works.
I mean, it kinda is. Half the time I click on something like a gun-related Slowmo Guys video, I end up with a bunch of weird right-wing content for a while before it settles back.
Two pictures above the broken casting, there is a picture of the cybertruck smashing it’s rear down on the concrete sewer pipes. Somehow, I suspect smashing the rear end down on the concrete may have been a significant factor.
Yeah that certainly didn’t help did it?
Just from this article, and pictures(didn’t click) there was definitely cruel and unusual punishment, but the cast aluminum failed exactly as expected. I suspect there are alloys, and casting technologies improvements I’m not aware of, but Tesla engineers saying rear will give a controlled collapse, not buying it.
Tensile failure from a tow load and compressive failure from a crash load are very different things. I believe it will crumple in a controlled way in a crash, not least because they’ll have had to successfully test it multiple times before going in to production.
That failure in an admittedly abusive tow situation would be a worry. If I towed much, which I don’t, and if I could buy a CT, which I wouldn’t even if they were sold here.
” they’ll have had to successfully test it multiple times before going in to production.”
Yes, as a complete assembled vehicle against a barrier, as is proper. Suspect the dangerously pointed, creased, dagger of a sailplane did the crumpling, while the cast aluminium fractured.
I don’t put it past any manufacturer, especially Tesla, to cut costs/corners wherever they know it won’t be tested. Witnessed energy absorbing bumper cores shrink to meaningless dimensions after testing for minimal damage ceased, in favor of crumple zones testing for its understandable more dire consequences. Testing is extremely expensive, and obviously needs prioritizing. My objection is to ignoring known solutions that will better the product for sake of saving maybe a buck. Where have morals/ethics gone?Won’t someone think of the children?
Of course it’s significant. That doesn’t mean that the Cybertruck rear frame structure isn’t relatively weak though.
a truck with an aluminum frame and a steel body is just ass backwards and this shows what could happen.