bondo007

Ford could get a 6+ mpg fuel efficiency increase right now by clamping one of these over the open truck bed. The girl I built this black beauty for, she has a 2011 F150 Ecoboost, got 28.91 mpg hwy on trip from Arkansas to Florida this August.

Worked at Concept Center California back in 1986 (under contract with Ford) as a clay modeler when we sculpted the first full size clay model for the 1992 Econoline Van. We did it the old fashioned way, no computers, no Taurus mills. That body has been produced as the Econoline van now for 20 years, 1992 - 2012 (except for a facelift a few years back) . Going to hate to see it go.

bondo007, on 29 November 2011 - 08:20 PM, said: My 2009 F150 with the 4.6 liter 3 valve V8 and a six speed transmission gets 19 mpg combined and 24 to 25 mpg highway. I can go up to 650 miles on one 26 gallon tank of gas. Fact. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GT- Keith wrote: If you beat EPA in your truck, then it stands to reason that you will beat EPA numbers in a truck that's already rated higher than your own. People's rationale with regards to EPA are laughable... You can beat EPA in your vehicle but others can't beat EPA... Laughable at best. Also, I'm pretty sure your F-150 only has 3.15s. Only thing you're pulling are jetskis And stop using personal anecdotes to debate. If your argument requires no evidence then it can be refuted with no evidence. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GT-Keith, No personnal anecdotes. All I have to bolster the argument you feel I must pursue to prove the mileage figures claimed are Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) computer simulations, wind tunnel testing in a full scale tunnel and three years of over the road fuel usage figures. It is all about aerodynamics. EPA rates my truck at 17 mpg combined and 20 mpg highway. Through superior aerodynamics, my truck now gets 19 mpg combined and 24 to 25 mpg highway. Oh, 3.31 regular axle with trailer tow package. I don't own a jet ski. Do me a favor tomorrow, drive your Honda Accord to your nearest Ford dealership and trade it in on a Ford product. Bondo007

My 2009 F150 with the 4.6 liter 3 valve V8 and a six speed transmission gets 19 mpg combined and 24 to 25 mpg highway. I can go up to 650 miles on one 26 gallon tank of gas. Fact.

Photograped on the ground in the hills of Arkansas. 25 miles per gallon at freeway speed. 650 mile range on one 26 gallon tank. Ecoboost can't touch it in fuel efficiency.

That is a good distance on one tank of gas, 756 miles. If my 2009 F150 with a 4.6 liter 3 valve engine, six speed tranmission with a 3.31 ratio regular axle had a 36 gallon tank, it could go 900 miles on one tank of gas. You better have one of these on board ............ http://sportys.com/PilotShop/product/13087 Bondo007

By far the best thing is that the UAW owns zero percent of Ford Motor Company unlike the 65% of Chrysler and the 17.5% of GM the UAW now owns. I will now buy Ford products only.

Read in the business section of the local paper here Friday, New Years Day, that the big three are still betting on domestic pickup truck sales to add their profits in 2010. I especially like that the article also stated that the foriegn manufacturers, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, try as they might, had not made great inroads into this domestic market. Buy a pickup this year and buy American. And, as we all know, Ford is the only way to go!

Already driving it. 2009 Ford F-150 XLT 4.6 3-valve V-8, six speed transmission, Aerolid. Of the many F-150's I have owned, this one is the most impressive, both in Design and Engineering. Getting 18 - 18.5 combined mpg and 24 highway mpg.

Thanks for the kind words. I have been in auto design and related transportation industries as a clay modeler for about 25 years now. I would like to have more of a design involvement for aerodynamics has always facinated me. I can only guess at a drag coefficient (Cd) of about .18 for the model. I'm hoping the narrowing of the body at the rear along with the funneling of the airflow along the sides of the car will reduce the low pressure area which forms at the rear of the vehicle while in motion. It would be an electric front wheel drive. If you know someone who would like to do a CFD (computational fluid dynamic) simulation of the model that would be great! I would be glad to provide the model for scanning. Thanks, Brett

Didn't consider it rude at all rmc523. It did make me think about how it could be construed as a joke. It was fun doing the scale model. Keep me occupied while there was no work. Work is coming back now, none too soon. Hope the economy turns around for everyone, especially all my friends I've worked with in the past from Michigan.

Your right srytran. The rear wheels and suspension need more jounce area. I took some measurements and there is enough h-point (hip) clearance for two persons to sit in the back seat. The car nose does need to be lowered and blended. Good calls. I just like to design cars for fun. However, always design them as if they could actually be built. The one in the photos below is definitely a two seater.

I just thought it would be cool to bring back the old Falcon namebrand to North America. When I was sculpting the car, the side intakes reminded me of wings, hence the choice of Falcon. I always wanted to design cars and, as you can see, I am not a professional at it. Automotive design is tricky business. There are several things I would like to change about the design of this car which would help on the aesthetic. Aesthetic aerodynamics is definitely a challenge.

This vehicle is a concept for an elecrtic drive car. It is about the size of a Toyota Prius in full scale. The model is 1/5 scale. Low aerodynamic drag is the goal, especially at the rear of the car. You will lose some cargo volume, but you should lose a large potion of the low pressure area behind the vehicle while in motion, which is a real drag. Guesstimated Cd= 0.18 Got my new 2009 F-150 on July 17. Just broke the engine in yesterday. What a damn fine truck! Will have an Aerolid on it soon. www.aerolid.com

That we have a solid roster of capable Engineers in this country and the manufacturing depth to compete globally, is as important to our future as a nation as when this post card was printed.