jpd80 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Dearborn automaker "is working on a pickup truck with a largely aluminum body" for 2014. But Ford spokesman Said Deep said, "It is premature to discuss specific approaches or solutions that we might use for future products." "Ford is already a leader in aluminum use in full-sized pickups," Deep said. "We're constantly looking at multiple ways to improve the fuel efficiency and capabilities of our cars and trucks with innovative technologies." Ford has made the hood of the F-150 out of aluminum since 2004. It has used aluminum for the lower control arm on the SVT Raptor version of the truck since 2010. Analysts said Ford may add other aluminum body components in its next-generation truck, but said an aluminum body is not practical. "You may see Ford use aluminum fenders, you may see aluminum door skins, but you're not going to see an aluminum pickup," said Jim Hall, analyst with 2953 Analytics LLP. "Full-aluminum structured vehicles are much more expensive to insure because they are much more expensive to repair," he said, adding that most body shops cannot work on aluminum cars." A Ford source confirmed the company is looking at using more aluminum components on its new pickup, but added that design has not been finalized. From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120727/AUTO0102/207270351#ixzz21nwrLe4S Or maybe this is a case of the cat getting out of the bag way too early..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Interesting that some major news outlets picked this up (intentional leak?). I listen to 1010WINS on the way to the office every morning (the largest radio news station in the nation) and this morning they opened with the Escape recalls but quickly went into the rumors of the aluminum F-150. Was a nice positive spin of Ford news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Click here: Ford looking to aluminum for pickups? | Auto news | Detroit Free Press | freep.com I think you can bet on a more liberal use of aluminun on next F-150 pickup. How much, who knows, but more for sure. Ford has to get weight out of this pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Interesting tidbit in today's Autoline Daily. According to John McElroy, the word on the street is that the cab of the new F150 will be all aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Yep. All aluminum cab seems very feasible. Bed a bit less so, but not necessarily. Frame: not going to happen. An interesting thought is that if Ford's trucks are 15% lighter, but have the same GCWR, that's an extra 700+lbs on the trailer, which means a greater weight disparity between the trailer and truck, which would, it seems, require more sophisticated braking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Yep. All aluminum cab seems very feasible. Bed a bit less so, but not necessarily. Frame: not going to happen. An interesting thought is that if Ford's trucks are 15% lighter, but have the same GCWR, that's an extra 700+lbs on the trailer, which means a greater weight disparity between the trailer and truck, which would, it seems, require more sophisticated braking. Well, really, towing that much weight, the trailer needs to have its own brakes so it shouldn't be a major issue. Maybe the ITBC is a little more proportioned toward the trailer in that case. I can see a more sophisticated trailer sway control, though, as you have more potential for the "tail wagging the dog" scenario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Say you're looking at the 700lbs that the article suggests. That's a 1,400lb swing from truck to trailer.... Definitely would need the trailer sway control software to account for that. Also, what do Class 7/8 tractor trailers do, to manage the even larger weight disparity between their cabs & trailers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Say you're looking at the 700lbs that the article suggests. That's a 1,400lb swing from truck to trailer.... Definitely would need the trailer sway control software to account for that. Also, what do Class 7/8 tractor trailers do, to manage the even larger weight disparity between their cabs & trailers? Yeah, it's definitely a huge difference. I wonder, though, will Ford drop the GCWR to enable slightly smaller components, but keep max trailer rating the same? They will still be able to tow more than the competition, but the GCWR can be slightly less due to the lower weight of the truck. Payload stays the same as well. Or, does Ford keep the ratings the same, increasing payload and increasing max trailer weight. I think the latter decreases some of the gains by going to a lighter truck since all components will need to support the same weights they do today. I'm not sure what class 7/8 trucks do, but keep in mind they aren't towing bumper-pull trailers. That makes a HUGE difference, and a lot of the weight is directly on the axles of the tractor. Think of an F450 with a fifth wheel trailer rating of 24k...that's nearly 3 times the weight of the truck, which mimics what class 7/8 tractors with an 80k total load. Personally, I hope Ford keeps max trailer ratings on the F150 the same (or backs down a little), thus decreasing GCWR, in order to make all components of the truck slightly smaller and lighter. This will give them better overall fuel economy gains than keeping similar GCWR and just lightening the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Personally, I hope Ford keeps max trailer ratings on the F150 the same (or backs down a little), thus decreasing GCWR, in order to make all components of the truck slightly smaller and lighter. This will give them better overall fuel economy gains than keeping similar GCWR and just lightening the truck. Yes, please. The SD's can handle heavier loads and towing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) So possibly changing F150 to enhance fuel economy and use of smaller engined versions while deferring upper towing limits over to F250 reducing overlap between the two versions.. Better differentiation between F150 and F250? Meanwhile GM takes Silverado's interior back to the 1980s....... Edited July 27, 2012 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FPVFalcom Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Meanwhile GM takes Silverado's interior back to the 1980s....... Oh my God...the resemblance is uncanny...it's hard to tell which is which: Gotta love blind fanboyism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Oh my God...the resemblance is uncanny...it's hard to tell which is which: Gotta love blind fanboyism No it doesn't look anything like the 80's, but it sure is ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 No it doesn't look anything like the 80's, but it sure is ugly. It looks more like a poorly-executed knock-off of a mid-'90s Ranger interior. And, colors aside, that early-'80s interior looks better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) Gotta love blind fanboyism Vocabulary exercise: exaggeration http://en.wikipedia....ki/Exaggeration Some theoreticians of the comic consider exaggeration to be a universal comic device Edited July 28, 2012 by RichardJensen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 "theoreticians of the comic"? Nice work, if you can get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FPVFalcom Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Vocabulary exercise: exaggeration http://en.wikipedia....ki/Exaggeration Riiiiiiight........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Yep. All aluminum cab seems very feasible. Bed a bit less so, but not necessarily. Frame: not going to happen. Durability of aluminum body panels is a major issue, especially on a pickup truck. The hood on the F150 is aluminum. Is the internal bracing Al ? I'm guessing Ford is looking at things like Al "skin" "bonded" to steel structure (think doors). Repairability must be considered also. An interesting thought is that if Ford's trucks are 15% lighter, but have the same GCWR, that's an extra 700+lbs on the trailer, which means a greater weight disparity between the trailer and truck, which would, it seems, require more sophisticated braking. I would rather Ford get out of the GVWR/GCWR "race" with the F150 and leave the heavy hauling to the F250. I have said it before, there is too much overlap between the F150 and F250. IMHO, the simple solution is drop the F250, up the F150 a bit (F200) and slot the Global Ranger in below it (F100). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I would rather Ford get out of the GVWR/GCWR "race" with the F150 and leave the heavy hauling to the F250. I have said it before, there is too much overlap between the F150 and F250. IMHO, the simple solution is drop the F250, up the F150 a bit (F200) and slot the Global Ranger in below it (F100). I've essentially said the same thing, but my take is to lower the F150 to the F100, slightly lower the F250 to the F200, and keep the F350 and up as-is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Buy stock in companies that produce aluminum. That is all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Buy stock in companies that produce aluminum. That is all. Already did that, for other reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Repairability must be considered also. Aside from the paintless dent repair type stuff, when was the last time you saw a body panel repaired? Just about any damage in an accident, and they're replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) Just about any damage in an accident, and they're replaced. I would say that's not the case in a lot of accidents, especially in vehicles where part of the unit body is acting as sheet metal as well, which is the case on a lot of vehicles these days, especially in the rear quarters. Edited August 2, 2012 by NickF1011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 part of the unit body is acting as sheet metal Which is not the case with the F150, as it's BOF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Durability of aluminum body panels is a major issue, especially on a pickup truck. The hood on the F150 is aluminum. Is the internal bracing Al ? I'm guessing Ford is looking at things like Al "skin" "bonded" to steel structure (think doors). It's not like Ford is new to the 'loomnum body panel game--the Lincoln LS has plenty of aluminum body panels (pretty much everything forward of the A pillar, plus the deck lid), and it was launched in 1999. There was a minor problem with corrosion on the deck lid, but that, IIRC, was traced back to a contaminant (in the primer, maybe?) at the factory, not to a problem with the panel itself. My LS has taken more than its fair share of rocks and flying debris on the road, and the aluminum skins are still in excellent condition. (They're in better condition than the steel panels on my truck, but that's another story...) Repairability must be considered also. How many buyers are actually going to consider repairability of body panels? Very few consumers will, but how many commercial/industrial/agricultural buyers will? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) Aside from the paintless dent repair type stuff, when was the last time you saw a body panel repaired? Just about any damage in an accident, and they're replaced. ... Which is not the case with the F150, as it's BOF. Try replacing a cab and all it's assorted interior and electrical accoutrements. Those are repaired. As are doors unless they are really bad. How many buyers are actually going to consider repairability of body panels? Very few consumers will, but how many commercial/industrial/agricultural buyers will? Probably none, but insurance companies will take notice and possibly assign higher premiums on vehicles that cost more to repair. Regardless, lower weight full-size pickups using materials on the body structures (not including the afore-mentioned hood/bed) other then steel is an eventuality that Ford just happens to be dipping their toe into first. It's going to happen with all manufacturers in order for these vehicles to continue selling in the numbers they do.... to stay on the sunny side of CAFE. Edited August 2, 2012 by Intrepidatious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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