The reality of aluminum body panels.

[piercedtiger]

I guess that depends if your a truck owner that worries about little nicks , or that realizes it is a truck it is going to get a few dings loading and unloading, or backing into loading docks etc etc........I myself will only worry about the big damages that insurance needs to cover ideally.

I'm a truck owner in NY where they salt the **** out of the roads. Those nicks and scratches turn into rotted through body panels that require tetanus shots if you snag a finger on them. I actually cut my fingers open when I caught the edge of my chrome bumper after it rusted through. I like to keep my vehicles for 10 years. To do that they need to pass NY State safety and emissions inspections each year. Which means working wipers, headlights, tail lights, license plate lights, seat belts, etc. Body panels rusting and falling off won't pass. I live near the PA border, and those cars can't have any perforated body panels. (My buddy used red and silver duct tape to cover a rusted through quarter panel to avoid getting stopped and ticketed by the police.)

I don't go out of my way to maintain it. I don't wash and wax it, but at the same time I think it's stupid to intentionally damage (or allow damage by being careless or ignorant). So if this body prevents rust from starting, and lasts longer, then that means I go longer without having to buy a new vehicle. Or put money into meeting legal requirements. Or looking like those guys driving around with rotted out fenders, one side of the bed 4" lower than the other, and the whole thing looking like it'll fall apart on the next pot hole.

FWIW, scratches and nicks became a hole in my tailgate that I can put 3 fingers through just about the handle. So I have to be careful to not cut myself opening it. It's $200 just for a skin, and having to swap all the parts myself. Wouldn't it be nice if the **** thing just hadn't rusted in the first place?

 

[aginn]

I wonder if ford will place any zinc blocks on the aluminum truck like they do on aluminum boats? The aluminum will corrode as well. It should be much more resistant to the salt than steel though. Zinc blocks give electrolysis something easier to eat than the aluminum and seems to work well on my jet boat.

 

[JDgreen227]

What I have long wondered about is that the automakers try to make full size trucks lighter, BUT they use huge 20 inch rims and tires on many models and the extra weight doesn't seem to matter to them. My '90 F-150 was the last pickup I owned and the steel wheels and 15 inch radial tires were a LOT lighter than the 20 inch aluminum rims and tires available on today's trucks. The new 20 inch tires wear no better than the older 15 inch ones and cost a lot more in addition to being much heavier. It makes no sense to me. Just imaging the weight savings by reverting to the older 15 inch rims and tires AND you could also have a compact spare tire then rather than the gigantic heavy 20 inch spare tire and wheel.

 

[aczlan]

They need larger rims to clear the larger brakes. IIRC the current half ton trucks have 13" rotors, add 2" for the caliper and you MIGHT squeak a 17" rim on there.

Aaron Z

 

[JDgreen227]

They need larger rims to clear the larger brakes. IIRC the current half ton trucks have 13" rotors, add 2" for the caliper and you MIGHT squeak a 17" rim on there.

Aaron Z

Ummmm....respectfully query that, just saying that my Y2K GMC 2500 has 13" rear rotors and 12.8" front rotors and the OEM rims and tires are 16".

 

[MikePA]

The standard wheel size on 2015 Chevys, Fords and Dodges are 17". Bigger wheels are options. They're offered because that's what some people want to buy. They know pickup buyers primary interests are load capacity, which is increased with lighter parts, and mileage, also increased with lighter parts. Some buyers are interested in looks, so they offer a lot of options that add weight. It's about choices.

 

[wawajake]

Well what I have read the Fords start out heavier than the others base trucks so taking what maybe 400 lbs off by going alum and then just getting within 90 lbs of base weight of the others seems to be the results..............but I could be wrong time will tell................(hope that was not to Ford negative for the readers

 

[Brad_Blazer]

In my experience Forbes reports what they are paid to report. The article looks like FUD to me.

I also have no problem with the OP or the way he posted it. It is a worthwhile topic to discuss.

 

[JDgreen227]

In my experience Forbes reports what they are paid to report. The article looks like FUD to me.

I also have no problem with the OP or the way he posted it. It is a worthwhile topic to discuss.

I AGREE 100%...OP obviously meant well and the subject is very interesting to me although I have no plans to buy a new truck. Interestingly enough, my step brother is a fleet sales specialist for a local Ford dealership and I sent him a link to this discussion and he said he found it interesting.

And, just to back up what I said in post #55, I went out to measure the old rotors I recently replaced on my Y2K GMC....they measured 13" although someone else here said you MIGHT be able to squeeze a 17" rim over a 13" rotor and caliper combination.....:laughing: and my GMC uses 16" rims....:laughing:

 

[Rustyiron]

JD I think that those "big" wheels have a lot to do with styling, but they also have grown the braking (swept area) size. Have you noticed that the GVW/GCWR have been part of the "war" of the full size trucks? The more room there is inside those big wheels, the bigger brakes they can have to meet some formula for weight stopping ability, for bigger numbers for bragging rights. Your 2000 3/4 GVW is probably not too far above some of today's "half tons".