New Ford F150

[fordmantpw]

Visiting the Home of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray - Motor Trend
ok, not a Ford...but read about the factory's challenges in dealing with aluminum and the new fasteners involved.
We may be getting better mpg, but what if our comprehensive/collision premiums go up thirty percent?
All passenger vehicles and most small trucks have an insurance symbol, a number, that as the complexity of the vehicle and repair costs
go up, so does the symbol number and so do the premiums. They have to...

My suburban and my late wife's Cadillac XTS were about the same cost new to us. One, the old dinosaur, had a symbol of about 15. The XTS, which is a rolling
electronics juke box on wheels, was a symbol 45. So even though the value of the vehicle was almost the same, the complexity of repair is carefully evaluated when
the Insurance Services Office sets the symbol for your model car or truck. 4wd? higher symbol. Largest engine option? higher symbol.
made out of aluminum? unknown.

Actually, I'm going to email my insurance agent(who I brought into the business and trained...) to give me the physical damage symbols for this new Ford p/u, if they are out yet. Would be very curious to see if the insurance industry is concerned or not concerned over the use of aluminum in modern construction.
Until these vehicles start getting into frame benders, and real world experience is learned, after of course the entire autobody industry is forced to buy another round of expensive specialized equipment..., it's just guesswork and computer analysis.

I think the benefits are clear. It's the cost I'm not so sure of.

That's the drawback of being the pioneer and leading the way. Ford is offering discounts to dealerships that buy the necessary equipment to repair the bodies. GM is going Aluminum as well, and it's only a matter of time before everyone else follows. Ford has also stated that insurance rates will remain mostly the same, with very slight increases. The fuel economy savings should more than cover the difference (easily).

It's a fact of life, and times, they are a changing. This isn't the first Al vehicle, and won't be the last.

 

[mikehaugen]

a little off subject here, but Drew brought up the Corvette. I have always wondered how they activate traffic lights, or do they? Traffic lights are triggered by the inductance of the iron above a giant coil of wires in the ground. Corvettes, with their fiberglass bodies, and mostly (or all) aluminum engines, don't have much iron in them. They just recently passed a law here that allows motorcycles to go through a red light after waiting a "reasonable" amount of time just because of this issue, so it is apparently an issue, and a Harley probably has more iron than a Corvette.

Not that this will be an issue with the f-150 because I would presume there will still be a considerable amount of steel in them.

 

[daugen]

I would presume there will still be a considerable amount of steel in them.

good point. They tout the use of "high strength" steel, which I assume is an alloy of some sort, so perhaps what makes it high strength also might not make it
magnetic. Guess they shouldn't bring back the fiberglass body huh? Too heavy now.
Of course, remember the pushback when fiberglass bodies first came in. Some thought they would crumple and fall apart...
it was new and therefore highly suspect. I always wondered why Saturn gave up on their construction uniqueness.
goodbye Saturn. goodbye Oldsmobile. goodby Pontiac, goodbye Rambler, hello Tesla.

the reality is that I bet there is a strategically placed piece of steel up front that will easily trip any electronic trigger. And if there isn't one, I bet they add one.
Of course it will be GPS linked and your entire driving history will be uplinked to the local state police barracks.
Lot of that tracking capability already built in with Onstar.

 

[DeereMann]

Well, we've had wood vehicles, steel vehicles, plastic vehicles, stainless steel vehicles, I guess why not aluminum vehicles? If magnesium were more availble I'd bet that would be next (race cars).

 

[tcartwri]

Price of aluminum is going to go through the roof.

 

[Milo]

a little off subject here, but Drew brought up the Corvette. I have always wondered how they activate traffic lights, or do they? Traffic lights are triggered by the inductance of the iron above a giant coil of wires in the ground. Corvettes, with their fiberglass bodies, and mostly (or all) aluminum engines, don't have much iron in them.
Not that this will be an issue with the f-150 because I would presume there will still be a considerable amount of steel in them.

The new Corvette has even less steel, the frame is now aluminum and the hood and top are carbon fiber. Sometimes motorcycles don't trigger loop sensors for traffic lights but I just wait one cycle then go through when it's clear. That's what any vehicle is supposed to do for a malfunctioning light. Seems like most of the sensors are activated by cameras up by the lights anymore.
I just wonder how Ford will price the parts? It'll be interesting to compare the cost of doors, fenders and hood between a 2014 and 2015 F150.

 

[crazyal]

Actually the sensor in the road is not a magnetic sensor, it's like a metal detector.

Aluminum is just a short term patch until composites become viable for mass production.

 

[daugen]

I agree, won't be long until we are driving electric plastic cars.
aren't they called bumper cars?...
I guess with the right backbone of high strength something,
tomorrow's cars and trucks could just pop out of the extrusion line...

 

[daugen]

this is shown as uses of aluminum. Cement?

Other

Manufacturing
Cement
Motor vehicles (staying on topic...)
Refrigerators
Washing machines

 

[daugen]

Ford Invests $500 Million to Build 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6

half a billion dollars on that little engine?
Sounds like a great start for a hybrid truck, but all by itself?
Seems like a really good engine for a 3500 pound sedan.

Maybe it will have the chops to get the basic truck rolling.
Look at the Mustang V6, that went from utter dog to yes sir right now in one model year.
But light weight allowed that.
If that truck goes over 5000 pounds, no way Jose.

In the new modern world, trucks should not be used for commuting. Ecologically irresponsible in some ways, if there are better alternatives, and if one never uses the bed. Hatchbacks would accomplish many of the same chores performed by a very light duty truck. And likely get double the mpg.
But that doesn't fly with a whole lot of folk who want to do what they want to do, and Ford apparently is responding to the demand. And maybe not look so bad versus the new Ram diesel. Little puffed up gas engines vs slightly larger puffed up diesels. Sure is a new world out there...