So what do you pickup drivers think of the new F-150

[ip_law-hokie]

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

[HokieFanDC]

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

[ip_law-hokie]

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

Do you drive a pick-up? I don't, but think the changes are good.

But we are talking about the pick-up demographic here.

Here is a representative comment from a yahoo article:

To (sic) bad i wont buy a new truck. Because i do not want all those technological marvels that will be a useless hunk of garbage in 10 years when it goes bad.
I want a simple truck with only the basics.
I do not need cameras, or a remote activated tail gate, or even the ramps.. although i could see those being useful.
These also look really nice and dressy.. not the sort of thing i would want for a "farm truck"
Which around here, is the only kind of truck to have

[cwtcr hokie]

the frame and bed are still steel, it is everything from the bed forward that is going aluminum. The F-150 has had an aluminum hood for a few years now anyways, just the doors, fenders will switch over. I have no problem with it tho

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

[cwtcr hokie]

part of the issue is now they have put a whole lot of the "nice" comforts from cars into trucks now, thus increasing the cost of the trucks a lot. The commenter is correct tho that many people just need a truck without all the bells and whistles. In the past all three big truck mfg made "work trucks" as part of their lineup, not sure they still offer those but they were the trucks with a vinyl bench seat, not power anything in the cab, no body graphics, no special wheels, etc. (and the price was much much less than a fancy truck on the lot)

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

Do you drive a pick-up? I don't, but think the changes are good.

But we are talking about the pick-up demographic here.

Here is a representative comment from a yahoo article:

To (sic) bad i wont buy a new truck. Because i do not want all those technological marvels that will be a useless hunk of garbage in 10 years when it goes bad.
I want a simple truck with only the basics.
I do not need cameras, or a remote activated tail gate, or even the ramps.. although i could see those being useful.
These also look really nice and dressy.. not the sort of thing i would want for a "farm truck"
Which around here, is the only kind of truck to have

[awesome guy]

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

"change" and "unreasonably more expensive" are becoming synonyms. If you read any of the articles about it, they say the eco-boost engine has been a top seller. A V-6 in a full-sized truck is taking share from the V-8s. I think the market will correct for this once anyone tries to actually tow with a V6. I made that mistake with my V6 and got about 8 mpg towing motorcycles to New Hampshire. You're at 4-6k RPMs the whole way under load and through mountains like up 76. You're also giving up stopping and turning power by lowering the weight. Many jack-knifed trailers will applaud your concern for the environment as they're facing the wrong direction on the interstate. All that said, the most fuel efficient truck is still the Hemi! 22 MPG and it can tow. Ford has a turbo charged V6 to get the same HP. Dodge will run the V8 on 6 or 4 cylinders to save MPG. I think that approach is going to proven the best for most truck applications except the guy who gets one just because he likes it.

[cwtcr hokie]

see my post to the OP, the bed and frame rails are still steel, it is everything in front of the bed they are converting to aluminum. An F150 loses about 800 lbs I think of weight I saw, thus giving it a little better gas mileage. They increased the mileage also with the new ecoboost motors (ford anyways). I think GM just uses the deal where the cylinders turn off when not needed for power to get the better mileage.

they have made great headway tho in mileage for full size trucks

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

[cwtcr hokie]

remember tho a lot of truck buyers never use the vehicle for towing anything (thank god from the other drivers on the road).

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

"change" and "unreasonably more expensive" are becoming synonyms. If you read any of the articles about it, they say the eco-boost engine has been a top seller. A V-6 in a full-sized truck is taking share from the V-8s. I think the market will correct for this once anyone tries to actually tow with a V6. I made that mistake with my V6 and got about 8 mpg towing motorcycles to New Hampshire. You're at 4-6k RPMs the whole way under load and through mountains like up 76. You're also giving up stopping and turning power by lowering the weight. Many jack-knifed trailers will applaud your concern for the environment as they're facing the wrong direction on the interstate. All that said, the most fuel efficient truck is still the Hemi! 22 MPG and it can tow. Ford has a turbo charged V6 to get the same HP. Dodge will run the V8 on 6 or 4 cylinders to save MPG. I think that approach is going to proven the best for most truck applications except the guy who gets one just because he likes it.

[HokieFanDC]

I'm pretty sure the bed is aluminum also. I've got an '07 Sport Trac, and it gets around 15/22MPG, pretty pitiful. Having a full size pickup that gets 30MPG highway is pretty impressive IMO. And for people who drive a long way to work, or drive a lot during work, that's a pretty big deal. I don't see who wouldn't like it.

see my post to the OP, the bed and frame rails are still steel, it is everything in front of the bed they are converting to aluminum. An F150 loses about 800 lbs I think of weight I saw, thus giving it a little better gas mileage. They increased the mileage also with the new ecoboost motors (ford anyways). I think GM just uses the deal where the cylinders turn off when not needed for power to get the better mileage.

they have made great headway tho in mileage for full size trucks

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

[awesome guy]

I'm pretty sure the bed is aluminum also. I've got an '07 Sport Trac, and it gets around 15/22MPG, pretty pitiful. Having a full size pickup that gets 30MPG highway is pretty impressive IMO. And for people who drive a long way to work, or drive a lot during work, that's a pretty big deal. I don't see who wouldn't like it.

see my post to the OP, the bed and frame rails are still steel, it is everything in front of the bed they are converting to aluminum. An F150 loses about 800 lbs I think of weight I saw, thus giving it a little better gas mileage. They increased the mileage also with the new ecoboost motors (ford anyways). I think GM just uses the deal where the cylinders turn off when not needed for power to get the better mileage.

they have made great headway tho in mileage for full size trucks

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

You might as well cut the back off a prius and but a cardboard box in the backseat. Because that's what you're getting if that has an aluminium bed, the eco-boost, etc. I'm going the other way, F-250 Diesel!

[Major Kong]

I see nothing at all with the changes to the F-150...if it is what you want and suits your needs then fine.

We went with a 2012 Dodge Diesel 4x4 for our truck out at the farm...we weren't looking for comfort and luxury...we were looking for something to haul bales of hay, take cattle to market, pick up chop and, well frankly, to work. We weren't lookin' for something for the missuses to drive to Food City and Wal*Mart.

[cwtcr hokie]

the article on cnn money does not say but I could swear I read in business week that is the stuff from bed forward. I don't think they can make the bed box or bed out of aluminum as it will get tore up very quick. Aluminum is light but has very little strength so anything in the bed would put dents in it. I have no issue with it from bed forward as it has very little affect on the truck and yes with the newer engines they are making headway on better gas mileage. For myself I have a 96 bronco with the 351 Windsor in it (V8) and can haul a lot of weight with it, thus the reason I have never down sized it. Also have a 08 F250 and I hope some of these people that are buying the smaller engines and lighter trucks never try and haul a large camper or trailer or gooseneck trailer with them as the result could be bad for others on the road. Even with my F250 hauling over 10k pounds on the gooseneck I hopped it thru an intersection one day when the light changed fast on me, luckily nobody was in front of me.

I'm pretty sure the bed is aluminum also. I've got an '07 Sport Trac, and it gets around 15/22MPG, pretty pitiful. Having a full size pickup that gets 30MPG highway is pretty impressive IMO. And for people who drive a long way to work, or drive a lot during work, that's a pretty big deal. I don't see who wouldn't like it.

see my post to the OP, the bed and frame rails are still steel, it is everything in front of the bed they are converting to aluminum. An F150 loses about 800 lbs I think of weight I saw, thus giving it a little better gas mileage. They increased the mileage also with the new ecoboost motors (ford anyways). I think GM just uses the deal where the cylinders turn off when not needed for power to get the better mileage.

they have made great headway tho in mileage for full size trucks

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

[HokieFanDC]

the article on cnn money does not say but I could swear I read in business week that is the stuff from bed forward. I don't think they can make the bed box or bed out of aluminum as it will get tore up very quick. Aluminum is light but has very little strength so anything in the bed would put dents in it. I have no issue with it from bed forward as it has very little affect on the truck and yes with the newer engines they are making headway on better gas mileage. For myself I have a 96 bronco with the 351 Windsor in it (V8) and can haul a lot of weight with it, thus the reason I have never down sized it. Also have a 08 F250 and I hope some of these people that are buying the smaller engines and lighter trucks never try and haul a large camper or trailer or gooseneck trailer with them as the result could be bad for others on the road. Even with my F250 hauling over 10k pounds on the gooseneck I hopped it thru an intersection one day when the light changed fast on me, luckily nobody was in front of me.

I'm pretty sure the bed is aluminum also. I've got an '07 Sport Trac, and it gets around 15/22MPG, pretty pitiful. Having a full size pickup that gets 30MPG highway is pretty impressive IMO. And for people who drive a long way to work, or drive a lot during work, that's a pretty big deal. I don't see who wouldn't like it.

see my post to the OP, the bed and frame rails are still steel, it is everything in front of the bed they are converting to aluminum. An F150 loses about 800 lbs I think of weight I saw, thus giving it a little better gas mileage. They increased the mileage also with the new ecoboost motors (ford anyways). I think GM just uses the deal where the cylinders turn off when not needed for power to get the better mileage.

they have made great headway tho in mileage for full size trucks

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

[awesome guy]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

[ip_law-hokie]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

[awesome guy]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

I do, that's right. aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio, but steel is still stronger.

[ip_law-hokie]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

I do, that's right. aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio, but steel is still stronger.

If aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio, then, pound for pound, aluminum is stonger. That is what pound for pound means.

[awesome guy]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

I do, that's right. aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio, but steel is still stronger.

If aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio, then, pound for pound, aluminum is stonger. That is what pound for pound means.

A pound of steel is stronger than a pound of aluminum.

[Jack Galt]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

Actually, pound for pound, alloy steel is stronger than aluminum. The difference will depend on the alloy of each.

Which weighs more, a pound of steel or a pound of feathers?

[HokieFanDC]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

Actually, pound for pound, alloy steel is stronger than aluminum. The difference will depend on the alloy of each.

Which weighs more, a pound of steel or a pound of feathers?

Aluminum is used to build a lot of boats, as an alternative to steel. An aluminum boat (which is made of Al alloy) designed with the same strength standards as steel, weights about half that of a steel boat. If you made an Al boat with the same weight, it would be stronger. Not sure how that correlates to trucks, and there are probably different rigidity and flexibility needs of a truck vs a boat, but Al can be engineered to be as strong as steel, at a lower weight. Steel is cheaper and easier to use in manufacturing than Al though.

[Jack Galt]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

Actually, pound for pound, alloy steel is stronger than aluminum. The difference will depend on the alloy of each.

Which weighs more, a pound of steel or a pound of feathers?

Aluminum is used to build a lot of boats, as an alternative to steel. An aluminum boat (which is made of Al alloy) designed with the same strength standards as steel, weights about half that of a steel boat. If you made an Al boat with the same weight, it would be stronger. Not sure how that correlates to trucks, and there are probably different rigidity and flexibility needs of a truck vs a boat, but Al can be engineered to be as strong as steel, at a lower weight. Steel is cheaper and easier to use in manufacturing than Al though.

Strength is a material property, so it has nothing to do with weight. I believe you are describing using the density differences of the materials to lower the weight given a design requirement.

As an aside, I hope Ford's suppliers have found a new source for bauxite, or the cost of aluminum will be going even higher.

[awesome guy]

It's military grade Al, and that's stronger than steel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-s ... -1.1577856

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

Actually, pound for pound, alloy steel is stronger than aluminum. The difference will depend on the alloy of each.

Which weighs more, a pound of steel or a pound of feathers?

Aluminum is used to build a lot of boats, as an alternative to steel. An aluminum boat (which is made of Al alloy) designed with the same strength standards as steel, weights about half that of a steel boat. If you made an Al boat with the same weight, it would be stronger. Not sure how that correlates to trucks, and there are probably different rigidity and flexibility needs of a truck vs a boat, but Al can be engineered to be as strong as steel, at a lower weight. Steel is cheaper and easier to use in manufacturing than Al though.

Nope. The boat doesn't need to be as strong as steal. Aluminium is strong enough for that app and is used because it's metallic, but won't corrode. A steal boat would need heavy paint, reapplied often. Ask swabbie what really goes on when they're on deployment. A duck hunter isn't going to want to paint that often or after getting a nick.

But back to the point, AL doesn't have to be the strongest to work. It does make sense for paneling. Leave the heavy lifting stuff for steel. I would have to see it to believe it inside the bed. May be a steel inner seam with aluminum outer seam could work.

[HokieFanDC]

no it's not. Military grade means it's more uniform and really, not from recycled aluminum. Pound for pound, steel alloys are stronger.

I don't think you mean pound for pound.

Actually, pound for pound, alloy steel is stronger than aluminum. The difference will depend on the alloy of each.

Which weighs more, a pound of steel or a pound of feathers?

Aluminum is used to build a lot of boats, as an alternative to steel. An aluminum boat (which is made of Al alloy) designed with the same strength standards as steel, weights about half that of a steel boat. If you made an Al boat with the same weight, it would be stronger. Not sure how that correlates to trucks, and there are probably different rigidity and flexibility needs of a truck vs a boat, but Al can be engineered to be as strong as steel, at a lower weight. Steel is cheaper and easier to use in manufacturing than Al though.

Strength is a material property, so it has nothing to do with weight. I believe you are describing using the density differences of the materials to lower the weight given a design requirement.

As an aside, I hope Ford's suppliers have found a new source for bauxite, or the cost of aluminum will be going even higher.

Correct. All I'm saying is that you can design an aluminum panel that will meet the design requirements of steel. I think the aluminum will have to actually be stronger (higher tensile strength) than steel, to keep it from denting under the same pressure.

Are you saying we should buy Al futures?? THey are way down from a year ago.

[awesome guy]

Correct. All I'm saying is that you can design an aluminum panel that will meet the design requirements of steel. I think the aluminum will have to actually be stronger (higher tensile strength) than steel, to keep it from denting under the same pressure.

Are you saying we should buy Al futures?? THey are way down from a year ago.

aluminum has less memory than steel. So it'll take small dings better. But once enough force is applied, it won't pop back out like steel does. I doubt we'll be able to use a suction cup to pop dents in AL sides, but won't need to as often either. Plus it'll just be thicker unless they're taking about going to soda can thin sides. Which may not be as bad of an idea as it sounds off the cuff. Imagine a world where the sides are pretty much disposable. So you could change the look of the vehicle by changing the skin. Make the front look like a cobra hood expanded. There are many red neck enhancements with this technology. Get tired of something, change the skin like it's a paint job.

[USN_Hokie]

I haven't read much about it, but I would bet money the bed isn't aluminum - that sounds like a collosally bad idea.

I'm pretty sure the bed is aluminum also. I've got an '07 Sport Trac, and it gets around 15/22MPG, pretty pitiful. Having a full size pickup that gets 30MPG highway is pretty impressive IMO. And for people who drive a long way to work, or drive a lot during work, that's a pretty big deal. I don't see who wouldn't like it.

see my post to the OP, the bed and frame rails are still steel, it is everything in front of the bed they are converting to aluminum. An F150 loses about 800 lbs I think of weight I saw, thus giving it a little better gas mileage. They increased the mileage also with the new ecoboost motors (ford anyways). I think GM just uses the deal where the cylinders turn off when not needed for power to get the better mileage.

they have made great headway tho in mileage for full size trucks

Aluminum bed better than steel bed. Less corrosion.
More towing capacity, better mileage. What's not to like?

Will pick-up drivers have the mindset to accept change for sake of fuel effeciency? I applaud Ford's change, but fear that they have overestimated the ability of the pick-up driver demographic to accept change.

Thoughts?