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

[USN_Hokie]

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.

Only 6000-series al doesn't get painted on the ships I'm familiar with, though corrosion is obviously less of a factor overall. Al saves weight, but it has other quirky issues...it becomes brittle at weld joints, for example. For this reason, you might end up scrapping an aluminum ship which suffered an engine room fire, for example.

[HokieFanDC]

You should have a bed liner anyway. Having a metal bed w/no bed lines is guaranteeing a rust out pretty quickly.

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?

[USN_Hokie]

You should have a bed liner anyway. Having a metal bed w/no bed lines is guaranteeing a rust out pretty quickly.

My comment was more in regards to the nature of how pickup beds are used.

[Homebrew]

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.

Aluminum ships corrode too. Navys littoral combat ship for example

[ip_law-hokie]

AG:

Earlier you said that aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio.

Now you say a pound of steel is stronger than a pound of aluminum.

So which is it?

[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.

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?

Is that a serious question?

[awesome guy]

AG:

Earlier you said that aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio.

Now you say a pound of steel is stronger than a pound of aluminum.

So which is it?

one and the same. Do you want to still hold on to your original troll of truck and suv owners not accepting technology? The success of ecoBoos torpedoes your world view. Not that you'll change it, that it just sits on the bottom of the sea with other silly stuff no one cares about.

[ip_law-hokie]

AG:

Earlier you said that aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio.

Now you say a pound of steel is stronger than a pound of aluminum.

So which is it?

one and the same. Do you want to still hold on to your original troll of truck and suv owners not accepting technology? The success of ecoBoos torpedoes your world view. Not that you'll change it, that it just sits on the bottom of the sea with other silly stuff no one cares about.

How are they one in the same? You are wrong.

[awesome guy]

AG:

Earlier you said that aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio.

Now you say a pound of steel is stronger than a pound of aluminum.

So which is it?

one and the same. Do you want to still hold on to your original troll of truck and suv owners not accepting technology? The success of ecoBoos torpedoes your world view. Not that you'll change it, that it just sits on the bottom of the sea with other silly stuff no one cares about.

How are they one in the same? You are wrong.

I don't feel like wrestling with ya piggy.

[ip_law-hokie]

AG:

Earlier you said that aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio.

Now you say a pound of steel is stronger than a pound of aluminum.

So which is it?

one and the same. Do you want to still hold on to your original troll of truck and suv owners not accepting technology? The success of ecoBoos torpedoes your world view. Not that you'll change it, that it just sits on the bottom of the sea with other silly stuff no one cares about.

How are they one in the same? You are wrong.

I don't feel like wrestling with ya piggy.

Probably because you are wrong. I didn't know you were a liberal arts major.

[USN_Hokie]

Galvanic corrosion is actually a huge problem on Al ships (don't lose your pocket change in thebilge!), but it does have a lot of other benefits.

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.

Aluminum ships corrode too. Navys littoral combat ship for example[/quote]