aluminum F150 under test since 2011

jwduke wrote:

PAThwacker wrote:
didn't audi have that A8 all aluminum car mainstreamed 10 years ago?

Didn't Buick have a aluminum V6, 50 years ago???

Yep, Land Rover bought the rights and used them up until 2004. Albeit a V8 version. Also Land Rovers have had AL bodies on steel frames since at least the mid 80's.

All this worry and speculation is just from the uninformed. I would expect this will be a home run for Ford and that within a few years all the big 3 follow suit. Meanwhile Ford will wrongfully claim they had an industry first and are a trendsetter...

And I like Fords!

PAThwacker wrote:
didn't audi have that A8 all aluminum car mainstreamed 10 years ago?

Didn't Buick have a aluminum V6, 50 years ago???

They (Grumman, Utilimaster, et al) have been making box trucks, walk in vans aluminum for decades.

Jon boats aluminum for 60 to 80 years. Once you start modding and using wrong hardware or place treated lumber galvonic pitting occurs.

Terryallan wrote:

They quit making the Ranger. But I'll tell you. My 1985 2.8 V6 long bed ranger was the best vehicle we ever owned. I towed more than I should have with it, and traded it 14 years after I bought it new. It was a tough little truck.

THey didn't quit making it, they just quit making it for the US market.

http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/Ranger

And as alluded to a small diesel is available in it.

Terryallan wrote:

pappcam wrote:

Fast Mopar wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:

I think that Ford made a great decision to make the F-150 out of aluminum, and drop the tiny Ranger. You can get the F-150 for only a few dollars a month more than the Ranger, and now they are about the same weight, and will get about the same mileage too.

Fred.

The aluminum F-150 will be a success I am sure, but don't knock the Ranger. The Ranger was allowed to die on the vine. Ford (and GM and Chrysler) always keep their full size trucks up to date and have all done an exceptional job on the full size offerings, but not on smaller trucks. A modern crew cab Ranger with a 4 cyl Ecoboost or 4 cyl diesel would be a top seller, but Ford chose to let the old Ranger wither and die with an outdated design and old-fashioned powerplants. At least GM has decided to do the right thing and update the Colorado/Canyon. So many people say that the market no longer demands a compact or midsize truck, and that is bogus. For many, the full size trucks (regardless of how great and efficient they are) are just too big for daily city use. The market is there.

The imports pretty well have the small truck market cornered. I see an awful lot of Tacomas and a few Frontiers on the road. I hardly see any Rangers or Canyons/Colorados anymore. The Dakotas sold well for a while but they couldn't compete with the Japanese anymore.

They quit making the Ranger. But I'll tell you. My 1985 2.8 V6 long bed ranger was the best vehicle we ever owned. I towed more than I should have with it, and traded it 14 years after I bought it new. It was a tough little truck.

agree 100% with you. I've personally owned 3 Ford Rangers from the late 80/early 90's and also a Bronco II of similar vintage.

ALL were great trucks and to say at times I didn't treat them nicely would be an understatement......but they all took it and kept coming back for more. All had the 2.8/9 V6.

Sorry, mispost...

So there's a Max of 700# taken out of the heaviest truck, probably the SCrew with 6.5" bed.

But will they leave the GVWR the same? If so, does that mean the all SCrew payloads are going to be North of 2000# payload(even without HD Payload)?

What I really wonder about is the suspension. Right now it seems that the suspensions are tuned to the curb weight of the empty truck, as most of these are used as "grocery-getters" and commuters. But then when you load it to the GVWR, you're wobbling all over.

With the new light weight trucks, are they going to de-tune the suspension even more? And if you then load them up to GVWR will the wobbly ride get even worse than it is now?

Think what the new Fords may need is an adjustable 4pt air-ride suspension like RAMs. Just can't imagine a suspension that is good over the full range of possible weights (GVWs) these trucks may have.

ib516 wrote:
Hey my Jeep has an aluminium hood! I just hope the insurance companies don't see it as an opportunity to increase rates. I also think GM and RAM will follow Ford's lead on the new material - don't think they can afford not to.

GM has already announced aluminum for the next 1500.No word from Ram yet.

pappcam wrote:

Fast Mopar wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:

I think that Ford made a great decision to make the F-150 out of aluminum, and drop the tiny Ranger. You can get the F-150 for only a few dollars a month more than the Ranger, and now they are about the same weight, and will get about the same mileage too.

Fred.

The aluminum F-150 will be a success I am sure, but don't knock the Ranger. The Ranger was allowed to die on the vine. Ford (and GM and Chrysler) always keep their full size trucks up to date and have all done an exceptional job on the full size offerings, but not on smaller trucks. A modern crew cab Ranger with a 4 cyl Ecoboost or 4 cyl diesel would be a top seller, but Ford chose to let the old Ranger wither and die with an outdated design and old-fashioned powerplants. At least GM has decided to do the right thing and update the Colorado/Canyon. So many people say that the market no longer demands a compact or midsize truck, and that is bogus. For many, the full size trucks (regardless of how great and efficient they are) are just too big for daily city use. The market is there.

The imports pretty well have the small truck market cornered. I see an awful lot of Tacomas and a few Frontiers on the road. I hardly see any Rangers or Canyons/Colorados anymore. The Dakotas sold well for a while but they couldn't compete with the Japanese anymore.

They quit making the Ranger. But I'll tell you. My 1985 2.8 V6 long bed ranger was the best vehicle we ever owned. I towed more than I should have with it, and traded it 14 years after I bought it new. It was a tough little truck.

Fast Mopar wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:

I think that Ford made a great decision to make the F-150 out of aluminum, and drop the tiny Ranger. You can get the F-150 for only a few dollars a month more than the Ranger, and now they are about the same weight, and will get about the same mileage too.

Fred.

The aluminum F-150 will be a success I am sure, but don't knock the Ranger. The Ranger was allowed to die on the vine. Ford (and GM and Chrysler) always keep their full size trucks up to date and have all done an exceptional job on the full size offerings, but not on smaller trucks. A modern crew cab Ranger with a 4 cyl Ecoboost or 4 cyl diesel would be a top seller, but Ford chose to let the old Ranger wither and die with an outdated design and old-fashioned powerplants. At least GM has decided to do the right thing and update the Colorado/Canyon. So many people say that the market no longer demands a compact or midsize truck, and that is bogus. For many, the full size trucks (regardless of how great and efficient they are) are just too big for daily city use. The market is there.

The imports pretty well have the small truck market cornered. I see an awful lot of Tacomas and a few Frontiers on the road. I hardly see any Rangers or Canyons/Colorados anymore. The Dakotas sold well for a while but they couldn't compete with the Japanese anymore.