daka320 wrote:
It seems that Ford is taking the "Short Timer" approach on these trucks. ALuminum panels and twin turbos may not last over the long haul. Aviation is my career so I am very familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of both.
ALuminum is great for its lightweight and flexible properties. But, it is hard to repair and it does corrode. Their is a product called Corrision X that is applied to the inside of aircraft to help prevent corrosion. Also, aluminum has a tendency to "Tin Can" at times. Just listen to a small Cessna when you start it up or shut it down.
Turbos/superchargers are nice to have to increase the power output of an engine especially when climbing up to altitude. You can achieve some nice true airspeeds up higher and stay well above some terrain. But, you have to really be careful that you do not overboost an engine or shock cool it. I'm afraid Ford may be overboosting their smaller six cylinder engines to have bragging rights to how much power they can achieve out of it. Also, you do not hear much about allowing the turbos and engines to slowly cool down. It is a good way to crack turbos, blocks, cylinders, etc. When you see your turbos, exhaust, etc. glowing yellow or orange you know there is some heat being produced. With the aviation problems I have had with turbos, a derated engine was always more reliable and bullet proof.
Believe me that I am no expert with these trucks. I do not own one or have any experience with them. For me the jury is not out yet on how they will hold up. I just have a tendency to apply what I have observed and learned in aviation towards other things. I hope for the sake of all the owners that Ford has done their homework. They are nice trucks!
While this was true of turbo's of the past, it is not true for the EB. The EB uses liquid/oil cooled turbos that do not require a turbo timer or idle for 30 seconds to get the turbo's cooled down.
Also, my 0.02$ - F150's should not be towing FW's, leave that to 250/2500 and up size trucks.
