Carbon fiber bed for GMC

[Groover]

This article on the coming carbon fiber bed is interesting.

Car and Driver on the carbon fiber bed

I was surprised to see how much the bed flexes under impact. That is actually a good thing as it absorbs the impact without damage. Rust proof is great too. They claim an extra cubic foot of volume and if saves you from adding a bed liner that could add another one or two cubic to your usable volume.

Since I have and many others have bed liners in may be most appropriate to compare cost and weight after the bed liner is added. That would probably make it more appealing since I was disappointed the mere 60lb savings and a bed liner seems to run around $500. I am not sure how carbon fiber holds up in the cold, as I recall that was the downfall of the last non-metal bed the GM tried. However, they do mention a snowmobile test so lets hope that they have that covered. Another big issue GM has had with innovative features in the past is getting dealers to put them on the lot. Maybe they will get that figured out too.

[time2roll]

BenK wrote:
Front loader with a side tilt bucket...he raised it to it's max height and then dumped it all...

Thought the poop head guy was going to bust a neck vein yelling at him...

If the customer had carbon fiber the joke would be back on the owner dumping the materials.

[bgum]

We own a 2018 Toyota Tacoma. It has a plastic bed. It is slick and things slide easy. A rubber mat at $89 takes care of that. People who have installed a pipe rack and not tied to the frame are seeing deformities.

[BenK]

There are good applications for plastic....helmets and boats are a few...

But, in context...ask how many times have you loaded up your boat with fertilizer, dirt, 1 inch gravel, and the biggie...cobble stones ?

Brings back a funny from decades ago...at the local garden supply...

A guy in front if me was pestering the owner for a better price on cobblestones...he didn't get any discount...

Out back, again behind this jerk

Owner cane out to handle this job himself

Front loader with a side tilt bucket...he raised it to it's max height and then dumped it all...

Thought the poop head guy was going to bust a neck vein yelling at him...

At my turn...smiled and said wished it could have gone higher...owner said...me too...

Pickups will see lots of abuse and plastic beds will not hold up...IMHO...

[troubledwaters]

time2roll wrote:
I love it. Aluminum looks to be obsolete.

Next will be the full exterior body panels.

And you thought aluminum was expensive.

[time2roll]

I love it. Aluminum looks to be obsolete.

Next will be the full exterior body panels.

[Groover]

BenK wrote:
Am NOT a fan of a plastic pickup bed.

Even for an occasional use by those who own a pickup as a car

Have two plastic bicycles and will NOT take them on the local train to SF Giants games. Take my metal bicycles

Sure, there are evermore things made of plastic (carbon fiber)....mostly or too many to appease the LAGS and SOS folks (fashion statement crowd)

A helmet made of this new plastic is a good application. As they have been made of plastic filled with glass fibers. Now switching to carbon fibers and again, a very good application

Note, that helmets are a one time use thing....a pickup bed is NOT

Plastic shatters when impacted beyond their plasticity point....metal will bend/dent/etc after it goes beyond its plastic point

But, it is a personal choice and hope they know/understand the attributes vs metal...not just the bragging rights or cool factor

Most boats under 80ft long are made of a fiber reinforced material, either fiberglass or Kevlar and they take a lot of abuse. Some hold up better than others. Mine is 30 years old and doing well. How well the pickup beds survive depends on how well GM executes the plan.

[Groover]

agesilaus wrote:

schlep1967 wrote:

agesilaus wrote:
I don't have any Carbon Fiber gear but I was under the impression that it was impact sensitive. Plus they don't give a price.

I hope not. They make motorcycle helmets out of it.
I'm sure there are different "ingredients" depending on the purpose and required weight savings.

I just read up on it a bit. Normally it is very strong in one direction, if you want to make it strong all around then you have to add more resin, which makes it weaker. I would assume the deck on a P/u bed would need to be strong all around. For helmets it absorbs energy as it is crushed which makes it more impact resistant. Of course I'm not a Material Engineer so I'm sure there are ways around the problems, but at what cost?

In a fiber reinforced resin material the fiber provides most of the tensile strength while the resin holds the fiber together and provides compressive strength. The fibers can be laid all in one direction or they can be mixed up. A lot like a board vs plywood. A board is generally stronger when being used lengthwise but is easily split if the stress is applied sideways. The plywood is fairly consistent in all directions. For best results with fiber reinforced material you need to know how the stress will be applied and lay the fibers accordingly. Tires often use layers of belts run at 90 degrees to each other while some things made from fiberglass use strands that have been cut into short lengths and then blown in randomly. Both methods work but the carefully laid fibers obviously are more efficient and weigh less. The chopped fibers are cheaper and easier to install. I guess that we will find out in a year or so if GM knows what they are doing but I would bet that they do, especially after the sales failure of the last non-metallic bed they offered.

[BenK]

Am NOT a fan of a plastic pickup bed.

Even for an occasional use by those who own a pickup as a car

Have two plastic bicycles and will NOT take them on the local train to SF Giants games. Take my metal bicycles

Sure, there are evermore things made of plastic (carbon fiber)....mostly or too many to appease the LAGS and SOS folks (fashion statement crowd)

A helmet made of this new plastic is a good application. As they have been made of plastic filled with glass fibers. Now switching to carbon fibers and again, a very good application

Note, that helmets are a one time use thing....a pickup bed is NOT

Plastic shatters when impacted beyond their plasticity point....metal will bend/dent/etc after it goes beyond its plastic point

But, it is a personal choice and hope they know/understand the attributes vs metal...not just the bragging rights or cool factor

[fj12ryder]

schlep1967 wrote:

agesilaus wrote:
I don't have any Carbon Fiber gear but I was under the impression that it was impact sensitive. Plus they don't give a price.

I hope not. They make motorcycle helmets out of it.
I'm sure there are different "ingredients" depending on the purpose and required weight savings.

Motorcycle helmets are designed to absorb crushing strikes, and usually are damaged in the process. Sometimes the damage isn't visible if the strike isn't severe enough, but the damage is still there. Which is why many helmet makers suggest that you replace a helmet after a moderate to severe impact.

[agesilaus]

schlep1967 wrote:

agesilaus wrote:
I don't have any Carbon Fiber gear but I was under the impression that it was impact sensitive. Plus they don't give a price.

I hope not. They make motorcycle helmets out of it.
I'm sure there are different "ingredients" depending on the purpose and required weight savings.

I just read up on it a bit. Normally it is very strong in one direction, if you want to make it strong all around then you have to add more resin, which makes it weaker. I would assume the deck on a P/u bed would need to be strong all around. For helmets it absorbs energy as it is crushed which makes it more impact resistant. Of course I'm not a Material Engineer so I'm sure there are ways around the problems, but at what cost?

[Ralph_Cramden]

.

[schlep1967]

agesilaus wrote:
I don't have any Carbon Fiber gear but I was under the impression that it was impact sensitive. Plus they don't give a price.

I hope not. They make motorcycle helmets out of it.
I'm sure there are different "ingredients" depending on the purpose and required weight savings.

[agesilaus]

I don't have any Carbon Fiber gear but I was under the impression that it was impact sensitive. Plus they don't give a price.