Topic: Auto Tech: Aluminum in the Ford F-150

[Autos_Editor]

The nitty-gritty of getting aluminum into the new F-150.
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[redman]

.."the F-Series has been Canada’s bestselling truck for 48 years, and for the past four years it has been the country’s top selling vehicle" I keep reading this but would like to know how many of these are fleet vehicles vs personal or small company vehicles. I know that Ford aggressively maintains it's fleet sales in order to maintain top sales spot. Most fleet vehicles are white but Ford will paint any colour you want if the volumes are there.

[JacobBlack]

.."the F-Series has been Canada’s bestselling truck for 48 years, and for the past four years it has been the country’s top selling vehicle" I keep reading this but would like to know how many of these are fleet vehicles vs personal or small company vehicles. I know that Ford aggressively maintains it's fleet sales in order to maintain top sales spot.

That's a good point, well made. I don't know how to grab those figures, we've reached out in the past but haven't been able to get them. Having said that, I see so many of these on the road I'm not in the least surprised by the stat.

[Noto]

Haney, neat article.  It definitely is quite thorough as to what difference the material makes.

I see so many of these on the road I'm not in the least surprised by the stat.

Outside of cities, almost everyone owns an F-150.  I was in Belleville today and my RX was the only car in the lot that was NOT an F-150.  None of them were 'fleet' vehicles (nor did any have anything in the truck bed... ).

[redman]

Haney, neat article.  It definitely is quite thorough as to what difference the material makes.

I see so many of these on the road I'm not in the least surprised by the stat.

Outside of cities, almost everyone owns an F-150.  I was in Belleville today and my RX was the only car in the lot that was NOT an F-150.  None of them were 'fleet' vehicles (nor did any have anything in the truck bed... ).

May have been the rural standard at one time. My Father in law (Hog Farmer) once a die hard Ford fan gave up Ford since their handling of the peeling paint fiasco and mentioned that many followed suit.
http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/more-problems-for-ford-paint-defects-in-2000-2005-models/
http://www.f150forum.com/f2/anyone-else-having-problems-peeling-paint-90750/

[Northernridge]

When I've added Silverado and Sierra sales numbers together they've fallen short of the F150 IIRC.

No doubt, this is an important vehicle for the whole segment. If it works, GM and Ram will likely join the party. I find the new F150 very compelling but I might wait for a model year or two to go buy myself...there's a lot of new in these trucks as the article points out.

[Snowman]

Waiting to see how Canadian winters impact linear expansion of Aluminum over a few years  Double that of steel.

[drive67]

Reason for so many fleet vehicles is that they are solid with very little repairs needed. We have Dodge, GMC, and Ford in our fleet and Ford is by far the least amount of problems. Dodge so many transmission and computer problems I find them dangerous to drive. The GMC's check engine light comes on so often that drivers do not report it any more, gas gauges do not work, traction control come on dry roads. The Fords just maintenance.   

[blotter]

be interesting to know what various grades the Al they used.