2015 Ford F150 goes on a diet, loses 700 lbs. (Aluminum)

[Cobb]

Good point about the battery. I think this is a prime example of where a cap would help vs 2 monster units.

Im sure if they could do a few 100 more by looking everywhere and reducing the quantity of fluids everything needs. I know some guys anal enough to short the engine a qt of fluid as well as drain the windshield washer and over flow bottle.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

On that thought he might not want no soda pop can truck either.

Gotsta be Bud cans.

[niky]

Originally Posted by Thenorm

when Ford went to a rounded aero front around 1997, sales dropped off, but the next gen with a squarer front and sales rebounded.

Hmmm... similar thing with the 'Stang, wasn't it? They had a very attractive New Edge Mustang, but then they replaced it with the aerodynamic brick that was the retro Mustang, and sales skyrocketed...

Originally Posted by Xist

There have been some comments on here about how sharp broken carbon fiber is. It does not seem perfect for the parts more prone to encountering human flesh.

Might be some difference between forged CF used in racing cars and hand-laid carbon-fiber on supercars, but I've never heard of it being a problem during supercar wrecks. And I've never heard of a driver being injured by CF during an F1 wreck... they're more a danger to the tires of other drivers, who stand to get a puncture from the shards that result when CF is used to dissipate the energy of a 100+ mph crash. A crash which would otherwise cause a lot of sharp, twisted metal bits to fly around if the car were made of metal, instead.

Originally Posted by Thenorm

i think they said it was all the same alloy too, so that should simplify repairs a little bit.

audi's and jags have been all aluminum for the last little while. I think repair shops will be capable.

Aluminum cars are $$,$$$.$$ to fix when you have body or frame damage. Has to do with the riveting process used.

Then again, modern cars are already $,$$$.$$ to repair, aluminum or not. High-tensile strength steel, airbags, pre-tensioners...

Worst are the hoods with explosive bolts that pop-up to protect pedestrians... one of the local Jags had the bolts go off on the racetrack when the driver hit a traffic cone. An "accident" that would cost little more than a good buffing in another car (if it were needed at all) turned into a very expensive parts replacement affair...

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

The lightest current F150 is 4680 lb. 4x2, single cab, short bed, V6. 700 less than that puts it below 4000 lb. A Camaro SS weighs 3900 lb. For a truck with nearly a one-ton payload capacity (1700 lb in that config), that's mighty impressive.

Impressive in the wrong way, 'cause you're looking at it backwards. You OUGHT to be asking WTF a Camaro weighs 3900 pounds - double my Insight, or a Lotus Elise.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'm sure you have made a post on your LiFePo4 batteries, and I'm sure I've read it... what batteries did you go with, and how many? Do you use a BMS?

I'm considering LiFePo4 on my motorcycle where weight can really make a difference.

2 of the batteries are made with CR26250 cells. The original battery, the small one uses 20 cells, the second larger battery uses 28 cells.
Then the super battery uses eight AMP20 cells.
No BMS.

Here is the latest update to my LiFePO4 battery project:
DIY: BYOB, for more power, a lot less weight - Page 7 - Diesel Place : Chevrolet and GMC Diesel Truck Forums

[wdb]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

1963 CHEVROLET C10 Information Specifications Resources Pictures

1970 CHEVROLET C10 Information Specifications Resources Pictures

Not impressed. At. All.

No fair. That was 44 years ago; 44 years of bureaucrats running amok adds up to a lot of weight.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Impressive in the wrong way, 'cause you're looking at it backwards. You OUGHT to be asking WTF a Camaro weighs 3900 pounds - double my Insight, or a Lotus Elise.

Carp about modern vehicle weights all you like; they weigh what they weigh, and trimming 700 lbs. (seven hundred pounds!) is a significant accomplishment. Ford deserves praise for this move, not derision because the F150 is not a Lotus Elise.

Look at it this way. By shedding 700 lbs. from the best selling vehicle in the US -- not to mention offering 2 (two!) engines specifically targeting fuel economy -- Ford will be causing millions of gallons less fuel to be burned. That's a good thing no matter how you cut it.

[Giovanni LiCalsi]

I'm considering an EV conversion for my Ford 150 with a couple of Leaf battery packs and a Tesla motor. There should be plenty of wrecked Tesla cars on the market, soon.
Here is an image of the Tesla pickup design.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Considering that aluminium is already widerly used to make work truck bodies, such as flatbeds and van bodies, I don't see too many reliability concerns. Regarding dents or any other minor damage, we can expect some redneck-engineering to fix it with Coke cans and Araldite

[Giovanni LiCalsi]

The Tesla Roadster has a rear deck lid made out of carbon fiber using the
Fiberforge: Lightweighting Your World® With Thermoplastic Advanced Composite Parts process. This can replace all of the body panels.

In an Intense Time for Hybrids and EVs, Fiberforge Lightens Up - YouTube