I am curious what the crash ratings for the new 2015 will be.
Does Ford build a prototype and crash test it before building the assembly line and the end product? Or it's all a gamble only to find out later?

Make a model from aluminum, make another model of the F-150 from steel and let the buyer decide.
I still don't like the idea how aluminum expands and contracts more than steel by temperature.
This expand and contraction of the aluminum will pull the panels apart and where aluminum touches the steel frame oxidation and trapped moisture will result in higher levels of rust and corrosion.
Plus nobody knows how aluminum will effect insurance rates.

Everybody is saying aluminum will be more expensive than steel. Ok, I'll bite. Give me some figures. Seems I remember reading recently that Ford was going to raise the price on 2015 models by hundreds, not thousands. A lot of that has to do with improvements beyond body materials. Sure, use high strength steel, and roll it paper thin like GM does. I read that a guy bought a new Chevy truck and couldn't find out where dents in the hood were coming from. He watched his son washing the truck and saw that he was leaning over on a step to get to the top of the windshield while putting his fingers on the hood for balance. Also reported that acorns falling were leaving marks. No thanks on my truck. Al costs more per pound, but how many less pounds are being used. Steel also has to be coated to prevent rust, maybe aluminum too, not sure. I do know traffic signs where I live are made from aluminum and painted on one side only. Once bare al oxidizes it prevents any further oxidation.

Tom?
If you mix steel with aluminum, aluminum will soak up the steel like a sponge and eat out and rust like crazy.
The aluminum signs are held up with stainless steel or aluminum bolts and nuts, if they used steel bolts and nuts it would eat thru the aluminum like crazy and the sign would fall off.
I am concerned where the aluminum bed touches the steel frame unless Ford protects it somehow.
I got this information from a metal expert that's also a Ram Truck Owner

Aluminum does not stand up to hauling heavy loads. In my opinion they should have stuck with steel in the pickup box.

"Everybody is saying aluminum will be more expensive than steel. Ok, I'll bite. Give me some figures. Seems I remember reading recently that Ford was going to raise the price on 2015 models by hundreds, not thousands. A lot of that has to do with improvements beyond body materials. Sure, use high strength steel, and roll it paper thin like GM does. I read that a guy bought a new Chevy truck and couldn't find out where dents in the hood were coming from. He watched his son washing the truck and saw that he was leaning over on a step to get to the top of the windshield while putting his fingers on the hood for balance. Also reported that acorns falling were leaving marks. No thanks on my truck. Al costs more per pound, but how many less pounds are being used. Steel also has to be coated to prevent rust, maybe aluminum too, not sure. I do know traffic signs where I live are made from aluminum and painted on one side only. Once bare al oxidizes it prevents any further oxidation."

@Tom, Gm pickups have aluminum hoods. So, if that Aluminum hood dents so easily, like you just said, then that would mean the new F-150 will also dent just as easy.

Enough already about the 700 lbs. It's pure propaganda so stop regurgitating it. What model is 700 lbs lighter? the quad door 4-x-4?

How much lighter is the 2 door short bed over last year's model with same configuration?

Ford is notorious for fudging numbers, because at Ford, Marketing is Job#1.

This could be the end of Ford, what goes up must come down.

On the one hand, this move by the steel industry is good news. It means that the steel and aluminum companies will be doing their own research and development in competition to supply the raw materials for the new lighter pickups. That means faster progress. In the long run, we could have lighter, stronger, more rust resistant trucks.

On the other hand, all this stuff is about meeting a government regulation rather than giving consumers what they want. If the EPA pollution control history is any guide, we are likely to go through some dark days before we get to the good stuff.

"I am curious what the crash ratings for the new 2015 will be.
Does Ford build a prototype and crash test it before building the assembly line and the end product? Or it's all a gamble only to find out later?"

Im sorry but cars have been made from aluminum for the better part of at least 2 decades if not more. Most of these are European sports cars/ luxury cars which lets be honest are a fair bit safer than a lot of cars sold here. Heck my parents had a 2000 land rover discovery that was mostly made from aluminum.

Ford is acting revolutionary or something but this has been done before for a very long time. People need to settle down.

There are most definitely pro's and con's to both approaches. Steel, while still being a good material, is approaching its practical limits in terms of strength to weight to cost ratio. Aluminum is typically more expensive by mass and/volume but has more functional limits for automotive uses.

If my geology and chemistry classes still serve me well there is actually more usable aluminum on Earth's crust than iron but it tends to be less densely concentrated which makes it more expense to extract, not in that it is more rare. It also needs less refining to get the function material and can be recycled practically infinite number of times which means on a life cycle basis it may be not only less expensive but also less energy intensive which is the whole point of some of the EPA's rules.

I think for Ford the switch wasn't just a short term view of its trucks but in all of its entire manufacturing processes. By spreading initial costs and initial R&D on how to use aluminum on the biggest platform seller they have it will be much easier to integrate the processes into all of their vehicle manufacturing, like the small CUV's and cars. All others will follow suit but my guess is some others like GM and Fiat/Chrysler don't have the need to change out all of their robots yet and will want to maximize the value of their current process and can wait another life cycle before needing to make any changes, hoping the whole time that with scale comes some efficiency so when they do switch their costs will be less than Ford's.

The materials they use are most likely completely irrelevant to the company. They just want to sell the most product at the highest margins to generate return for their owners like all corporations do. If they can achieve this with steel, iron, aluminum, carbon fiber, wood, whatever they will do it in a way that maximizes their returns.

Why does no one suggest the obvious? Let the EPA stay out of this. The government has no business regulating what my products are made out of. If I want a truck that weight 50 tons and gets 2 gallons to the mile (yes gpm not mpg) I should be able to buy that. This government overreach is appauling.

People need to settle down and let somebody be the guinea pig first. Time will tell how it is. Yes insurance rates will climb for the new Fords just due to future body repair costs. But as more manufacturers step on board those costs should decrease. I believe Ford has done their homework. And if you don't want an aluminum made truck you can always buy another make. Ram still will have steel trucks until 2020.

As a side note the reason that the aluminum is now typically glued (adhesive bonded) to other materials is to protect against the corrosion between materials that a few of you brought up. Welding the material doesn't help in this regard.

Let's just hope when Fiat/Chrysler start using the aluminum in more mainstream cars/trucks they don't ask for adhesive advice from Ferrari (ie all of the massive fireballs created on the first couple of years of the 458 Italia due to the glue melting from heat and easily catching on fire)

(this was a vain attempt at a joke. I love Ferrari and was sad to see Luca go. I have driven 3 of their cars and they cannot be done justice with mere words, especially the 458. Not trying to have trolls jump all over me, just create a good chuckle)

Aluminum does not stand up to hauling heavy loads. In my opinion they should have stuck with steel...

@Bob

The Galaxy C5 aircraft utilizes a LOT of lightweight materials in its airframe, especially aluminum. It can carry huge loads and take off fully loaded in just under 2500 meters.

Should they have stuck with steel in your opinion?

The misinformation and/or disinformation surrounding the use of aluminum is an interesting phenomenon all in of itself.

The steel industry is obviously going to pay for a study trying to prove that high strength steel is better.

Computer modelling can show how aluminum will react in crashes and under various loads. Simulated real world tests also provides more data. Then there is driving and crash testing. This provides manufacturers with a good idea of how vehicles will behave.
Even with all of that testing they cannot plan for every "what if?".
Human beings are the penultimate paradox.
There will always be a certain degree of beta testing by first time buyers. That is an unavoidable fact of life.

First of all, Ford is using high strength steel in their structural parts: the frame went from 21% hss to 71% hss. And cc 4x4 Lariat 2014 vs Lariat 2015 loses 732 lbs. Most will have weight savings in the 600-700 lb range with 600 be the minium.

Second, Steel blew it by not getting their hss body parts up and running. They won't be available to 2018 and there is a lot involved in making it (see link below.)

Lastly, Ford spokesman Mike Levine said the company "evaluated many materials for the all-new Ford F-150 and determined that an advanced high-strength steel frame and a body consisting of high-strength, military grade aluminum alloys provided the best combination of durability and weight savings."

Apparently NO ONE in the steel industry knew about Ford's plan? BS. Steel had years to improve. This is where competition will stir innovation.

Flashback from January 2014:
And now one steel supplier says his industry blew it by not investing in the capacity to produce enough high-strength steel, which steel makers say is lightweight and competitive in price.
"The steel industry has failed," he said. "We've been talking as an industry for years about advanced, high-strength steels. But we as an industry haven't invested in enough capacity to do it."

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140131/OEM01/140139940/after-f-150-defeat-steel--makers-plan-comeback

planes are aluminum . Ships are aluminum and both have to stand ungodly loads and pressure. The reason they use aluminum It is stronger and the bonded or glued panels are stronger.. Ford didn't just set up shop and producing aluminum trucks. This aluminum truck has already ran the Baja with aluminum 2013 sheetmetal.Crash testing is already done and at the very top of its group..they have already test built the new trucks over and over.Weather tested done. Endurance done. When the new trucks hits next month it will be the lighest fastest best built truck ever.

@ Bob I've seen many modern day 18 wheeler dump bodies made in aluminum. Soooo, made properly aluminum can hold weight. Get over it.How well does a beer can hold up if frozen? lol
Also as far as crash test data, there have been many higher end cars out there for years made with aluminum and the world didn't freak out. A truck first, think so. A car first, NO!. Remember, frame is still steel.

Aluminum has been used for years in the Aviation industry, what is so different it being on a Truck, oh wait, it's because Ford is doing it first, I now see why the TROLLS troll.

I do have a question for someone. I have bought large rocks what some might call boulders for my yard from a local landscape supplier who told me that most of the big trailers that haul gravel and rock have gone to aluminum but he said they have problems with these trailers when hauling these large boulders. Most of the big boulders are still hauled with steel trailers but they are harder to find. Even though F-150s will not haul something on the scale of boulders the beds would at least be more prone to damage. If it is true that the beds would be more prone to bed damage wouldn't it make more sense to make the beds out of composite material which would be more resistant to damage and would still be light.

@Jeff S

Agree about the use of composites for truck beds. No brainer. Don't understand not doing it; many truck buyers evidently think that steel is the only way to go.

It seems this aluminium vs steel debate is filled with truth, some truth and plain ignorance.

The comments attempting to draw parallels between steel and aluminium for various forms of transportation equipment is porous in many instances.

Aluminium will make a fine vehicle. But the sad fact is it will cost more. Aluminium has been used prior to WWII in the transportation industry in large quantities.

What has forced this move towards aluminium trucks is the US CAFE regulations, nothing else. This isn't just a natural evolutionary cycle in vehicle design.

If anyone stopped and researched some of their comments they will realise that aluminium, especially with a suitable tensile strength is harder to form, hence the large flat areas where it is currenly used in transportation equipment.

Ships, dump truck bodies, Peterbilts bodies, aircraft, trains, etc is where aluminium is heavily used. But look at the how the material is laid. Generally in large flat sheets with straight'ish bends, radii and forming.

The reason aluminium was used in the above examples is;
1. The vehicle couldn't function/operate, ie, aircraft.

2. The additional cost of the aluminium will pay for itself over the life of the vehicle. Truck's have extensive use of aluminium, this improves payload, similar to how trucks have diesel engines.

3. In the instance of the F-150 regulation is heavily influencing the aluminium direction.

Bonding of materials if done correctly will provide a large strength advantages over spot welded vehicles.

The cost of aluminium vs steel is also a little erroneous. As a rule of thumb if you are required to fabricate an item using MILD steel an similarly fabricated aluminium item will weight roughly 66% or the mild steel item.

Higher tensile steels will weight substantially less.

As Lou pointed out the steel industry will move to develop alternatives to aluminium.

At the end of the day, the real cost of aluminium will be the processes required to manufacture the vehicle. The vehicle itself isn't a technological wonder. The actual material cost difference between steel and aluminium would only be hundreds of dollars.

The technology in manufacturing aluminium vehicles is where the innovation will be.

GM had a composite bed in 2001 but it was disoninued just 2 years later. Rumor had it there was no $ (read: incentive) for GM dealers. Had to be special order more or less and they lost out on money selling bedliners.

1. Chevy's Avalanche had a composite tailgate since its introduction.
2. Ford's Explorer Sport-Trac did have one.
3. Ranger step side had one.
4. Toyota's Tacoma beds are all composite, made in Mexico and shipped to the US.
(Failures have been reported on the Tacoma's BTW.)

Again, it was overpriced by GM ($875 option back in 2001) and GM didn't let dealers get a piece of the action. In the future there might be one, but with steel vs high strength alum its actually the current steel beds that are more prone to damage.

Anecdotal for sure, but my car has an aluminum hood and was in a golf ball+ size hail storm. The dents on the hood were much worse than the rest of the steel body.

I remember many years ago on some automotive program,they discussed why they weren't using aluminum at that time.The simple answer was that the aluminum couldn't be used in a press,(at that time) to be formed into fenders etc without ripping and tearing.They also said that once they come up with an aluminum alloy that could stand up to the presses,the industry will change.Now in a short time we can see for ourselves how the new process works out.

@paul
My 95 Cherokee Sport had a plastic tailgate.

Buy an F150 now while you still can....

"If the aluminum-bodied vehicles on the road today are an accurate gauge, the 2015 Ford F-150 probably will be more expensive to repair than its steel-bodied predecessor.

Body shop owners say aluminum repair parts are more expensive than steel parts. And because it often takes longer to repair an aluminum body, the labor costs usually are higher.

That has been the experience of a suburban Detroit chain of high-end body shops that repair aluminum Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW vehicles and a New York shop that handles Jaguar and Land Rover aluminum vehicles...."

Insurance companies will have a lot of say about what the repairs will cost.

"The cost to repair depends on the insurance company," said Larry Smith, owner of Autometric Collision Inc. in suburban Detroit. "The good insurance companies will listen to us and pay attention to the manufacturer's guidelines. The bad ones will discount what the manufacturers say."

This will be great for repair shops, they get to experiment with fixing aluminum-bodied Ford's, get to charge inflated repair cost (ala Mercedes-Benz, Porsche) and do if for pick-up trucks....lol!

"Cost and price are always an essential factor to consider when making any product. The price of steel and aluminum is continually fluctuating based on global supply and demand, fuel costs and the price and availability of iron and bauxite ore; however steel is generally cheaper (per pound) than aluminum (see galvanized vs stainless for more info on steel). The cost of raw materials has a direct impact on the price of the finished spinning. There are exceptions, but two identical spinnings (one in aluminum and one in steel) the aluminum part will almost always cost more because of the increase in the raw material price...."

My new F150...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us7AeG7OEY4

@Papa Jim, I work for a heavy haul trucking company in operations. We have some aluminum trailers and they are all junk, they don't hold up under heavy loads. Non of the drivers want to pull them, and they are slowing being scrapped out.

I feel like the debate of steel vs aluminum on PUTC is something that has become "polarized" by brand preference. The side effect of this is that it keeps the discussion from having a lot of depth.

First of all, I think both aluminum and steel have their virtues, however, people still have too many misconceptions about aluminum. Some of it is ignorance, and some of it is because only people who work in select industries really know much about it. To the average American about all can tell you about aluminum is that it is what their can of Coors is made out of.

Some people have come here and try to push the idea of aluminum being an "inferior" metal. I would ask all those people, what are the wheels on your truck made out of? Are the stock steel wheels or by chance aluminum?

Many trucks have come from the factory with aluminum wheels. Ford has fitted trucks with Alcoa wheels for many years. Do people criticize trucks that have aluminum wheels? I don't hear such criticism. People only criticize aluminum to the point that it helps their agenda.

High strength steel is a topic I haven't seen discussed here much. ArcelorMittal claims that use of their high strength steel could reduce a pickup's total weight by roughly 23%. Ford's supposed weight savings with aluminum is 700lbs on a crew cab model. A '14 Crew Cab model has a curb weight of almost 6000lbs, so that means Ford's weight savings are approximately 11% over the '14 models.

We don't know the accuracy of ArcelorMittals claims. However, alternatives to aluminum such as HSS are worth investigating, and we know that they are being investigated. My point here is that aluminum is not necessary the only solution to a problem, neither is it something that should be dismissed as a "inferior" metal.

Whatever trailers you have are a different deal and doesn't have anything to do with the F-150.

Ford used thicker guage and heat treating to make the high strength alumium body stronger than the current steal. What they actually found in testing was the high strength aluminum was just as strong as the steel box, so they said let's make it better. Then went up in guage and made it even more dent resistent. So at the end of the day it is going to be lighter, faster and stronger. The 2015 F-150 box is going to be absolutely stronger than the current one.

Why not use composite plastics such as hemp,beats aluminum in every way,
The original Henry Ford had the right idea,way back in 41,,

http://youtu.be/srgE6Tzi3Lg

@HEMI MONSTER,
I do think you are correct that the bashing of the aluminium is largely by brand.

This is an unfortunate aspect of high school kids having access to this site.

As you pointed out aluminium is used on rims, housings, etc.

The reason why is to reduce the unsuspended weight of a vehicle. For every 1 pound removed from the drivetrain is equivalent to having an extra 10 hp. Or this can also be translated into fuel savings.

The benefit from 1 lb of aluminium used on a rim is far greater than 1lb of aluminium used on bodywork.

Now if you look at housing and cases that use aluminium, the costs of the manufacturing of the aluminium housing is offset by much cheaper machining costs, and weight savings.

Heat dissipation is also an important feature of cast aluminium components, like cylinder heads.

Also, in the situation of housings, cases, heads ect being made of aluminium the amount or volume of metal is very similar to what it would have been if you used iron/steel.

But, as we can see we still will use steel in areas of high loads, ie, rear axle, and axle housings.

Now when we look at the body of a vehicle you will see we are moving further into more expensive processes vs return.

So, you can see where and how aluminium is used also affects the amount of savings.

The more we use aluminium on vehicles to less the return will be for the investment. I'm not stating that we will never make a return from aluminium.

If the manufacturing processes can be automated with robotics, then the costs will become more competitive.

@HEMI MONSTER,
The comment I made regarding the unsuspended weight should read for every pound removed from the drivetrain's rotating mass is equivalent to removing 10lbs of the vehicle.

Ford really SCREWED UP if this article has any merit!

@CHEVROLET builds a better way to see the USA

Please. Chevrolet doesn't build jack. GM does. So, GM builds a better way. Chevrolet hasn't existed in years and is just a fake marketing channel and racing/rental division name of GM so as not to tarnish GM/GMC & Buick. And their current & prior tinfoil body structure is a joke. GMT900's are already rust buckets over the rear wheels. These trucks are barely 5-6 years old. And bed damage from rust on both the 800's and 900's is NON repairable. The beds Have to be replaced because the metal is so thin. Nothing can be salvaged. That's a HUGE expense. Put a few dents in it and they're shot. You can't fix tin foil. You can only replace. Ford with aluminum and Toyota with their composite bed are the only 2 manufacturers building strong beds that stand the test of time. Dent proof, rust proof. Neither of which Chevy (oops, my bad, GMC) has built since the 1990's GMT400. Nissan is still using thick steel which is nice but that won't last long due to weight.

Chevrolet as a real company is dead buddy. Their sturdy built (Like A Rock) good looking trucks died in 98. Their engines died in 97 in favor of corporate GMC (Ford knockoff) smallblocks. Their 4x4 trucks died in 87. Their best trucks died in 72. Much like the rest of their cars and their soul.

@Big Al from Oz
I agree with you on this one. In particular, I think you brought up an excellent point regarding return on investment with aluminum. As with any material, it has to be used in a way that makes sense for the application.

Ford has likely put a considerable amount of time into determining what materials to use for each area of the truck. It is a complex problem and I'm sure Ford realized that aluminum is not a cure-all.

I'm think that one of Ford's immediate goals is to best the Ram Ecodiesel FE. Will the '15 accomplish that through the use of aluminum and small displacement gas engines? If it does, then Ford's strategy will have paid off.

If they can't manage to squeeze out 28 highway mpg, then that doesn't necessarily indicate that Ford's strategy has failed, but it would bring up some important considerations for Ford.

I myself am not concerned too much about who beats who will FE. What I would be interested to see is a comparison in FE numbers between the '14 F150 and a '14 (non-updated) powertrain in the '15 F150. That would give an idea of what kind of return on investment was obtained just from the weight savings alone, not from the new powertrain.

That is what it is really all about. Aluminum is good if it accomplishes something. If it doesn't help FE that much and ends up scaring customers away, then would Ford have benefited from it?

@Big Al from Oz - I'm sorry you feel that way. I know how it is when someone is attacking your man.

Big Al with your regard to your relationship with Lou I wish you become the first PUTC to announce publicly that you are taking PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) in order to reduce the risk of HIV infection. It is the right thing to do Al.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, reduces the risk of HIV infection by up to 99% if the pill is taken once a day.
This makes PrEP one of the most effective HIV prevention measures in existence. It’s important to encourage people at risk for HIV to talk to their medical providers about all the tools and methods available for preventing infection, including PrEP, and to choose the methods that are best for them.

planes are aluminum . Ships are aluminum and both have to stand ungodly loads and pressure. The reason they use aluminum It is stronger and the bonded or glued panels are stronger.. Ford didn't just set up shop and producing aluminum trucks. This aluminum truck has already ran the Baja with aluminum 2013 sheetmetal.Crash testing is already done and at the very top of its group..they have already test built the new trucks over and over.Weather tested done. Endurance done. When the new trucks hits next month it will be the lighest fastest best built truck ever.

Posted by: paul | Sep 19, 2014 5:23:28 PM

Sounds great in theory. If this is true why didn't Ford see the condensation problem with the new Turbo 's inter cooler on the 3.5 eco boost engine?

Just like Lou Bc stated"Even with all of that testing they cannot plan for every "what if?"

"Crash testing is already done and at the very top of its group.."
Posted by: paul | Sep 19, 2014 5:23:28 PM
Any Crash Data you can share?

I am sure G.M. thought the same thing with their new trucks. Test, retest, test again. What could go wrong?

@HEMI V8- come on Hemi this is Ford we are talking about...quality is job 1 have some faith baby!

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/29/ford-announces-four-recalls-1-4-million-vehicles-affected/

Would they bring anything to market that wasn't ready?

..if this article has any merit!
Posted by: greg | Sep 19, 2014 8:44:17 PM

Well, it should be pointed out that ArcelorMittal used C-segment car steel to come up with their 384 lb weight savings calculation in a pickup truck.

Source: Mike Levine

Well, at least the new Ford won't look like the Chevy's have since 1999 in a few years. And here we are again. The pictures of GMT-900's will be coming in from everywhere just like they did the GMT-800's. Cheap, thin, rusty, rotten, sub par. sub standard, sub quality metal as always. Here's what we're seeing now with the 07,08,09 models every day!
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Silverado/2007/body_paint/clearcoat_and_paint_problems.shtml

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/9900/chevrolet/silverado-1500/chevy-silverado-and-gmc-sierra-undercarriage-rust

2014 Chevy Silverado pictures of paint peeling off.http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Silverado_1500/2014/body_paint/defective_paint_job_peeling_paint.shtml#2

With the huge margin manufactures have on their trucks lines my bet is Ford is eating a lot of the cost of the aluminum bodies from their profits and only raising the price a few hundred dollars so customers do not run from the true cost of using all that aluminum.

@Don

Any source that is from Mike Levine is suspect from the start. Levine is paid by Ford so discount anything that comes from his mouth, in fact when ever you see Mike Levine's lips move you can pretty much be sure he is lying.

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Silverado/2007/body_paint/clearcoat_and_paint_problems.shtml

- Ya, those trucks are disposable rust jobbers like the model prior. But with the new GovtMoCo Sierra model you at least get plastic protectors over the tires dude. Professional grade bro. Chevrolet's will continue to rust as always. They're not professional grade. It's just GMC's way of killing off Chevrolet and rolling their sports car and hot rod portfolio into GMC-Buick dealerships is all. Relax there. I mean c'mon, everybody has seen the waves in that sheetmetal over the rear wheels on the Silverado. You could poke a needle by hand through that stuff. A little salt + moisture and the beds toast. Chevy's have been junk for way too long for anyone to care now. Stick a fork in em. GMC wants to.

"Many trucks have come from the factory with aluminum wheels."

Hemi monster

Good point. My truck is rated 1,000lb less towing with aluminum rims vs steel. You have to spend three or four times more for a forged aluminum rim vs steel. :-(

Steel vs Aluminum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:S-N_curves.PNG

http://www.metalprices.com/p/AluminumFreeChart

http://www.metalprices.com/p/SteelBenchmarkerFreeChart

It is funny to see how much ignorance there is about the use of aluminum. People that say it won't be durable or it will corrode don't realize how much it is already being used successfully in thousands of different applications. Not just planes, or peterbuilts, or truck tool boxes, or power tools, or irrigation systems, or street signs, or humvees, or horse trailers, or tractor-trailer dump beds, or engine blocks, or car wheels, or hoods and fenders(on many different vehicles).......... in my experience it is often durable, MUCH better for corrosion resistance, much lighter, better looking, and simply better than steel in almost every application it is used. It is not some mystery metal where we don't know how it holds up in the real world. I've seen very few instances where corrosion or durability was an issue even in situations where that is a huge problem where steel is used(like horse trailers). In almost every application it is vastly superior to steel when it comes to long-term reliability BECAUSE it doesn't corrode nearly as easily as steel when properly engineered. People act like steel is pure poison to aluminum, which is mostly just nonsense. If it is properly engineered it simply will not corrode easily. I think all this talk about how difficult it is to form is mostly nonsense given today's technology. I had no problem custom fabricating headache racks and truck tool boxes from scratch aluminum in college with simple tools. It takes some getting used to, but it can actually very easily be welded, cut, and shaped with multiple different techniques and tools with practice and experience.

Mike Levine ‏@mrlevine

Simply pointing out @ArcelorMittal used C-segment car steel to realize 384 lbs. weight savings in a pickup truck.

https://twitter.com/mrlevine/status/513155269451612160