i love the aluminum bed idea, im finally glad ford took that route about the rear quarters

now if they can start making more single cab, 2wd, short bed trucks...

 

On the aluminum aspect for the F-150, there are many specific ways that fasteners have to be used to prevent "Galvanic Reaction". All hardware must have a special thread coating and washers to keep the steel hardware from coming in contact with the aluminum. Welding aluminum it very tricky, and repairability is a different process from steel. I'm in my second year of I-CAR classes for work to obtain certifications just to be allowed to work on the up coming vehicles, and aluminum is just one thing all new vehicles are getting to lose weight. The 2015 F-150 is going where all vehicles are going; lose weight while becoming stronger and safer.

 

That back window looks funky, not sure I like that little sliding part at all.

If they can get more use out of aluminum on these things, that would be fantastic. That would bring the weight down on these things significantly (I know, Captain Obvious in the house), and would really benefit the real-world gas mileage improvements, particularly around town. These EPA stickers are full of it.

With regards to being totaled after an accident or being harder to repair because of the aluminum, remember how high these trucks are off the ground vs. other cars. Typically, these trucks will take less damage than a "normal" vehicle (per my insurance company when I asked why the premium was so low compared to my last car). Also, you can't compare an aluminum truck to an aluminum audi with regards to cost of damage....the mechanical and electrical systems of those cars take a lot more damage in a collision due to how tightly packed everything is under the body panels.

 

i dont see them dropping the 6.2, with GM now offering the "most powerful V8 in any half ton" with there 6.2 they need to beef up the current one to top those numbers. a big seller? no. but bragging rights? yes! not to mention that's the engine i would buy in a heartbeat!

 

I see them ecoboosting the 5.0... Most powerful engine in a half ton-period. And smaller than the competition's most powerful options. It is already set up for it, so it is likely cheaper for Ford to modify the 5.0 than to keep producing a motor with such a small take rate.

 

the 6.2 will continue to be sold in droves in the Super Duty and whats the Raptor going to have? its not "costing" then anything to sell the 6.2 because every gas SD has one.

its a wait and see, but they need to keep a "big" (by todays standards anyhow) V8 even if it has a small take rate. how many chevy/gmc's actually sell with that "most powerful V8 in its class?" again not alot. but it gives them the bragging rights. i also think keeping a larage NA high HP/TQ motor is better for the die hards then a turbo 5.0.

 

If they're as serious about dropping weight and increasing fuel economy as the rumors say, there's a pretty good chance the 6.2l will get dropped. It's simply a large, heavy, (and thirsty) engine. If they don't offer the 6.2l in the half ton that means they can use a smaller engine compartment, lighter front suspension components, and so on. It's a snowball effect that would work totally in their favor. Not to mention, with the success of the Ecoboost and 5.0l, most people have pretty much forgotten about the 6.2l in the half tons (other than maybe the Raptor).

That seems to be Ford's plan now, smaller displacements and less weight. The E-series is a great example. They went from a 6.8l v10 to the new Transit, where the largest engine option is the 3.5l ecoboost. They don't even offer a V8.

Even the Mustang is taking a hit. Supposedly the supercharged 5.8l is getting dumped from the lineup for a less powerful naturally aspirated V8 (likely a tall deck version of the 5.0l). Instead they want to drop the weight way down in order to increase performance that way.

 

if its true, no telling how it could work out for them. there are alot of die hard V8 guys out there who want big power and big power/cubic inch numbers. could go the other way but who knows at this point.


cant really use the E-series as a example. the van has been the same(basically) since 1992. big sellers were the old 4.9 inline 6, 4.2 v6 and as of recent the 5.4 v8 because it was all you could get since they were killing off a long lame duck model. not the best comparison to the hot selling very competitive f-series market.

 

There has to be a huge weight difference between the current six speed / future 10 speed and a manual 5/6 speed transmission. The auto tranny will no doubt provide better MPG's and efficiency but if weight loss is the motivation.....

Maybe we need to go back to the era of the 1980-1996 sized F-150's.

 

I think it would be awesome to have a twin turbo 5.0L engine...but I really doubt that will ever happen. It would be great to have a 10 speed transmission which would lower the MPG for sure...imagine having a 10 speed transmission in a F150 with the ecoboost at say 400 hp!

 

I wouldn't write off an Ecoboost 5.0. The engine was basically designed for it. The 6.2 is an old-school 16-valve motor... I can't see it having much of a future.

People are starting to question whether a diesel is really the right answer for larger vehicles, thanks to all of the EPA crap. Case in point: many fire departments are starting to choose gas motors for brush trucks/utilities/squads/etc. versus the diesel. My department has 3 brush trucks - all gas. The gas motors are lighter, easier to maintain, aren't nearly as critical on fuel quality, and they perform better going from sitting in a station to being run hard in a matter of minutes. Yeah, they aren't great on fuel economy... our 2013 F-450 V10 shows about 5.6MPG on the lie-o-meter. But we saved $10K on the up front purchase and 60-80 cents a gallon on fuel, plus an average of ~$500/yr. on routine maintenance (oil, coolant, etc.)

In the F150, the 3.5 Ecoboost adds 20% HP and 50% torque to its NA 3.7 cousin (with a bit less displacement.) Using those numbers, an Ecoboost 5.0 would be around 425hp and 570ft-lbs. Those numbers don't quite measure up with the 6.7 PSD... but they're close to both the 6.0 and 6.4, and they kick the crap out of the 7.3. An EB 5.0 would also provide the flat "diesel-like" torque curve.

It would also make for a great platform for a new Lightning. Are you listening, Ford? If I could buy a Supercrew 5.5' bed Lightning with an EB 5.0, I'd order one tomorrow.

 

Believe it or not, the 6.2l is actually one of the newest engine architectures Ford has. The 6.2l (Boss platform) is newer than both the Ecoboost (Duratec based) and the 5.0 Coyote (modular based). While it might not make it to the next F150, you can bet it's going to stick around.

I have no doubt you're going to see a version replacing the 6.8l in the larger chassis cabs, likely with increased displacement. I can also foresee a lot of industrial applications. It's a stout design with actually less moving parts than a similar pushrod engine.

 

I remember hearing a while back that Ford was looking into a Large displacement gas V8 to fill the gap left by the now defunct (At least in the F-250 and F-350's) V-10. Essentially it was my understanding that Ford was considering boring out a 6.2L to 7.0L's or somewhere thereabouts.

But on the same note, I've also heard that Ford is considering giving a 5.0L the Ecoboost treatment and stuffing it under the hood of Superdutys with the same idea of it being the step up gas engine over the baseline 6.2L.

Who knows really...Only time will tell what they decide to do. Either way I think it would be pretty cool. But I don't see the 6.2L vanishing anytime soon. It might not make into the next gen F-150's, but even if that is the case, I think it will live on under the hood of new Superdutys for years to come. It wouldn't make sense for Ford to spend millions to develop a new engine and then discontinue it after only a few years of production.

 

I wonder if the Raptor will live on then? Eventhough it's a limited production vehicle, they sell every one of them & usually at sticker with no incentives.

The 3.5 EcoBoost while an awesome workhorse doesn't really fit the Raptors burly character or mission. The Raptor "Needs" a meaty V8 sound to fit the image. I personally feel putting an N/A 5.0L in the truck would be a step down, unless they pump it up to the Mustang BOSS 302 figures or something like that.

 

Actually, a lot of Raptor owners have been asking for an ecoboost, at least as an option. So many that Ford has said they were/are seriously considering it.

As far as the 5.0l goes, the next gen is supposed to pick up quite a bit of power. 10-15% is normal for direct injection. That kind of increase would put it right in line with what the 6.2l is currently putting out.