I heard from a good online source that Ford is ditching the fully boxed frame for 2015 & will be only partially boxed? Ugh!

 

Either way the new frame will be stronger. And less expensive to produce.

 

Less expensive for them, as long as they can keep jacking MSRP up year by year.

 

I think it has to do with saving weight.

 

I *KNOW* it has to do with saving weight. You can thank the ever-tightening CAFE regs for this. At least they have the technology to do it without compromising strength to any major degree. It's not going to save them any money when you add in the development and construction costs.

 

That sure ain't where I'd want my weight saved. And even if it is somehow stronger, I'd prefer they employ the better technology with the current basic principle of fully-boxed being stronger.

Is the aluminum sheet metal still a go?

 

I love how 50% mpg increases in a matter of about a decade after 50 years of it being virtually the same, somehow isn't enough. It can only be improved by so much, and in so little time.

Asses . . .

 

All the more reason why I'm gonna keep my current truck for a very long time! They are gonna be made cheaper & cheaper cause of CAFE !

 

No, they are NOT going to be made cheaper - they are going to be made lighter and with newer technology.

You probably aren't old enough to remember when Ford back in 1980 brought out the "new" F-150 that was several hundred pounds lighter than the 1979. Naysayers such as yourself were crying up a storm about how it was cheapened and no longer durable. History has disproved that theory, there sure are a lot of 1980-1996 F-150's still on the road.

 

Makes sense to me. You don't need a fully boxed frame. The Super Duty isn't fully boxed.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...xed-frame.html

 

Yup you keep telling yourself that. Maybe you will believe it too. Have you seen what a new truck costs nowadays?

 

Really why should we care what material or how it's made of as long as it's at least as capable as the current model and gets better MPG...
Hell if it weighed 14000 lbs and got better MPG and had the current capability then great. Hell if it weighs 4800 and does all the above then great. Just don't make it smaller inside - I need/love the room.

If they could make it out of balsa, carbon fibre, kevlar, bamboo, tree bark, dog pooo, plastic or a mixture of 3 of those products...who cares. Ford aint gonna produce a truck that is whimpy. And we already know it HAS to get better MPG than the current one.

Make it out of space age composite and torture test the hell out of it. As long as they can convince the market it's better then great!! Hell if it's plastic then I won't have to deal with rust ever again!!!

I don't believe that pure weight, sunroofs, tailgate steps or boxed frames are the pinnacle of truck engineering. I think what Ford is offering RIGHT NOW is the best and with current technology maybe boxed frames is where we need to be. But the next generation of F150 will have to be quite a bit different underneath than the current one and the engineers have hinted at that.
Just don't let the frame flex and the box hit the rear window or the tailgate grenade like the tundra

I love the current F150, I think it's the best 1/2 ton out there and I love mine even with the 5.4 so don't hate cuz I aint hatin' the current technology, but sometimes you have to open up your mind, go blow a doob if you have to.

I guess what it comes down to for me is confidence. I have confidence in Ford. I am confident the next gen F150 will be at least a little better than the one they build today. So if the new F150 comes with a boxed frame then great, if it doesn't I won't care.

I bleed blue

 

I agree. The F-150 was introduced in 2003. The development dates back to 1997. A lot has changed since then and it is time to move on from the 1990's ideas and platforms.

 

Only the fancy ones, like your HD, are overpriced, like they always have been. Basic ones aren't too bad, I just wish it wasn't "cool" for everyone to have a truck. Too much demand.

I agree at the end of the day, cheef. As much as I hate change, it's happening and most of it is for the better.

I can't see myself driving another make truck, and the same pretty much goes for cars too.

 

I certainly don't think cheap necessarily means light, or vice versa. Corvette is a good example. Next gen stang is another, Ford has promised it will be lighter. Only thing that hurts the cobra is weight. Imagine a cobra that weighs in 500 lbs lighter ! I am imagining a 3.0L 2nd gen ecoboost supercrew that weights 500-800 lbs lighter than current model, better aero, and includes whatever other tricks they have up their sleeve. I am sure a 20% increase in MPG is not far off. And still tows 10000lbs or more and payloads around 1700-2000, sounds good to me.

Can't wait :-)