Here is the link to were I got it http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=04315985

Here is the full story. Sound like there won't be a 500+ motor in this new truck. Look like they may go with a mid 400 hp motor. What are your thoughts

Ford to lighten, tighten upcoming version of Lightning pickup


By RICHARD TRUETT | Automotive News

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. has no intention of letting the new 500-hp Dodge SRT-10 keep the title of world's fastest truck.

But John Coletti, director of Ford's Special Vehicle Team, acknowledges that automakers have hit a wall on how much horsepower they can give a vehicle. So the automaker will make the next-generation Ford F-150 Lightning pickup go faster by removing weight and improving handling.

"In the next generation, we've got to worry about efficiency, weight and better control," he says. "You can get great power-to-weight ratio without a fountain of horsepower."

Until the Ram SRT-10 pickup debuted this year, the Lightning had been the unchallenged leader in performance trucks for more than a decade.

But in February, the SRT-10 clocked a record speed of 154.587 mph.

Ford SVT engineers have experience in reducing weight with the 2002 Mustang Cobra R, a version for performance enthusiasts.

Strong, lightweight materials such as carbon fiber, magnesium, aluminum, ceramics and plastics can substitute for steel parts without major re-engineering.

Coletti says lighter parts and better-handling suspension systems might not come simultaneously.

"You'll start seeing it in incremental steps," he says. "Now that we have the engines where we want them, the question is what do you do with the rest of the car? Clearly you have to start looking at the weight aspect of it. If I could take 300 or 400 pounds out of the car, I wouldn't have to add any more horsepower. It would just be an incredibly faster, better handling, better braking car. All the attributes would improve."

Coletti believes automakers risk attracting attention from government regulators and the insurance industry by constantly increasing horsepower in their performance-oriented vehicles.

In the last two years, the number of vehicles with engines producing 400 hp to 500 hp and more has grown quickly.

"The focus now has to be better efficiency and weight reduction," Coletti says.

In the heyday of the American muscle car in the late 1960s, only a small number of limited-production vehicles made more than 400 hp.

The ratings of most Pontiac GTOs, Ford Mustangs, Dodge Chargers and Chevrolet Corvettes were in the 300-hp to 375-hp range.

Today, there are at least 14 cars and trucks with at least 400 hp.

Says Coletti: "We're hitting the limit."

 

Re-post free-post

 

Yeah they need to lighten the price a little too.

 

This has been posted a number of times over the past few weeks .. NO WHERE in the interview does Colletti say they are detuning the Motor....

Moved to Concept Section with the other similiar posts

Doug

 

i did hear through the grapewine that they don't want the gen 3 to have more power than the GT. that is their flagship car, and even though it will be faster with the same power because it is WAY lighter, they dont want the gen 3 to overshadow it for those that think horsepower is what makes a vehicle fast, and not power-to-weight.

 

Easy Doug. No where in the interview does it say it's going to have 500hp either. How can you detune an engine for a vehicle that isn't actually in prodution yet. Concept vehicles are just that, concepts. Many things will be put into production but often times their will be changes also. In the article, Coletti alluded to the concern over government's intervention and high horsepower engines. Last thing they want to do is produce a high horsepower engine that could get regulated out of existence. It appears SVT is taking the approach to make the vehicle lighter, thus not needing 500hp possibly. No, he didn't say it in black and white, but it's not difficult to read between the lines that they may be looking at keeping the HP rating down.

 

As was posted in the the other thread on this topic..

Seems everyone is reading things into the interview that simply arent there and they are reading beteween the lines to fit thier assumptions about the future. My point was that lots of people atre putting words in Collettis mouth that he didnt say.

Some are disenchanted with the concept in general and therefore interpret the comments to mean that the next engine will be less HP.

The quote is just a section of a larger interview that when read in its entirety gives the content much better context. Colletti isn’t talking specifically about anyone vehicle or change - he is talking in general about the direction companies will be forced to take to comply with CAFÉ standards and insurance issues ...

He is saying that they can't keep going from 300 to 400 to 500 to 600 to 700 hp .. That HP is only one piece of the puzzle and that he is excited about the benefits of making use of the other methods including weight savings.

I agree the concept is still just that - There are no firm decisions on any of it .. Even the recent spotting at the various plants doesn’t mean much - They are design and production projects that very well will help determine the final outcome. Many many things are still likely up in the air…

By the time the Gen 3 is on the street Gas may be $4.00 a gallon and the Engine may have changed to a 150 hp hybrid...

 

Gas is $1.67 right now in Kansas, and if we can keep our oil reserves open then hopefully....

 

I have a questionf or you guys. It is kind of related to the thread/forum, and sorry for any problems related to my question... but even though I don't own a Lightning, I still defend it against the SRT-10 with my friends after they have read the literature on both trucks competing against eachother in magazines and stuff. I know the Gen 2 was beaten, and has a Supercharger like the Gen 3, but my friends still say that the SRT-10 beats the L not needing a supercharger to do it. What is your comments on this to help me in my defense of the Lightning. Thanks guys.

 

As long as it actually gets produced, and it performs "SUBSTANTIALLY" better than the current Gen................I'll be a happy camper.

JC

 

Greenbuck50

Just look at the big picture.
First, Hats off to Dodge for building a truck that is faster than our L.

The Viper setup has been the top of the line product and not much of it is in daily driver type of use. It is also very expensive to mod and costs more up front.

The L on the other hand is still a little street fighter that is affordable and made with mostly common production parts on a platform that is practical and affordable for everyday use and has held the title for a long time.

The battle goes on and I see Ford only doing the minimum to take back the title with a foundation for bigger HP and reliability.
Not that they couldn't go the whole enchelada but it has been there style to just add a little and keep some in reserve to keep sales up on the new model.

I am thinking aluminum block, 4-V heads and better S/C would do the job as far as more HP and less weight the first year. Add a few cosmetic changes and a better stereo and its done.

I'm confident that Dodge and Chevy are not going to just sit on there hands and watch...

 

I would thinks that Chevy's hands are numb, as they have been sitting on them a looonnnnnnnng time

 

You aren't kiddin.

 

LMAO...

I bet their fingers smell funny too...