Chevy steel bed vs. Ford aluminum bed

[Scarpozzi]

Glad it's just an opinion. I'd hate to have to actually own one. I find trailers and vans far more useful. Single axle dump trailer is higher on the priority list than a pickup. Most any decent size suv or minivan can haul more in that trailer than a half ton can take in the bed. The trailers I've used also have a heavier gauge steel than most truck beds. I've wailed alot of demo debris into this trailer, some of it off the roof, and it hasn't been damaged like that commercial. Unless I miss and hit the tail lights or battery box.....

I sort of agree with you, but convenience is that I don't have to attach the trailer and don't have to store one. My car is better at hauling lumber than my truck (I can haul 20'+ lumber in my buick and have before.)

My truck has a 6.5 foot bed that becomes an 8' supported bed with the tailgate down. The Supercrews (4 door pickups) mostly have 5.5' beds...even less functional for hauling long dimensional lumber. A trailer is easier to load for large mowers and equipment...

Each job you're doing has it's own challenges. I like my truck for hauling mulch, gravel, my bbq equipment (smoker, propane tanks)...and it's nice that I can just throw stuff in and go...it also can pull my 22' pontoon boat where I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with a van.

 

[Torn Mind]

A lot of the time stuff I'm hauling fits down inside so my tonneau cover is over it so you won't see it.

I meant "because", not "even though". People just think, "EMPTY BED=Wasteful prissy suburban dude who wanted a truck".

 

[Subyman]

Ouch, just saw that commercial but have heard about it for awhile. I have a 2014 Sierra and almost waited for the new F150 before buying it, but decided to go ahead since the dealers weren't discounting at all on the F150. Paying MSRP for a truck is not something I'm about to do.

Anyway, those that say people don't use a truck as a truck haven't been in my area. I tow 2-3 times a week. I've loaded up 2000lbs of gravel in the back from a loader like the one in that video. I've accidentally dropped things back there. I've had helpers be a little too aggressive throwing boards and pavers in the back. The truck pretty much gets used daily for truck things and the bed had taken a bit of a beating over time. I have a bed mat and still have some dents and dings. Seeing that aluminum split open like that from a tool box is a bit troubling.

The funny part is that while Ford is chasing turbos and aluminum in a more expensive truck, GM gets the same mileage out of a trusty V8 and steel while being cheaper for the same capabilities. I like the Ford, don't get me wrong, but for a work truck for a decent price, GM has the market IMO.

Never cared for Ram. They seem fine, but they seem outdated inside and the ride feels like my grandpa's truck

 

[Zivic]

Ouch, just saw that commercial but have heard about it for awhile. I have a 2014 Sierra and almost waited for the new F150 before buying it, but decided to go ahead since the dealers weren't discounting at all on the F150. Paying MSRP for a truck is not something I'm about to do.

Anyway, those that say people don't use a truck as a truck haven't been in my area. I tow 2-3 times a week. I've loaded up 2000lbs of gravel in the back from a loader like the one in that video. I've accidentally dropped things back there. I've had helpers be a little too aggressive throwing boards and pavers in the back. The truck pretty much gets used daily for truck things and the bed had taken a bit of a beating over time. I have a bed mat and still have some dents and dings. Seeing that aluminum split open like that from a tool box is a bit troubling.

The funny part is that while Ford is chasing turbos and aluminum in a more expensive truck, GM gets the same mileage out of a trusty V8 and steel while being cheaper for the same capabilities. I like the Ford, don't get me wrong, but for a work truck for a decent price, GM has the market IMO.

Never cared for Ram. They seem fine, but they seem outdated inside and the ride feels like my grandpa's truck

you watch GM follow with the aluminum... and IMO, the ecoboost is something special in terms of power. I personally have just seen too many GM trucks rust prematurely.

If I want a V8 truck I stick with the 5.0 ford or 5.7 tundra

 

[leper84]

The funny part is that while Ford is chasing turbos and aluminum in a more expensive truck, GM gets the same mileage out of a trusty V8 and steel while being cheaper for the same capabilities.

2016 Silverado starting MSRP is $27,195
2016 F150 starting MSRP is $26,540

Without any promos, special offers or additional equipment packages-

2016 Crewcab Silverado LS w/ 5.3 355hp, 383lb/ft, 1790lbs payload and 7000lbs towing is $39,835

2016 F150 XLT Supercrew w/ 5.0 385hp, 397lb/ft, 2150lbs payload and 9100lbs towing is $38,430

2016 F150 XLT Supercrew w/ 3.5EB 365hp 420lb/ft, 2110lbs payload and 10700lbs towing is $39,145

Ford is less expensive across the board, while pretty much spanking Chevy capability-wise.

 

[SparkyJJO]

you watch GM follow with the aluminum... and IMO, the ecoboost is something special in terms of power. I personally have just seen too many GM trucks rust prematurely.

If I want a V8 truck I stick with the 5.0 ford or 5.7 tundra

I can't count how many rusted Fords are around here. Mostly the bed sides and cab corners just rotted away, gone.

Let's not forget the disintegrated Toyota trucks from a few years ago either

The 01-07 classic GM trucks had weak rockers and a crappy gas door, rest seem to hang together pretty well. My parents' neighbors have a pretty rusted 2000 Silverado but it is 16 years old with 300k+ on it after all.

In the end though in the rust belt they're all going to rust.

Aluminum has its place but I don't think the cargo bed is the place for it, or at least it needs to be a fair bit thicker to make up for its lack of strength.

 

[Subyman]

2016 Silverado starting MSRP is $27,195
2016 F150 starting MSRP is $26,540

Without any promos, special offers or additional equipment packages-

2016 Crewcab Silverado LS w/ 5.3 355hp, 383lb/ft, 1790lbs payload and 7000lbs towing is $39,835

2016 F150 XLT Supercrew w/ 5.0 385hp, 397lb/ft, 2150lbs payload and 9100lbs towing is $38,430

2016 F150 XLT Supercrew w/ 3.5EB 365hp 420lb/ft, 2110lbs payload and 10700lbs towing is $39,145

Ford is less expensive across the board, while pretty much spanking Chevy capability-wise.

Thanks for the price list pasted off of the internet, go talk to the dealers please. Totally different story. GM deeply discounts their trucks. Ford doesn't. A comparable F150 is much more than my truck. They took right at $8k off the MSRP of my GMC. Ford barely budged.

Also the capabilities widely vary depending on the package, axle ratio, towing option, and layout. Anyone that knows what they are doing shops the options and equips it for their needs.

 

[Subyman]

you watch GM follow with the aluminum... and IMO, the ecoboost is something special in terms of power. I personally have just seen too many GM trucks rust prematurely.

If I want a V8 truck I stick with the 5.0 ford or 5.7 tundra

Tundra guzzles way too much gas. 5.0 is a good engine. I've liked my 5.3 so far. Really good gas mileage for a truck when not towing and plenty of power for me for towing so far. I don't tow heavy equipment, but have had over 7klbs strapped to it before and it did fine. I don't really understand people wanting a 10k towing rig out of a non-HD truck. If I'm towing more than 7K on a weekly basis then an HD truck is where I'd need to be over the long term IMO.

Regardless if they go aluminum in the future, that video is troubling for someone like me that uses the truck daily and it sees actual work.

 

[Subyman]

I can't count how many rusted Fords are around here. Mostly the bed sides and cab corners just rotted away, gone.

Let's not forget the disintegrated Toyota trucks from a few years ago either

The 01-07 classic GM trucks had weak rockers and a crappy gas door, rest seem to hang together pretty well. My parents' neighbors have a pretty rusted 2000 Silverado but it is 16 years old with 300k+ on it after all.

In the end though in the rust belt they're all going to rust.

Aluminum has its place but I don't think the cargo bed is the place for it, or at least it needs to be a fair bit thicker to make up for its lack of strength.

Everything rusts around here. Ram, GM, and Ford. Aluminum certainly has its place. My trailers are aluminum. I paid extra so I didn't have to worry about repainting and rust as well as they hold their value. As for a truck bed being aluminum, I'm not against that if the performance is there. Seeing it split like that from common things like a tool box falling is unacceptable IMO. They need some kind of reinforcement. I run with a bed mat, but the wheel arches would still be an issue.

 

[pcgeek11]

Meanwhile at Honda :

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2...its-bed-in-stiffness-test-passes-108468.html#

Composite bed is the shitz! Toyota has one also. Tough as hell. I do not want an aluminum bed in my truck.

 

[rancherlee]

Thanks for the price list pasted off of the internet, go talk to the dealers please. Totally different story. GM deeply discounts their trucks. Ford doesn't. A comparable F150 is much more than my truck. They took right at $8k off the MSRP of my GMC. Ford barely budged.

Also the capabilities widely vary depending on the package, axle ratio, towing option, and layout. Anyone that knows what they are doing shops the options and equips it for their needs.

Piss poor dealers in your area? The high volume dealers around me have very similar out the door prices on Ford/Chevy/Dodge trucks. I've seen over 9000$ off sticker on all 3. Local ford shop has over 10k off on a 16' Scab 4x4 5.0L right now, 43k sticker 32k sale price. IMO chevy is pulling this "stunt" because they lost the "total truck" sales lead again. Ford overtook Chevy+GMC sales in 2011, lost it when the 14' Chevy/GMC redesign came out an in the past month or two took it back. BOTH are loosing more and more sales to Ram. I think its a brilliant commercial by Chevy but I could see it backfiring on them also, great scare tactics to use in a political year where the airwaves will be filled with scare tactic commercials soon.

 

[Subyman]

I'm sure it depends on time of year and the area. Ford has consistently been more expensive for me. Are you from the southwest? Your username has rancher. I bet you get good deals down there. I have a friend making the drive to Texas to get a F250 because of how much cheaper they are there. Over 800 mile drive.

 

[Zivic]

I can't count how many rusted Fords are around here. Mostly the bed sides and cab corners just rotted away, gone.

Let's not forget the disintegrated Toyota trucks from a few years ago either

The 01-07 classic GM trucks had weak rockers and a crappy gas door, rest seem to hang together pretty well. My parents' neighbors have a pretty rusted 2000 Silverado but it is 16 years old with 300k+ on it after all.

In the end though in the rust belt they're all going to rust.

Aluminum has its place but I don't think the cargo bed is the place for it, or at least it needs to be a fair bit thicker to make up for its lack of strength.

im talking pulling a panel off a truck with one winter on it and seeing the whole panel full of rust.

Tundra guzzles way too much gas. 5.0 is a good engine. I've liked my 5.3 so far. Really good gas mileage for a truck when not towing and plenty of power for me for towing so far. I don't tow heavy equipment, but have had over 7klbs strapped to it before and it did fine. I don't really understand people wanting a 10k towing rig out of a non-HD truck. If I'm towing more than 7K on a weekly basis then an HD truck is where I'd need to be over the long term IMO.

Regardless if they go aluminum in the future, that video is troubling for someone like me that uses the truck daily and it sees actual work.

We have fords, and they all get about the same for what we use them for. I don't have fleets of vehicles so a few miles doesn't matter. Toyota has the most usable configurations with usable extended cab with 4 regular doors and an 8' box.

the discounts you are seeing on GM trucks is for a reason.... they have to discount them to sell them. should tell you all you need to know

 

[Subyman]

the discounts you are seeing on GM trucks is for a reason.... they have to discount them to sell them. should tell you all you need to know

Ha, they are cheaper because they use V8's and steel and haven't invested billions renovating factories. GM is doing fine, in fact because of truck sales they broke $2B profit in their first quarter setting a record.

The heavy discounting has been a sales tactic for decades.

 

[SparkyJJO]

im talking pulling a panel off a truck with one winter on it and seeing the whole panel full of rust.

Since when? If that was the case my coworker's 04 and my 07 should be nothing but swiss cheese by now. His 04 obviously has more rust than my 07 does but no where near rotting out.

 

[Pacfanweb]

2016 Silverado starting MSRP is $27,195
2016 F150 starting MSRP is $26,540

Without any promos, special offers or additional equipment packages-

2016 Crewcab Silverado LS w/ 5.3 355hp, 383lb/ft, 1790lbs payload and 7000lbs towing is $39,835

2016 F150 XLT Supercrew w/ 5.0 385hp, 397lb/ft, 2150lbs payload and 9100lbs towing is $38,430

2016 F150 XLT Supercrew w/ 3.5EB 365hp 420lb/ft, 2110lbs payload and 10700lbs towing is $39,145

Ford is less expensive across the board, while pretty much spanking Chevy capability-wise.

In reality, they can all tow about the same thing. They can all haul about the same thing.

Not a single one of them can actually pull or haul what they are rated....not in a real life scenario, they can't.

The other thing is, you can have those little turbo motors. I'll take the GM 5.3 over them any day. Ford has too many engine problems for my taste. And it remains to be seen if these little turbo motors are going to be reliable, 300k performers like the GM's are.

 

[Zivic]

Since when? If that was the case my coworker's 04 and my 07 should be nothing but swiss cheese by now. His 04 obviously has more rust than my 07 does but no where near rotting out.

obviously my experience is 'different' than yours. Just based on what I know and my experiences, I cannot recommend a GM truck to anyone.... that said, I have a guy that does a lot of work for me -> remote welding, some excavation work and he swears by GM trucks.

Ha, they are cheaper because they use V8's and steel and haven't invested billions renovating factories. GM is doing fine, in fact because of truck sales they broke $2B profit in their first quarter setting a record.

The heavy discounting has been a sales tactic for decades.

made cheap, sold cheap... a profit doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the truck. Like I said before, watch GM follow suit with the aluminum. the engine side of things is a kind of mute point. GM has basically used the same engine since well, forever. I'll give you that it is decent, but again, the ecoboost is something special. really makes power... but hey, I am a turbo fan.

ALL THAT SAID, I own neither brand of truck (dad drives a 5.4 '09 Ford on the farm)... I drive a '15 tundra and it is my first choice over the pop can aluminum bodied ford, or rust bucket govt motors offerings

 

[RagingBITCH]

In reality, they can all tow about the same thing. They can all haul about the same thing.

Not a single one of them can actually pull or haul what they are rated....not in a real life scenario, they can't.

The other thing is, you can have those little turbo motors. I'll take the GM 5.3 over them any day. Ford has too many engine problems for my taste. And it remains to be seen if these little turbo motors are going to be reliable, 300k performers like the GM's are.

Do you still work for Ford? I'm curious as to how Ecoboost will hold up in the long run, whether it's the ECB 4 of 6. (I've been looking at the Explorer lately)

 

[herm0016]

Since when? If that was the case my coworker's 04 and my 07 should be nothing but swiss cheese by now. His 04 obviously has more rust than my 07 does but no where near rotting out.

I look over my 09 pretty good twice per year when i switch wheels/tires, the only rust i can find is the original shock tubes.

can't fix fanboys with anecdotal evidence.

all the 1/2 tons are well built.

 

[Subyman]

made cheap, sold cheap... a profit doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the truck.

I was speaking to your point of saying they can't sell them without the discount. The discount has long been a sales tactic. Contractors, fleet owners, and traditional truck buyers know about the discounts so they buy the truck for the "true price." Suckers or first time buyers could pay MSRP if they don't do their research, that's just gravy for dealer. Some people respond to discount pricing as well, "I saved $7k!!! What a deal!!" Even though the "discount price" is the normal price to most people.

As for the price being lower, like I said the truck doesn't use expensive aluminum and a turbo motor. They are more basic. Basic doesn't have anything to do with quality. Its a less complicated truck that uses less expensive materials yet performs similarly. I'll take that for my work/daily truck and keep money in my pocket.

Like I said before, watch GM follow suit with the aluminum. the engine side of things is a kind of mute point. GM has basically used the same engine since well, forever. I'll give you that it is decent, but again, the ecoboost is something special. really makes power... but hey, I am a turbo fan.

Some parts are already aluminum, like the hood. GM is not wanting to get into aluminum welding, so they are working with adhesives right now. It will be much less expensive to retrofit their factories with adhesive bonding rather than aluminum welding. I hope they don't make the entire truck out of aluminum because as we see, the bed needs to be stronger. A composite bed would be nice IMO.

Ecoboost engine is fine, but in a truck the V8 is simpler and easy to maintain and puts out plenty of power. With the 6.2L trickling down to lower trim levels, people have the option for a 400+hp/tq engine if they want it. I swayed away from the 6.2L because it needs premium :thumbs down:

I like turbos in my sports cars and diesels, but in my daily truck a V8 is where I want to be. With cylinder deactivation, it does well on the road MPG wise.

ALL THAT SAID, I own neither brand of truck (dad drives a 5.4 '09 Ford on the farm)... I drive a '15 tundra and it is my first choice over the pop can aluminum bodied ford, or rust bucket govt motors offerings

I'm not completely against Ford. When looking at HD trucks, I'd lean more toward the F250 over the Duramax. I'll have to wait and see for the 2017 F250. Like I said, I seriously considered the F150 when I was in the market for a truck, but the price after I optioned them the way I wanted was several thousand higher.

 

[Zivic]

I was speaking to your point of saying they can't sell them without the discount. The discount has long been a sales tactic. Contractors, fleet owners, and traditional truck buyers know about the discounts so they buy the truck for the "true price." Suckers or first time buyers could pay MSRP if they don't do their research, that's just gravy for dealer. Some people respond to discount pricing as well, "I saved $7k!!! What a deal!!" Even though the "discount price" is the normal price to most people.

As for the price being lower, like I said the truck doesn't use expensive aluminum and a turbo motor. They are more basic. Basic doesn't have anything to do with quality. Its a less complicated truck that uses less expensive materials yet performs similarly. I'll take that for my work/daily truck and keep money in my pocket.



Some parts are already aluminum, like the hood. GM is not wanting to get into aluminum welding, so they are working with adhesives right now. It will be much less expensive to retrofit their factories with adhesive bonding rather than aluminum welding. I hope they don't make the entire truck out of aluminum because as we see, the bed needs to be stronger. A composite bed would be nice IMO.

Ecoboost engine is fine, but in a truck the V8 is simpler and easy to maintain and puts out plenty of power. With the 6.2L trickling down to lower trim levels, people have the option for a 400+hp/tq engine if they want it. I swayed away from the 6.2L because it needs premium :thumbs down:

I like turbos in my sports cars and diesels, but in my daily truck a V8 is where I want to be. With cylinder deactivation, it does well on the road MPG wise.



I'm not completely against Ford. When looking at HD trucks, I'd lean more toward the F250 over the Duramax. I'll have to wait and see for the 2017 F250. Like I said, I seriously considered the F150 when I was in the market for a truck, but the price after I optioned them the way I wanted was several thousand higher.

You are agreeing with me.. in order to sell a comparably optioned truck, GM needs to be cheaper to sell them. and even then, they sell less of them than ford does at the higher price... forget profit, forget the $ it cost to build. Why do you think they discount the truck to a street price that is less than a comparable Ford? I argue because the market views it as being lesser value/quality than the the competition.

you watch how the panels will be repaired on a lot of aluminum bodied vehicles... they will be panel bonded and riveted on. I think the ford might already be doing this on their trucks (some panels)

again, I have no horse in this race as I prefer a toyota pickup. but gun to my head between the ford or GM I am taking the ford every single time. The ecoboost is just icing on the cake. just drove one last week, they really move.

 

[Subyman]

You are agreeing with me.. in order to sell a comparably optioned truck, GM needs to be cheaper to sell them. and even then, they sell less of them than ford does at the higher price... forget profit, forget the $ it cost to build. Why do you think they discount the truck to a street price that is less than a comparable Ford? I argue because the market views it as being lesser value/quality than the the competition.

you watch how the panels will be repaired on a lot of aluminum bodied vehicles... they will be panel bonded and riveted on. I think the ford might already be doing this on their trucks (some panels)

again, I have no horse in this race as I prefer a toyota pickup. but gun to my head between the ford or GM I am taking the ford every single time. The ecoboost is just icing on the cake. just drove one last week, they really move.

You spoke about "quality" though, which is why I disagreed.

I also need to amend my earlier comment. I did some research and the "ATP" (average transaction price) on both GM and Ford trucks are only a few hundred dollars different. GM and Ford truck sales have been really close recently too. I guess it comes down to how you need to option your truck. For me, GM's offering was cheaper for my needs.

 

[SparkyJJO]

ALL THAT SAID, I own neither brand of truck (dad drives a 5.4 '09 Ford on the farm)... I drive a '15 tundra and it is my first choice over the pop can aluminum bodied ford, or rust bucket govt motors offerings

Keep an eye on that frame then

My only point is Toyota has had a history of rust problems too in the past. None are perfect, or ever will be. All brands will have some history of something wrong at some point. Pick your favorite and be happy, but ripping into brand X because of a rust problem at one point in their history when favorite brand Y had just as bad (or worse!) rust problems in their history is kinda lame.

 

[leper84]

Thanks for the price list pasted off of the internet, go talk to the dealers please. Totally different story. GM deeply discounts their trucks. Ford doesn't. A comparable F150 is much more than my truck. They took right at $8k off the MSRP of my GMC. Ford barely budged.

Also the capabilities widely vary depending on the package, axle ratio, towing option, and layout. Anyone that knows what they are doing shops the options and equips it for their needs.

Sorta anecdotal. But if you wanna ignore actual numbers and ratings, I'm sure thats what GM expects from their buyers.

In reality, they can all tow about the same thing. They can all haul about the same thing.

Not a single one of them can actually pull or haul what they are rated....not in a real life scenario, they can't.

The other thing is, you can have those little turbo motors. I'll take the GM 5.3 over them any day. Ford has too many engine problems for my taste. And it remains to be seen if these little turbo motors are going to be reliable, 300k performers like the GM's are.

I've pulled maybe two 3v 5.4s for timing chain issues. I've lost count the number of 5.3s I've swapped because of lifters or just straight blown up. But that is pretty anecdotal, I'll just say I strongly disagree if you claim Chevy is more reliable.

 

[Pulsar]

You spoke about "quality" though, which is why I disagreed.

I also need to amend my earlier comment. I did some research and the "ATP" (average transaction price) on both GM and Ford trucks are only a few hundred dollars different. GM and Ford truck sales have been really close recently too. I guess it comes down to how you need to option your truck. For me, GM's offering was cheaper for my needs.

They are essentially the exact same turbos that have been used in Europe for close on to two decades. Just because they haven't been widely used in the US doesn't mean anything. In addition, you've got a WHOLE lot of semis (like all of them) running turbo diesels long distance.

I hate the 5.4L modular. Had one in my truck:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfKvau5AimE

I know far more about them than I ever wanted to - and I'm an engineer on the engine line =).

The 5.0 is a great motor. Love it.

Chevy's 5.3 had problems too though. Look at the tgw 3 years in service.