the1mrb
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Matt
- Joined
- May 22, 2019
- Threads
- 0
- Messages
- 657
- Reaction score
- 173
- Location
- Duluth, MN
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Ford Ranger, XLT FX4
- Occupation
- Aerostructures Engineer
Thanks for the clarification. What's been your experience with corrosion resistance on your Rangers? The highway dept. in my neck of the woods uses a ton of salt during the winter months and it takes a toll on steel bodies. That's one thing I'm not concerned with on the F-150 with it's all aluminum body.
Hmmm. That hasn't been my experience with the F-150. After three winters in the rust belt I haven't seen any signs of corrosion other than some minor spots on the steel frame where the paint got knocked off by flying road debris. I couldn't say that about my last steel bodied truck which was a 2007 Sport Trac. The main reason I traded it on the F-150 was because the rocker panels and rear cab corners looked like Swiss cheese.
As an Aerostructures engineer, I can tell you that aluminum definitely does corrode. Every metal and material corrodes and breaks down in some way. Aluminum corrosion just doesn't look like steel corrosion (aka aluminum doesn't rust). They also react differently to different materials. So aluminum isn't as highly reactive to salt as iron/steel is, that's why aluminum pieces don't corrode as quickly when exposed to Midwest road salt.It may be because Ford has figured out how to get rust proofing onto the vehicles properly, but aluminum definitely corrodes. It's a massive problem with aircraft structures.
And speaking of salt exposure on Rangers. This is the 3rd winter with my 2019 Ranger and I've had no issues dealing with the cold, snow, and heavy salting that Northern Minnesota has to bring. Though I've also added more protection to the rocker panels to try and stave that off, since I too have had many a vehicle rust away underneath me. Do I wish the Ranger bodies were aluminum as well? Most definitely. Not just for the corrosion issue, but for the lightness as well.
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