ztruk8

If ford used the most expensive materials available(composites, etc) and used the same design as the 2015 f-150 how much weight could be saved. Without losing any capability, strength, or towing capacity.

Eg. Using an alternative strong material for the frame but saving more weight.

How much more in addition to the 700lbs?

aiobst

Well they did a concept fusion on purely weight loss and it cut a quarter of the weight out of it, so take 25% off the 2014 weight, say 5700lbs for a 4x4 crew cab like mine. Rough calculation makes that 1400lbs, so 4300lbs assuming the same use of composites and stuff they did with the fusion.

All Hat No Cattle

This is just pure guesswork, but the current Audi Q7 weighs about 5300#, so this might translate. They are keeping the steel body and lightening the frame.

Just for info, I'm not defending the changes.

Curmudgeon

If seriously interested in an answer to a very technical inquiry, try to locate (or download) a publication by CRC Press (copyright 2003) by authors Gay, Hoa, & Tsai entitled Composite Materials: Design and Applications. It's been awhile since I've perused it, but my recall of the automotive sections concluded that the max weight reduction using the latest composite materials & assembly techniques would approach ~ 52%. For a truck/trailer using a frame, I believe the number was ~ 38%. The numbers do not consider cost limitations and do not attempt to factor in e.g. crash worthiness. BTW, Ford was mentioned often as an early/ongoing source of data. In view of what we know now, that doesn't seem surprising.

pfbz

You could probably drop 100+ pounds just with carbon fiber wheels and titanium lug nuts... All in rotational mass.