Obviously everything has its limit but the fact is that in the last decade (specifically 04 and newer) Ford has substantially strengthened the cab and frame of the F-150's. Of coarse a headache rack will help in a rollover, doesnt take an engineer to know that but comparing apples to apples, (stock truck to stock truck) the 04+ F-150's are far stronger and safer in nearly every way than the previous gen.
Also, the rear frame section is not designed to crumple. Thats where alot of the strength on the frame needs to be to be able to handle the hitch and the loads these trucks are designed to pull behind them, there is no crumple zone in the rear.

If youre bored browse through my build thread, I know a little but about how these trucks are put together.
https://www.f150forum.com/f78/my-200...-thread-35502/

 

So the major technological innovations are based around safety (that's good especially with the cabs), emissions and passenger comfort, correct?

 

I would say those are some of the biggest improvements. Obviously engine and drivetrain innovations are far improved as well but to IMO the structural integrity improvements are the most important.

 

2V 5.4l Engine - 48.1 hp/liter
3.5l Ecoboost - 67.6 hp/liter

I'd say a nearly 50% increase in specific power matched by a similar increase in fuel economy is quite an improvement, wouldn't you?

 

All cars today are heavier than their counterparts of 10 years ago. Frames are stiffer than they used to be.


I'd be willing to bet they are better in a rollover than they were 10 years ago. How strong do you want it to be? Adding strength means adding steel, which means adding weight. You can use high strength steel, but that adds cost.

I'd say quite a bit has changed, even on non-DI/turbo engines. A whole new valve train is a pretty big step forward, even if Toyota was doing it in trucks 10 years ago. As for DI/turbocharging, you have to look at the context in which the engines were designed. 10 years ago, if you wanted more power, you just added more displacement. Screw fuel economy, gas was $1.10 a gallon.

Diesels obviously need turbocharging to function and port injection wasn't really an option at those high pressures.

As for the I4 turbodiesel, you could definitely make more torque than an EcoBoost, albeit with considerably less horsepower. It will surely be more fuel efficient but you won't be going anywhere in a hurry. It will be interesting to see how it pans out in the next Titan.

No arguments there.

 

Horsepower doesn't really matter. It's not what turns the wheel.

Compared to OE engines, yea that's an improvement. Here's one for you. A 5.9L Cummins 6BT ISB (Common Rail) makes 54.2 hp/cylinder and 108.3 ft-lb/cylinder. There is a reason these engines will out pull any gasoline engine on the market and it has nothing to do with horsepower.
"Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races"

 

Torque is the ability to do work, horsepower is the rate at which the engine can do it. Sure, the I4 diesel may have 450 ft-lbs, but it will also redline at under 4000 rpm, which means it will probably have less than 250 hp. The diesel Jetta makes more torque than the Jetta GLI (DI/turbo 2.0l) but the latter is almost 2 seconds faster 0-60.

Horsepower may not matter in the diesel world, but it absolutely wins races. Look at F1 cars, they make less torque than the average commuter car but since they rev to 18,000 rpm they make almost 1000 hp.

 

As you said, torque is the ability to do work. Power involves a time measurement, work/time or force*distance (torque)/time. That low torque (full torque at 1600 rpm) is what allows me to have a 5.9L MegaCab that gets 29 mpg.

The 3 people who said that the "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races" were, Mario Andretti (what did he race again?), Enzo Ferrari (what does he build again?), and Carrol Shelby.
If you wan't to go fast, save your money and get a car. If you want do get work done, that's why you buy a truck.

Let's look at fuel injection. Invented in 1885 by a man named Rudolph Diesel. Every diesel since the first has had it, mechanical or electronic due to the fact the process of the fuel being injected into the cylinder at full compression, is what actually ignites the fuel. Basically, fuel injection is nearly as old as the gasoline engine.

 

I didn't realize that Ford built a diesel F150.

These must be made out of unobtainium since I've never seen one, ever. I've seen custom conversions but never a factory diesel F150.

 

The only did it in South America. Never in the US. Used a MWM 4.3L engine very similar to the Cummins 4BT. 3/4 ton and up trucks were given the 4BT and 6BT options in South America. The custom conversions, are based on the South American F150 which had a M5R2 5-speed behind it and is why the M5R2 found in F150's for the past 20 years are popular to put behind the 4BT's. They make 120 hp (150 if intercooled) and 320 ft-lb (360 if intercooled) and for under $1000 can be modified to 350 hp and 500 lb-ft with a 3200 rpm ve injection spring or if you don't mind replacing exhaust springs a 4200 rpm (pushes to 390 hp) ve gov spring.