Aluminum Shaves Off 350 Pounds on 2017 Ford F-250

Feb. 16, 2017—The 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty will shave off 350 pounds with an all-aluminum skin and robust steel frame.

Super Duty’s improved performance is enabled by weight savings of up to 350 pounds through the use of high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy in the body and box. This leads to more local frame stiffness at strategic locations to deliver considerable improvement in occupant protection. The weight savings is then reinvested into an all-new fully boxed frame that is more than 95 percent high-strength steel and up to 24 times stiffer than the previous frame.

Thanks to its robust design, advanced materials and safety features developed by the Ford truck team, the 2017 model earns a five-star overall vehicle score in the agency’s New Car Assessment Program, as well as a five-star rating for frontal driver crash tests. Side crash ratings for front and rear remain five stars. The 2017 F-Series Super Duty is the only heavy-duty pickup truck to earn National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest safety rating.

Compared with the F-150, the Super Duty's aluminum gauge is about 20 percent thicker for more robust performance.