2015 Ford F-150: First Drive - PickupTrucks.com News

This is perhaps the most comprehensive journalistic report yet.

 

That's a good one, Tim, thanks. It's the first time I've read that the 3.5 V6 and the 5.0 engines are all aluminum. All aluminum engines? Reckon that means they have some kind of harder steel cylinder sleeves?

Hey, this is my 444th post! That must have some kind of deep meaning... I'll have to think on that.

 

They both currently use pressed in iron liners.

With that said, cast iron cylinder liners are becoming a thing of the past for aluminum engines. Ford and a few others have started using a plasma thermal arc spraying process in some engines. They essentially spray in a hard coating that acts as the cylinder liner. It weighs less than cast iron liners, it can allow for more displacement out of a smaller block, and it has less cylinder friction than cast iron. It's pretty trick stuff. Currently the GT500 and Nissans GT-R both use it.

 

That was a good article, Thanks for sharing. I drove the 2015's at a Ford driving event. I the 2.7 liter is now my first choice.