Quote:
Originally Posted by mickss
First of all your 75 MPH June bug analogy might be right right if that June bug could side impact my car at that speed, but it can`t, if you`re referring to a front impact then may-be, but most cars like our Camaro`s have rubber front fascia.
As for Aluminum making a crappy unibody, pehaps you should contact the good folks who make Corvette`s and make them aware of that fact that their hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium is crap.
One other thing I neglected to point out, I realize that the Corvette is full frame design but that same technique can be used in portions of a unibody design.
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This is no longer a discussion, since you have apparently run out of facts and have resorted to making up your own.
First of all, since you said "most cars have rubber front fascia" you conveniently left off the ones that don't. The vehicle in this discussion is the new F-150, so I would point out that in this image you see the hood and fenders around the headlamps is indeed metal.
Of course we are not limiting our discussion to only frontal impacts. I was just using that as an example. Aluminum doors and fenders will ding easier than steel too. Roofs and hoods and decklids will not withstand hail as well either.
Unless you are going to make those parts out of "rubber" too be prepared to suffer more damage. (note: the Camaro fascia is technically not rubber either)
Second of all, the Corvette uses a space frame construction technique which is very different than a unibody construction. The whole point of a unibody is that the frame is part of the body itself. If you get into an accident with a steel unibody, there is a good chance that the frame can be straightened and the repair is affordable. Aluminum is more easy to fracture under stress and therefore it is likely to be unsafe to straighten out a bent frame. Chances are a bent frame will total an aluminum car. As I said before, aluminum is not good for unibody construction.
Since the Corvette is a Space frame design, the frame pieces in many places can be repaired or replaced if they get broken, without having to replace whole body sections as mandated by unibody construction.
To further underscore my criticisms, please note that the C6 Corvettes use a STEEL frame. ONLY the higher priced Z06 and ZR1 models have an aluminum frame. If Aluminum was the preferred material, they would ALL be made from it. The high cost of manufacturing keeps it out of the standard Vette.
http://dana.com/Automotive_Systems/S...paceframe.aspx
Since the F-150 is a body on frame truck, it may lend itself to easier repair if the aluminum gets damaged than would a unibody car. Perhaps the BOF structure will need to be brought back for aluminum unibody vehicles.
Maybe aluminum fully boxed body on frame SUVs will be the wave of the future?