FenwickHockey65's Great Thread of GM Knowledge

[shaffe]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Reports of a carbon fiber bed option for the T1XX truck.

sounds expensive

[snizzle]

Originally Posted by shaffe

sounds expensive

It does! but.....

As a comparison, steel has a tensile modulus of about 29 million psi (200 million kPa). Thus, the strongest carbon fibers are ten times stronger than steel and eight times that of aluminum, not to mention much lighter than both materials, 5 and 1.5 times respectively.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by shaffe

sounds expensive

Sounds brittle.

And light where a truck does not need any lightening.

Originally Posted by snizzle

It does! but.....

Tensile strength is not the be all and end all of how strong something is. Carbon fibre has a tendency to crack much more easily than steel does when subjected to impact load. Such as when, I don't know, knocking a tool box off the side of a truck and into the bed. But I doubt Chevy thinks that would be important to truck buyers. If it was, they'd have put it into an ad campaign or something. Showing how tough their steel beds are against a competitor that does not use steel in their bed.

[shaffe]

Originally Posted by snizzle

It does! but.....

True but man does it sound expensive

Just imagine when someone with a carbon fiber bed gets in an accident and the bed needs to be replaced $$$$

[sherob]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Sounds brittle.

And light where a truck does not need any lightening.


Tensile strength is not the be all and end all of how strong something is. Carbon fibre has a tendency to crack much more easily than steel does when subjected to impact load. Such as when, I don't know, knocking a tool box off the side of a truck and into the bed. But I doubt Chevy thinks that would be important to truck buyers. If it was, they'd have put it into an ad campaign or something. Showing how tough their steel beds are against a competitor that does not use steel in their bed.

IDK... My Ridgeline hasn't had one hail dent in it yet.

https://www.cspplastics.com/materials/why-composites/

[JerTM]

If the composites are anything like the old Saturns, expect a bunch of broken beds when it gets cold. I also wouldn't want a carbon fiber bed either, way too easy to crack when treated like the bed of a truck typically is. Aluminum is the better choice if not using steel.

[FenwickHockey65]

http://www.gminsidenews.com/articles...c-xt4-spotted/

Cadillac XT4.

[FenwickHockey65]

GM has filed a trademark for "Cruze Eco."

[JerTM]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

http://www.gminsidenews.com/articles...c-xt4-spotted/

Cadillac XT4.

All I see is a camo Aztec haha

[sherob]

Originally Posted by JerTM

All I see is a camo Aztec haha

Here it is in a parking lot w/o the camo...

Saw it the other day, my daughter was asking, "What the hell is that?"...

[FenwickHockey65]

I'm questioning whether or not the entire T1XX bed will be carbon fiber. Spy photographers a while back slapped magnets onto T1XX IVERs.

Granted the article does say the CF beds won't go into production until a year or so into the product cycle, but still.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by sherob

IDK... My Ridgeline hasn't had one hail dent in it yet.

https://www.cspplastics.com/materials/why-composites/

Sounds like that material is a special type of fibre glass, not carbon fibre.

Originally Posted by JerTM

If the composites are anything like the old Saturns, expect a bunch of broken beds when it gets cold. I also wouldn't want a carbon fiber bed either, way too easy to crack when treated like the bed of a truck typically is. Aluminum is the better choice if not using steel.

My parents had a plastic fantastic Saturn for nearly 15 years and they didn't have any issues with the body panels.

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

I'm questioning whether or not the entire T1XX bed will be carbon fiber. Spy photographers a while back slapped magnets onto T1XX IVERs.

Granted the article does say the CF beds won't go into production until a year or so into the product cycle, but still.

What if its for some sort of specialized variant, like a sport truck or a Raptor fighter? Something where maximum durability of the bed might be less important than shaving a few pounds.

[JerTM]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

My parents had a plastic fantastic Saturn for nearly 15 years and they didn't have any issues with the body panels.

When they got cold and we're bumped by say a shopping cart or similar impact they had a tendency to crack or have pieces break out. My mom's SL had a roughly 2x2 inch hole pop out of her door when a deer hit her from the side. Funny as hell to watch a deer run at your car while stopped and couldn't do a thing about it but watch it bounce off and keep running. I never had a problem with my Vue, but nothing ever hit it when it was cold. It's probably not going to happen, but work trucks tend to be abused.

[snizzle]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

My parents had a plastic fantastic Saturn for nearly 15 years and they didn't have any issues with the body panels.

What if its for some sort of specialized variant, like a sport truck or a Raptor fighter? Something where maximum durability of the bed might be less important than shaving a few pounds.

I hadn't considered that, hmmmm.....

And we still have a 2006 Vue. Zero issues with the body panels.