ford f-150

Car Tech Live 235: Good old boys in an F-150 (podcast)

On this week's show, OnStar decides not to be nosy, BMW's M5 makes some noise, and we get our truck on.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 235 SHOW NOTES

• OnStar reverses snooping policy

• BMW officially rebrands itself as Ultimate Poser Car

• M-B gets a 4-cyl in the U.S.

• Artist renders next-gen Toyota Supra concept

• Nissan building GT-R based 'Super Juke' (rumor)

Ford uses recycled tires, soy for seals and gaskets in several 2011MY vehicles

Ford Motor today announced it has combined rubber from more than 2.2 million pounds of recycled tires with other material, such as soybean oil, to produce what it says are environmentally friendly gaskets and seals for new cars.

Teaming up with Detroit-based supplier Recycled Polymeric Materials, Ford has turned 210,000 used tires and 150,000 pounds of soy into material for the new gaskets and seals.

"The gaskets and seals are derived from 25 percent post-consumer, recycled-tire particulate and 17 percent biorenewable content from soy," Ford said in a press release.

"The sustainable gaskets were … Read more

Taking the 2010 Ford Raptor to the California desert!

We've spent the last couple of days checking out how the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor kicks up off-road dust. Sure, it looks cool. But what is it really like to navigate and race this Baja-ready pickup truck on the desert sand? "The Smoking Tire" put host Matt Farah up to the challenge in the nether regions of California's Borrego Springs to get a first hand look at how the 2010 Ford Raptor can be used in an off-road driving scenario--boy, does it look like fun!

You can probably already tell that at the minimum this … Read more

2010 Ford Raptor: Inside and out

Today, we get to see the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor in action and we hear from a Ford engineer about some of the design and detail that went into creating what is arguably the best American off-road vehicle that money can buy. Today's Web clip comes from an entity that might know a thing or two about trucks, PickupTrucks.com, as they delve into the many splendid features on the 2010 Raptor. This time, we get a peek inside as well as outside of this kick-ass automobile.

I know there's going to be some overlap in information … Read more

F-150 jet truck, all it needs is wings

Every man's got to have a hobby, but Chris Lentz fulfilled a lifelong dream by mounting a Czechoslovakian-built M-701 turbojet in the bed of an F-150 Ford truck.

The Motorlet M-701 runs on kerosene and puts out 1,962 pounds of thrust at 15,500 rpm.

Ford truck stars in documentary film

The 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor will be making its Hollywood debut on June 23 when a new feature film about the off-road performance truck.

"Raptor--Born in Baja," will premiere at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, Calif., before an audience of more than 500 automotive and off-road motorsports executives, entertainment industry notables and members of the press.

The documentary follows Ford designers, engineers, and race program directors, along with Foutz Motorsports and other aftermarket organizations, as they construct, test, and unveil the new F-150 SVT Raptor to the automotive world by entering it in the grueling 631-mile Baja … Read more

New air bag technology passes shopping cart test

It may sound easy enough, but don't try this at home. To test the performance of new pressure-based air bag sensors equipped on the 2010 Taurus and 2009 Ford F150, Ford engineers have employed equipment more commonly found in shopping malls than in laboratories, such such as water cannons, basket balls, shopping carts.

Unconventional as these tests may seem in a state-of-the-art testing facility, it's exactly what these vehicles might encounter in the real world and what engineers need to test against.

As part an effort to achieve the highest safety ratings, Ford has replaced acceleration-based sensors with pressure-based sensors that more accurately measure the severity of a crash.

These new air bag pressure sensors, according to Ford, have several advantages over air bags equipped with acceleration-based sensors: they deploy 30 percent faster, perform better in new federal side-impact and oblique-impact tests, are less likely to be affected by vehicle design differences, and give designers more flexibility because they take up less space. … Read more

Can't wait until 2012 for an EV from Ford? Convert one now.

A fully electric passenger vehicle from Ford is still a couple years away, but in the mean time, Plug-In Motors --a Missouri-based start up-- has been developing the process and technology to convert existing Mustangs and F150 trucks their current conventional powertrain to one that's all-electric.

But the cost of this environmentally conscious move doesn't come cheap. These comprehensive conversions can cost $75,000 for a Mustang or F150 with an 85-mile range or $125,000 for a 200-mile range.

The high price tag is a result of the top-of-the-line components used by Plug-in Motors, says CEO Kurt … Read more

Gas guzzlers still popular

Cargo space and performance are the most important car traits among those who post to CarGurus.com, a site that rates cars like TripAdvisor rates hotels.

The No. 1 rated car is the 2007 Jeep Wrangler, according to CarGurus.com's community ratings of the top 10 2007 models, with the 2007 Ford Mustang coming in at No. 2.

The 2007 Toyota Camry, which is known for its gas mileage of 31 mpg on the highway, was No. 3 followed by the also sensible 2007 Honda Accord. The 2007 Ford Focus was also on the list. Except for those three, … Read more