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So, is the tailgate of the Gladiator NOT metal?

ShadowsPapa

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What's funny to me is when they make the jump from steel to aluminum you would think the MPG would improve. lol
The driver makes more difference than anything, as do the 80-100 pound wheel/tire assemblies most put on, raising the thing so they catch more air...........

My JT is sitting at 22.5 average now at about 170 miles on this tank.
Before I drove it on the interstate in heavy traffic I was doing 23.7.
(and before people jump in claiming I'm full of BS that the JT system is off, it's not that high and all of those "arguments" trying to support their own lack of MPG - sorry, I have checked it via pencil and paper. It's pretty darned close. And the speedo agrees with my Garmin.)

That ain't bad for a brick sitting a foot off the ground. I'd bet if the aluminum was replaced with steel it would drop a bit.
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Black1Star7

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If you have road salt from snow it will eat holes in aluminum, no rust just holes
 

ShadowsPapa

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If you have road salt from snow it will eat holes in aluminum, no rust just holes
That depends on the aluminum plus, how the aluminum is treated, etc.
Again, I have aluminum bumpers from 1980s that are mint.
How about transmissions, bell housings, starter drive end, alternator frames, and other aluminum parts.
SOME aluminum alloys will be prone to aluminum oxide - and eventually holes. It oxidizes - rust is iron oxide.
Aluminum oxide is a whitish powdery looking substance. If you are familiar with the sill plates on older vehicles (1990s and earlier) you've seen it, and you've seen how it eventually eats it away much like steel rusts.
Aluminum used in vehicles, transmissions, carburetor parts, starters, body parts, many different aluminum alloys - so how it reacts to the environment varies as well.
 

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The tailgate is not aluminum on the JT.

I'm pretty sure there were a million videos a couple of years ago where engineers discussed the various materials in the body of the JT. The floor pan and bed sides are steel, the rest of the body is aluminum, and certain parts like the tailgate and maybe the A-pillar is magnesium alloy.

Or maybe the Wrangler tailgate which used magnesium didn't move over to the construction of the Gladiator...
 
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I figured that out a long time ago. Tried to attach this magnetic sticker to the tailgate.
Had to put it on the side. Fail to understand why Jeep did that. Save a few pennies I guess.
A8F512CE-6398-4914-A4D2-335D6C0D322B.jpeg
Methinks it's weight reduction - - wherever they could get it. Aluminum is more than 2x the cost of steel. $0.89/lb for aluminum vs $0.40/lb for carbon steel. The bed sides are more smooth and structural and would need to be steel to eliminate the chance of warping. With the tailgate, the inset contours add structural strength and reduce the surface area that could be pressed in and "dinged".
 

ShadowsPapa

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Again, no matter what it is - aluminum, magnesium, zinc, sodium, magnesium, copper, nickel, chromium, iron, mercury - it's all metal.

In the end - does it matter? Other than curiosity demanding an answer, that is.........
 

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Tailgate is magnesium alloy
 

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Again, no matter what it is - aluminum, magnesium, zinc, sodium, magnesium, copper, nickel, chromium, iron, mercury - it's all metal.

In the end - does it matter? Other than curiosity demanding an answer, that is.........
I don't know about where you live but here in Kentucky the reason it matters to people so much is because steel rusts quickly and aluminium does not.

I really wish the entire body was aluminum.
 

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seven30

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Just checked the Mojave, front fenders, all doors, tailgate and windshield frame and cowl are non magnetic. The bed, tub and hood (on mojave) are magnetic.

Can someone check the Sport hood and see if its magnetic or not.
 

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I don't know about where you live but here in Kentucky the reason it matters to people so much is because steel rusts quickly and aluminium does not.

I really wish the entire body was aluminum.
Iowa - you wanna see rust? Steering gear fell off.................

I can also show some rotted aluminum. Granted the alloys may not - depending on the alloy.

My Chevy (2011) had no rust when I traded it, drove it a lot in our winters with the slime, salt and what they affectionately call "Brine".

Jeep Gladiator So, is the tailgate of the Gladiator NOT metal? rusted-sx4-023
 

BillG

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Lots of aluminum and paper thin glass, and I’d say rotors will always have to be replaced instead of turned... for weight savings. To get the mpg higher.
 

seven30

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The driver makes more difference than anything, as do the 80-100 pound wheel/tire assemblies most put on, raising the thing so they catch more air...........

My JT is sitting at 22.5 average now at about 170 miles on this tank.
Before I drove it on the interstate in heavy traffic I was doing 23.7.
(and before people jump in claiming I'm full of BS that the JT system is off, it's not that high and all of those "arguments" trying to support their own lack of MPG - sorry, I have checked it via pencil and paper. It's pretty darned close. And the speedo agrees with my Garmin.)

That ain't bad for a brick sitting a foot off the ground. I'd bet if the aluminum was replaced with steel it would drop a bit.
You forgot to mention you have the ecodiesel :)
Seriously that is truly excellent. My stock Mojave at 1700 miles gets 18-ish mixed stop/go driving (6spd) but I hope to see some further improvement as it continues to break in.
 

SteveInOrlando

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Don’t you remember ford going on and on about using aluminum? But for real it’s lighter, harder to actually dent easily and it doesn’t rust. The down side is once you do dent it you probably have to replace it it doesn’t really straighten easily and it cost more than steel.
It doesn't rust, but it does corrode!

Believe me, 20+ years in the aircraft industry, Aluminum does corrode big time! It doesn't get big red rust patches, it gets white patches that eat it away like a cancer. Basically just like rust.

Look for it to start anywhere that the aluminum touches another metal. Screw holes, frame interactions, etc...
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