Ford invited TFLtruck to Florida to learn more about cold weather testing of the latest vehicles, including the 2017 Ford Super Duty trucks. Going to the Florida panhandle in August sounds like the last place for extreme cold weather testing, but it makes sense if you have access to the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at the Eglin Air Force base 46 miles east of Pensacola, Florida.
The McKinley Climactic Lab was conceived during World War II, when combat aircraft could not take off during subzero conditions during the winter of 1942-1943. The lab was completed in 1947 and can recreated nearly every weather condition from -70F to 180F.
Ford uses the facility annually to test the global fleet of prototype vehicles at extreme weather conditions that go to -40F. The testing procedures are designed to answer questions, such as: “Are we getting the cold start times correct? Is the throttle body icing? Are we going through blizzards and seeing snow ingestion that we didn’t get in wind tunnel testing?”
TFLtruck has seen the next generation of Super Duty prototypes undergoing high altitude and cold weather testing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Testing at the Eglin Air Force base is about verifying the results and making sure the trucks and cars operate in a predictable and reliable manner for the customer.
Turns out the cold temperatures are not just a challenge to the trucks. We struggled with keeping our camera equipment working at -20F during our visit.
The video of the 2017 Super Duty is coming soon. In the meantime, take a look at the 2015 Ford F-350 towing a World War II M2 half track up the extreme grade of the Ike Gauntlet.
