Aluminum Engines for Trucks: Good, Bad, or Ugly?

[rbattelle]

I happened to glance over a recent Truck Trend that was comparing Chevy and Toyota full-size trucks. Among the data were engine options and block/head material.

There were a lot of aluminum heads, and some aluminum blocks in the lineup. This got me to thinking: is aluminum really all right in a pickup truck which quite likely will be pressed into service towing heavy loads?

It's my impression that aluminum engines (especially aluminum block and head) are very sensitive to overheating, and must be run in a very narrow temperature band. It seems to me, then, that with heavy towing/hauling in mountainous terrain at high altitude an aluminum engine would be a time bomb.

Don't get me wrong - there's nothing fundamentally "wrong" about aluminum engines! Their light weight is nothing short of awesome. But are they really appropriate in heavy service with a very real possibility of overheating?

Ryan