<p>This work investigates the influence of nano reinforcement and tool traverse speed on the corrosion rate of friction stir processed AA7075-T6 surface nanocomposites. The nano reinforcements of silicon carbide (SiC) and graphene oxide (GO) were chosen, with three levels of tool traverse speed tested, to evaluate their influence on corrosion rate. The corrosion rates were examined statistically using normality tests, box-plot visualization, non-parametric tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results indicated majority of corroded samples followed a normal distribution, with AA7075-T6 + SiC sample exhibited greater variability. While the Levene’s test for homogeneity of variance showed no significant differences in variance, Kruskal–Wallis test on the other hand indicated no significant differences in median corrosion rates. ANOVA demonstrated reinforcement nature, tool traverse speed and their interaction were contributed equally to determine corrosion rate. Based on statistical outcomes, the least and most corroded samples, were further analyzed using surface morphology, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface topography. The fabricated AA7075-T6 + SiC surface nanocomposite processed at a moderate tool traverse speed exhibited refined crystallite size, enhanced micro-strain, a fine grained equiaxed microstructure, higher corrosion susceptibility, and severe pitting induced surface roughness, in contrast to the AA7075-T6 + GO surface nanocomposite processed at a high tool traverse speed.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>