Lightning tires and range

[meazer]

Has anyone thought about changing tires for more range? The LAriat comes with 275/60/20 Hankook AT2 that weigh 58.6 lbs with a 116 load index. Continental CrossContact LX 20 with a load rating of 115 weigh 41.8 lbs and have less rolling resistance. Wondering how this might impact range.

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[LightningShow]

Let the range games begin!!!

I’d definitely be interested in know if there’s a difference in the real world. 17 pound difference in weight seems crazy for the same size tire. I wouldn't even think steel vs nylon belting would make that much difference. Also, remember, doing a bunch of donuts in the parking lot will knock a few pounds off the stock tires.

 

[meazer]

Just found out the tires I listed are the A/T option. The A/S option I believe are Goodyear Wrangler Territory H/T which only weigh 38 lbs.

 

[Tony Burgh]

Only 3 pounds per tire difference. A good night of eating and drinking can close that gap.

 

[LightningShow]

Just found out the tires I listed are the A/T option. The A/S option I believe are Goodyear Wrangler Territory H/T which only weigh 38 lbs.

That makes sense. I would've guessed that Ford put some effort into ensuring tires with good range.

 

[Chemeng1661]

My Lightning (Lariat ER, A/S option) came with General Grabber HTS 60 116T tires. These weigh 34 pounds each.

 

[RDeFran]

There are LRR rated tires that will make a difference. Weight is only one of many factors that determine Low Rolling Resistance. Tire Rack has articles that cover this subject.

 

[Tony Burgh]

There are LRR rated tires that will make a difference. Weight is only one of many factors that determine Low Rolling Resistance. Tire Rack has articles that cover this subject.

Write up on Tirerack sounds good for this tire. Will not be upset if this shows up on mine.

 

[Farmford42]

Do the A/T tires have the snow rating symbol?

 

[RainorshinePNW]

Do the A/T tires have the snow rating symbol?

No, they don't. Ive been looking at the Toyo Open Country AT3s as a replacement with the snowflake. They only weigh 41 lbs

 

[bydabeach]

I had changed the stock 20” All-season Tires to 275/60R20 BSW ALL-TERRAIN tires based on this thread and reviews. That caused my MSRP to go over $80,000, and that was a problem for the new Bill passed by Congress. My dealer was able to get the tires changed back to stock tires, and the rep said the ATV tires have higher rolling resistance and are noisier for whatever that is worth.

 

[ExCivilian]

My understanding is we have three things going on here: 1) unsprung vs. sprung weight, 2) rotating weight, and 3) rotational inertia.

Messing with wheels/tires is one of the ways to tune the vehicle according to all three of those elements. Going to a lighter tire (and wheels) will impact 1 and 2 (and possibly 3 depending on wheel).

If you can effectively reduce unsprung weight (visualize this as what pushes the wheels down) you're going to get better handling. If you can effectively reduce rotating weight you're going to reduce the effective weight penalty by around 3:1. That 17lb difference is an effective 204lb reduction in static weight!

Only 3 pounds per tire difference. A good night of eating and drinking can close that gap.

3lb difference per tire is an effective 36lb reduction in static weight. That's a lot of eating and drinking...or in 21st century terms: a two-year pandemic.

If you get a smaller diameter wheel and concentrate more mass in the center, you'll be able to tackle #3 above and have faster acceleration without penalty.

I don't have a physics degree so I'm not going to try and explain more than I have. This is just stuff I've picked up over the decades restoring and racing cars (on tracks, not surface streets) for fun.

While I don't have any experience with those Contis I'd be wary of using them on a truck. VW sends all its cars out the door with Contis and while they feel decent enough I've never been able to keep them very long (requiring replacement somewhere between years 2 and 3). I've been running Nitto tires lately.

 

[DKZB]

I've been thinking about this question.

We've seen the standard mods and people have quantified the "penalty" in terms of Range.
What mods are being made purely to increase range and how big of an impact do they have?

 

[ExCivilian]

I've been thinking about this question.

We've seen the standard mods and people have quantified the "penalty" in terms of Range.
What mods are being made purely to increase range and how big of an impact do they have?

Changing wheels/tires will have the largest impact on range. The post I wrote before yours should explain why and provide searchable terms for anything unexplained.

My suggestion is for people not to purchase 20" "off-road" tires unless you are thinking of this as "urban rough" terrain (ie, driving on a dirt road, gravel, beaches, etc.). If someone wants to go "off-road" with their F150L I'd suggest changing the wheels/tires to 17-18s. You're going to want the benefit of those tall sidewalls.

The corollary to that is if you plan to drive this in the city, I would *not* drive it on 18s. The suspension is currently tuned for those 20" short sidewall tires. Even keeping the same rolling diameter, the drive characteristic is likely to feel mushy with taller sidewalls without any other mods. A lot of things change once you get into 7K+ lb vehicles

 

[DKZB]

Changing wheels/tires will have the largest impact on range. The post I wrote before yours should explain why and provide searchable terms for anything unexplained.

My suggestion is for people not to purchase 20" "off-road" tires unless you are thinking of this as "urban rough" terrain (ie, driving on a dirt road, gravel, beaches, etc.). If someone wants to go "off-road" with their F150L I'd suggest changing the wheels/tires to 17-18s. You're going to want the benefit of those tall sidewalls.

The corollary to that is if you plan to drive this in the city, I would *not* drive it on 18s. The suspension is currently tuned for those 20" short sidewall tires. Even keeping the same rolling diameter, the drive characteristic is likely to feel mushy with taller sidewalls without any other mods. A lot of things change once you get into 7K+ lb vehicles

How you made a change to the stock set-up?
If so, what did you use and what effect did it have?
If not but are planning to, what tire/rim set-up are you planning to use to leverage all of the principals you previously discussed?

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