18" vs 20" OEM Wheels for Battery Range

[simbaesq]

I have a 2023 Lariat ER, I was able to buy it off the lot and take it home same-day. Overall, I have been incredibly happy with the truck, but my range so far has been... worryingly bad.

I need to make a semi-frequent round trip 150 miles each way, and so highway range does matter to me. I knew I would take a highway range hit from the EPA estimated 320, and so I figured ~260miles and that I would need to juice up once on the 300 mile trip (plus some in-town driving). But I've been getting 1.6 or 1.7 m/kwh on the highway (cruise control at 75mph). 60 degrees, fair weather, etc., Hankook Dynapro All Terrains on 20" wheels from the dealer.

This seems below what most are reporting, and so I'm looking for ways to increase range. I've seen some discussions of 18" wheels producing better range, but I can't find anything that analyzes the difference in depth, especially assuming the same tires.

What kind of efficiency difference can I actually expect by changing from the 20" wheels to the 18"? Can you point me at any sources that dig into this?

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[Txxthie]

Slow your highway speed down to 65-70 and limit your use of heat. These alone will net the range you are seeking. Aerodynamics and heat are killers of highway range. I don’t think 18 inch rims will make that much of a difference at highway speeds. Maybe 10-20 more miles of range.

 

[ddimit]

As well as weight, if you can find a lighter 18 in wheel tire combo, that will help as well. less rotational weight.

 

[mme_and_lightning]

My wife and I drive 150 miles often, 95% highway. Keep to 5 mph over the limit max, and we always exceed range by 10% or better -- regardless of weather. Our trips speeds are between 60 and 75 mph.

It is so much easier, for us, to just cruise and chit-chat, and not rush.

 

[chrisvitek1]

I did some research on tires/wheels. Mostly surrounding weight. I have not read any detailed information about weight; however, I read, during my 18 months wait for the my ER Lariat, that rotational mass and tire selection were a critical engineering efforts at Ford during development. Apparently, there is a delicate balance regarding rotational mass and regeneration while descending and braking. I think that the Hankooks weigh in a pound less than the Generals. My stock wheel and tire (General Grabber HTS on 20" stock wheels) weigh 79 lbs. In other words, regeneration is optimized at 78-79 lbs. This is a weird parameter to use to search for wheel/tires. Lots of clicks and page refreshes on Tirerack, I also wanted to go to 18" for some additional float offroad. I found a set, but have not purchased yet.

Further, efficiency of tread pattern, IMHO, has a fraction of the effect on mileage as tire inflation does. If you are having issues with efficiency, I would check tire inflation first. Further, you can experiment with additional 5-10 lbs if you want, at the expense of ride quality. Check the capacity of the tires you are running before over inflating.

 

[Piquette]

OP, this is your first EV right?

EVs are not ICE powered transportation, and you shouldn’t expect to drive an EV like you would an ICE. Follow the suggestions above, keep your speed down and use the electrically heated seats and you will see a pretty dramatic improvement in range.

You should also study the hyper-mileage techniques of other more experienced EV drivers. To get the best range drive the terrain and use the brake coach to maximize regenerative braking. When you use all these techniques you should see your mi/kwhr increase to 2.5 or better, then you can realize the estimated ER range of 330 miles, maybe more.

 

[F150ROD]

You should easily be able to get at least 2.0 m/kwh.

Unfortunately that will require you to cruise at 70 vs 75. I have the same 150 mile daily trip and have ranged from 2.2 to 2.1 on a lifted truck with aftermarket wheels on Cooper AT4's. Granted what helps me out is hills and traffic.

 

[Jseis]

My ’23 Lariat ER has the same tire wheel package (tires are at 45 psi and I’ve a hard rollup bed cover).Yesterday I drove 336 miles, used 98% of battery, used 128.4 KWh, for an average of 2.61 Mi/KWh.

Theoretically.. I could’ve done it in one charge.. but I stopped once. Crossed two mountain passes, average temp was 35-37 degrees, freeway speed at 65 mph, rural roads at 53-62 mph, then bumper to bumper crawl from North Bend SR-18/Federal Way to JBLM-Nisqually.

Sunny till dark & insolation kept truck comfortable with no heat. Once sun went down I had auto 1 bar at 65 degrees with seat heat 1 bar and steering wheel heat and I was comfortable. Once I hit coastal roads I was at 51-53 mph average and watching for deer-elk.

So, yes it is possible to get excellent range if you don’t hump all day at 75 mph. At a steady 65 mph I’ve averaged 2.4 mph freeway driving though 10-15 mph headwinds can kill that. Hard to make a brick aero.

In 8,800 miles I’ve averaged 2.5 mi/KWh and that includes 2600 miles of long distance driving-340 miles/800 miles one-way and on freeways at 65 mph. That odd take home is that bumper to bumper & construction traffic improves mileage !

 

[cdherman]

My ’23 Lariat ER has the same tire wheel package (tires are at 45 psi and I’ve a hard rollup bed cover).Yesterday I drove 336 miles, used 98% of battery, used 128.4 KWh, for an average of 2.61 Mi/KWh.

Theoretically.. I could’ve done it in one charge.. but I stopped once. Crossed two mountain passes, average temp was 35-37 degrees, freeway speed at 65 mph, rural roads at 53-62 mph, then bumper to bumper crawl from North Bend SR-18/Federal Way to JBLM-Nisqually.

Sunny till dark & insolation kept truck comfortable with no heat. Once sun went down I had auto 1 bar at 65 degrees with seat heat 1 bar and steering wheel heat and I was comfortable. Once I hit coastal roads I was at 51-53 mph average and watching for deer-elk.

So, yes it is possible to get excellent range if you don’t hump all day at 75 mph. At a steady 65 mph I’ve averaged 2.4 mph freeway driving though 10-15 mph headwinds can kill that. Hard to make a brick aero.

In 8,800 miles I’ve averaged 2.5 mi/KWh and that includes 2600 miles of long distance driving-340 miles/800 miles one-way and on freeways at 65 mph. That odd take home is that bumper to bumper & construction traffic improves mileage !

Too early for me to comment, at under 200 miles, but in Lariat ER, I'm getting only 1.8 miles/kwh. Max speed 65, some slower. I do NOT have the Tonneau cover. Maybe that is going to be necessary??

I am an experienced EV driver, have learned about a little patience etc. When my battery in my Leaf was dying, I had to resort to wearing gloves and ear warmers and leaving the windows cracked to keep the defogger off! I get over 4miles/kwh with my Leaf, around 3 with my RAV4 Prime (when in electric mode).

As for 20 versus 18 rims, what matters most is pressure, and also tire design. LRR (low rolling resistance) tires are out there, but they often do not perform as well on water/ice/snow in my experience. However, that really depends on your location and what you plan to do. If its all highway miles and your weather is not particularly un-forgiving, I would look for a LRR Michelin or Bridgestone. Those two companies have the best record in LRR in my opinion. Just an opinion though.....

Hypothetically, juts talking out loud, there is more sidewall being worked on an 18 than a 20. I'd think you might better range out of 20s. BUT, it must be very little, or Ford would have to fess up to the Feds when they do range estimates.

 

[tls]

The all-terrain tires aren't helping, though the effect is likely small. Most 18" rims that are rated for the ER Lariat's weight are less aerodynamic than either of the stock rims (the stock 18" rim is hard to order and super expensive) so you may not actually gain anything by going to a smaller wheel this way.

I find that it is reasonably easy to get rated range driving at a steady 64MPH. Let the speed creep up above there and it's quite a challenge, for me at least.

 

[Jseis]

Too early for me to comment, at under 200 miles, but in Lariat ER, I'm getting only 1.8 miles/kwh. Max speed 65, some slower. I do NOT have the Tonneau cover. Maybe that is going to be necessary??

I am an experienced EV driver, have learned about a little patience etc. When my battery in my Leaf was dying, I had to resort to wearing gloves and ear warmers and leaving the windows cracked to keep the defogger off! I get over 4miles/kwh with my Leaf, around 3 with my RAV4 Prime (when in electric mode).

As for 20 versus 18 rims, what matters most is pressure, and also tire design. LRR (low rolling resistance) tires are out there, but they often do not perform as well on water/ice/snow in my experience. However, that really depends on your location and what you plan to do. If its all highway miles and your weather is not particularly un-forgiving, I would look for a LRR Michelin or Bridgestone. Those two companies have the best record in LRR in my opinion. Just an opinion though.....

Hypothetically, juts talking out loud, there is more sidewall being worked on an 18 than a 20. I'd think you might better range out of 20s. BUT, it must be very little, or Ford would have to fess up to the Feds when they do range estimates.

RE:Tonneau. I’ve mixed opinion on this but possibly .1 mile/KWh is as much as you would see. (3%-5%) range.

Tires.. I drove a ‘99 7.3 diesel F250 SD 6-spd stick for 10 years. With road 10 ply E tires at 75 psi I could tow a 13,000 pound trailer-cargo on the hitch at barely under 20K gross combined. It’d get 13 mpg loaded w/trailer cargo and 24 mpg empty (no trailer).

Well known that wider-more aggressive tread significantly impact ICE truck mileage due to aggressive tread and width re aero impact. If I was just going highway tires, it’d be a load range E 70 series or similar, street tread narrower width. I could probably get away with it due to mild temps, rare snow. It need deep grooves for rain though.

One final thought. Because I live in a rural coastal are, my driving is typically at 53-55 mph. My freeway driving is limited by distance to freeways (80 miles away) and usually I’m going through urban areas at heavy traffic periods. I-5 through Oly to Tacoma, then SR18 to North Bend is a mess. Once on a freeway I can cruise east to Spokane, then Missoula, then freeway to Bllings or two lane to say Great falls. I cruise at 64–65 mph and at around 2.4 Mi/KWh unless headwinds as noted.

 

[eRockBoon]

Dang you all are hypermilers! I average 1.7 mi/kWh after 6000 miles.

 

[Maquis]

In every controlled experiment I’ve seen or read about, tonneau covers made no measurable difference in efficiency. There’s an entire thread about on here.

 

[lancersrock]

Dang you all are hypermilers! I average 1.7 mi/kWh after 6000 miles.

im at 1.8 at 25k with 140 miles a day at 65-70

 

[AI_Speed]

I have a 2023 Lariat ER, I was able to buy it off the lot and take it home same-day. Overall, I have been incredibly happy with the truck, but my range so far has been... worryingly bad.

I need to make a semi-frequent round trip 150 miles each way, and so highway range does matter to me. I knew I would take a highway range hit from the EPA estimated 320, and so I figured ~260miles and that I would need to juice up once on the 300 mile trip (plus some in-town driving). But I've been getting 1.6 or 1.7 m/kwh on the highway (cruise control at 75mph). 60 degrees, fair weather, etc., Hankook Dynapro All Terrains on 20" wheels from the dealer.

This seems below what most are reporting, and so I'm looking for ways to increase range. I've seen some discussions of 18" wheels producing better range, but I can't find anything that analyzes the difference in depth, especially assuming the same tires.

What kind of efficiency difference can I actually expect by changing from the 20" wheels to the 18"? Can you point me at any sources that dig into this?

Ford on range is so devious - recall how 400 miles with no payload was out there - now a functional real range for an ER is more like 240 between the 15% to 85% charge level at best.

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