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Potential Ford Lightning Buyer. Would love to hear your advice.

MTBAZ

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If you have never owned an EV Look into range anxiety. If this is something that may bother you, the ER may be worth it. As you get more experience you learn to trust the estimated range and learn how and where you can charge, it will go away.

The stander truck has plenty of range but seeing battery below 20% or range below 50 can harsh you mellow.
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RickLightning

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I'd love to know what you wish you knew before buying your Lightning. I'm considering a Pro or XLT. My lifestyle well fits well the standard range battery, the temps here mild year-round, I don't tow my boat more than a few blocks. What upgrades do you recommend? Anything I should consider? Much appreciated.
Order your Tesla adapter from Ford as soon as you buy the truck, delivery will be November or later. If you want to use Tesla Superchargers sooner, order A2Z's Typhoon Pro for $193.50 with code FORDFORUM. Order their Stellar Destination adapter at the same time via the dropdown menu for only $67.50. Having both adapters allows you to charge at all Tesla chargers that allow non-Tesla's to charge. Some SuperChargers are not open (older ones, as well as congested areas). And, a small number of Destination chargers are closed to non-Tesla's by their owners.

If you only drive local, then your need for Tesla charging is close to none.

https://a2zevshop.com/products/nacs-ccs1?ref=Typhoon...
 

htobin

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Great suggestions. Love my truck

my take. Long range battery for sure. Prefer spray over insert (have had both). Done by Ford for convenience, though cost more I got top of line Ford insert. You do lose space, but light and very easy to open and close

I have a Lectron charger but have yet to use it other than a test Still, glad to have the security
 

earlyadopt

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I personal think a drop-in poly liner is better for most loads, but there are strong opinions both ways between spray-in and drop in.

The most popular add-on for trucks is some kind of bed cover. Tri-fold, roll up, or sliding depending on your preference. I have and like the BAK Revolver. My impression is that the sliding ones like the Retrax take up a bit of bed space and eventually give problems. You can buy Ford-branded versions, or aftermarket and save a few bucks.

You will want a level 2 charger wired in your garage. The Emporia 48 amp has been perfect for me.
I agree with the drop in bed liner. I had the spray liner in my last truck and certain materials lile mulch can cause issues with the spray liner. Also the spray liner can chip away. Had that happen so I wen this time with the drop-in liner. Works better in my opinion
 

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My ‘22 Lariat ER was a loaded early production dealer mannequin that I bought with 5k miles on it a year ago. It has the max trailer tow package, spray in bed liner, tri-fold bed cover and mud flaps. I like using Blue Cruise when driving on interstates. It’s a very comfortable vehicle to drive long distances.

One accessory I have come to love is the 360 degree cameras. It makes parking a large vehicle very easy and I would highly recommend it. The one feature I rarely ever use is the moon roof. If I were ordering today I would get a similarly equipped Flash (no moon roof).
 

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earlyadopt

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I'd love to know what you wish you knew before buying your Lightning. I'm considering a Pro or XLT. My lifestyle well fits well the standard range battery, the temps here mild year-round, I don't tow my boat more than a few blocks. What upgrades do you recommend? Anything I should consider? Much appreciated.
If you travel less than 200 miles a day, the standard range works great. The extra cost of a large battery for so little range difference is hard to justify. The truck has more torque than the F350, drives like a dream and is quiet. Did I forget to mention the lack of exhaust. Plus the one thing that get mentioned a bit is the fact that if caught in a snow storm and you have to sit it out, you could sit all day and night and have battery vs a gas truck that would eventually run out. The new heat pump is very important. So go for the 2024 model, its more efficient than the 2023. Most people that are not "trades people" drive their trucks like a car, use for light utility and maybe a bit of towing. If you tow, plan for a few more stops, thats it. If you are just hauling stuff around in the back, the difference in range is negligible. Sounds like the XLT is the right one for you. It still has plenty of tech, I have both the MachE and the Lightning XLT. The tech in the XLT is great. Does most what my MachE has. Screen size is smaller but in the truck, I like the screen size in the XLT. The climate controls are regualr knobs instead of having to go into screen menus. The frunk is really useable, the best height for putting groceries and things you do not want to get wet in the back bed. Sure the tonal cover works great but water always makes it way in some how. So the frunk is amazing for keeping things dry. In the XLT, just press the button and it opens. Front camera works great to see how close you are on approach. In my opinion, its the best F150 I have ever owned, it has a full tank every morning I get up, so no need to fill up, waste time checking the best price of gas and on holiday's, the price of gas is a distant thought since it doesn't matter any more.
Welcome to freedom.
 

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I never before appreciated the difference, but yes, the heated seats and the heated steering wheel make a huge difference in the chill of winter, allowing for keeping the battery sapping, cabin heating level to a minimum. I used to think that heated steering wheels were an indulgent frivolity, but no more.
 

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I'd love to know what you wish you knew before buying your Lightning. I'm considering a Pro or XLT. My lifestyle well fits well the standard range battery, the temps here mild year-round, I don't tow my boat more than a few blocks. What upgrades do you recommend? Anything I should consider? Much appreciated.
If you just want a big e/toy I would suggest the xlt, if range doesn't matter, I made a mistake not knowing anything about EV and purchased a ford lightening xlt with a 250 mile range for $58699 and 4 and a half months later depreciated by $27,000 with only 2800 miles, the cost to run it is approximately $250 a month charging ut at home with a 50 Amp plug with is approximately 40 dollars more than I was spending on my 2022Tundra I love the lightening but I will be getting rid of it as soon as the 2025 rams come out in texas.
 

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Pod

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Love my SR XLT but if I had to order again, would opt for the higher package and get leather seats, 20” wheels and adaptive cruise. I am regularly bummed I did not get these options.
 

JackieDemarais

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I'd love to know what you wish you knew before buying your Lightning. I'm considering a Pro or XLT. My lifestyle well fits well the standard range battery, the temps here mild year-round, I don't tow my boat more than a few blocks. What upgrades do you recommend? Anything I should consider? Much appreciated.
I wish I knew the reverse power feature on this truck doesn’t work. It is false advertising. I’ve been fighting with both Ford and SunRun about it never working and they both are just blowing me off. I’ve spent over $100,000.00 for the truck and charger and have never been able to use it. This is the only reason I bought this truck and I hate it.
 

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Love the moon roof. My wife hates it! I'm sure that helps a lot :)

p.s. mine has auto park but I've never been able to get it to work well
 

chl

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I'd love to know what you wish you knew before buying your Lightning. I'm considering a Pro or XLT. My lifestyle well fits well the standard range battery, the temps here mild year-round, I don't tow my boat more than a few blocks. What upgrades do you recommend? Anything I should consider? Much appreciated.
I have a 2023 Pro - SR battery, and bought a FCSP (L2 up to 80A but the SR battery is limited to 48A L2, got mine on eBay for about $600 with shipping - $1300 list price).

The Ford mobile power cord will work (L2 30A/32A depending on who you ask), and comes standard (did when I bought anyway) but they won't last long probably - based on forum posts of failures and reviews on Amazon of the unbranded equivalent), so you'll need a good L2 EVSE (charger).

Just a note, the Pro does not have Sat radio. And SYNC 4 doesn't read memory cards via the USB unless they are formatted xfat first - not a big deal once you are aware of that. I put all my music on an SSD in a USB case ($10) and that works well.

I added after-market running boards - my wife was having trouble climbing in - easy to install and worth doing (Tyger Auto brand - $120 Amazon).

I got an after-marker tonneau cover - doesn't fit as well as I had hoped, but no leaks (Tyger Auto brand - $226 Amazon).

I got an after-market bed liner - also not a perfect fit - my 2001 Ranger had a nice spray in bed liner from the Dealership that things slide in easily on - this one is slide resistant - there are pro's and cons to either one depending on your use. (Husky Bedliner Mat - $146 Amazon)

I used the points for buying the truck to buy Ford splash guards (mud flaps) - about all that number of points would buy - Front: SKNL3J-16D576-AA / Rear: SKNL3J-16D576-BA

My Pro had the max towing package and the Pro Power On-Board 9.6kW options which I think are a good choice. The max tow has extra cooling for the HV (high voltage) battery which was why I wanted it. The 9.6kW PPOB gives you 30A in bed outlets - the 240V 30A can be used for emergency backup of your house if wired through an appropriate transfer switch (Generac 6853 for example).

Might want to get a good battery checker and maybe a maintainer for the LV (low volt) battery - it is AGM. I got a UNI-T 673A battery checker which can give you a lot of information about the health of the LVB. Many reports of issue with it unfortunately. Can't get OTA (over the air) updates for the truck if the LVB is too low.

To keep the LVB charged up if you don't drive every day requires either a maintainer or plugging the truck in to a charger. There are a lot of posts about that and documentation about the LV system to read (P-034 attached).

Check for recalls and CSP's (Customer Satisfaction Program) - and get the dealer to do them BEFORE you take delivery if possible.

Also don't hold your breath waiting for the Tesla super charger adapter - they are delayed. But do request one. I requested mine in May and they say I'll get it in Oct - but that may get pushed back due to supply issues at Tesla or their source.

You can get a J1772 adapter so you can use Tesla L2 destination chargers that many hotels have.

You should sign up for a bunch of apps to help with charging out on the road if you'll be doing that. Many threads about that here.

You need to have a smart phone or tablet with this truck for various features. And home wifi is a help. But the Ford apps are a bit buggy, so be patient and prepare to be underwhelmed!

Bottom line - I really like the truck despite some minor inconveniences with the software/apps.
 

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chl

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PS: the Sunrun Home Integration System for power outage backups is expensive and not really worth the money ($4k equipment plus installation). Users have mixed results.

If you have an SR battery, Ford wants $500 one time fee to get the software the truck needs to use it.

And you also need the FCSP (Ford Charge Station Pro) but you can get them brand new for $500 or so on eBay and elsewhere.

A $400 Generac 6853, a generator cable, and the truck bed 240V 30A outlet, will give you 7.2kW backup power for your home (requires the 9.6kW ProPower On-Board optional on the Pro).
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