What the #$%^ is wrong with my Ranger?

[Hounddog409]

Tod

Yes, it is strictly a wet stopping distance rating. Again, that's my issue, PERIOD. Unfortunately, stopping in the rain is a common and valid concern.

Amd what weight was the test vehicle? Was it a prius or cargo van? Or stardard car? Weight matters in any linear test. More weight equals more traction.

Meaning car traction may test lower than a heavier truck with same tire.

The point is the comment about ford being unethical is assinine at best.

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[User79]

Rains washed fluid helps a lot.

I haven't tried different washer fluid, I'll give it a shot.

 

[User79]

Another thing to consider is these stopping tests are done by the manufacturer so are they done at the same location, with the same vehicle, same tire size, etc?

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Tod

Yes, it is strictly a wet stopping distance rating. Again, that's my issue, PERIOD. Unfortunately, stopping in the rain is a common and valid concern.

Mark,

There is an old adage...When You find yourself in a hole...first thing is to quit digging...

Familiar yourself with FMVSS 105. Particularly the Wet Braking. The Ranger complies with FMVSS 105..

If you do not think so, Petition NHTSA...

Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired.

 

[Mark Lally]

Mark,

There is an old adage...When You find yourself in a hole...first thing is to quit digging...

Familiar yourself with FMVSS 105. Particularly the Wet Braking. The Ranger complies with FMVSS 105..

If you do not think so, Petition NHTSA...

Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired.

I'm curious Tod, when replacing tires on your personal vehicles, do you ever buy tires with a B rating for wet traction ?

 

[Hounddog409]

I'm curious Tod, when replacing tires on your personal vehicles, do you ever buy tires with a B rating for wet traction ?

If i like the OEM tires, i will replace with same. Regardless of ratings.

 

[RedlandRanger]

So I kind of see where Mark is coming from, although I don't think that the choice by Ford was unethical. I found this on this page:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/tires

Traction grades are an indication of a tire's ability to stop on wet pavement. A higher graded tire should allow a car to stop on wet roads in a shorter distance than a tire with a lower grade. Traction is graded from highest to lowest as "AA", "A", "B", and "C".

Of current tires:

• 15% are rated "AA"
• 77% are rated "A"
• 7% are rated "B"
• Only 4 lines of tires are rated "C"

So Ford chose to use a pretty low grade tire (only 7% of tires fall into the B range) on the 2WD models. I'm a bit surprised - I thought Bridgestones were pretty good tires. It seems kind of like the came cost cutting route they went on the XL/XLT key cylinder where there is no trim ring, or leaving off the engine cover on the XL/XLTs. That is unfortunate.

I've been pretty happy with the tires that have come on my Fords - Not so much other brands. My 2005 Ranger had Goodyear Wranglers which I really liked. The Hankooks on my new Ranger so far have been fine - can't comment too much since I haven't driven them that far (3800 miles) and haven't driven them in snow or real rain yet. I did go out and check and they are rated A for traction and B for Temperature with a 500 rating for treadwear.

 

[Mark Lally]

Mark,

There is an old adage...When You find yourself in a hole...first thing is to quit digging...

Familiar yourself with FMVSS 105. Particularly the Wet Braking. The Ranger complies with FMVSS 105..

If you do not think so, Petition NHTSA...

Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired.

Phil

I never stated that the tires did not comply with minimum standards, but in my life, minimums are not acceptable, nor should they be for Ford.

 

[Mark Lally]

If i like the OEM tires, i will replace with same. Regardless of ratings.

I guess that's what separates us. I am always looking for ways to improve.

 

[Mark Lally]

So I kind of see where Mark is coming from, although I don't think that the choice by Ford was unethical. I found this on this page:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/tires


So Ford chose to use a pretty low grade tire (only 7% of tires fall into the B range) on the 2WD models. I'm a bit surprised - I thought Bridgestones were pretty good tires. It seems kind of like the came cost cutting route they went on the XL/XLT key cylinder where there is no trim ring, or leaving off the engine cover on the XL/XLTs. That is unfortunate.

I've been pretty happy with the tires that have come on my Fords - Not so much other brands. My 2005 Ranger had Goodyear Wranglers which I really liked. The Hankooks on my new Ranger so far have been fine - can't comment too much since I haven't driven them that far (3800 miles) and haven't driven them in snow or real rain yet. I did go out and check and they are rated A for traction and B for Temperature with a 500 rating for treadwear.

I ran into this thread yesterday, I figured since this particular thread has turned into an opinion piece, I would not bother to post it, I'm glad you did though, thanks.

 

[doug910]

I ran into this thread yesterday, I figured since this particular thread has turned into an opinion piece, I would not bother to post it, I'm glad you did though, thanks.

I'm curious - where do you draw the acceptability line? If you knew better tires existed, particularly for wet traction, what do YOU deem acceptable?

If the tires came as "A" rated, but you also know that you could have gotten a "AA" rated tire. Would you still be calling Ford unethical? In your mind, if any decision that affects safety includes factors of cost, is that considered unethical?

I think what initially exploded the responses was when you claimed Ford was being "unethical". It ticked people off, including me, because it seemed like you based your claim off of Tirerack reviews. I understand your point now though, after learning that only 7% of tires are "B" rated. Still, the situation is unsatisfactory at best, disappointed at worst. Any unethical arguments are to be taken directly to the NHTSA.

 

[NickTheEnforcer]

HI-BEAM issue?
Anyone else experience this...
Night driving I have my lights/fog's on 'auto' sometimes when an oncoming vehicle approaches the lights auto switch to hi beams. I have to then flip/cycle the turn signal lever to return it to the mode it was in. Oddly there does not seem to be a particular pattern and when I flip the tree/lever it will not do it again during that driving cycle.
Is this some crazy 'feature'??? Can I turn it off?...

 

[VAMike]

When you hit the lever you turn off auto high beam. I've never had it turn on when another vehicle approaches, but I have had it flash annoyingly.

 

[HighFivenWhiteGuy]

You can go into vehicle settings and disable auto high beams. Same thing with the rain sensing wipers. Where I live there is rarely a stretch of road where there isn't a car in front of me or oncoming. The high beams turned off and on so frequently that I had cars full of teens following me around with glowsticks...

 

[Mark Lally]

I'm curious - where do you draw the acceptability line? If you knew better tires existed, particularly for wet traction, what do YOU deem acceptable?

If the tires came as "A" rated, but you also know that you could have gotten a "AA" rated tire. Would you still be calling Ford unethical? In your mind, if any decision that affects safety includes factors of cost, is that considered unethical?

I think what initially exploded the responses was when you claimed Ford was being "unethical". It ticked people off, including me, because it seemed like you based your claim off of Tirerack reviews. I understand your point now though, after learning that only 7% of tires are "B" rated. Still, the situation is unsatisfactory at best, disappointed at worst. Any unethical arguments are to be taken directly to the NHTSA.

Doug

What I consider acceptable for wet traction is an A rating. To get to a AA rating you are looking for an ultra performance tire. If you are the type who drives fast on wet roads, you may want to consider such a tire, If you drive a truck, you should really consider not driving that way given it's high center of gravity and given the fact that it would be damn near impossible to find an AA rated tire in a truck sized tire; if you drive like a reasonable person, an A rating will do you just fine and it just so happens that most any tire has that rating unless you're shopping in a Bridgestone tire store. Ford spent a great deal of money making our new Rangers both safe in crash-worthiness and with all the new electronic safety devises, it's a shame that some bonehead bean counter through that under the bus by accepting sub standard tires to save a few bucks , If I was a Ford Chassis or NHV engineer, I would be pissed that all my hard work was undercut by such an unethical person or persons.

I have been a Ford guy since I started driving (39 years ago). I have stuck by ford because for the most part, they do the right thing, but not always. I could name a few doozies to prove my point, but I will refrain.

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