Eagle Mountain FX4

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Phil Howell

Phil Howell

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Some thoughts on tires -- The Hankook Dynapro all-terrain tires that come stock on the Ranger FX4 are among the quietest and smoothest tires I've ever used. Unfortunately, I haven't driven on Hankooks long enough to test their mileage potential because, when compared to other all-terrain tires, their traction performance is so bad. In the dirt and on slickrock, the Hankooks provide no traction. In the sand, they're hardly better. I like everything about the Ranger's FX4 package except the tires and shock damping. Some of the FX4's floaty feeling can be attributed to the Hankook tires -- even when they're inflated way over the suggested running pressure. When I ditched the Hankooks and installed the BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2s, the ride improved.

I've tested and used quite a few tires during my career. Today's tires are the best that have ever been available. Compounding is so good (except, maybe, Hankook's and Milestar's) most all-terrains work well. I especially like BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2s, Falken A/T3Ws, Toyo Open Country AT IIIs, and offerings from General, Nitto, Goodyear, Yokohama, Interco, and Cooper. Cooper also manufactures ProComp and Mickey Thompson tires.

When changing tires and load ratings, here's a site that gives you the correct tire pressure to run compared to the OEM tires and what's on the tire placard on the door sill:

https://tiresize.com/pressure-calculator/

I've found their recommendations to be accurate.
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Ranger_Pawl

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Glad to hear your opinion on the tires Phil. They look great on your truck. Love the white paint; it was my second choice to black. I plan on changing to the K02's before I leave the dealership with my supercab FX4, which I ordered a couple weeks ago and just got the vin for. They haven't give a delivery date yet. But those are the tires I decided on.

Keep us informed on your build if you can.

Paul
 
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Phil Howell

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Glad to hear your opinion on the tires Phil. They look great on your truck. Love the white paint; it was my second choice to black. I plan on changing to the K02's before I leave the dealership with my supercab FX4, which I ordered a couple weeks ago and just got the vin for. They haven't give a delivery date yet. But those are the tires I decided on.

Keep us informed on your build if you can.

Paul
Congratulations on your new truck that will be in your hands soon. I have a number of things to do to mine and I'll be posting here. Thanks!
 

adubs916

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LT265/70R17/C BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires were mounted on 17x8.5" Icon Alloys Compression Titanium wheels. I've used KO2s in the past and have been impressed with their on- and off-road traction, durability, and quietness on the highway. The mountain snowflake symbol means great snow performance, too. I chose to run this size as it's the largest Ford will warranty with the performance flash, which I may or may not get. This size fits with no lift, which is important as the suspension upgrades I plan won't be available until December. The Icon wheels have a +25 offset and are Ranger hub-centric with a 93.1mm center bore. I have a fifth tire and wheel as a spare that fits in the OE spare position. While the 265/70R17 tire will work with the OEM steel spare wheel, if I run any larger tire in the future, the steel OE wheel has too much backspacing, hence the fifth Icon wheel. The Icon's +25mm offset equates to 5.7" vs the 6.6" OEM backspacing. Less than an inch of backspace change means very little increase in scrub radius and the tires barely protrude past the fenders. The Icon Compression wheels look great IMO, are strong, and the BFG KO2/Icon combo balanced perfectly without taking much weight.
2020 Ford Ranger FX4 051web.jpg
2020 Ford Ranger FX4 053 web.jpg
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2020 Ford Ranger FX4 079 web.jpg
Nice looking set-up. If I add a 1" wheel spacer to my stock wheels (like your stockers) I should achieve the same off set correct?
 
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Phil Howell

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Nice looking set-up. If I add a 1" wheel spacer to my stock wheels (like your stockers) I should achieve the same off set correct?
3/32" less backspacing, but essentially the same. Make sure when you mount the spacers your OEM wheel studs aren't protruding from them.
 


MyK9_8it

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I've noticed the lack of traction on the Hankooks on my FX4 EVERY time it rains... Not really looking forward to any snow in them, it slides around corners on wet asphalt already! Thanks for your experienced recommendations! Definitely will be keeping an eye on your build!
 
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From the factory the Ranger's speedometer was correct, but after installing new tires and wheels it was reading slow. After having bad experiences with past projects trying to modify the ECM by altering lines of code, I decided not to try it this time and get this Hypertech Speedometer Calibrator instead. I've used these on Jeeps and an F150 in the past. The Hypertech calibrator is easy to use and works great. It not only programs tire size but also gear ratio if you change your gearing. Being afflicted with OCD, I had to get the speedometer RIGHT ON, so it took me a couple of tries using a GPS and inputting different tire diameters to get it exactly right, but the speedometer is now back to perfect. If desired, the programmer will quickly return the truck back to the stock OEM settings also.

2020 Ford Ranger FX4 081 web.jpg
 
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tehschkott

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From the factory the Ranger's speedometer was correct, but after installing new tires and wheels it was reading slow. After having bad experiences with past projects trying to modify the ECM by altering lines of code, I decided not to try it this time and get this Hypertech Speedometer Calibrator instead. I've used these on Jeeps and an F150 in the past. The Hypertech calibrator is easy to use and works great. It not only programs tire size but also gear ratios if you change your gearing. Being afflicted with OCD, I had to get the speedometer RIGHT ON, so it took me a couple of tries using a GPS and inputting different tire diameters to get it exactly right, but the speedometer is now back to perfect. If desired, the programmer will quickly return the truck back to the stock OEM program, also.

2020 Ford Ranger FX4 081 web.jpg
Oh man that's exactly what I need and am struggling with. Thank you!!!!

After upgrading
from: 265/65 Hancook AT tires
to: 265/70 BFG/KO2 tires

My MPG dropped from 21 to 16 and I'm registering 2 mph faster at 70 mph (validated with 3rd party app).

Losing 5 mpg? In an empty truck? For a minor tire change? That's absurd. Yes okay some loss is to be expected with bigger tires and different tire compounds but this is way over the line. I've been quite upset by it. Took it to two separate Ford dealerships asking for recalibration and been told "we don't have the means".

So, how's it work exactly?

20201011_115418.jpg
 
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Phil Howell

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Oh man that's exactly what I need and am struggling with. Thank you!!!!

After upgrading
from: 265/65 Hancook AT tires
to: 265/70 BFG/KO2 tires

My MPG dropped from 21 to 16 and I'm registering 2 mph faster at 70 mph (validated with 3rd party app).

Losing 5 mpg? In an empty truck? For a minor tire change? That's absurd. Yes okay some loss is to be expected with bigger tires and different tire compounds but this is way over the line. I've been quite upset by it. Took it to two separate Ford dealerships asking for recalibration and been told "we don't have the means".

So, how's it work exactly?
My speedometer was reading slower after the tire change.

You plug the programmer into the OBD port under the dash and follow the instructions on the programmer's screen by hitting "Y", "N", and up or down keys. It will tell you to turn the key from Run to Off a couple of times, etc. It's very easy. The first time you use it, it copies the OEM programming so the truck can be returned to stock at any time. It will ask if you changed tire diameter, then allow you to input the exact diameter in 1/4" increments (you need to measure the tire diameter, not input the stated tire diameter). This doesn't always get the speedo to read correctly, so you might have to input different tire sizes to get it right on. I measured my tire, then ultimately ended up inputting a full inch smaller to get the speedometer perfect. No big deal, as it doesn't take long. It will also check for DTC codes and allow you to clear them and will ask if you changed gearing and allow you to change that, too, if you want. Also, while it's programming, dash lights will flash and the chime will sound at times - nothing to worry about.

FYI - the Hypertech Speedometer Calibrator just changes the speedometer, gear ratio, and reads and clears DTCs. It's not a performance tuner.
 

tehschkott

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My speedometer was reading slower after the tire change.

You plug the programmer into the OBD port under the dash and follow the instructions on the programmer's screen by hitting "Y", "N", and up or down keys. It will tell you to turn the key from Run to Off a couple of times, etc. It's very easy. The first time you use it, it copies the OEM programming so the truck can be returned to stock at any time. It will ask if you changed tire diameter, then allow you to input the exact diameter in 1/4" increments (you need to measure the tire diameter, not input the stated tire diameter). This doesn't always get the speedo to read correctly, so you might have to input different tire sizes to get it right on. I measured my tire, then ultimately ended up inputting a full inch smaller to get the speedometer perfect. No big deal, as it doesn't take long. It will also check for DTC codes and allow you to clear them and will ask if you changed gearing and allow you to change that, too, if you want. Also, while it's programming, dash lights will flash and the chime will sound at times - nothing to worry about.

FYI - the Hypertech Speedometer Calibrator just changes the speedometer, gear ratio, and reads and clears DTCs. It's not a performance tuner.
I meant slower. My bad. But yeah that's great. Thing is I'm not actually getting 16mpg, but that's what the computer is registering. I'm not looking for a tuner, I just want the computer to calculate speed/distance properly and I think it's clearly not.
 

Goodrx

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Did the hyper tech help with the gearing? Because I have very similar wheels but my tires are not as wide and about 0.5” smaller compared to yours. My truck feels sluggish and doesn’t want to go after this change and I can notice a huge difference in mpg. I’m going to call two Ford dealerships tomorrow and see if they can recalibrate.
 

tehschkott

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Did the hyper tech help with the gearing? Because I have very similar wheels but my tires are not as wide and about 0.5” smaller compared to yours. My truck feels sluggish and doesn’t want to go after this change and I can notice a huge difference in mpg. I’m going to call two Ford dealerships tomorrow and see if they can recalibrate.
It doesn't help with gearing, just reporting.
 
 



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