OP
OP
Lion77
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2025
- Threads
- 28
- Messages
- 796
- Reaction score
- 1,164
- Location
- United States
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Ranger Raptor
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
- Thread starter
- #16
I will say that without question Ford's electronic traction control in the RR for wheelin' isn't as good as VW's or Toyota's, they seem to have put a lot more effort into that side of things to make the most of more standard operating configurations.
However, Raptor isn't really optimized for wheelin'. While its performance is very comparable on trails etc. to other mid-sized trucks and SUV's and it can hang with the best of them, NONE of them can fly with the Raptor. Period.
Take any of these on a prepped track or dirt road, sand dunes or open desert and none of them can compete. I think that's a given, review after review say the same thing, when you are on terrain that permits high speeds, the Raptor's performance comes into a class of its own.
It's a Baja / Rally truck, not a trail truck, but I do get the appeal for people that don't have areas that permit high speeds to optimize it for trails without making it a miserable vehicle to drive on-road like a Jeep. So, see why the lift / tires, you can wheel in rough terrain and have a decent on-road travel companion.
To be clear, I've never been against 35's, what I wanted to show was just how capable the truck was on 33's and that overall, for most people's use cases, 33's are actually the better option. If you tow, 33's all the way for stability and durability (you get the proper final drive ratio, lower mass, less drivetrain stress and heating), for on-road manners, 33's over 35's any day.
For off-road, it's terrain dependent. Dirt roads, gravel roads, sand dunes, 33's are better. You're not clearing large obstacles. If you need flotation, they make 33's in 12.5 width, you're not getting better flotation from 35x12.5 than a 33x12.5, it's about widening the contact patch, not making it longer which is what diameter does. The 1" clearance difference doesn't matter there and the lower gear ratio is going to be easier on the drive train in terms of heating, easier on clutches etc.
However, if you conquering very rough terrain? 35" tires all the way, but I'd go with 35x11.5's, not this 315/70R17 garbage, those are unnecessarily wide AND they only actually 34.5"....they aren't even real 35's, you'd be better off with 285/75R17's than 315's in my opinion. If you're going 35's, get a true 35, otherwise stay with a more true 34 in a factory width as mid-setup.
I probably wouldn't tow on 35x11.5's other than maybe up to 60% of max, but I might still tow max on 285/75's since the change in final drive is pretty small and they aren't much heavier than the stock tires, I doubt you could tell the difference towing between 285/70 and 285/75. Anyway, the entire point was to demonstrate just how capable 33's actually are for most off-roading.
The majority of the country is NOT mountain trails with giant rocks, it's dirt roads, open planes, winding hills and farm fields. 33's do great for a variety of things and it's why the F-150 Tremor and Silverado 1500 ZR2 are still on 33's, they are the "double duty tire size" that does pretty good off-roading while preserving a lot of their utilitarian side.
It's all levels of compromise in the end! You want max clearance? Your gonna pay in terms of drive train durability, acceleration, braking, fuel economy, wear on brakes, handling etc. You want speed? Your gonna pay in terms of max ground clearance over rougher terrain, but dont' dismiss how capable 33's can be.
However, Raptor isn't really optimized for wheelin'. While its performance is very comparable on trails etc. to other mid-sized trucks and SUV's and it can hang with the best of them, NONE of them can fly with the Raptor. Period.
Take any of these on a prepped track or dirt road, sand dunes or open desert and none of them can compete. I think that's a given, review after review say the same thing, when you are on terrain that permits high speeds, the Raptor's performance comes into a class of its own.
It's a Baja / Rally truck, not a trail truck, but I do get the appeal for people that don't have areas that permit high speeds to optimize it for trails without making it a miserable vehicle to drive on-road like a Jeep. So, see why the lift / tires, you can wheel in rough terrain and have a decent on-road travel companion.
To be clear, I've never been against 35's, what I wanted to show was just how capable the truck was on 33's and that overall, for most people's use cases, 33's are actually the better option. If you tow, 33's all the way for stability and durability (you get the proper final drive ratio, lower mass, less drivetrain stress and heating), for on-road manners, 33's over 35's any day.
For off-road, it's terrain dependent. Dirt roads, gravel roads, sand dunes, 33's are better. You're not clearing large obstacles. If you need flotation, they make 33's in 12.5 width, you're not getting better flotation from 35x12.5 than a 33x12.5, it's about widening the contact patch, not making it longer which is what diameter does. The 1" clearance difference doesn't matter there and the lower gear ratio is going to be easier on the drive train in terms of heating, easier on clutches etc.
However, if you conquering very rough terrain? 35" tires all the way, but I'd go with 35x11.5's, not this 315/70R17 garbage, those are unnecessarily wide AND they only actually 34.5"....they aren't even real 35's, you'd be better off with 285/75R17's than 315's in my opinion. If you're going 35's, get a true 35, otherwise stay with a more true 34 in a factory width as mid-setup.
I probably wouldn't tow on 35x11.5's other than maybe up to 60% of max, but I might still tow max on 285/75's since the change in final drive is pretty small and they aren't much heavier than the stock tires, I doubt you could tell the difference towing between 285/70 and 285/75. Anyway, the entire point was to demonstrate just how capable 33's actually are for most off-roading.
The majority of the country is NOT mountain trails with giant rocks, it's dirt roads, open planes, winding hills and farm fields. 33's do great for a variety of things and it's why the F-150 Tremor and Silverado 1500 ZR2 are still on 33's, they are the "double duty tire size" that does pretty good off-roading while preserving a lot of their utilitarian side.
It's all levels of compromise in the end! You want max clearance? Your gonna pay in terms of drive train durability, acceleration, braking, fuel economy, wear on brakes, handling etc. You want speed? Your gonna pay in terms of max ground clearance over rougher terrain, but dont' dismiss how capable 33's can be.
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