[jrmgkia]

I have got to get better A/T tires on this truck. The smooth power delivery of the electric drivetrain, rear locker, and full time all-wheel drive is awesome, but these tires are terrible off-road. Thinking the Michelin LTX A/T2, any thoughts on those. Costco has them in 275/65R20, so just a hair larger than stock. I'll soon have a very cheap set of the Generals for sale in Auburn California.

 

[SCVLightning]

What will changing the tires do to your range?

 

[ChasingCoral]

Do you have the stock All Season or the Ford supplied All Terrains?

 

[KElkhorn]

What will changing the tires do to your range?

Range = 0 if it is stuck in the mud, so I'm guessing it will increase.

 

[jrmgkia]

Do you have the stock All Season or the Ford supplied All Terrains?

Unfortunately I have the All Seasons. Seems very few people on the forums have the A/Ts so not much info on how they do off-road. Just looking at the tread the factory A/Ts appear to be the bare minimum aggressiveness to qualify as an A/T tire.
With how quiet the Lightning is I really don’t want a lot of tire noise, and obviously something that doesn’t have too big an impact on range would be ideal, unfortunately not many options out there for EV truck tires yet. Once we have Cybertruck and Silverado out I’m sure this will change.

 

[Mr. Mazak]

Stuck... again?

It looks like soft grass. It looks like you're just gunning the accelerator and going nowhere. With 4WD, you need to accelerate just enough to gain some type of traction. Just like in deep snow, the last thing you want to do is gun it because you'll get stuck very quickly. In a situation like in the pic above, unless your treads are nearly bald, that terrain should be very easy to get out of. Next time, try giving it just enough gas to turn the wheels without spinning them. Once you're moving, you should be fine.

 

[Spiffster]

Stuck... again?

It looks like soft grass. It looks like you're just gunning the accelerator and going nowhere. With 4WD, you need to accelerate just enough to gain some type of traction. Just like in deep snow, the last thing you want to do is gun it because you'll get stuck very quickly. In a situation like in the pic above, unless your treads are nearly bald, that terrain should be very easy to get out of. Next time, try giving it just enough gas to turn the wheels without spinning them. Once you're moving, you should be fine.

Shouldn't traction control do this for you though? And how is he gonna give it "gas"?

 

[Mr. Mazak]

Shouldn't traction control do this for you though? And how is he gonna give it "gas"?

Looking at those tracks, he was clearly spinning the wheels.

 

[grumpy]

A result of greasy wet clay and smooth tires.
It seems a shame to give up the quiet good range original tires just to get out of the occasional bad area... I wonder, do traction mats or boards work??
(like gotreads.com)

 

[ChasingCoral]

A result of greasy wet clay and smooth tires.
It seems a shame to give up the quiet good range original tires just to get out of the occasional bad area... I wonder, do traction mats or boards work??
(like gotreads.com)

Traction boards do work. I have two different kinds for this sort of situation.

 

[SCVLightning]

Have you looked into the tires available for rivian? Maybe those are better than the A/T that came with the lightning?

 

[jrmgkia]

Looking at those tracks, he was clearly spinning the wheels.

I drive in muddy orchards and fields a lot, so I know how to feather the throttle to avoid spinning the tires. It should be obvious to anyone that the General A/S tires are not designed for offroading, even if you chose the perfect line, apply perfect throttle application, they are still highway tires with no off-road tread. The tractions mats are a good idea but unfortunately I often drive very long muddy sections so I think a more aggressive tire is the best solution. Just wondering if people have any tire recommendations before I pull the trigger on a set of super expensive Michelin LTX A/T2 tires?

 

[Henry Ford]

I have nothing to add about A/T tires but am curious how the Lightning handles being stuck in the mud. It seems like a pretty good off-road platform with the obvious exception of being close to 7,000 lbs unladen. The weight balance is nearly even, it has a locking rear axle, and 775 lb-ft of torque immediately available. Anyway, once stuck I assume both rear wheels spun and one front wheel? Did the electric motors allow the wheels to spin very slowly?

 

[BadCrosby]

You have to level your truck for them to fit.

 

[ChasingCoral]

You have to level your truck for them to fit.

For what to fit?

 

[Yamo]

You might need a portable winch that you can harness to a tree. There really isn't a great solution. Either you use factory tires which I had siped in order to increase rain/snow traction 30% (it works) OR you get knobby tires for mud and reduce your road mileage measurably. You increase your tire costs and electric costs significantly just to move a 7,000 truck in the mud. Peace

 

[ddbaran]

Michelin ATX or AT2's were the best tires. Costco has the best deals on them. I have had several sets on my trucks.

 

[Bwannapete]

I would check Tire Rack for suggestions. Maybe Michelin Aglis. Perhaps I didn’t spell that right. I have the truck version on a Sprinter 2500 van and the car version on a Tesla Model S. They have a fairly open tread but are quite quiet. On the car they replaced OE tires that had the foam layer under the tread but even without that they are just as quiet.

 

[LightningPilot]

This video may be of interest. These guys take way too long to get to the point, but they estimate an extra 12% energy used with BF Goodrich Trail Terrain tire compared to the 20" stock General tires.

 

[honeybadgergardens]

I have got to get better A/T tires on this truck. The smooth power delivery of the electric drivetrain, rear locker, and full time all-wheel drive is awesome, but these tires are terrible off-road. Thinking the Michelin LTX A/T2, any thoughts on those. Costco has them in 275/65R20, so just a hair larger than stock. I'll soon have a very cheap set of the Generals for sale in Auburn California. View attachment 5729

View attachment 5730

I've been running a set of Michelin LTX M/S2's on my Tundra for years. I plow my driveway with them on. The tires have been great even lately with the treads wearing. I would have expected your truck to drive right out of that. The Michelins had a low rolling resistance factor which helps with mileage. Car makers are notorious for getting tire makers to spec tires with a softer ride for their production vehicles. They ride nice but don't last very long. I suspect that might be what you're up against. Check the treadwear number on the tire and compare it with the exact same standard production tire. If it's lower (like about half), that's what they did. I might also suspect a traction control malfunction, but would expect an error light to have blinked on to tell you that.

I too would check tire rack. Tire Rack's own test results seem well done and trustworthy to me. I like that they compare tires of the same class tested on the same vehicle. You might even be able to compare a test of these current tires (non-dealer version of course) with prospective replacements. Good Luck!