655 mi 2-day trip report... GA to SC to GA

[hturnerfamily]

655 mi 2-day trip report...
Americus GA to N Charleston/Mt Pleasant SC back to Americus GA

Saw my fastest speeds yet from EA in N Charleston at 168kw for the whole 17% to 60% charging time...
I am smarter than the Ford Nav system and the truck's 'Range' indicator, too... my calculations ALWAYS
come out more generous than what the truck 'says', especially when it states that you will NOT have enough
miles... I typically always do, though, because I have calculated it correctly... it is just too pessimistic, though
I imagine Ford does this on purpose. I drive conservatively, with most miles on this trip on HWY 280 from my
home all the way to Savannah/I95 at about 55ish... up to 72 on I95 North, and 57-62 or so on Hwy17 into Charleston...

All EA stops provided GREAT charging speeds, and easy activation from the Ford Pass APP, but selecting
the 'right' EA unit is key, and can be part of the aggravating/annoying 'charging journey'... choose wisely.
Some work great, some won't activate, and some aren't operational at all... oh well. Also, with a 'big' vehicle
like the LIGHTNING, you can't always use the 'typical' pull-in or back in configuration that EA might design.
On two of the occasions, both at the Pooler GA EA Walmart location, having to use the 'other side' of the unit
made the most sense, even though the screen is on the opposite side of the unit. The last charge I had to
pull the cable completely ACROSS the hood of the truck, but it DID reach, barely... oh well. Other vehicle owners
looked at me a little strangely on both of those occasions. Oh well.

Total cost about $70 considering at-home charging costs for the first 200+ mile leg. Overnighted at a fine hotel
with no charging option, but only a mile from N Charleston Target EA units for the next morning with NO ONE else
arriving, although I WAS there quite early -7:30ish am. This may be the BEST time to charge.

Temps 45-60 average. HEADWIND the whole first day. Winds helped on the way back. Tires at 50ish all around.
This truck is SMOOTH, EASY, and Assistive/Adaptive Driving/Steering and Cruise are FANTASTIC, Especially in heavy
stop-go traffic - it manages this flawlessly. I've only got 38,500 miles, so I'll give it a few more before I know for sure : )
( I also had ProPower to the bed on the WHOLE time the truck was on, for the FRIDGE, and to be able to use the coffee
maker, microwave, and even the toaster along the way_) The 'time of travel' considers all the additional time the
truck is on even when parked.

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[PreservedSwine]

That’s great and pretty encouraging to hear. 49 psi? I had no idea u could go that high.
Was your driving interstate or did you stick to local highways?

 

[hturnerfamily]

Both local highways at 55 and I16 and I95 at 70-72...

The Michelin Primacy XC tires that came with the truck state 'Max PSI 51'.
My experience says that higher inflated tires equates to faster speeds/easier rolling resistance, which means better fuel/power efficiency. Michelin apparently has built this tire to ride quite nicely with this PSI, and this trip shows that...
My Lightning had a generally 'average' load, which prompts the max psi option for this trip. If I had been towing our 3,000lb camper, maybe I would go with a lower number, of course.
There's also the question of 'when' you check the actual PSI. General tire info and manufacturers will say to only check for true PSI when the tire is 'cold'(not been driven recently). This means that if you use the 50 PSI, the tire actually warms up to a higher number as you drive, especially in hotter temps, I'm sure. These tires can handle what they are built for.. I have no issues with it.

The Lightning was SMOOTH and Flowed Nicely the whole 655 miles - I would have never known the tires were at 50psi versus the typical 35-40 on any other day. I can only imagine that my overall efficiency was slightly better, as well.

Some will say that they 'only' go by what the truck's door sticker says about tires and PSI, but my experience is that those are GENERAL information numbers, as the door sticker may not have anything to do with the TIRES that are actually on the truck, and certainly not if you have replaced your tires, have another brand, size, style, etc.


As a side note, we've all grown accustomed to the more typical '35 PSI' that maybe was more normal in years past, but I've seen not only vehicle tires with many varied PSI 'max's, but I used to ride a 'road bike' which had VERY thin, but fast, tires, usually from Continental, that ran at 110-120 PSI, and have a more typical 'mountain bike' which has bulkier 'off road' tires that might only run 40 PSI, and a riding lawn mower with squatty 'fat' tires, which only ran at 20 PSI....the tire manufacturers are the ones who decide on the PSI for tires to operate - not the vehicle manufacturer.

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