Lightning suspension comparison to current F-150?

[p52Ranch]

I'm wondering how much extra weight the batteries add compared to a non-EV F150. I see in the eSourceBook for the Lightning that the "Base Curb Weight" for Lightning is 6171 lbs for SR and 6590 lbs for ER (420 lbs of extra battery weight in the ER). Does anybody know the base curb weight for a regular F150 with ICE engine?

Check out the livestream @Bronco.Babe.Krista posted. At the 28 minute mark they look at the door plate of the Lariat ER in the SEMA garage. Gross weight was 8400 pounds. Payload was 1452 pounds. That puts empty weight at 6950 pounds.

I’ve seen on other posts where the ER battery was estimated to be 400 pounds heavier than the SR battery.

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[Easycamper]

Another fun fact I learned from Bronco
Babe’s video is that the Lightning has a rear GAWR of 4800 lbs, same as the Heavy Duty Payload Package.

 

[VTbuckeye]

Any idea what the smallest wheels that will clear the calipers? Thinking about winter tires.

 

[Bronco.Babe.Krista]

Another fun fact I learned from Bronco
Babe’s video is that the Lightning has a rear GAWR of 4800 lbs, same as the Heavy Duty Payload Package.

I have a new video out now too


Exclusive Look at the 2022 Ford F150 Lightning | What Mods are coming for the Lightning? | Review

 

[81MPH]

I have had my F150L for 3 days now.
I know many of you are frustrated and tired of waiting but I hope to encourage you.
It’s really better than I imagined.
I watched/read a ton of reviews and none of them seem to capture how much more composed the Lightning is compared to the ICE truck. Maybe they were not driving the ICE and F150L back to back?
There is almost NONE of the normal head toss that comes with the rear axel/leaf springs.
I felt like the ICE truck came over sprung and underdamped. (Improved with 5100 bilsteins on rear)
This truck feels stiffer but matched to dampers.
My ICE payload is 1400 and the Lightning is 2044.
Its so composed that it feels much smaller to drive than the ICE truck.
The Lightning is far superior in every way except range: simple fact there is more energy in 30.6 gallons of gas than 98kW.

Stay strong.
Its an amazing ride and suspension set up.
It’s worth the wait.

 

[beatle]

Here's a bit of cold water. I think the Lightning is still underdamped and also undersprung. There is a LOT of bounce and oscillation going over even moderate bumps. Cornering grip is pretty low, likely a factor of the highway tires and the weight. I know the Lightning isn't a sports car, but my 15 year old Ridgeline handles much better, even with AT tires. FWIW, I'm not a regular ICE F150 driver. It's been about 8 months since I've driven an ICE F150 ('21 Powerboost) and that was just on a test drive. I am looking forward to seeing what the aftermarket comes up with for these trucks.

 

[F150ROD]

I have had my F150L for 3 days now.
I know many of you are frustrated and tired of waiting but I hope to encourage you.
It’s really better than I imagined.
I watched/read a ton of reviews and none of them seem to capture how much more composed the Lightning is compared to the ICE truck. Maybe they were not driving the ICE and F150L back to back?
There is almost NONE of the normal head toss that comes with the rear axel/leaf springs.
I felt like the ICE truck came over sprung and underdamped. (Improved with 5100 bilsteins on rear)
This truck feels stiffer but matched to dampers.
My ICE payload is 1400 and the Lightning is 2044.
Its so composed that it feels much smaller to drive than the ICE truck.
The Lightning is far superior in every way except range: simple fact there is more energy in 30.6 gallons of gas than 98kW.

Stay strong.
Its an amazing ride and suspension set up.
It’s worth the wait.

Agreed! Very tossable around corners. I’ve taken it around some pretty good roads and it’s fantastic.

 

[FlasherZ]

Here's a bit of cold water. I think the Lightning is still underdamped and also undersprung. There is a LOT of bounce and oscillation going over even moderate bumps. Cornering grip is pretty low, likely a factor of the highway tires and the weight. I know the Lightning isn't a sports car, but my 15 year old Ridgeline handles much better, even with AT tires. FWIW, I'm not a regular ICE F150 driver. It's been about 8 months since I've driven an ICE F150 ('21 Powerboost) and that was just on a test drive. I am looking forward to seeing what the aftermarket comes up with for these trucks.

I've found the same - it's "bouncy" to me, although I can't compare to other F-150's. Over the past decade, I've driven Tesla Model S and my 2007 F-250. Of course the Lightning is going to be less of a driver's vehicle compared to Model S... but compared to my F-250 (a spine-compressing experience), the Lightning doesn't jar, it just... bounces...

Wish I could describe it better.

 

[beatle]

I'm no suspension expert, but when you hit a bump, the spring compresses and then re-extends immediately. The shock absorbed is supposed to damp (absorb) this energy so the spring doesn't continue oscillating back and forth. When it doesn't, this sensation can make things feel "cushy" since the spring energy is released over a longer period of time vs. being abruptly brought back into compliance. Ideally you'd hit a bump, the spring would compress, extend, and then come back to stock quickly - one full cycle.

In the truck's case, however, it keeps going - not as far as the first time of course - but the spring is still holding energy that the shock has not absorbed, so even though the pavement has smoothed out, you're still boinging down the road.

 

[81MPH]

Here's a bit of cold water. I think the Lightning is still underdamped and also undersprung. There is a LOT of bounce and oscillation going over even moderate bumps. Cornering grip is pretty low, likely a factor of the highway tires and the weight. I know the Lightning isn't a sports car, but my 15 year old Ridgeline handles much better, even with AT tires. FWIW, I'm not a regular ICE F150 driver. It's been about 8 months since I've driven an ICE F150 ('21 Powerboost) and that was just on a test drive. I am looking forward to seeing what the aftermarket comes up with for these trucks.

Thanks for the good discussion.

A factory set up with “simple” shocks can definitely be improved upon with larger tube diamper or a magnetic ride shock.
Yes, I agree it’s still underdamped. The only F150 I have drive that comes close to perfect is the Raptor.

I do not want to confuse people into thinking it will be suspension nirvana but the ride is transformed by the independent rear suspension. I hated the head toss of the old (ICE) truck.

I agree it is a little bouncy.
My door sticker says psi 36 but the truck had 44 cold when I picked it up.
I dropped it a few pounds. It’s a compromise, run it high for effiencency or 33-36 for ride comfort. And it has a payload of 2000 pounds! So empty it is going to be a little bouncy.

The aftermarket will not have a hard time improving the shocks but I think anyone coming out of a regular F150 will still be impressed.

 

[Roy2001]

The Lightning is far superior in every way except range: simple fact there is more energy in 30.6 gallons of gas than 98kW.

1 gal of gas equals to 33.7kWh electricity.

 

[beatle]

When reading about the truck earlier, I think I heard what I wanted to hear. I was so blown away at how responsive my Model S (with performance plus suspension) was. It is more responsive than my Miata with a lot of money in the suspension. I attributed a lot of the Tesla handling to the low CG, and with everyone saying the Lightning was "the best handling F150 ever" I got my hopes up for another slam dunk.

I'd be willing to trade off some payload for handling, and I'd even like to lower the truck a couple inches, but being a truck I know a lot of people will not want to sacrifice either of those. On the other extreme, I put Bilstein 5100s on my 98 Tacoma TRD and it made the truck ride like a shopping cart. It skipped across small bumps and it felt crashy on bigger impacts. Hopefully the aftermarket does a good job at creating a good compromise on the Lightning.

 

[FlasherZ]

When reading about the truck earlier, I think I heard what I wanted to hear. I was so blown away at how responsive my Model S (with performance plus suspension) was. It is more responsive than my Miata with a lot of money in the suspension. I attributed a lot of the Tesla handling to the low CG, and with everyone saying the Lightning was "the best handling F150 ever" I got my hopes up for another slam dunk.

The Tesla Model S suspension change was a very big, positive one when they went to perf+. In my Signature P85, the control arms weren't as strong as they needed to be and the bushings were too soft. They created a lot of "squishiness" in cornering, even when you had the right tires on it - I worked with the chassis engineers in Palo Alto to put P+ parts in it (LCA's, rear subframe, and bushings) and it tightened all that stuff up.

Don't get me wrong, the Lightning isn't *bad*... it is, after all, a truck and can't compare to the car type I've been driving for 10 years. But it can't take that 45 mph curve at 75...

 

[GDN]

Back end seems very good, but that front rolls way too much. I figure a good stiffer shock will take care of the problem. Will just give it 6 months to see what others do.

 

[SmoothJ]

I love the ride of the new truck, however the front end feels a bit light like its missing an engine and I can feel it hop a bit

One thing I noticed too, is that the spring rates on the Platinum and the Lariat are different. That could also affect the ride somewhat.

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