Lifting my 22 Ford f150 Lightning Platinum full review

[@ekaddo]

Well done. I'm about 70,000 miles into my lightning, first EV, but 7th F150. Really good job by Ford as a first effort.

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@ekaddo Wow 70k great to hear, any major items to look out for? Is it stock?

[@ekaddo]

@@DerekBonzagni yes still stock. Only issue so far was a master window switch (warranty repair). New tires at 40,000. My daily commute is around 207 miles round trip. Charge overnight with Autel charger in driveway. Super reliable truck. My wife enjoys ride and space during long trips and now we can lock/hide luggage in frunk. Saved over $16,000 compared to feeding premium gas to prior ecoboost twin turbos.

[@pjs9702]

Really, really appreciate your review! You seem like a totally honest and upfront dude. I have had a 23 Tremor for a little over a year, like it but don't love it so thinking very seriously about swapping out to a Lightning. The lifted look and driving characteristics that you describe is what is really pushing me to pull the trigger. Thanks very much!

[@DerekBonzagni]

Thank you for your kind words, I'm love trucks and as you can see I've played with the best of them. I love my lightning and really enjoy the power, ride and handling compared to standard trucks without 50/50 weight distribution, independent suspension, and 775lb ft of torque at your right foot. If you don't tow and have a way to charge it home it's amazing. You will lose some range with the level kit, but I charge every 3 days at home which is fine with me. Go for it!

[@LQuintalStitt]

With the lift, wheels & tires this is one of my fav ⚡️⚡️⚡️

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@LQuintalStitt Thanks man! I love it

[@Ken-m3c]

I’ve had mine 3 months and I love it, fast as heck super quiet super smooth.

[@cwqrpportable]

I’ve always loved the Lightning. I was on the initial waiting list when it first was introduced. Just never made the plunge; I’ve satisfied myself with F150 hybrids. Some day soon, maybe the new Ford T3 when/if it comes out.

[@crspeedreviews-yw2iq]

Thanks for the honest review and opinion on the Ford Lightning. I’m really thinking about pulling the trigger into getting one. That truck looks really nice with that lift. 2 yrs ago, I ended up getting a used 2018 model 3 with 48k miles and drove it a 148k miles in a yr and a half and only put sets of tires on it and filled it washer fluid. That’s it!. Then 6 months ago, I purchased a used 2023 Chevy Bolt 2LT with only 4500 miles on it for $19k. I have person put 36,000 miles on it with 0 issues. Although this Bolt is very efficient, 4.0 kWh average with 240 miles max usable range. I travel 175-200 miles every evening and need to plug in every morning around 6:00 am when I get home and it is fully charged by 2:30 PM on my level 2, at 32amp max. My concern with the Lightning is that someone on another channel said it took 18-20 hrs to charge from 0 to 100%. Does it really take that long at home on a level 2?

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@crspeedreviews-yw2iq thanks for watching. I have a Autel charger plugged into my Nema 14-50 (50 amp circuit) which runs 40 amps consistently so I'm charged in about 8-10 hours when I'm around 25 percent. I've never run it down that low but with that 9.6kw charger on a 131k battery 13-14 hours should be max charging time. If you can only run 30 amps it will be closer to that 18-20 hrs for sure. Big battery means more charge time. The only negative to the level kit, wheels and tires is I lose about 20 miles of range mixed driving. Stick with stock for the most efficiency.

[@crspeedreviews-yw2iq]

@@DerekBonzagni same here. The ev rated Michelins that came with the Chevy Bolt only lasted to only 25,000 miles. Switched to Toyos extenzas. A thinker heavier tire and lost 15 miles of range. 😎👍

[@josephjupiter3982]

I took a 500 trip (one way) to South Carolina, and it was great. I enjoyed it. However, I didn't tow.

[@jmoranretana]

I really like your video, very true and insightful. I own an EV (BMW ix1) which I drive around town, I work from home and my mileage is about 150 miles a week and my EV is perfect for that. My wife owns a combustion car which we use on the weekends for long drives (3h+ hours) and when we do weekend trips. I think for city or conmute car, EV has its space, love it. Other use cases might not be a good fit, not even for us that we love our own EV.

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@jmoranretana Appreciate it, agreed I love the truck, the power , and no maintenance. For the right lifestyle it certainly works. Thanks for watching!

[@garrettjaneski6209]

If these Lightning F150's were not so darn expensive upfront for the working man out there... with the looming potential for the battery pack's performance to degrade over time and eventually require an EXTREMELY expensive battery pack replacement... this would be a very highly appealing truck option for my lifestyle and overall usage. I would own one for sure and have a gas beater around just in case.

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@garrettjaneski6209 Good news they are finally coming down in price and it’s hard to beat the power (I’ve had the TRX and Raptor) without the penalty of 10mpg. I was worried about the batteries, everything has risks, but the 8 year warranty on the battery gives me peace of mind. There are also tons of EVs with well over 150k and less than 6 percent degradation. Like any truck , take care of it, charge it at home and enjoy the fuel / maintenance savings.

[@McGnarly76]

Looks great!!

[@timnevitt2993]

i got mine 10 months ago, got 15000 on it, i have construction company drive about 80 to 120 miles a day, i have had a lot of trucks and will say this has been the best riding truck i have ever owned, but i live in snow county and have been thinking of all terrain tires but i have a standard battery and dont know i can lose the range

[@DerekBonzagni]

Honestly I wouldn't do it on the standard battery, I lost about 20-30 miles of range with these. I love the look, but get punished especially on the highway with more rolling resistance and less aero. I ended up swapping to Michelin LTX Platinum's (there is a video on my page) it's better all around.

[@timnevitt2993]

@@DerekBonzagni yea thats what i was thinking and already loose 50 miles of range because of cold temps

[@DerekBonzagni]

@ not worth it the truck is already badass.

[@iroc341]

Cool. I have the same RC lift coming. Ironically I have the exact same wheels too. When you gonna load lift kit install video. Looks great man!

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@iroc341 thanks man, I’m working on the edit now. what tires did you do? Every review on Nitto recons says they are quiet, mine sound like they have 10k miles on them at 50+ mph . I had Toyo AT3s on my ram limited and couldn’t hear them at all, thoughts?

[@iroc341]

@@DerekBonzagni Went with the Goodyear Wrangler Territory HT. Nice ride and very quiet! Look forward to the video.

[@Clifford2601]

I do like seeing honest people reviewing these. I read fb and it almost seems like the groups have bots boosting these trucks. I really want to pull the trigger. I really do. I’m in Chicago and have a Powerboost which for the most part is a good truck. But winter driving freaks me out with batteries. I’ll be able to install a charger at home but at work. The truck will sit unplugged.

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@Clifford2601 Depends on your lifestyle and daily commute, I'm 40 mins away so I charge every 4 days or so with no range anxiety. These trucks are great in the snow with the right tires, they have the power and weight. The battery in colder climates will be less, I still got 265 miles of range (normally 310-320) when it's cold so no big deal for me. If you travel and don't have access to a charger that's something to consider.

[@Clifford2601]

@@DerekBonzagnithanks for getting back to me so quick. My commute is about 30 miles 90% being mostly highway of 65-75mph. We just had a baby and winter’s coming. More after work and weekends. I don’t want to skimp on heat tho. Even tho I’m considering a flash with a heat pump

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@Clifford2601 Thats similar to my commute, I would keep it stock and stick with the large battery if you go that route. Road trips would be the hardest part, waiting on chargers. I keep mine plugged in when it's under 40 degrees so I can pre condition / warm it up before I leave the garage. There are pros and cons but I love having no fuel bill or regular maintenance other than software updates.

[@daphenom]

Love the look! Great job! Curious what range hit you got after the mod if any.

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@daphenomThank you, At full charge still showing 285-300 but my Speedo is off 2mph. It drops in range pretty quick on the highway over 70mph but I’ll take it for the look.

[@pjs9702]

Derek, I was all hot to get a lightning and do something similar to what you have done with the lift. My dealer tells me this would void the entire warranty though. Is that what happened with you? I am bummed because I definitely would want to do the lift on the lightning, I think it totally changes the vibe for the better. Thanks

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@pjs9702 I’ve never had an issue, had a few recalls taken care of, had a step replaced. Tons of trucks with level kits out there, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t void a warranty?

[@chuckpearson4443]

Hi just found your channel. I have a 2023 platinum and love it. I leveled the front and and put tires and wheels and I have seen a significant drop in range and I can't figure out why. Maybe you have insights since you're getting better range than me. My setup is Fuel Flux 20” Wheels with 285/60r20 Nitto Ridge Grappler Tires. I looked up your wheels and it seems like they are a bit lighter than mine, maybe by 10lbs or so each. On freeway in CA I get terrible range around 75-78mph, somewhere in the 1.5-1.6 m/kWh. I noticed my tires seemed to be quite low in terms of air at 35psi so I bumped them up to 45psi and I seem to be getting better range now. I'm around 1.8-1.9 m/kWh. I'm really trying to get 2.0 or 2.1. Any other tips for me?? Thanks!

[@DerekBonzagni]

Hi and thanks for watching. I am averaging about 1.9-2.0 with the highway showing 1.5-1.8 running 80mph. These numbers are during some of the colder temps between 30-55 degrees so far this winter. Summer I can clip into the 2.2-2.4 range. The first issue is the guess-o-meter isn't perfect due to the taller tire on mine (275/65r20 vs stock 255/45 profile 22's). On my waze app I'm about 2mph off so I'm hoping to use Forscan to adjust it and fix the estimates showing. The 2nd is aero, with the lift and larger tires we are now less aero causing a range drop. 3rd is the rolling resistance, the AT tires vs my Michelin LTX All season tires make a slight difference. I had the Nittos and switched them mostly due to noise. 4th is rotational weight, 10 lbs heavier will make a difference. This is the reason I searched for the flo-forged wheels to keep that weight down. I had the Non-E ply rated LT Nitto Recons on when I shot that video and the range was slightly better than what I'm getting now with the LTX's even with the AT tire. The LTX Michelin Platinum is heavier with the E Ply rating, but the truck feels so much more controlled and buttoned down in comparison. These trucks are heavy and max out a LT tire which you can feel. Lastly, I'm jealous of the 285's but it seems the wider tires are produce more resistance (aero and road) since they have a larger contact patch. I love the wider tire look over my "skinny" 275's but I have heard from other F-150 guys the wider tires suck down the fuel vs the 275's. There isn't a good solution other than going back to stock, I'm sure Ford had tons of engineers searching for the perfect tire / wheel combo to give the max amount of range. With any modified lifted truck you are going to lose efficiency this is the cost of the having the look we want. I had a TRX with 35's 700hp and got 11 mpg, I remember the fuel bill. I love that I can daily the lightning, have the power, and the look I want for my long commute. If I lose 20-40 miles of range it's worth it to me, but I get the frustration.

[@chuckpearson4443]

@DerekBonzagni yep, makes sense. I love the lightning and the trade off for me is worth it, as I don’t use it all that often on long distance trips. But I am always looking for ways to increase the range, as everyone is, so I wondered about the wheel weight. Seems like my wheels are about 40lbs heavier for all 4. How much range loss that equals is another story, not really sure, maybe I’d go from 1.9 to 2.0, but on road trips that could matter. Something I may consider. And yeah, I do like the fatter tire but I think it’s hurting my range quite a bit compared to the skinny stock ones. Can’t beat the stance tho. A leveled lightning with off road tires and wheels looks incredible!

[@chuckpearson4443]

@@DerekBonzagni actually I was also wondering if 18 vs 20 would be better or worse too. Do you have any idea?

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@chuckpearson4443 That’s another science project for another day, great question.

[@pandaman1096]

Do lifted trucks have issues with radar cruise control, is it no longer accurate?

[@DerekBonzagni]

@@pandaman1096 I show it working in the review towards the end, no issues for me.