FORD RANGER PICKUP
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Everyone knows that incorrectly inflated tyres will wear prematurely and hit your fuel consumption. But is the difference big enough to justify the expense of a pressure monitoring system? To find out, Peter Lawton has been ringing the changes on our longterm test Ford Ranger pickup.
THE MISSION
Checking tyre pressures can be a real pain when all you want to do is load up and drive away, especially in a pickup which comes with real chuck-in and take-off credentials. But there's no arguing with the fact that the corred tyre pressure will not only help your vehicle to handle properly; it will also reduce tyre wear and fuel consumption.
Which led us to ask just how much difference a little air can make in terms of hard cash. We decided to put it to the test with our long-term Ranger, and while we were at it we also measured the effect of running with and without a covered loadbed.
THE E UIPMENT
To help monitor the tyres on our Ranger we relied on a pressure monitoring system made by SmarTire of Thatcham. They reckon that running ro% under-inflated forces up fuel consumption by around 2% while cutting tyre life by 15%.
Each wheel is fitted with sensors which measure temperature as well as pressure, transmitting data every 30 seconds. In this way the system is able to allow for the increase in pressure as tyres warm up.
Users can pre-set required pressures and temperatures for each tyre and adjust levels below or above which alarms are triggered.
Although we can't verify the accuracy of the
SmarTire's temperature monitoring, pressure readings were bang on when compared to measurements taken with our old-fashioned but reliable gauge. The controls are relatively easy to use and the display is clear.
On one occasion an alarm was triggered when we drove through a large puddle because the sudden drop in temperature registered as a sudden drop in pressure. That certainly proved the system's sensitivity.
Installation was easy because we got Hi.-Q Tyre Services and SmarTire to do it for us. It does take some time to run power to the display unit and fit it to an appropriate place in the cab, not to mention removing all four tyres and rebalancing the wheels once the sensors are in place.
The system we have caters for up to six wheels and pressures up to 8.75 bar. SmarTire plans to launch a system for artics with up to 42 sensors early next year, and that's where a system like this could come really into its own, with tyre wear and fuel efficiency more critical to the bottom line. It will also save a lot more time.
Our system costs £212 and is covered by a 12-month/25,000-mile warranty.
Contact SmarTire on 01635 878686.
THE TONNEAU
Ford's tonneau cover isn't your average stretch-over-the-side-rail-hooks affair. A metal skewer locates the top of the cover to the ladder-frame, but the cover's holes didn't seem to be cut in the right position in relation to each other, which meant a bolt-hole for securing the side of the cover to the side of the pickup by the ladder-frame could not be used.
Fortunately the rest of the holes, used to attach the cover around the side rails, were in the right place, with magnets holding it to the side of the Ranger in between these points.
In any event it would be easy enou2h to cut some new holes in the cover, perhaps at the same time as you were drilling four holes in the tailgate to fit four press-studs, as per the fitting instructions. As well as these four the tonneau has another 24 to be popped.
To keep rain from collecting on the cover three ribs are supplied which cross the loadbay and push it into an arch. These ribs weren't particularly secure, even after we bent them a little, so fitting the tonneau can be difficult for one person. They can also shift around while driving, which is annoying; putting them back in place is tricky without undoing a bevy of those pesky studs.
All in all the cover is a little cumbersome and time-consuming to use, but it provides shelter from the elements and perhaps a little theft protection for your load.
A tonneau for the Supercab costs ft7o.2o.
THE RANGER
Last, but by no means least, a few words about our long term Ranger, which we've been running since last October. Initial complaints about lack of power persist, but the engine and gearbox have loosened up enough to give a little -more velocity and, no doubt, increased fuel efficiency.
With almost rr,000 miles on the clock it will soon be time to book the second service as intervals are only 6,cloo miles. This could be a pain for anyone running a Ranger over a number of years, though it's typical of the class.
Although our first service with the Ford was mechanically uneventful, it did prove to be difficult, time-consuming and frustrating in other ways thanks to a less than efficient dealer (more of this in CM soon).
But all in all the Ranger is proving to be a comfortable, productive bit of kit.
THE CONCLUSION
We got a 9.5% improvement with our second run, while the third threw up results which were about 14% worse than the control (see box, right). Even with a 3% margin of error our results can be considered significant enough to have proved the theory.
Anyone running an artic, let alone a fleet of them, will immediately realise the major impact these figures would have on their operating costs—assuming that our findings hold true for HGVs.
Although pickups are less likely to run fully laden over long distances than artics or even panel vans, you don't need to be a brain surgeon to realise that there are savings to be had here. All that remains is for anyone running a pickup to work out if their time is more valuable than the achievable savings.
• by Peter Lawton