2008 Ford Ranger vs Slate

[KevinRS]

If you are never leaving your county, you aren't road tripping. Remember we are talking in the context of a road trip, not local driving. Maybe road trip means something different to me than most?

Never said I was road tripping in county, though this county has 310 miles of interstates. 6 miles of which are 70 mph. I can and do drive on other highways with 70 mph, but would have to recharge the Slate twice mid trip to get to the next state and possible 80 mph limits.
The Slate isn't made for real road tripping. If you road trip all the time, get something else, if occasionally, rent something with longer range.

 

[Susan]

Remember we are talking about road trips, not cruising locally. Speed limit on much of the US Interstate system is 70-80 mph (with some as high as 85 mph). And top speed is not a vehicle's cruising speed (which is usually engineered to be around 80% of top speed.) A Toyota Corolla's top speed is around 110 mph and from personal experience, the car feels mighty squirrelly at the posted 75 mph speed limit around here (and you will get passed by almost everybody if you are only doing 75.)

Thanks.

Yeah, I'm talking about road trips too, usually going a couple hundred miles or so each way, and stopping along the way to explore little towns and fun looking places. I guess I've never been to the parts of the country with an 85 mph speed limit. It sounds like something I'd want to avoid.

Plus, with kayaks on the roof, I won't be able to go that fast, and there are parts of my trips where the highway is the only way across a mountain pass. Sigh. I really hate fast cars. Especially the ones who think "they own the whole damn road" and weave in and out of traffic and pass on the right, etc.

 

[sodamo]

Ah yes, road trips. Does Maine to Ca count? The 95 corridor or 81, the even number interstates east and west? Maybe the Autobahn? Wonder how many here drove Maine to NY in the 70’s when the enforced speed limit was 55. Yes, today I don’t leave the county, but 90 miles to Costco counts as a road trip. Too far for std battery.

 

[Luxrage]

Highway speed limits are 65-70 here, and most do about 6-9 over. That's still less than the Slate's top speed, but depending on how hard you hit that, that top speed may feel low if the truck is "wheezing" by the high 70s. I have a feeling the truck will be fine, and the top speed is there to ensure you don't stress the battery/motor too much. The amount of power needed to keep a higher speed is an exponential curve.

This is something I'm curious about and will probably go find out on a test drive (if I can get on the highway). Will it run-out gradually like an underpowered ICE car or will it simple keep climbing until it stops? I'm assuming the top speed is limited electronically for the motors, so it might just be a hard stop. Just weld it to the floor and send it till the truck says no more!

I will admit the traffic back from the Ft. Worth Slate showing on 35W was hitting 85+ as a group so at least around here in the land of straight, flat, highways it'll be useful to know.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I'm assuming the top speed is limited electronically for the motors, so it might just be a hard stop. Just weld it to the floor and send it till the truck says no more!

This is how my Spark EV is. Foot to the floor = 90mph cruise control

 

[phidauex]

This is something I'm curious about and will probably go find out on a test drive (if I can get on the highway). Will it run-out gradually like an underpowered ICE car or will it simple keep climbing until it stops? I'm assuming the top speed is limited electronically for the motors, so it might just be a hard stop. Just weld it to the floor and send it till the truck says no more!

I will admit the traffic back from the Ft. Worth Slate showing on 35W was hitting 85+ as a group so at least around here in the land of straight, flat, highways it'll be useful to know.

The hard limit is the max RPM of the motor. Below that there is a software limit for some headroom. Finally, around that same point, there is also just a physics limit that will move around depending on the grade, air density, heat, etc. On the Mach E, if I recall correctly, the primary rear drive motor has a 13,900 RPM redline, and the software limit is around 13,500 RPM.

Electric motors have an RPM/torque curve, and as RPM increases, torque drops, eventually reaching 0 Nm at the maximum freewheeling RPM. So as power decreases with increasing RPM, the power need of the vehicle is increasing with the drag forces. At some point the lines cross, and you aren't going any faster.

I don't have any interest in driving this little truck 90MPH. A quick passing maneuver at 80 mph would be an infrequent occurrence. If you want a high performance truck, the Rivian tri-motors are right there available for sale now.

EDIT: I'll note that an easy way to increase the top speed in most cases is a higher final drive ratio (though the physics limit will get you eventually). However, that comes at an expense of low speed torque. People always feel like they want a higher top speed, but you'll use the low RPM torque 20 times a day, and the top speed once every 2 years, so the tradeoff almost always favors better behavior at lower speeds. "You can have anything you want, but not everything you want."

 

[John Santa Fe]

I currently have a 2008 ford ranger that is starting to show its age, and was looking for a new truck but as well all know small compact trucks are all pretty much gone, you pretty much have a Tacoma and newer rangers.

I really really want the slate to be my blessing and solution to my needs but I am really worried about being an early adopter.

anyone els feel this way? And are in a similar predicament?

If you buy the Slate and its performance and reliability are unsatisfactory, and this is a financial problem to replace it, consider deferring purchase for 6+ months. If you spend $30K and can say, "Well, that was a mistake," but can still pay the mortgage and send the kids to college, then be an early adopter.

 

[Driven5]

1) All Mavericks sold have a 4.5' bed. The vast majority of mid-size trucks sold have a 5' bed. The vast majority of 1/2 ton trucks sold have a 5.5' bed. Sure there are people that genuinely need a 6', 6.5', or 8' bed, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

2) Fun fact: There is no legal requirement to go as fast as the speed limit on a road trip. The 'road trip' stretches of highway with prolonged 75+mph speed limits are also specifically uncongested rural areas where speed differentials aren't a major issue and semi's generally have a 10mph lower limit anyways. Pulling a travel trailer I often keep the to the truck speed limit (or less) and I'm still passing almost as much as I'm being passed. It's really not the big deal that people used to the high-speed 'flow of traffic' on congested urban highways in certain metro areas think it will be.

 

[phidauex]

Fun fact: There is no legal requirement to go as fast as the speed limit on a road trip.

No no, the speed limit may be 75, but people will go 85, and to pass them others will go 95 so to be safe and get around them I have to go 110. You know, for safety.

 

[danielt1263]

People don't go at their vehicles' top speed, like I said a Corolla gets mighty squirrelly long before you get to its top speed.

And for fun facts... I read a study years ago that found that the safest speed on the interstate was 5 mph faster than prevailing traffic. The chance of being in a collision went up on either side of that speed. Of course there's a problem with that... Trying to drive safely leads to an arms race...

 

[AZFox]

Swapping to different-diameter tires has the effect of changing the final drive ratio.

I wonder how that will affect

• Speedometer Accuracy
• Actual Top Speed (as opposed to indicated)

 

[phidauex]

It is pretty linear for small changes. If you put a tire on that is 5% larger in diameter, then it will roll 5% farther per rotation, so the speedometer will read 5% low, and the top speed will be 5% faster (assuming that drag doesn't limit you first).

For big changes the drag and weight situation would really take over, so don't assume you can go with 60" wagon wheels and go 180 mph, though it would be one hell of a run.

 

[Luxrage]

I don't have any interest in driving this little truck 90MPH. A quick passing maneuver at 80 mph would be an infrequent occurrence. If you want a high performance truck, the Rivian tri-motors are right there available for sale now.

Believe me, I don't either, but some highways down here (Sam Rayburn Tollway being one of them) all but force you up to 80+ if you don't want an endless stream of cars coming up your backside and changing lanes at the last minute. My short wheelbase 80hp truck can manage it so I don't think the Slate will have an issue.

The 2008 Ranger I'm comparing the Slate to is the Tremor... They'd better keep true to their word of letting people install stereos and speakers!

 

[KevinRS]

People don't go at their vehicles' top speed, like I said a Corolla gets mighty squirrelly long before you get to its top speed.

And for fun facts... I read a study years ago that found that the safest speed on the interstate was 5 mph faster than prevailing traffic. The chance of being in a collision went up on either side of that speed. Of course there's a problem with that... Trying to drive safely leads to an arms race...

That might have been true years ago, when the prevailing speed was around the speed limit of 55, but the prevailing speed is now likely often edging into the squirrelly range for some of the vehicles on the road, and some may seem stable, while driving straight, but when they need to correct course, they aren't.
I've seen the results of accidents on surface streets, where you can't really tell what kind of car it was just from driving by or photos. Color of car, yes: there are some mangled painted parts. Oh, engine and transmission are half a block down the road, here's a chunk that looks about the size of 1/4 of a car, and there is another completely separate chunk about the same size, and there are smaller bits of debris scattered between and down to the engine. And it was a solo crash, car vs pole.
Crash tests are mainly done at 35-40 mph, into a deformable barrier. All those safety ratings are based on those. Damage to vehicles and passengers goes up geometrically with speed.