FORD RANGER RS COULD BE A THING IN THE FUTURE

Ford Performance executives are considering giving the new Ford Ranger Raptor a road tire package that would transform the truck from a desert racer to Rally Sport (RS). The 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor will come equipped with the highly praised BF Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tires, which help contribute to the off-road capability of the truck.

Ford Ranger Raptor RS Idea “Loved” By Exec

While all-terrain tires feature an aggressive pattern that provides excellent grip on rugged terrain and sufficient grip on dry pavement, they can become dangerous and slippery once the roads get wet. For that reason, Ford has developed a full-time all-wheel-drive system for the new Ranger Raptor to help mitigate the traction issues. Additionally, the truck is the most powerful and fastest in its segment, with a 3.0-liter Ecoboost V6 paired to a 10-speed auto.

Giving the Ranger Raptor more street-oriented tires will keep all of that power and be safer on the road, possibly even more fun to drive on the pavement as you can be more aggressive on the curves. Many Raptor owners buy the vehicles to use as their daily drivers, partly due to their devilish good looks and the on-road comfort that comes with the Fox suspension.

Drive suggested the idea of a Ford Ranger Raptor RS to Carl Widmann, global Ford Performance chief engineer, and Ali Jammoul, global vehicle program director for Ford Performance. They both agreed to take a serious look at the option, with Jammoul stating, “I love that idea.” It was suggested that Ford equips the truck with road-biased tires of the same size and profile as the BF Goodrich ones, establishing a new variant of the legendary truck that could be dubbed the Ranger Raptor RS.

Widmann noted that the road tire package could be of interest to German customers as the Ford Ranger Raptor is popular there, despite most being used for on-road and autobahn driving. The only setback would be adding complexity to production lines and significant engineering investments required to develop a road tire that would meet Ford’s global engineering standards.