The Ford Ranger has a best-in-class water-wading capability of 800 mm (2.62 ft). And the 4×4 and 4×2 Hi-Rider models can wade through deep water even while carrying a full load.
During the extensive water testing, Ford’s latest global compact pickup was loaded to gross vehicle mass –as heavy as it possibly could be – so that Ranger was riding at the lowest possible height. Most customers would not be carrying so much weight when fording rivers or floods, but Ranger’s ability to do so provides additional peace of mind.
Engineers tested Ranger over a variety of water depths and speeds. For example, they drove Ranger through 50 mm (0.16 ft) of water at 30 km/h (18.64 mph), 50 km/h (31.07 mpg) and 65 km/h (40.39 mph) to simulate going through big long puddles on the ground. They then increased the depth at 50-mm (0.16-ft) intervals until they got to 800 mm (2.62 ft), at which the engineers were driving through the water bath at 7 km/h (4.35 mph), or approximately walking pace.
“When we go through the water bath, we’re looking out for every possible functional failure in the vehicle. The most critical one would be if water was sucked through the air intake into the engine, resulting in hydro-lock, which can bend the piston’s connecting rods and potentially destroy the entire engine,” said Tom Dohrmann, the development engineer in charge of Ranger’s water management.
“We have to protect against such failures so that our customers can go deeper without causing catastrophic damage to their engines.”
Stop by Beach Ford in Virginia Beach or Suffolk to learn about many more Ford Ranger capabilities.
Source: Ford