New Badlands owner – Tire Upgrade and initial setup (looking for feedback)

[Timon.Arg]

Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks to all of yo, I’ve been reading through many threads here and found a lot of useful information.

I recently picked up a brand new Bronco Sport Badlands (about a week ago), and I wanted to share one of the first changes I made and get your thoughts.

From the factory (at least here in Buenos Aires, Argentina), the vehicle came with Continental CrossContact tires in size 225/65 R17.
I decided to switch to 235/65 R17, mainly to gain a slightly wider contact patch and a bit more sidewall height.

I went with Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus. My reasoning was to have a more aggressive tread pattern for off-road use, along with a stronger sidewall to better withstand potential damage when driving off-road.

I’ll leave some photos below so you can see the setup.

Before:

After:

Regarding tire pressure: from the factory, all four tires were set at 44 PSI. With these new tires, which feel noticeably stiffer, I decided to lower pressures to 39 PSI in the front and 38 PSI in the rear.

My plan is to monitor wear over the next weeks/months to ensure even tread contact and avoid any uneven wear patterns. The goal with the pressure adjustment was to improve ride comfort without negatively affecting tire performance or contact patch behavior on pavement.

I’d really appreciate any feedback, experiences, or suggestions, especially from those running similar sizes, model or AT tires on the Badlands.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bzdalderon]

44 PSI seems 10 PSI higher than what I have for my 235/65/17s and my bronco tells me 33 is the correct PSI for stock. Your tires also look very narrow when they're installed compared to mine. I would double check your math on that one. Not sure if it's a different in NA vs SA, but that's a drastic pressure difference.

 

[Timon.Arg]

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it.

This is actually my first vehicle purchased in Argentina that is built for the North American market (in Mexico at least), so it’s a bit of a different reference point for me. Up until now, all the vehicles I’ve owned were locally manufactured for the Latin American market (Renault Duster 2017 from Colombia, Renault Duster 2020 from Brazil, Ram Rampage 2025 from Brazil, etc)

In every one of those vehicles, the recommended tire pressures on the door sticker, regardless of the tire model, were typically in the 40–43 PSI range. That always seemed excessive to me, and in practice I consistently noticed more wear in the center of the tread rather than across the full contact patch. Because of that, I’ve usually run slightly lower pressures, although I’ve often received criticism for doing so.

Here in Argentina, it’s also very common for dealerships and tire shops, even official service centers, to inflate tires to quite high values, often close to 45 PSI. I’ve never fully understood the reasoning behind that.

Based on your comment (which I appreciate again), I went to check the door sticker on the Bronco Sport, and it indeed specifies 33 PSI as the recommended pressure for stock ones, which, in hindsight, is obviously the first place I should have checked. So that makes it clea, I’ll be lowering them to 33 PSI and testing from there.

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[Dude]

My ‘22 Badlands came stock with Pirelli Scorpion ATR 225/65R17 102H (Rim: 7Jx17 ET37.5)

A different tire than you selected - I did like the Pirelli’s but unfortunately they wore out after 25k miles

There are similarities and differences in the driving climate between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Phoenix Arizona - both can be hot places to drive
Buenos Aires = humid subtropical climate (warm, humid, frequent rain), High humidity - feels uncomfortable but not as dangerously hot
Phoenix = hot desert climate (extreme heat, very dry), Regularly 100–110°F+ for months

Buenos Aires: Frequent rain, especially summer thunderstorms, ~1200 mm (~47 inches)/year, Flooding in low areas is common

Phoenix: Roads are usually dry, BUT sudden monsoon storms means flash flooding, ~7 inches/year (very dry)

Buenos Aires: Cool winters, occasional frost
Phoenix: Mild, dry winters (almost never freezes)

Tires will wear quite differently:
Phoenix: Faster even wear due to hot pavement, Higher risk of: tread “chunking, dry rot over time especially if parked outdoors

Buenos Aires: More irregular wear risks due to: wet braking, hydroplaning risk, potholes from water damage, uneven road surfaces
Suspension + alignment issues show up sooner in tires

Your tires especially with tire rotations, correct air pressure and vehicle alignment should last far longer than my factory tires lasted

 

[dockiwi57]

My ‘22 Badlands came stock with Pirelli Scorpion ATR 225/65R17 102H (Rim: 7Jx17 ET37.5)

A different tire than you selected - I did like the Pirelli’s but unfortunately they wore out after 25k miles

There are similarities and differences in the driving climate between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Phoenix Arizona - both can be hot places to drive
Buenos Aires = humid subtropical climate (warm, humid, frequent rain), High humidity - feels uncomfortable but not as dangerously hot
Phoenix = hot desert climate (extreme heat, very dry), Regularly 100–110°F+ for months

Buenos Aires: Frequent rain, especially summer thunderstorms, ~1200 mm (~47 inches)/year, Flooding in low areas is common

Phoenix: Roads are usually dry, BUT sudden monsoon storms means flash flooding, ~7 inches/year (very dry)

Buenos Aires: Cool winters, occasional frost
Phoenix: Mild, dry winters (almost never freezes)

Tires will wear quite differently:
Phoenix: Faster even wear due to hot pavement, Higher risk of: tread “chunking, dry rot over time especially if parked outdoors

Buenos Aires: More irregular wear risks due to: wet braking, hydroplaning risk, potholes from water damage, uneven road surfaces
Suspension + alignment issues show up sooner in tires

Your tires especially with tire rotations, correct air pressure and vehicle alignment should last far longer than my factory tires lasted

That's a helpful and well thought out post. I last drove in the Buenos Aires area about 30 years ago, the automotive environment is indeed quite different. My spouse just returned and said roads/driving/traffic had grown even worse. Parenthetically, I wonder if brakes might last longer there? "PARE" signs and most traffic lights are but a mere suggestion. Taking your foot off the gas pedal is all that's really expected as one traverses many intersections.

 

[Garth]

When I got new tires the shop set them at 36psi, I am waiting for the weather to warm and to see how high the pressure gets as the tires get hot. From what Ive read 33psi is the recommended minimum when fully loaded so a little more pressure should be better and for fuel economy. Also something else I saw about tires is that lower pressure increases the stopping distance which took me by surprise but the tire deforms more and loses contact apparently.

 

[Bill G]

When I got new tires the shop set them at 36psi, I am waiting for the weather to warm and to see how high the pressure gets as the tires get hot. From what Ive read 33psi is the recommended minimum when fully loaded so a little more pressure should be better and for fuel economy. Also something else I saw about tires is that lower pressure increases the stopping distance which took me by surprise but the tire deforms more and loses contact apparently.

Trust me, over-inflation also increases braking distance (don’t ask how I know <lol>). As the tires get harder they act like “marbles” — no traction for stopping. My experience here in SoCal is that most of the time 33psi cold is @ 37-38psi hot (I do use nitrogen fill, air may be slightly different).

 

[Jdiditz]

FYI, I found out not to long ago that the PSI numbers on the door is based off a full load. meaning passengers full rank of gas. Plus luggage. I recently checked the max psi on mine. max was 51 psi so I filled mine to 48 PSI gained around 2 mpg.

 

[Bucky904]

From the factory (at least here in Buenos Aires, Argentina), the vehicle came with Continental CrossContact tires in size 225/65 R17.
I decided to switch to 235/65 R17, mainly to gain a slightly wider contact patch and a bit more sidewall height.

Timon.Arg,
This part of your post caught most of my attention. I, too, had the exact same CrossContact tires on my ‘25 Heritage as stock and immediately after taking delivery did what you did: changed to an AT tire (Falken Wildpeaks) in 235/65/17.
When I was shopping the vehicle I noticed every BS at the dealership (in Florida) had the same Continentals on them.
So, I went to the Continental web site and found that the tire, at the time, had an overall customer rating of less than 3 stars.
While this is my first new car purchase in the brand I find it surprising that Ford would provide a tire like this one as standard equipment on, what I thought is, an all terrain vehicle.

 

[Timon.Arg]

Timon.Arg,
This part of your post caught most of my attention. I, too, had the exact same CrossContact tires on my ‘25 Heritage as stock and immediately after taking delivery did what you did: changed to an AT tire (Falken Wildpeaks) in 235/65/17.
When I was shopping the vehicle I noticed every BS at the dealership (in Florida) had the same Continentals on them.
So, I went to the Continental web site and found that the tire, at the time, had an overall customer rating of less than 3 stars.
While this is my first new car purchase in the brand I find it surprising that Ford would provide a tire like this one as standard equipment on, what I thought is, an all terrain vehicle.

That’s a very interesting point, and I had a similar reaction.

Coming from other vehicles, I also found it somewhat surprising that an “adventure-oriented” model like the Bronco Sport comes with a tire that is clearly more highway-focused than off-road.

From what I understand, it probably comes down to the usual trade-offs manufacturers make comfort, noise, fuel efficiency, and overall drivability for the average user.

In my case, since I already plan to use the vehicle off-road (sand, light trails, etc.), switching to an AT tire felt like a necessary first step.

Good to know you went through the same process with your setup.

 

[cprcubed]

FYI, I found out not to long ago that the PSI numbers on the door is based off a full load. meaning passengers full rank of gas. Plus luggage. I recently checked the max psi on mine. max was 51 psi so I filled mine to 48 PSI gained around 2 mpg.

You gained 2 mpg, but at those pressures your contact patch will be compromised. The tires will wear significantly in the middle of the tread. I would also be surprised if the BS didn't feel squirrely too. Cheers!

 

[Garth]

You gained 2 mpg, but at those pressures your contact patch will be compromised. The tires will wear significantly in the middle of the tread. I would also be surprised if the BS didn't feel squirrely too. Cheers!

Once your tires warm up the pressure will be too high for safety and you will wear the middle tread out prematurely.
What Ive read is best running pressure 15% below max fill pressure after tires reach heated pressure. If that makes sense lol. So if your tires say 50 max and after getting hot from driving they shouldnt be over 42.5, if the pressure increase 5psi from heat then you should have no more than 38.5 cold but I bet on a hot day they would warm up more than 5 psi so your max fill cold would be even less so 33 minimum for the vehicle load rating and maybe 35-37 max cold. But Im no expert so this is just sharing something Ive read. I do run 36 but I havent driven in the summer yet.

 

[Dude]

Once your tires warm up the pressure will be too high for safety and you will wear the middle tread out prematurely.
What Ive read is best running pressure 15% below max fill pressure after tires reach heated pressure. If that makes sense lol. So if your tires say 50 max and after getting hot from driving they shouldnt be over 42.5, if the pressure increase 5psi from heat then you should have no more than 38.5 cold but I bet on a hot day they would warm up more than 5 psi so your max fill cold would be even less so 33 minimum for the vehicle load rating and maybe 35-37 max cold. But Im no expert so this is just sharing something Ive read. I do run 36 but I havent driven in the summer yet.

You and I both run 36psi (cold), mine on hot days of driving increase to 39 according to the instrument cluster tire pressure gauge

Do you have the link to the article you referred to?

 

[Garth]

I’m sorry I did not save the article it may have even been a video. I’ve got so many things coming and going I’m surprised I remembered what they were saying.

 

[Dude]

I’m sorry I did not save the article it may have even been a video. I’ve got so many things coming and going I’m surprised I remembered what they were saying.

I think they were talking about a specific use case (like driving on the moons surface) … I wouldn’t follow the psi advice of the source you referred to

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