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Key to the Ford Ranger Super Duty's souped-up braked towing capacity and Gross Combination Mass figure will be its eight-stud wheel hubs.
Ford has revealed the upcoming Ranger Super Duty will be fitted with an eight-stud wheel hub, crucial for the mid-size ute to achieve up-rated Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and braked towing figures.
The above teaser image of the wheel issued by Ford also confirms an 18-inch steel wheel and 33-inch all-terrain tyres for the more capable Ranger, which will have a braked tow capacity of 4500kg, 4500kg GVM and a Gross Combination Mass (GCM) of 8000kg.
Passenger cars typically feature a five-stud pattern, while smaller and lighter models such as the Mazda MX-5 require only a four-stud wheel hub.
Even the full-sized Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500 have six-stud wheels, with eight studs reserved for larger models like the Ram 2500 and medium-duty trucks like the Isuzu F Series.
According to Ford Ranger Super Duty engineering program supervisor Drew O’Shannassy, the upgrade from six to eight studs is a byproduct of trying to make the new ute as capable as possible.
“The eight-stud configuration offers a significant advantage in terms of load capacity and ensures an even distribution of weight across the wheel,” he said.
“This is important for a vehicle like Ranger Super Duty which will be expected to frequently carry and tow heavy loads.
“The wheel and tyre we’ve selected provide a great combination of strength, grip and reliability that our hard-working customers need.
“Our testing is pushing this vehicle to the limit so that customers can be confident in its capability.”
While Ford is teasing the Ranger Super Duty now, a full reveal isn’t expected until well into 2025 as the model won’t hit local showrooms until 2026 at the earliest.
The new model is also expected to come with a host of chassis and suspension changes to accommodate the higher-capacity GVM and GCM figures, but Ford is yet to detail exactly what else has changed on the Ranger to achieve those numbers.
Australia will be the first market to sell the souped-up Ranger, the first model outside the F-Series truck to wear the Super Duty badge, but it is expected to be offered in other countries like the US where it was recently spied testing near Ford headquarters.
Other key details, like payload and powertrain, will be revealed at a later date, though it is expected to feature a version of the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 already found in the Ranger.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
