Perfect for Off-Road
The Raptor was always meant to be a Baja proven vehicle and the upgrades that this generation received follow that trend. The most notable of differences is the coil spring rear suspension. The setup consists of five links with long trailing arms and a panhard bar. The use of 24" coil springs allows 15" of wheel travel. The front suspension now comes in at 14" of wheel travel, which is a 1" increase over the previous generation.
If you're more into rock crawling you can take advantage of the newly introduced 1-Pedal Drive system. This will allow users to control both braking and accelerating with the same pedal instead of having to jump your foot back and forth in harsh situations. Another automated trail feature included is trail control, which acts like cruise control in an off-road situation. This will control both the accelerator and brakes so the user can concentrate on steering in demanding circumstances.
The truck's steering feel, transfer case behavior, stability control, active valve exhaust, active damping system, throttle mapping and transmission shift points are all being adjusted by the vehicle. The terrain management system will allow the user to choose the setting that fits them best. The choices are as follows; Slippery, Tow/Haul, Sport, Normal, Off-Road, Baja and Rock Crawl.
Next Gen Live Valve Fox Shocks
With the redesigned rear setup and increased travel in the front it's a no-brainer to bring in better shocks. Fox has provided a new generation of live valve shocks that are slightly bigger (actually the biggest shocks to be put on a production truck) at 3.1" in diameter. These shocks provide 1,000 pounds of damping per corner and can change damping rates independently at 500 times per second.
The upgrades don't stop there. The frame is fully boxed and complete with taller and stronger shock towers and rear control arm mounting points that are made to last through abuse.
37" Tire Raptor Performance Package
Typically, the Raptor has come with 35" BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires. Ford has stayed loyal to BFG but is offering a performance package that ups the OEM tire size to 37". Along with the 37" tires, there is a factory forged bead-lock capable wheel option. They've kept enough room under the bed to be able to mount a full size 37" spare.
Rigid Industries Lighting
Rigid Industries is a big name in off-road lighting. Fog pocket kits were one of the most popular upgrades we saw for the second-generation trucks. Now, you can get that option from the factory with a leading brand.
Interior Features
The 2021 F150 introduced the world to Ford's landscape oriented 12-inch touch screen entertainment system. This has been carried over to the Raptor with features such as split screen, where the user can control multiple functions at the same time. The higher level packages will also include Recaro seats in rhapsody blue with Alcantara suede inserts and code orange stitching. Carbon fiber accents will also be an option.
Ford has also decided to carry over the popular onboard power option from the F150, which allows up to 2.0 kilowatts of power to be on tap. With your truck acting as a mobile generator you can run camp lights, power tools and other equipment.
Fordpass lets users control aspects of their truck wirelessly through a mobile app. Zone lighting, trailer theft alert, and pro power onboard are just a few features that you can access through the app. Off-road based features such as trail maps could become available in the future.
Raptor R
While this initial release only mentions the use a 3.5l twin turbocharged V6 EcoBoost engine, we did notice the mention of a Raptor R to be announced in the future. Does this mean that Ford will put a V8 in the Raptor and call it a Raptor R? I guess we will have to wait to find out.
Definitely an interesting post!
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Addictive Desert Designs replied:
Thanks, Blair! ________________________________
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