Out Of Bounds: Ford Raptor 6.2

About Four weeks ago I took delivery on a new 6.2 Ford Raptor that I had ordered back in December 09.  It finally arrived! Picked it up with 30 miles and began the break in process. The Raptor was designed by Ford SVT (Special Vehicle Teams) and is based off of the latest F150 platform but comparing the raptor to an F-150 is nearly useless. It’s main purpose is high speed desert racing and it does an excellent job at that. To put it bluntly other trucks would rattle apart if put through the same test.

The Raptor comes with triple bypass Fox shocks specifically designed for this truck giving it almost 12 inches of travel front and back

The Raptor rides on a chassis that is over seven inches wider with beefed up shock mounting bolts, control rods, rear axle produced of thicker and higher grade steel than on the super duty, upgraded hydro mounts,  jounce bumpers, high-strength steel for the rear lower shock mounts and a whole lot more.  It’s got the heavy duty skid plate and standard 35″ BFG tires.

Because the raptor is wider than other tucks it had to comply with DOT mandates giving the truck marker lights on each fender and 3 amber lights atop the grille… Yes it’s that wide, wider than a Hummer H2 and nearing the width of a dually which is sometimes a problem due to tight parking stalls and also the fact that it doesn’t fit in the standard car wash.

Click “Read More” to see Video, Images, and what was done to my Raptor and it’s future plans…

The four month wait allowed me to stock a few parts in the garage ready for installation as soon as the truck came in.  If you are familiar with the new Ford Raptor you may notice something different about the way my Raptor looks.   It looks STREET and that’s because of the wheels/tires, and painted bumpers/fender flares to match the body. The standard raptor has a flat grey matte finish in those areas.  Don’t be fooled though as also sitting in my garage are off road17″ wheels and 35″ tires.  The 20″ wheels are great for street but in off road situations you want more tire between you and the terrain.

I’ve put her to the test after the break in period was over conquring BLM race parks and off road trails.  It’s the 911 GT3 of off road trucks yet I still managed to get stuck twice in thick mud. The standard tires are all terrain but I consider them great high speed desert tires not aggressive enough for the thick stuff. If you live in the north west or wet muddy areas you may want to consider Toyo M/T’s.

So far very few parts are available for its 6.2L 411 HP – 434TQ engine so until more parts become available the style is about all I can work on.  So far the truck has  an aftermarket leveling kit which raises it only 3 inches but most importantly gets rid of the stock ass up nose down stink bug stance.  I had a Mag-Hytec rear diff cover installed helping to keep the rear end a lot cooler not to mention the aesthetic factor.  20×9 Fuel Hostage wheels and Toyo Open Country M/T’s make the truck appear much more aggressive on the road.

The truck had to go into the body shop after my second trip off road. The desert pin striping down both sides were unable to come off by hand or buffing machine and there is nothing worse than a 2 week old truck with scratched paint.  I decided to have the bumpers, and fender flares painted the same color as the body and along with that all but the front head lights were tinted with clear coat.

This Ford Raptor 6.2 is a promotional tool for one of my non golf related business ventures and has not been revealed anywhere else except for GolfToImpress.  Expect many new additions by June including custom fab mounted warn winch powder coated black, new billet door handles, Recon head lights, CAI, Exhaust, Tune, Ported Throttle body and maybe a supercharger if the sponsorship deal is right.

The truck will be on display at the 2010 Ford Raptor Roundup at the Las Vegas Speedway on June 19th.  The Raptor Roundup is giving 500 people the chance to drive the new 6.2 Raptor on an off road course for 15 minutes each for free simply by registering.

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