Ford Raptor Exhaust Modification - Not What You'd Expect

We took the Raptor to Death Valley 2/20-2/22/10 with a group that was mostly driving Jeeps and had a great time. Death Valley National Park trip was 3 days long, 700 miles roundtrip, driving trails through canyons, viewing mountain vistas and snow capped peaks, traveling with great people, food and good times around the campfires. It's picturesque beauty in Death Valley every time we go there.

As we drove through the canyons we encountered rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. Big rocks, small rocks, medium sized rocks and rock obstacles. As the canyons got tighter the limited lines through them dictated where we drove and how we had to climb over obstacles.

It wasn't high-speed desert running; it was rock crawling and the Raptor was a stud keeping up with the smaller, shorter and narrower wheelbase Jeeps with their lifts, large tires (up to 35's on the group I was with) going everywhere they went.

Here are some pics of ECHO Canyon with several rock "waterfalls" we climbed:





The Raptor's wheels are set back from the front and rear ends of the truck. This means the approach angle and departure angles are not as great as those of the Jeep (and other vehicles) with wheels closed or at the front and rear. And the Raptor has a much longer wheelbase which provides a smaller breakover angle than a short wheelbase vehicle like a Jeep which has its wheels close together (short wheelbase).

And lastly, the Raptor is W-I-D-E which makes negotiating tight rocky canyons a challenge - challenging to avoid damaging the shiny side of the truck.

So the Raptor is somewhat challenged when it comes to rock crawling. I knew that. Approaching the rocks wasn't the issue. Getting over them was OK (you rock crawl slowly - the faster you go the faster something typically will break) so the main concern was (and is) what happens once you get over rocks/rock formations when, for example, the rear wheels come over the top and then drop down. When the rear wheels drop down the body comes with it and the Raptor will come down on some rocks.

Every once in a while we heard scraping and "crunching" sounds. Mostly the sounds were from the rear, the hitch (dragging/sliding), the running boards (brackets). But there were some other areas that scraped and crunched...

The Raptor conquered Death Valley over the 3 days we were there.

Death Valley did leave its mark...



Above - when the Raptor came down (SLOWLY) onto rocks the exhaust pipes were sometimes the first to make contact. And the exhaust pipes were flattened (only on the bottom ) some as they took the brunt of their rock encounters. The pipes were "squeezed" between the rocks below and the weight of the Raptor above so they did make contact with the underside of the right rear fender scraping a little on the plastic panel just above the exhaust pipes.

Note: I knew the first time I saw the Raptor that the exhaust pipes would be an issue if any of the wheeling I did involved the Raptor going over obstacles (not just rocks - this happens in the desert too). I accepted the fact that the pipes would probably suffer off-road eventually.

The running boards emerged unscathed which I was very pleased to see. I heard some crunching (rocks on aluminum) sounds and I expected to see, at the very least, some scrapes on the running boards. I did think very seriously about removing the running boards before I went but I wanted them on for a number of reasons and I'm glad I kept them on even though they're easy to remove.



Above - The only damage to the running boards I've found is one bracket which had its "ears" (flanges) pinned back. Nothing worth worrying about as their functionality is not affected nor can it be seen until you're underneath the truck.

The spare tire and hitch assembly actually help protect the rear and underside of the Raptor. As you can see here all is well except for some dirt...

The "Mean Machine" did suffer minor cosmetic alterations applied by the DV rocks. Thankfully this is the only obvious issue after the 3 days of wheeling through the canyons and trails of Death Valley.

Here it is all cleaned up for the streets after spending hours being cared for by its owner (yours truly):



Above - you can see the scrapes on the end of the left rear bumper area. The scrapes are through the paint so I'll have to do something about it but for now it's a Raptor "Merit Badge" from Death Valley.

The scrapes do start on the underside of the fender and can be seen when you're down on the ground looking up at the underside.




Above - a closer view of the scrapes on the underside of the fender, the rear bumper end and a spot under the bumper end.

I'm sure many of you (most) will never want to do any rock crawling in your Raptors and I understand that.

I'm certain that many Raptor owners won't really take their trucks off-road in situations where 4WD is even necessary (these trucks will do a LOT in 2WD!). And that's OK with me. I respect every Raptor owner's use of their vehicles.

I know some Raptor owners are treating their Raptors as Garage Queens and I'm OK with that too. Even though I know they're (you're) missing out on the best part of the Raptor - its capabilities.

I'm confident that many of you will shudder at the sight of the pictures (above) from my rock crawling experience in Death Valley. I'm good with that too.

Taking your $40,000+ Raptors into the rough stuff is not for everyone. But I've been wheeling, off-roading and rock crawling before and I enjoy it and the adventures, exploration, the state and national parks and the comraderie far more than I do seeing a pristine Raptor sitting in my driveway.

Below - It sure does look good doesn't it? (It's a happy Raptor after conquering Death Valley)



I take great care of our vehicles and I really enjoy them looking like garage queens but the satisfaction from knowing I'm using their capabiltiies is greater than dreaming about a vehicle that could win a beauty contest.



I hope that these pictures and descriptions don't discourage anyone from taking their Raptors off-road and experiencing the pleasure that comes from going where most don't. I hope you'll enjoy your Raptors safely and learn what it and you can do with it. Be sure to take your family and friends with you. They'll be as happy as you are when you're wheeling and if they're not leave them home!

rock crawling

dan,
im glad to see you are not afraid to use your raptor.
i have done plenty of damage to my raptor.
everything can be replaced!
the good times are worth it.
i have had to go through some really tight stuff that in my other vehicles were no problem,but the raptor scraped through,really scrapped!

richie said:

dan,
im glad to see you are not afraid to use your raptor.
i have done plenty of damage to my raptor.
everything can be replaced!
the good times are worth it.
i have had to go through some really tight stuff that in my other vehicles were no problem,but the raptor scraped through,really scrapped!

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I'm really glad to have you here with us Richie! I'm looking forward to meeting you and driving these things.

You are absolutely right, "the good times are worth it" and "everything can be replaced!"

Looks like you've pushed the SVT R too!

Dejavue............those pics look REALLY familiar Dan! haha! Glad you're having fun with the mean machine. A man who isn't afraid of a little dirt baby!

Great pics and writeup Dan. I can't wait to earn a few merit badges with the Raptor. Driving it like it was meant to be driven!

Great write up Dan. If you need paint codes for the bumpers I have them.

NoCaDiver said:

Great write up Dan. If you need paint codes for the bumpers I have them.

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Hi Scott, yes, the code for the rear bumper (I asume the front's the same) would be helpful as I need to have someone "massage" the scrapes that have now rusted and then have the rear bumper end painted. Thanks!