CLOSED: SVT Engineers Roundtable: 07/24/10 - Chat Live with SVT Engineering!

SVT Engineers Round Table Discussion​

Chat Live with Kerry Baldori, SVT's Chief Functional Engineer!​

Saturday, July 24th 10am - 12pm Pacific​

Brought to you by SVTOffroad.com, Ford's F-150 Marketing Department and SVT Engineering, with special thanks to Kerry Baldori for taking time from his extremely busy schedule to chat with us.​

The ground rules:

* First off, the SVT Engineers take time out of their busy schedule making go fast goodies to be here to answer our questions. Let's show them the proper respect, courtesy and patience. There will be many questions and they may not be able to answer every question asked. If your question is skipped, please be patient as questions are not answered in order. If your question is not answered, please understand that SVT may not be able to answer it.

* Please only ask one or two questions. There are lots of people who want to ask questions, so let's give everyone a chance.

* Stay on the topic at hand. SVT Vehicles, and specifically the Raptor! Keep the off-topic chat to the other sections of the website. There is to be no discussion between members in this thread. Ask your question and enjoy the replies from the Engineers! This chat will be heavily moderated and all off topic chatter/questions will be immediately deleted. This is not the place to air out your grievances with Ford! This is to ask your R&D, testing procedures and methodology, technology and other Raptor engineering related questions.

* If your question has already been asked (by you or someone else), don't re-post it in hopes to get it answered quicker.

* Make sure you let the SVT Engineers know what model Raptor you are inquiring about. Yes, a head gasket is quite different between a 5.4 and 6.2 .

* As much as everyone is salivating over what comes in the future, the SVT Engineers cannot answer any questions regarding future product.

* Spread the word! This is your chance to communicate directly with those who made the Raptor possible. This is a rare and special opportunity. Lets not waste it!

This thread is now open so you can start posting your questions. Kerry will answer those questions he can from here at the beginning of the chat on the 24th, then will take live questions with the remaining time.

will SVT be doing any redisign work on the interior to accomadate the instalation of race radios? looks like pulling the passenger airbags is an option

Ooops - sorry! I asked 6 questions and then read Jason's request to ask only one or two. My bad. And I asked questions about future products. Doh!


Thanks for taking time to interact with us. And thanks for providing us with a fantastic Raptor! Some questions (I know you're limited in what you can share with us but I have to ask...):

* Sway Bars - Offroad race trucks typically don't have anti-sway bars. We assume our Raptors have a front bar for the street. The Raptor sway bar limits wheel travel offroad and we think there are more benefits than drawbacks to disconnecting/removing them for offroad. (1) Has Ford given any thought to providing a quick-disconnect system on the Raptor and (2) what benefits, if any, does the sway bar provide when offroad?

* IP Display - We'd like a better display for the variety of offroad related settings available to us (Offroad mode on, one press of AdvanceTrac, longer hold of AdvanceTrac, rear locker off or on, etc. We know the Ford Super Duty trucks have a new 4.2-inch LCD multifunction display placed in the instrument panel. This display allows the driver to customize settings and relays trip computer, fuel economy, towing and off-road information. Is Ford SVT going to provide a this display system in the 2011 MY truck and will it better communicate these offroad settings to the driver?

* SYNC System - SYNC is a terrific product and I'm sure it's enhancing Ford's ability to sell its product line once potential customers see what it can do. It has so much potential to do more for us Raptor owners when we're offroading. Is there any chance Ford will give SYNC more features to those of us who go offroad (Raptor owners, F-150, 250, 350 owners) such as enabling us to upload offroad trail and topo (topographical) maps, save routes to a USB drive, save breadcrumbs from previous trips, etc?

* Ford Racing - When will more Ford Racing accessories be available? We know there's supposed to be a pre-runner front bar available. Will Ford make a rear bar and even a bed cage available? Will other products "trickle down" from the Raptor R?

* Engine - Can you tell us if Ford will provide any other powerplants for the Raptor beyond the 6.2? We hoped the EcoBoost would be available but we've heard it won't be. How about an engine with even more power than the stock 6.2L? (A 500 HP motor would be a great gift for us!).

* Raptor-ized vehicles and an all-new vehicle - I would be very happy to add more Ford products to my driveway if Ford Raptor-ized the new Ranger and the Expedition. Even better would be an all-new Bronco that would blow the Jeep product line completely off the trails. Any chance of these products becoming available?

I hope you will participate in our forum and stay in touch with us. We're giving you a lot of what we think is useful information and feedback on this great vehicle.

Thanks again for the Raptor (and for the first Raptor Roundup - we hope you'll soon be scheduling more) and for this opportunity to talk to you. Please say hello to Alan Mullaly for us!

MagicMtnDan said:

* IP Display - We'd like a better display for the variety of offroad related settings available to us (Offroad mode on, one press of AdvanceTrac, longer hold of AdvanceTrac, rear locker off or on, etc. We know the Ford Super Duty trucks have a new 4.2-inch LCD multifunction display placed in the instrument panel. This display allows the driver to customize settings and relays trip computer, fuel economy, towing and off-road information. Is Ford SVT going to provide a this display system in the 2011 MY truck and will it better communicate these offroad settings to the driver?

Click to expand...

Assuming the new Productivity Display comes on the 2011MY F-150/Raptor can it retrofited to the 2010MY Raptor

Kerry, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. We appreciate it!!

What were the biggest Baja hurdles for the Raptor R during preparation as well as the race itself?

I know tube bumpers for the front and rear were initially offered via the Ford Racing catalog and were pulled prior to pricing them. Will these be offered in the future? If not, why?

What changes had to be made (if any) to the regular F-150 production line in order to accommodate building the Raptor?

Are there any plans to run a more production-like Raptor in the Baja 1000 and other like races? The Raptor R is an awesome truck but I cant really say my truck finished 3rd in the race.

On the rear axel there is a lift block supporting the leaf springs. Is there any reason you went with a lift block instead of something like a taller leaf pack?

What differences, if any, are there to the Raptors tire versus a regular BFG All Terratin?

I have heard rumors of a true long travel suspension in the Raptors early development that wasnt able to be put into street production for legal reasons. Can you give us some information about that?

The doors/hinges seem to be a weak point on the production trucks. I had to travel over a gravel road where a tracked vehicle had traveled and left the track "prints." The doors bounced up and down and made a horrible sound. I obviously tried to avoid the tracks, but was disappointed that the hinge/door assemblies were so weak. Any plans to beef up these areas? Do you recommend anything we can do to beef up this area? Thanks, and thanks for such an awesome truck!

first question is for us who have purchased the 5.4:

* Will there be any upgrades offered by ford, such as SC, or Turbo for the 5.4L? I realize this motor may be discontinued, but would be nice to have such options from Ford to keep our 5.4 motors under warranty...or a supercharger SPECIFICALLY for us Raptor owners....make it more durable for offroad use, not just some mustang blower. With 6000+ 5.4 owners out there, im sure more than a handful would be interested to get a nice specific SC for this truck...also will rejuvenate pride in ownership and not feel left out with the mass production of the 6.2.

* will there be a jack "specifically" built for us raptor owners? the current jack that comes with doesnt seem to fit the bill, and maybe offer discounts to current owners considering?...The jack was almost fully extended when i gave it a whirl...which was on flat ground.

Kerry, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude for you taking the time to participate in this chat and being part of paving the way for this type of vehicle in the production market. I will say that this is by far the most exciting, fun to drive vehicle I have ever owned.

My question, as a Ford certified technician, is in referrence to the 6R80 6-speed transmission. There has been much debate and (for lack of a better term) discontent with the operation of this transmission. Knowing transmissions and working on them for many years, the design of the 6R80 not having any bands or OWC's, seems to be operating within the normal functioning characteristics of it's design. Is Ford or the SVT team completely satisfied with the operation of this transmission or are some of the concerns with its shift quality being investigated?

Also if you could explain the reasoning behind the difference in modules and why the TCM is part of the mechatronic unit in the 5.4L application and incorporated in the PCM in the 6.2L application. Are there large differences in the programming between the two or are they similar?

Thank you, FSM06