AIRRAID Installation on 2011 6.2L

[swoop1156]

Damn that's just beautiful. I really need to just take 2 weeks of leave and drive west and get lost.

 

[Madcowranch]

Performance in Colorado has been eye-opening for me. The Raptor is absolutely unperterbable.

Fisrst photo is rather typical road picture. Altitude is no problem for the 6.2L. It'll pull itself up anything and get good mpg in the process.

Second photo requires some story telling. My daughter and I are here to climb mountains and decided to scout the Jeep trail that leads to several of the trailheads before the actual climb. So we decided to take the trail over Cinnamon Pass (12,640 feet in altitude) and down into Silverton on the other side. As we were on the ascent we passed an older gentleman and his wife in a Jeep who told us of a motorcyclist up above who had broken down and was looking for a lift.

We encountered this unfortunate gentlemen at roughly 12,400 feet - just short of the pass. He was on a big Honda XL650 dirt bike and had clipped a rock with his clutch cover. The result was a cracked clutch cover, a broken clutch, and no oil in the engine. It was about the most remote place in the world to be stranded. His body language was absolutely priceless as we drove up to him on the trail. He had his head cocked to the side, a smile and an expectant look on his face, and he actually rubbed his hands together in glee. Would we be willing to load up his bike and take him to Silverton? Hell yes.

This trail was just about everthing: cliffs with 300 foot drops, holes, rocks, steep. It would have been a bitch to climb on foot, but the Raptor was unimpressed with the whole notion of challenging terrain. It pulled everything with utter impunity. We drove Dave up, over, and into Silverton where he and his buddy Tony bought us locally distilled rum and pizza for lunch. It was late in the day, I didn't want to do that same Jeep trail in the opposite direction in an afternoon thunderstorm, so I decided to take the road route back to where we're staying. As luck would have it (Dave is evidently more than merely lucky) Dave lives in Durango, and the shortest road route back home to where we're staying is through Durango. So we rescued Dave at 12,400 feet deep in the remote Rockies and drove him and his motorcycle home to his front door. Dave described it as the "best case scenaro," and was mightily impressed with what the Raptor could do and how well it could do it. I was glad to make a new friend, and need a bumper sticker for my truck that says "OFFICIAL HONDA RECOVERY VEHICLE."

The photo is of Dave and his Honda in the back of my truck at the top of Cinnamon Pass at 12,640 feet talking with his buddy Tony on the ground.

That's awesome you're sharing that experience with your daughter Ruger. Let us know how the mountain climbing on foot goes. Nice of you to help out the biker dude.

 

[Ruger]

Madcow,the mountaineering has been spectacular. We're in the San Juan Range of the Colorado Rockies, operating out of Lake City. On Monday we climbed Handies Peak (14,048 feet in altitude) and today we climbed Uncompahgre (14,309 feet). On the ascent today we hiked through an alpine meadow that was covered in wildflowers. Never saw anything like it.

I've been climbing since I was seven years old. My dad was Wyoming ranch kid and a consumate outdoorsman. We climbed a lot in the Sierras of Californina, and also did some work in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. He's dead now, and now I get to do this all over again as the senior member of the party. My daughter and I make memories every year in Colorado.

This is why I bought the Raptor - to get up the Jeep trails to the trailheads. The beast is a little wide, but there is absolutely nothing it can't do up here.

 

[Madcowranch]

Have to say I'm envious. Supposed to be 107 here today. And that's not a dry heat.

 

[408RCLB]

Madcow,the mountaineering has been spectacular. We're in the San Juan Range of the Colorado Rockies, operating out of Lake City. On Monday we climbed Handies Peak (14,048 feet in altitude) and today we climbed Uncompahgre (14,309 feet). On the ascent today we hiked through an alpine meadow that was covered in wildflowers. Never saw anything like it.

I've been climbing since I was seven years old. My dad was Wyoming ranch kid and a consumate outdoorsman. We climbed a lot in the Sierras of Californina, and also did some work in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. He's dead now, and now I get to do this all over again as the senior member of the party. My daughter and I make memories every year in Colorado.

This is why I bought the Raptor - to get up the Jeep trails to the trailheads. The beast is a little wide, but there is absolutely nothing it can't do up here.

Damn, thats awesome dude, those are the thing we remember most about our parents, the special memories like that, my hat's off to you, cuz you sound like an awesome father

 

[Ruger]

Thank you, gents. I confess that I cannot claim full credit, though. My own dad got me started hiking and climbing when I was only seven years old. He taught me to shoot, swim, work in wood, be creative, and he taught me how to think. I'm just doing it all over again, except as the senior member of the party.

It's been a pretty successful trip thus far. We have climbed Handies Peak (14,048 feet in altitude) and Uncompahgre Peak (14,309 feet and the highest peak in the San Juan Range). Tomorrow we go for two: Redcloud Peak (14,034 feet) and Sunshine Peak (14,001 feet). Sunshine is the shortest of the famous "14ers" of the Colorado Rockies, and one is warned against kicking rocks at the summit lest it unexpectedly become a "13er!"

 

[408RCLB]

Thank you, gents. I confess that I cannot claim full credit, though. My own dad got me started hiking and climbing when I was only seven years old. He taught me to shoot, swim, work in wood, be creative, and he taught me how to think. I'm just doing it all over again, except as the senior member of the party.

It's been a pretty successful trip thus far. We have climbed Handies Peak (14,048 feet in altitude) and Uncompahgre Peak (14,309 feet and the highest peak in the San Juan Range). Tomorrow we go for two: Redcloud Peak (14,034 feet) and Sunshine Peak (14,001 feet). Sunshine is the shortest of the famous "14ers" of the Colorado Rockies, and one is warned against kicking rocks at the summit lest it unexpectedly become a "13er!"

Thats awesome, sounds like my old man... Awesome fathers for the win

 

[DubbsFaris]

Ive driven over cinnamon pass!! The other side of the peak from Silverton is the most fun, with all thos switchbacks. But that slope right before the top on the Silverton side scared the crap out of me. I went up it the week before Memorial day about a decade ago, and it had just opened the day before. Snow and Ice was still above the roof in some locations. Will always rank at the top of my adventures!

 

[Ruger]

Dubbs - Yeah, it's an interesting experience. That was my FIRST real off-road experience, and I did it with a big dirt bike tied in the bed with WWII nylon parachute cord. Tends to focus the mind.

OK, back from Colorado. A total of 3350 miles traveled. Average mileage was 15.9 mpg, the vast majority of it 70+ mph Interstate travel, but it includes four off-road trips of varying durations.

I will be posting Random Thoughts From The Road in a separate thread. Look here: http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f5/random-thoughts-road-3641/#post57082

 

[Mjolnir]

Okay, if these numbers are correct, it looks like about a 20 to 22% change in gas mileage. 12.8 to around 15.2 / 15.5

If that is the case than this system will completely pay for itself with 14 tanks of gas at the current 3.95 a gallon!

I'm putting in about 4 tanks a month, so in less than 4 months the money to buy this is covered.


SOLD!