Best in the Desert 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Race Truck

[Aaron313]

The Baja 1000 and this race aren't even in the same league of difficulty. I do like that this truck is racing in events closer to stock form and not some beast as the raptor r but if the truck already comes with 3.0's from the factory why not use them and show off the improvements? Using beefier springs are no biggie to me but using different shocks in a stock race with no competition is pretty interesting.


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[mike.s]

No I'm saying the class they raced in, against other actual competitors, allowed that modification so of course they are going to make it as competitive as possible. Requirement and admissible are two entirely different things, you'd have to be a fool not to do everything you can get away with. For the gen 2, it's in its own class, so why bother?


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Right, but you said they "made modifications to meet the class" That makes it sound like they had to modify the suspension just to be allowed in the race.

If what you meant is that they made the modifications to the suspension to allow the truck the best possible chance of keeping up with the competition, then that makes more sense.

As far as why they would mod the suspension on gen 2 when nobody else was in the class, as I already said, they probably felt the stocks shocks were not good enough. Who knows what would have happened. Maybe the stock shocks would over heat and crap out. I'm guessing if the gen 1 was in the same race, they would have swapped out the shocks as well.

 

[RLTW]

Right, but you said they "made modifications to meet the class" That makes it sound like they had to modify the suspension just to be allowed in the race.



If what you meant is that they made the modifications to the suspension to allow the truck the best possible chance of keeping up with the competition, then that makes more sense.



As far as why they would mod the suspension on gen 2 when nobody else was in the class, as I already said, they probably felt the stocks shocks were not good enough. Who knows what would have happened. Maybe the stock shocks would over heat and crap out. I'm guessing if the gen 1 was in the same race, they would have swapped out the shocks as well.

Meet the class could probably be perceived numerous ways, but the intent was, to meet the level of competition in the class. The weird thing with the gen 2 upgrading rear shocks to a bypass 3.0 is that it already has a 3.0, if it has to be upgraded to a bypass of the same diameter then what good is it? What is the point in the move from a 2.5 to a 3.0 other than to say "hey guys! It's bigger!"


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[mike.s]

Meet the class could probably be perceived numerous ways, but the intent was, to meet the level of competition in the class. The weird thing with the gen 2 upgrading rear shocks to a bypass 3.0 is that it already has a 3.0, if it has to be upgraded to a bypass of the same diameter then what good is it? What is the point in the move from a 2.5 to a 3.0 other than to say "hey guys! It's bigger!"


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Who knows. That probably is part of the reason. Unless someone with inside knowledge makes a post here, or someone takes the shocks apart to see what's inside, we won't know. All they said was they installed "race optimized shocks." What the hell does that mean?

I guess my whole point is this: I wish they would just run a completely stock truck (not counting safety mods) both for gen 2 in this race and for the baja 1000 with gen 1. Of course they won't do as well compared to upgraded engine, suspension, etc... But just to know that a practically stock truck finished the race would be pretty cool bragging rights.

Back when the gen 1 completed the baja 1000, I went around telling everybody about it. At the time I didn't realize they had completely swapped the suspension. After I found out, I felt kind of silly.

Take a look at the press release:
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor R completes inaugural run of Baja 1000

Kind of funny how they leave out the part about upgrading the suspension. But they do make sure to say this:

"We engineered the F-150 SVT Raptor to be the best high-speed off-road performance truck available right off the showroom floor, and finishing the Baja 1000 proves this."

Really? A truck with a heavily modified suspension finishing the Baja 1000 proves that a stock truck (without that heavily modified suspension) is the best high-speed off-road performance truck available?

 

[ajstar89]

Here is the new class. I think we should get a Gen 1 race team together and show these Gen 2 guys what's up.


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So am I reading this wrong or is ford cheating... 4000 units must be sold. I'am pretty sure that's the only raptor gen 2 that I know of. Until they start selling it, it's not "factory".

 

[RLTW]

Now that would be interesting, or at least identical suspension setups, let them run head to head. I don't mind mods because none of us leave them stock, hell, I've got 4.0s in the rear with nearly 18 inches of travel.


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[mike.s]

So am I reading this wrong or is ford cheating... 4000 units must be sold. I'am pretty sure that's the only raptor gen 2 that I know of. Until they start selling it, it's not "factory".

Chances are there's some loop hole they're taking advantage of. Either they are make no differentiation between gen 1 and gen 2, thus all gen 1 sales are considered. Or, the 36 months period they are talking about starts now, and they are factoring in future sales of the gen 2.

 

[Reptar]

so much lameness in this thread lol

guys hating on ford because it's the only one in the class. How is that Ford's fault that Toyota, Dodge, Chevy, GMC, nor Nissan has anything that could compete against it? Hating on Ford for that? Stupid!

now if they lumped it in with an existing class with more highly modified trucks than a stock truck with shocks/springs/cage, you'd all be hating that it isn't fair for a mostly stock truck to compete against the other highly modified ones and it shouldn't belong in that class.

Guys should be happy Ford is putting the truck through the paces for this.

Also, as far as swapping springs/shocks, yeah on one side it would be cool to see 100% stock run, but keep in mind, Ford also has their hands in aftermarket business with their Ford Racing lineup. I could very well see them offering a Ford Racing version of shocks & springs as upgrades from the factory pieces. The stock raptor suspension is clearly good enough for what majority of raptor owners use the truck for, and by doing a couple tweak upgrades, they could have an upgrade item to sell to the other subset of raptor owners who use their truck for more.

 

[MatMan]

I read somewhere they went to external bypass 3.0s because it allows them to have ready, in advance, the different valve stacks which will vary from race to race. Pretty sure there aren't a ton of valving options for the OEM 3.0.

The internal bypass OEMs would likely not be able to keep the fluid cool enough for a single 141 mile lap,l let alone 2 or 3.

Pure stock would be interesting, and I agree in principle with the sentiment.

 

[ZaneMasterX]

so much lameness in this thread lol

guys hating on ford because it's the only one in the class. How is that Ford's fault that Toyota, Dodge, Chevy, GMC, nor Nissan has anything that could compete against it? Hating on Ford for that? Stupid!

now if they lumped it in with an existing class with more highly modified trucks than a stock truck with shocks/springs/cage, you'd all be hating that it isn't fair for a mostly stock truck to compete against the other highly modified ones and it shouldn't belong in that class.

Guys should be happy Ford is putting the truck through the paces for this.

Also, as far as swapping springs/shocks, yeah on one side it would be cool to see 100% stock run, but keep in mind, Ford also has their hands in aftermarket business with their Ford Racing lineup. I could very well see them offering a Ford Racing version of shocks & springs as upgrades from the factory pieces. The stock raptor suspension is clearly good enough for what majority of raptor owners use the truck for, and by doing a couple tweak upgrades, they could have an upgrade item to sell to the other subset of raptor owners who use their truck for more.

Yeah I dont get the hate or nagging either because like I said, at least Ford has a truck out there doing something which no other manufacturer can say. The powertrain and EVERYTHING ELSE is 100% stock which is great for us because they can go flog it and see whats working and whats not. The more they test it the better it is for us as consumers. Hell, I want them to break shit so they can find a fix before it hits the market! One less thing we have to worry about.

Now, where the hell are the videos?!?!