How "smooth" is a Raptor really supposed to be?

[MTF]

Sounds to me like you have way too much air in the tires.
Try airing down to 40 psi. I ride 40 in front and 38 in the back.
It's the first thing I did when I received my truck 4 years ago, they had 50 psi in all the tires. The 44 psi. recommended pressure is still to hard for me.
If you don't have a Tune you won't be able to go lower than 40 without the warning light going on.
And a set of Deavers rear springs will diffinetly help with the rear jitters.

 

[RAPTORSV]

Ok, that brings up another question. Occasionally we go places where I have to hop up on a curb. With my SUV I very gently ease it up.

Can the raptor just drive up onto a 6" curb at, say, 10 mph or will that damage something?

I'd still go slow up a curb, 10 mph probably wouldn't hurt anything, but sounds there's no reason to go fast, at least not head on. You don't want to abuse your truck.

 

[1fastdoc]

I'd still go slow up a curb, 10 mph probably wouldn't hurt anything, but sounds there's no reason to go fast, at least not head on. You don't want to abuse your truck.

Ok. Part of me, now that I have a Raptor, wants to drive over every curb and through an occasional building. Just because.

I really need to go find some dirt soon. City slicking this thing isn't fair.

 

[oxfordraptor]

Ok. Part of me, now that I have a Raptor, wants to drive over every curb and through an occasional building. Just because.

I really need to go find some dirt soon. City slicking this thing isn't fair.

LOL now you sound like a Raptor owner.

 

[torrin]

I'm going to apologize in advance for this. It is not only a newb Raptor question but perhaps even a newb truck question.

I've heard from many that the Raptor is unusually smooth on regular roads thanks to it's suspension. Well, it seems about the same as a regular F-150 to me. I guess I anticipated it feeling as soft, if not softer, than my Acura MDX. It's not. At all.

When I hit bumps I feel them. When I drive over mildly rough asphalt I feel the truck shudder.

Problem is I don't know what's normal so I don't know what's abnormal. The truck was bought used with 6k miles so who knows what it was put through before I got it.

So is the Raptor really Cadillac smooth or am I expecting too much?

A good friend of mine has an F150 Platinum and my Raptor is MUCH smoother than his F150. I don't think the ride could be much smoother and still work like a truck.

 

[pat247]

I had a Platinum F150 that I traded in on the Raptor and when I first started driving the Raptor I thought the Platinum rode better on the highway but not by much. After driving the Raptor for nearly a year I'm still grinning ear to ear every time I get behind the wheel. The only drawback is that I can't stop thinking about shit to buy for the Raptor.

 

[Fb73]

Drive faster, it will smooth out.

True. I feel the Raptor more like a Motocross bike...If you go slow you'll find the suspensions very harsch, but once you step up and gain some speed, you will find yourself bombing the trails with a lot of comfort, regarding the situation...

I made a little trip yesterday, first part was slow rock crawling, a real pain in the A** with a Raptor, then we went open country and the Raptor really unleashed its true potential !

And as many said, air down your tires, i'm currently running around 35 PSI as I travel each day On & Off Road, good compromise and you can litterally feel the tires swallow small bumps on pavement, which was not the case at 44 PSI

 

[dataustin]

So, you bought a used 2014 last month and you are wondering if the ride you are experiencing is 'normal'....that's a tough question to answer.

 

[1fastdoc]

^ That's why I consult the experts.

Let's just say I have reason not to trust dealers. For all I know this thing has been cut in half and welded back together. Looks clean as hell and I highly doubt it. But one never knows.

It sounds like part of the issue is speed. Residential roads here are bumpy and now that I'm in the truck, not my former M3, I actually do the speed limit. Perhaps I should try the depressed manhole covers a little faster.

 

[Truckzor]

Sounds normal to me. I don't think they ride that nice on the road. I took two girls out in mine a few weeks ago and they commented that it felt like the one girl's Audi A4 on rough pavement and that the other girl's Equinox was much smoother. I think it's partially the performance oriented suspension and partially the nearly 100 pound wheel/tire combination.

I run the same 40 front, 38 rear air pressure as MTF, by the way (not surprising, given that he's the one who recommended it to me). They also had mine at 50 psi when I picked it up. Rides much nicer now. I'd probably air it up a little if I was going on a long road trip but around town and for short highway trips I really like the softer ride.