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Offroad in your Raptor!
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<blockquote data-quote="BlueSVT" data-source="post: 187884" data-attributes="member: 1131"><p><strong><span style="color: Cyan">Off-Road Driving</span></strong></p><p></p><p>Now that your truck is set-up, your route is planned, and you’re prepped ready for the trail… we should talk about driving! All the preparation and planning in the world means nothing, if you’re driving these trucks unsafely and beyond their limits. These are still ½ ton trucks that are VERY prone to serious mechanical damage if driven improperly. Below are some helpful tips and driving methods that I have learned since owning this truck. Keep in mind, my advice below is for the AVERAGE driver, not for the Robby Gordon wanna-be’s out there!</p><p></p><p><em><span style="color: cyan">Trail Knowledge</span></em></p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">o Realistically, we can’t always pre-run every mile of desert road that we want to explore. Most owners will take these trucks on trails they have heard of from friends, seen online, or maybe have driven on ATVs or Dirtbikes in the past. It’s important to remember that the speed you carry should always allow you to SAFELY slow down for an obstacle within’ a few hundred feet. </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o On pavement, these trucks cans top from 60 MPH to 0 MPH in about 133-feet. From 30 MPH to 0 MPH is only 35 feet or so! At 60 MPH on dirt, you can expect about 160+ feet. 160-feet is a LONG distance, about half a football field. To spot a sudden dip, washout, or kicker from 160-feet is not always an easy task, especially at high-noon when there are no shadows! Alternately, 40-45 MPH is a great cruising speed in these trucks. Your stopping distance is GREATLY improved, likely in the 80-foot range, which is half of the distance needed at 60 MPH! At speeds above 60, this distance increases even more, and should only be attempted on a pre-run course.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o A passenger is invaluable when driving at speeds off road. They can help spot obstacles in the road, spot your vehicle when performing low-speed crawling, and also navigate the trail for you. Always bring a passenger, when possible!</p><p></p><p><em><span style="color: cyan">Truck Electronics</span></em></p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">o Off Road Mode: This is one of the most useful tools Ford has given us in these trucks! What does it do? It does a few behind-the-scenes activities such as decreasing ABS sensitivity, allowing rear-diff lock at any speed, etc. But the most noticeable difference to the driver is the pedal calibration change. I recommend all owners use this when doing “aggressive” off road driving, for the reasons noted below. For those of you who just cruise the trails at low-moderate speeds, you will not take advantage of this mode, and should just leave it off.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><p style="margin-left: 20px">§ When on-road, your gas pedal is NOT a linear 0-100% calibration in relationship to the pedal position. On the street roughly 75% of the trucks power is on tap, when only half the pedal is depressed. The last 25% of the pedal travel is used mostly for transmission kick-down logic and the remaining engine power.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">§ When off-road mode is enabled, the pedal has almost the opposite effect! The pedal position is directly related to the speed you are travelling. The logic will HOLD the speed, at a set pedal position. Meaning, if you’re in 2nd gear with the pedal pressed half-way down at 35 MPH… the truck will HOLD the speed of 35 MPH even though you’re pressing the pedal half-way! It will only increase speed as you press the pedal further down. Eventually, as you make your way to the last 20% of pedal travel, this is when the truck applies full power, and will eventually upshift when you approach red-line.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">§ What does this mean? This allows you very fine control of the trucks behavior and power. There are no surprise shifts… no surprise engine revs… you have full control over the power going to the ground, and you can fully predict how small pedal movements will affect the trucks power output. This is invaluable in high speed corners, when a sudden shift or change in power could make the truck suddenly unstable, and unpredictable.</p> </p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">o Rear Differential Lock: One of the great things about this truck, is the ability to lock the rear differential on demand (when Off-Road mode is enabled). Doing this allows for more predictable control of the rear end of the truck, and how it will behave. Pulling the 4x4 selector knob out towards you, activates the rear electronic diff.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><p style="margin-left: 20px">§ Rear Lock ON: This locks the rear wheels rotation together. This is helpful when low speed rock crawling, but for this trucks design, it’s purpose is much more useful. Locking the rear wheels on a vehicle actually “decreases” it’s traction in the turns. Why? Because the inside wheel will always break traction in a turn, as the outside wheel speed is greater. In this truck, locking the differential makes for EASY drifting in the corners. The truck slides around much easier with the tap of the gas in the corners, for the reasons mentioned above. This should only be used at high speed by experienced drivers that are ready to take on drifting through the turns. The reason this is locked out unless you’re in off road mode, is because it can be dangerous at high speeds in low traction road conditions such as rain or snow.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">§ Rear Lock OFF: This allows the rear wheels to spin independently of each other, like a standard open differential. This is NOT a limited slip differential, so the wheel with less traction will spin freely. This inherently makes the truck MORE stable at higher speeds and in the corners, as the wheels will track independently. This is also better for low traction conditions such as rain, and snow, contrary to what you may think.</p> </p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">o Traction Control: The truck has some fairly advanced methods of providing traction control in a variety of ways. Depending on your experience level, this is very important to ensure the correct traction setting is engaged while driving off road. There are three modes, which I will describe below in detail. The AdvanceTrac system behaves differently, based on whether or not you have off-road mode ON or OFF. For the purposes below, I’m describing it’s effects with Off-Road mode ON.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><p style="margin-left: 20px">§ AdvanceTrac Enabled: This is the default setting when you turn on the truck. Everything on, everything active. This will limit engine power when it detects the wheels are slipping, and also correct slides when it detects abnormal sway. This mode is not recommended off-road, as it interferes too much with any wheel spin, even when accelerating from a stop.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">§ AdvanceTrac Sport: This is the mode which is selected from a simple “Push and release” of the traction button. This will allow the tires to spin under low traction, and in corners. This will also allow for abnormal sway, such as a drift in the corner, but still retains a “Moderate” level of control when it detects you are over-correcting in a perceived out-of-control situation. In my experience, I’ve found this is the BEST setting for the “Average” driver. You can still get the truck sideways, still spin the tires, but when it detects you’re over-correcting, it straightens the truck right out! It’s incredible how well it works. This is ideal for high speed drifting when you’re learning the truck, as it will correct the truck if it detects a loss of control through the trucks steering position sensors.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">§ AdvanceTrac Disabled: This is the mode that is accessed through HOLDING the traction button for 5-7 seconds until you see the “Disabled” notification (on the ‘10s I believe the track marks flash?). This mode basically turns off most assists, although there are still some excessive wheel spin logic inhibitors that have been noted in extreme low traction, such as sand. This will allow the truck to spin as much as you want… there is no interference for sway control, and no correction! This can be enjoyed most by experienced drivers, and should NOT be used by new Raptor owners that haven’t spent much time in Sport mode yet.</p> </p><p></p><p><em><span style="color: cyan">Basic Truck Handling</span></em></p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">o Brake before corners, gas through them! If and when possible, it’s always best to brake before entering the corner. While your truck is under braking, the rear end becomes very light. While braking into a turn, a light rear end can have the tendency to lose traction and swing around, causing an un-intentional drift and loss of control. More advanced drivers use this to their advantage, and help set the truck up for a drift by purposely braking to swing the rear end around. Using the gas in the corner gives you more precise control of the vehicle and a controlled drift using the gas pedal and SMALL amounts of wheel input. </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o Never brake into an obstacle! If you see a large obstacle, dip, or ditch approaching, the best strategy is to QUICKLY brake hard and fast… and release brakes (apply gas if possible) shortly before hitting the obstacle. When braking, the front end dips and compresses the suspension… hitting an obstacle under braking can cause serious damage to your truck! Applying throttle lightens up the front end, and allows more suspension travel to soak up the obstacle.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o Under-steer is sometimes un-avoidable! These truck have the tendency to under-steer, especially when you’re off the gas or brake and trying to cruise through a high speed turn. You never want to just keep turning the wheel if you’re experiencing under-steer… you want to pull back to center, and try to “coax” the truck to the intended direction through throttle input if possible.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o Aim the wheel straight, and commit! If you’re losing control and about to leave the trail, you ALWAYS want to exit the trail or hit the berm with the wheels STRAIGHT!!! This will avoid MAJOR damage to your suspension, and you’ll be able to still drive home… it’s hard to commit, but if you know you’re not making the turn, just accept it, straighten the wheel out, and do your best to perform controlled braking to stop the vehicle, even if that means a short detour off the beaten path.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o Throttle is your friend! In time, you’ll learn that the best way to maneuver these trucks through the turns is with a small amount of steering input, with large amounts of throttle, sliding the rear end through the turns. This obviously mostly applies to the owners that will be using the Raptor in the desert, as it was intended! It takes practice, but over time this is an invaluable skill to master.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o Tire preservation can be important! When driving on sharp rocks, hill climbs, loose shale, etc… the best thing to do is engage the 4x4-High system. This takes a tremendous amount of stress off the rear tires, and will result in fewer slashes, punctures, and less worn tires!</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">o Small jumps = Bad News! When trying to find the best jump for your truck, you NEVER want to jump anything smaller than the wheelbase of your truck. Meaning, the rear wheels should already be on the upward travel of the “jump” before your front tires are airborne. Any time you attempt a jump smaller than the wheelbase of the truck, your front end WILL nose dive! This is because the front end is already airborne and independent of the rear, when the rear suddenly gets pushed up into the air... Depending on the speed and height of the jump, this can result in serious front end damage! The goal is a nice, long, sweeping jump that allows the rear travel to also slightly compress before the front end is airborne, which will allow for a nice 4-wheel landing.</p><p></p><p>I hope this gives some new owners a small amount of insight and knowledge into some basic guidelines that will help make your off road trips more successful. I will likely be adding to this down the road, so if there are any other suggestions or information you guys would like to see, I’d be happy to add it! With anything, COMMON SENSE goes a long way guys… Remember, even experienced drivers get bitten once and a while by making stupid mistakes!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BlueSVT, post: 187884, member: 1131"] [B][COLOR="Cyan"]Off-Road Driving[/COLOR][/B] Now that your truck is set-up, your route is planned, and you’re prepped ready for the trail… we should talk about driving! All the preparation and planning in the world means nothing, if you’re driving these trucks unsafely and beyond their limits. These are still ½ ton trucks that are VERY prone to serious mechanical damage if driven improperly. Below are some helpful tips and driving methods that I have learned since owning this truck. Keep in mind, my advice below is for the AVERAGE driver, not for the Robby Gordon wanna-be’s out there! [I][COLOR="cyan"]Trail Knowledge[/COLOR][/I] [INDENT]o Realistically, we can’t always pre-run every mile of desert road that we want to explore. Most owners will take these trucks on trails they have heard of from friends, seen online, or maybe have driven on ATVs or Dirtbikes in the past. It’s important to remember that the speed you carry should always allow you to SAFELY slow down for an obstacle within’ a few hundred feet. o On pavement, these trucks cans top from 60 MPH to 0 MPH in about 133-feet. From 30 MPH to 0 MPH is only 35 feet or so! At 60 MPH on dirt, you can expect about 160+ feet. 160-feet is a LONG distance, about half a football field. To spot a sudden dip, washout, or kicker from 160-feet is not always an easy task, especially at high-noon when there are no shadows! Alternately, 40-45 MPH is a great cruising speed in these trucks. Your stopping distance is GREATLY improved, likely in the 80-foot range, which is half of the distance needed at 60 MPH! At speeds above 60, this distance increases even more, and should only be attempted on a pre-run course. o A passenger is invaluable when driving at speeds off road. They can help spot obstacles in the road, spot your vehicle when performing low-speed crawling, and also navigate the trail for you. Always bring a passenger, when possible![/INDENT] [I][COLOR="cyan"]Truck Electronics[/COLOR][/I] [INDENT]o Off Road Mode: This is one of the most useful tools Ford has given us in these trucks! What does it do? It does a few behind-the-scenes activities such as decreasing ABS sensitivity, allowing rear-diff lock at any speed, etc. But the most noticeable difference to the driver is the pedal calibration change. I recommend all owners use this when doing “aggressive” off road driving, for the reasons noted below. For those of you who just cruise the trails at low-moderate speeds, you will not take advantage of this mode, and should just leave it off.[/INDENT] [INDENT][INDENT]§ When on-road, your gas pedal is NOT a linear 0-100% calibration in relationship to the pedal position. On the street roughly 75% of the trucks power is on tap, when only half the pedal is depressed. The last 25% of the pedal travel is used mostly for transmission kick-down logic and the remaining engine power. § When off-road mode is enabled, the pedal has almost the opposite effect! The pedal position is directly related to the speed you are travelling. The logic will HOLD the speed, at a set pedal position. Meaning, if you’re in 2nd gear with the pedal pressed half-way down at 35 MPH… the truck will HOLD the speed of 35 MPH even though you’re pressing the pedal half-way! It will only increase speed as you press the pedal further down. Eventually, as you make your way to the last 20% of pedal travel, this is when the truck applies full power, and will eventually upshift when you approach red-line. § What does this mean? This allows you very fine control of the trucks behavior and power. There are no surprise shifts… no surprise engine revs… you have full control over the power going to the ground, and you can fully predict how small pedal movements will affect the trucks power output. This is invaluable in high speed corners, when a sudden shift or change in power could make the truck suddenly unstable, and unpredictable.[/INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT]o Rear Differential Lock: One of the great things about this truck, is the ability to lock the rear differential on demand (when Off-Road mode is enabled). Doing this allows for more predictable control of the rear end of the truck, and how it will behave. Pulling the 4x4 selector knob out towards you, activates the rear electronic diff.[/INDENT] [INDENT][INDENT]§ Rear Lock ON: This locks the rear wheels rotation together. This is helpful when low speed rock crawling, but for this trucks design, it’s purpose is much more useful. Locking the rear wheels on a vehicle actually “decreases” it’s traction in the turns. Why? Because the inside wheel will always break traction in a turn, as the outside wheel speed is greater. In this truck, locking the differential makes for EASY drifting in the corners. The truck slides around much easier with the tap of the gas in the corners, for the reasons mentioned above. This should only be used at high speed by experienced drivers that are ready to take on drifting through the turns. The reason this is locked out unless you’re in off road mode, is because it can be dangerous at high speeds in low traction road conditions such as rain or snow. § Rear Lock OFF: This allows the rear wheels to spin independently of each other, like a standard open differential. This is NOT a limited slip differential, so the wheel with less traction will spin freely. This inherently makes the truck MORE stable at higher speeds and in the corners, as the wheels will track independently. This is also better for low traction conditions such as rain, and snow, contrary to what you may think.[/INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT]o Traction Control: The truck has some fairly advanced methods of providing traction control in a variety of ways. Depending on your experience level, this is very important to ensure the correct traction setting is engaged while driving off road. There are three modes, which I will describe below in detail. The AdvanceTrac system behaves differently, based on whether or not you have off-road mode ON or OFF. For the purposes below, I’m describing it’s effects with Off-Road mode ON.[/INDENT] [INDENT][INDENT]§ AdvanceTrac Enabled: This is the default setting when you turn on the truck. Everything on, everything active. This will limit engine power when it detects the wheels are slipping, and also correct slides when it detects abnormal sway. This mode is not recommended off-road, as it interferes too much with any wheel spin, even when accelerating from a stop. § AdvanceTrac Sport: This is the mode which is selected from a simple “Push and release” of the traction button. This will allow the tires to spin under low traction, and in corners. This will also allow for abnormal sway, such as a drift in the corner, but still retains a “Moderate” level of control when it detects you are over-correcting in a perceived out-of-control situation. In my experience, I’ve found this is the BEST setting for the “Average” driver. You can still get the truck sideways, still spin the tires, but when it detects you’re over-correcting, it straightens the truck right out! It’s incredible how well it works. This is ideal for high speed drifting when you’re learning the truck, as it will correct the truck if it detects a loss of control through the trucks steering position sensors. § AdvanceTrac Disabled: This is the mode that is accessed through HOLDING the traction button for 5-7 seconds until you see the “Disabled” notification (on the ‘10s I believe the track marks flash?). This mode basically turns off most assists, although there are still some excessive wheel spin logic inhibitors that have been noted in extreme low traction, such as sand. This will allow the truck to spin as much as you want… there is no interference for sway control, and no correction! This can be enjoyed most by experienced drivers, and should NOT be used by new Raptor owners that haven’t spent much time in Sport mode yet.[/INDENT][/INDENT] [I][COLOR="cyan"]Basic Truck Handling[/COLOR][/I] [INDENT]o Brake before corners, gas through them! If and when possible, it’s always best to brake before entering the corner. While your truck is under braking, the rear end becomes very light. While braking into a turn, a light rear end can have the tendency to lose traction and swing around, causing an un-intentional drift and loss of control. More advanced drivers use this to their advantage, and help set the truck up for a drift by purposely braking to swing the rear end around. Using the gas in the corner gives you more precise control of the vehicle and a controlled drift using the gas pedal and SMALL amounts of wheel input. o Never brake into an obstacle! If you see a large obstacle, dip, or ditch approaching, the best strategy is to QUICKLY brake hard and fast… and release brakes (apply gas if possible) shortly before hitting the obstacle. When braking, the front end dips and compresses the suspension… hitting an obstacle under braking can cause serious damage to your truck! Applying throttle lightens up the front end, and allows more suspension travel to soak up the obstacle. o Under-steer is sometimes un-avoidable! These truck have the tendency to under-steer, especially when you’re off the gas or brake and trying to cruise through a high speed turn. You never want to just keep turning the wheel if you’re experiencing under-steer… you want to pull back to center, and try to “coax” the truck to the intended direction through throttle input if possible. o Aim the wheel straight, and commit! If you’re losing control and about to leave the trail, you ALWAYS want to exit the trail or hit the berm with the wheels STRAIGHT!!! This will avoid MAJOR damage to your suspension, and you’ll be able to still drive home… it’s hard to commit, but if you know you’re not making the turn, just accept it, straighten the wheel out, and do your best to perform controlled braking to stop the vehicle, even if that means a short detour off the beaten path. o Throttle is your friend! In time, you’ll learn that the best way to maneuver these trucks through the turns is with a small amount of steering input, with large amounts of throttle, sliding the rear end through the turns. This obviously mostly applies to the owners that will be using the Raptor in the desert, as it was intended! It takes practice, but over time this is an invaluable skill to master. o Tire preservation can be important! When driving on sharp rocks, hill climbs, loose shale, etc… the best thing to do is engage the 4x4-High system. This takes a tremendous amount of stress off the rear tires, and will result in fewer slashes, punctures, and less worn tires! o Small jumps = Bad News! When trying to find the best jump for your truck, you NEVER want to jump anything smaller than the wheelbase of your truck. Meaning, the rear wheels should already be on the upward travel of the “jump” before your front tires are airborne. Any time you attempt a jump smaller than the wheelbase of the truck, your front end WILL nose dive! This is because the front end is already airborne and independent of the rear, when the rear suddenly gets pushed up into the air... Depending on the speed and height of the jump, this can result in serious front end damage! The goal is a nice, long, sweeping jump that allows the rear travel to also slightly compress before the front end is airborne, which will allow for a nice 4-wheel landing.[/INDENT] I hope this gives some new owners a small amount of insight and knowledge into some basic guidelines that will help make your off road trips more successful. I will likely be adding to this down the road, so if there are any other suggestions or information you guys would like to see, I’d be happy to add it! With anything, COMMON SENSE goes a long way guys… Remember, even experienced drivers get bitten once and a while by making stupid mistakes! [/QUOTE]
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