Went from 2.5” lifted 2015 6.2 Sierra cc on 33”s to ‘18 raptor & honestly is a breath of fresh air after 3 GM trucks.
The raptor is not a HD truck- it will not tow anything nearly as well nor will it take a payload anywhere close to what your truck could, that being said I feel like mechanically it sorta bridges the gap between a grocery getting 1/2 ton & a true working HD meaning the A-arms/bushings/bearings/diff/ball joints etc are all beefier. Also has additional frame bracing over a standard F150, while it’s a V6, it’s not just a tuned up version of a standard 3.5 EB- in fact it shares a lot of internal upgrades w/ the Ford GT motor including the forged crank.
All that being said, this is hands down my favorite DD vehicle ever. Checks all the boxes- versatile in any weather/terrain conditions & can carry a ton of stuff, roomy, comfortable, plenty of tech, great looks- I never “looked back” at my previous truck after parking it for instance- has all the practicality of any 1/2 ton but also puts a smile on my face tooling around in it like no other truck has done.
I am either doing short around town errand driving or longer multi-State road trips + some light off-roading up to ski/camping areas. Iceberg got 3600 miles motor still breaking in & averaging 15.6 w/ 93 octane. Don’t baby it- I use the power fairly often, cruise control 72-80mph typically on highway....anything over 77 starts really killing mileage.
It is also the only truck I know of that’s truly AWD when wanted, not like “4 auto” in GM or standard F150 - there’s zero binding or damage driving it in 4A in sport mode to really use the traction/power, I like it in wet conditions a lot too. Has a special transfer case for this function- I think I’ve seen a cool vid/article describing how it works floating around on he webs check it out.
If you don’t need real heavy payload, aren’t towing over 8k lbs, & don’t plow then get the Raptor & don’t look back. Btw- just a tune on these trucks can net +100hp/tq @ the crank.
Lastly - the SCABS have like 2000 lb lower tow rating so you should only be shopping SCREW models
