Rumor: The Ford F-150 Raptor Is Getting the Mustang GT500's Supercharged V-8

[Truckzor]

Leaking new products months and years away from production is a horribly stupid idea because it convinces people who were about to buy your product to wait for the next one. There is no way Ford did this on purpose.

Sound logic. Now think it through...

If Car & Driver wasn't leaked the info from Ford, then Ford would correct it, like they did here:

https://www.carscoops.com/2015/01/ford-reportedly-killing-its-v8-engines/

Ford knew how damaging it would be to their sales for people to start to think they weren't going to offer V8s anymore so they corrected the record.

 

[Truckzor]

Physics doesn’t but advancing tech allows you to understand what is actually possible under the laws of physics and push things close to the physical limits.

If a balance shaft can counter the inharent unbalanced nature of a V6 well it’s essentially a non issue at that point.

I'm sure your Lexus automobile was smooth. Lexus's entire schtick is smoothness. Always has been:

Whatever you were driving probably had active engine mounts designed to provide an equal an opposite reaction to the NVH created by the inherently unbalanced V6. That doesn't mean the engine itself is smooth, though. It just means the driver experience is.

 

[David1986]

I think the "majority" of buyers don't care what engine the Raptor has in it. They are buying them do to the "Coolness factor" or looks. I've owned both a 13 MY with the 6.2 and now the 3.5 Eco and honestly if I didn't know what the truck came with, I would never know the difference.

Again I know there are buyers purchasing, due to performance, but I don't think they are the majority of buyers. I see too many of them running around that have never left the pavement. Working professionals driving them instead of an SUV etc. They could care less if the Raptor had a V6 or V8.

I grew up in the old school days of V8's and wouldn't have owned anything else except a V8, however with today's technology I would prefer to have performance with the best Economy and I think the current 3.5 Eco delivers for the average owner.

Don't get me wrong I would like to have another V8 optioned Raptor, just not will to spend another + $20K and sacrifice to mileage to go with it.

Just a different point of view as everyone has different wants/needs!

 

[LVsFINEST]

Leaking new products months and years away from production is a horribly stupid idea because it convinces people who were about to buy your product to wait for the next one. There is no way Ford did this on purpose.

There's pros and cons to leaking information, and yes that is potentially one of the cons.

Ford knows what they're doing. You don't know what Ford is doing.

 

[jaz13]

There's pros and cons to leaking information, and yes that is potentially one of the cons.

Ford knows what they're doing. You don't know what Ford is doing.

If Ford wanted us to know what they are working on, they would tell us, not leak it anonymously to an auto magazine.

Further, if the leaks were from higher-ups, R&T wouldn't report it as a "rumor". If the source was credible and in the know, they would state it as a fact coming from "a reliable source". The rumor tag means they are hearing these things from entry-level and front line employees, people that obviously don't have access to the full picture and is why the information is incomplete and unreliable.

 

[Truckzor]

If Ford wanted us to know what they are working on, they would tell us, not leak it anonymously to an auto magazine.

Further, if the leaks were from higher-ups, R&T wouldn't report it as a "rumor". If the source was credible and in the know, they would state it as a fact coming from "a reliable source". The rumor tag means they are hearing these things from entry-level and front line employees, people that obviously don't have access to the full picture and is why the information is incomplete and unreliable.

Nothing but weak logic and speculative nonsense in this post.

There are many reasons to leak information rather than to formally provide it, not the least of which is that it DOESN'T harm sales of existing products nearly as much since many people will assume it's just a rumor. And it gives forward thinkers the ability to sell their base model before the prices tank. It also gives Ford the ability to change its plans without making it look indecisive to the market.

 

[jaz13]

Nothing but weak logic and speculative nonsense in this post.

There are many reasons to leak information rather than to formally provide it, not the least of which is that it DOESN'T harm sales of existing products nearly as much since many people will assume it's just a rumor. And it gives forward thinkers the ability to sell their base model before the prices tank. It also gives Ford the ability to change its plans without making it look indecisive to the market.

You announce good news. You leak bad news. Basic stuff for people who understand business and PR. They leaked rumors of a V6 Raptor so people were not disappointed when it was announced. But they withheld the 450hp and 510lb of torque for the official announcement because they wanted people talking about the HP, not the cylinder count when the Raptor was released. Apple did the same with the headphone jack. Leak the bad, announce the good. Business 101.

 

[EricM]

Even though they say "sources within Ford", the supplier network is big, it could easily be a leak that did not come from Ford.

It could be someone at Eaton- or the 50 other suppliers who are involved. New tires, new axles, beefed up trans and t-case, brakes, IC heat exchangers- all of those suppliers would be in the know by now if it's coming soon.

Given that Raptors are selling below invoice now- there will be a lot of them sitting unsold in 2020 and 2021 without some major upgrades IMO.

 

[Truckzor]

You announce good news. You leak bad news. Basic stuff for people who understand business and PR. They leaked rumors of a V6 Raptor so people were not disappointed when it was announced. But they withheld the 450hp and 510lb of torque for the official announcement because they wanted people talking about the HP, not the cylinder count when the Raptor was released. Apple did the same with the headphone jack. Leak the bad, announce the good. Business 101.

You are really stretching here man. Hard. Remember when the 7.X was just a rumor?

 

[jaz13]

The supplier network is big, it could easily be a leak that did not come from Ford.

It could be someone at Eaton- or the 50 other suppliers who are involved. New tires, new axles, beefed up trans and t-case, brakes, IC heat exchangers- all of those suppliers would be in the know by now if it's coming soon.

Exactly. The problem is suppliers only know they are asked to beef up an F-150 component to withstand 700hp. They won't be told all the details of the project. The natural conclusion is this is for a supercharged Raptor. But it could just as easily be for a new Lightning. Or a light duty dump truck, or any anything else. Suppliers only get as much information as they need to know to do their job. Everything else is speculation.