Treypal's Raptor Build and Prep

[ruffstuff]

How did the ASFIR skid plate hold up?

 

[whtrapta]

With the Generals I felt that the stock brakes weren't cutting it on the road. I was never nervous with stock tires and brakes, but the generals made me nervous. That was the main reason for upgrading. So if you have a heavier tire/wheel package, then I recommend it.

The Generals are only 12lbs heavier. Do you think that it makes that much difference?

 

[treypal]

How did the ASFIR skid plate hold up?

Very well. I didnt test it too hard though. A few bolts backed out, because I forgot to loctite them

The Generals are only 12lbs heavier. Do you think that it makes that much difference?

Most definitely. I am running my BFGs again to save the generals for offroad. I get 1.5 mpg better, and it is noticeable how much lighter they are. 12lbs of rotating mass is a bunch.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Fantastic thread Trey! Thanks for taking the time to share your mods, prep and experiences with us.

I'm really impressed you upgraded your brakes and it sounds like you've found a very good solution for the Raptor. Care to share approx cost info?

Your comment about the extra 12 pounds is a reminder to everyone that adding unsprung weight DOES affect performance. Kudos to you for saying it (and upgrading your brakes because of it).

As for the skid plate, cool that you did it. Not a criticism - just a general comment: IMO aluminum is NOT the way to go on skid plates. Steel will perform a LOT better and when it gets dinged/damaged it can much more easily put back into shape via hammer/welding, etc. And saving a bit of weight vs. steel is absolutely not worthwhile on a truck as heavy as a Raptor (another reason why steel is better than aluminum for skid plates).

I'm looking at skid plates but want to see rolled edges and even some corrugations and/or ribs for greater strength in what are otherwise mostly flat steel sheets.



Unsprung weight per Wikipedia:

The unsprung weight of a wheel controls a trade-off between a wheel's bump-following ability and its vibration isolation. Bumps and surface imperfections in the road cause tire compression—which induces a force on the unsprung weight.

The unsprung weight then responds to this force with movement of its own. The amount of movement, for short bumps, is inversely proportional to the weight - a lighter wheel which readily moves in response to road bumps will have more grip and more constant grip when tracking over an imperfect road.

For this reason, lighter wheels are sought especially for high-performance applications. In contrast, a heavier wheel which moves less will not absorb as much vibration; the irregularities of the road surface will transfer to the cabin through the geometry of the suspension and hence ride quality and road noise are deteriorated.

For longer bumps that the wheels follow, greater unsprung mass causes more energy to be absorbed by the wheels and makes the ride worse.

Source: Unsprung mass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[CineSLR]

Is that per tire?? If so, that is huge. Not only is it unsprung weight, its at the outermost point of the rotation (the worst possible place). Think of it like free weights. It's a lot easier to hold a 10lb weight at your chest and the further out you get it the exponentially heavier it gets. Same idea with bigger/heavier tires. Most of the added weight is in the tread, not the sidewall.

Glad to hear your liking the EBCs, will definitely follow in your footsteps when the time comes. How is the initial bite when they are cold? Still acceptable?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[treypal]

Fantastic thread Trey! Thanks for taking the time to share your mods, prep and experiences with us.

I'm really impressed you upgraded your brakes and it sounds like you've found a very good solution for the Raptor. Care to share approx cost info?

Your comment about the extra 12 pounds is a reminder to everyone that adding unsprung weight DOES affect performance. Kudos to you for saying it (and upgrading your brakes because of it).

As for the skid plate, cool that you did it. Not a criticism - just a general comment: IMO aluminum is NOT the way to go on skid plates. Steel will perform a LOT better and when it gets dinged/damaged it can much more easily put back into shape via hammer/welding, etc. And saving a bit of weight vs. steel is absolutely not worthwhile on a truck as heavy as a Raptor (another reason why steel is better than aluminum for skid plates).

I'm looking at skid plates but want to see rolled edges and even some corrugations and/or ribs for greater strength in what are otherwise mostly flat steel sheets.



[/url]

I like the weight saving, and ease of handling of the aluminum. Its 1/4" so I am not too worried about it bending. Most offroad racers are running aluminum, and they don't seem to have a problem. It CANT do any worse than the front to plates. Plus I have a spool gun for my mig welder.

The EBC setup was right at $580

Is that per tire?? If so, that is huge. Not only is it unsprung weight, its at the outermost point of the rotation (the worst possible place). Think of it like free weights. It's a lot easier to hold a 10lb weight at your chest and the further out you get it the exponentially heavier it gets. Same idea with bigger/heavier tires. Most of the added weight is in the tread, not the sidewall.

Glad to hear your liking the EBCs, will definitely follow in your footsteps when the time comes. How is the initial bite when they are cold? Still acceptable?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

The EBC yellow stuff pads don't need a warmup. I have never noticed a problem when cold. And the dusting has been minimal as well.

 

[ruffstuff]

Very well. I didnt test it too hard though. A few bolts backed out, because I forgot to loctite them.

Do you recall the bolt size? Thanks.

 

[treypal]

Do you recall the bolt size? Thanks.

10mm. I don't remember the length. and one of the front bolts is 8mm. I could have this backwards though. It's 8 and 10 for sure though.

 

[treypal]

Changing out the uniballs in my upper control arms. PITA. Good news is that my tie rods look good, and CV boots look good.

Did the original install at a friends, so I had to go out and buy a 29mm socket and a 27mm wrench for the lower shock bolt.

 

[KaiserM715]

Changing out the uniballs in my upper control arms. PITA.

What is the maintenance interval on uniballs? I was under the impression that they would last longer than ball joints.