Ford promised us: the new Raptor truck is more extreme than the old one. Better yet, it will become a real beast in the coming months. Because in addition to the base Raptor, so to speak, Ford has also announced the upcoming arrival of a Raptor R, equipped with a V8 engine.
But for now, we’ll have to make do with the more traditional version (!). It still received a lot of modifications but kept the 3.5-litre Ecoboost V6 engine. However, we don’t know how much power it has been given.
Another novelty, and it’s a big one (no pun intended), is the arrival of even larger wheels. The Raptor comes standard with 35-inch tires, but it will now be possible to choose 37-inch tires as well!
Developed by BF Goodrich, especially for the Raptor, these tires, T/A K02, will be used by the extreme off-road enthusiasts for whom they were designed. However, the truck’s structure had to be slightly modified. The wheel arches had to be increased to allow the passage of these enormous rubber mastodons.
Even more extreme
But the 2021 Ford Raptor is more than just oversized tires. It’s also a set of features that make it a real all-rounder.
Built on the same base as the regular F-150, the Raptor receives unique reinforcements and a new design in the rear to accommodate the newly created coil spring suspension. With this new configuration, total suspension travel is now 35.5 cm at the front and 38.1 cm at the rear, increasing 2 cm over the previous generation.
This is for Raptor with standard 35-inch tires, while the 37-inch option increases the suspension travel to 33 cm in the front and 35.51 cm in the rear. And to make the ride more spectacular, there are seven driving modes available: Slippery Terrain, Transport/Tow, Normal, Sport, Off-Road, Desert Race and Rock/Traction. Each mode has its own specific mapping that modifies steering, handling, transfer case, stability control, active exhaust system, active damping and shift points. Fox shock absorbers complete the installation.
Prettier, stronger and more extreme, the Ford Raptor will be mean. But we can’t wait to see the real thing next year!
