Raptors Bending?

[MIKEY CHILDRESS]

Just bought a Raptor yesterday new 4 door 6.2 thing is awesome drives great lots of cool features. I heard you can put it in TROPHY TRUCK mode and win races overall with it! Lol I havent even been in the dirt yet with it..Im gonna go to Barstow this weekend for the night race im sure I can make some big dusty with it!

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[DezertRaders]

I have been looking at this issue and here is the deal. First off, when Deaver's are installed the spacer is removed which is also the factory plate for the bump stop, it seems from what I have seen on the bent frame vehicles the bump does not hit correctly and are damaged. Deaver also leaves the stock brake lines, and are stretched like banjo strings, I have only seen this on vehicles with the plate removed(not that it has not happened on stock Raptors) The frame is not weak, when these trucks are driven at high speed with the leafs loaded and take a big hit it will bend the frame, that amount of energy is going to go somewhere and if the frame was made to never bend we would see a lot more catastrophic damage occur. Raptor's driven the way there were meant to be driven are a great truck, but no different than taking a Jeep off of the showroom and heading to the hammers, outcome not good! This is no different than when we were selling Ford GT's, a couple customers with no driving experience hammering down the throttle with cold race tires and rapping the car around a pole, go figure....crappy super-car, not. I am sure, once someone is really hurt, these high speed runs will come to a halt and the people who know how to drive will continue to love the Raptor SVT.

[Chas Moore]

My take on it.

The truck is pretty cool and has a lot of nice parts on it BUT it is not anything more than an F150 with a bolton suspension package.
People think because it has "upgrades" that it is race spec.
They think because it is race-spec they are a race-driver.
Fake race driver with fake race truck = bent frame

You know I just like to stir the pot with Ford guys. Go buy a raptor if you want.

[BajaDixon]

[QUOTE=Chas Moore;1290304]My take on it.

The truck is pretty cool and has a lot of nice parts on it BUT it is not anything more than an F150 with a bolton suspension package.

You've left out a few things- offroad mode, rear locker, 35" tires, 411HP motor, great bolstered seats, incredible looks, more comfortable road manners, etc
The Raptor is actually pretty amazing machine for being stock. It certainly isn't race ready but it is a far cry from a F150- and particularly for only $2500 more than a fully loaded F150.

I'm a happy guy knowing that it's from the good ole USA. And with no government bailout. Reminds me of how well Polaris is doing in the atv and sxs market!

[tcm glx]

I have been looking at this issue and here is the deal. First off, when Deaver's are installed the spacer is removed which is also the factory plate for the bump stop, it seems from what I have seen on the bent frame vehicles the bump does not hit correctly and are damaged. Deaver also leaves the stock brake lines, and are stretched like banjo strings, I have only seen this on vehicles with the plate removed(not that it has not happened on stock Raptors) The frame is not weak, when these trucks are driven at high speed with the leafs loaded and take a big hit it will bend the frame, that amount of energy is going to go somewhere and if the frame was made to never bend we would see a lot more catastrophic damage occur. Raptor's driven the way there were meant to be driven are a great truck, but no different than taking a Jeep off of the showroom and heading to the hammers, outcome not good! This is no different than when we were selling Ford GT's, a couple customers with no driving experience hammering down the throttle with cold race tires and rapping the car around a pole, go figure....crappy super-car, not. I am sure, once someone is really hurt, these high speed runs will come to a halt and the people who know how to drive will continue to love the Raptor SVT.

Great post Rich!!!

I spent a flight to the east coast reading threads on this and it seems like the deavers, combined with a hard hit will do this. Most folks are talking about the air bump kit that SDHQ offers as a great solution. It makes sense that if you are coming down hard, and that spring plate isnt there, the frame is going to give.

I still want one, white plz!

[Elk Hunter]

When will the ordering open up for the 2012's? If I order right away will I have it before the 1000? thanks.

[aiiraciing]

When will the ordering open up for the 2012's? If I order right away will I have it before the 1000? thanks.

Order banks for 2012's open in August to be delivered in December

[Elk Hunter]

Are you sure on the delivery date? Just asking becouse my Colorado dealer is telling me I will have the 12 in October. If you are right I will just start looking for a 11 now and take it to San Felipe as well. Thanks for your help!

[aiiraciing]

No saying when the banks will open in August, so lets say its the middle (8/17). The build time is generally 10-12 weeks so that would put you at (10/26) at the earliest. That gives you 3 weeks before the Mil starts assuming its done in 10 weeks which isn't likely.

Looks like a coin flip

[ibismojo]

From the thread:

I am one of the Raptor owners who bent their frame on the run. Mine is the Molten Orange in the very first post. I have stayed out of this conversation, because I do not need someone who was not there telling me how I drove my truck.

Reading everything on here for the most part has been very informative. Based on all the comments that have been made, I feel the frame is poorly designed around the location of the bump stop. I feel that it was the combination of poor frame design, two spare tires, one ice chest, one tool box and the stock Fox Shocks overheating and starting to fade that caused the frame to fail. On the last part of the run, going through a shale section at 30-50 mph, my truck would not smooth out no matter what speed. Fast or slow. We noticed it at that time and just figured we were starting to get tired after 300 miles of getting bounced around and thought we were being overly critical of the ride. About an hour before that is when I noticed I had bent my frame on a kicker. The same size I had hit before with no problems. That being said, I know I pushed my truck hard that weekend. Do I think the frame should of bent for the way I was driving, no.

The Raptor is driven to the point where shocks have faded. The driver hits an unsuspecting kicker on faded shocks at presumably high speeds and bends the rear frame. Is there a production truck out there that can do what the he did in his Raptor and not bend the frame? I've driven on faded shocks once (not Ratpor), it was not a nice feeling (felt like metal-on-metal contact). What I didn't do was keep on driving at the same speed or go faster. I think I'm siding with Ford on this one....don't warranty the truck.