2017 Ford F-150 Raptor: What We Learned at the Mint 400
We rode in the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor during the 2016 Mint 400 in March outside of Las Vegas. Part of the 2016 Best in the Desert race series, the Mint 400 puts competitors through a grueling off-road desert course of just less than 200 miles. We spent the race sitting in the third seat of the Foutz Motorsports' Raptor SuperCab, watching driver Tim Casey and navigator Travis Leach traverse the first 92-mile leg of the race in the factory stock full-size truck class.
From our seat the Raptor did not feel like a stock truck, but when compared to the other race vehicles, the changes it underwent to meet safety requirements were minor. In fact, the Foutz Raptor was the only vehicle that qualified to enter in the factory stock class, so winning the race was a matter of finishing the race.
Modifications to the 2017 Raptor included a full cab and bed roll cage, interior safety seats and harnesses, window netting, a certified fuel cell that replaced the factory fuel tank and slightly heavier-duty rear leafs and front coil springs. The shocks were factory stock. Beyond that, the body of the truck, the wheels and tires, the powertrain and the driveline made the Raptor look like it could have come right off the dealership lot, assuming you like a lot of stickers.
Here's what we learned from the race:
Raptor Transmission Meets the Test
Casey found the best way to deal with the deep sand and rutted desert roads was to keep the four-wheel-drive system in the Sand setting to keep the 35-inch BFG All-Terrain T/As spinning freely. Casey spent much of the time with the trans in Normal, locking out the top five or six speeds and running up and down the first four or five gears, keeping the revs around 4,000 rpm. Our average speed was about 30 mph. The only time we used the higher gears was when we crossed an expansive dry lake bed, where we ran at 110 mph for several minutes.
EcoBoost Handles the Challenge
Keeping the wheels spinning and digging through the sand and rocks was necessary to prevent the tires from burying themselves. That meant modulating the engine speed up and down as the twin-turbos of the new 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost came on and off boost when pushing the throttle on and off. Even though the temperatures were in extreme-use ranges, the new extra-heavy-duty cooling system did its job keeping the trans and engine temps within reasonable ranges.
Bolt Is the Weakest Link
The weakest link on our race truck was a small attachment bolt that holds the lower control arm to the frame of the truck; the head was sheared off when a rock jumped up and bit it off. Thankfully this happened close to a pit, where the second driving team (the damage did not happen on our leg of the race) pulled a spare bolt from the backup 2017 Raptor that was at the race as a display vehicle. The changeover took about hour once the truck pulled into the pit. Even when you have more underbody skid-plate protection than any other pickup truck sold in the U.S., you can never be too careful.
Power Windows Keep the Dust Out
The punishment that a race like this delivers is ridiculous — and we're not just talking about truck body parts. We couldn't think of a better way to push normal half-ton pickup truck features such as power windows to their limits. Unlike many race competitors, the Raptor came with air conditioning and power windows. We used the windows throughout the race to keep lung-choking dust out of the cabin when running through silt beds or getting passed by super modified trucks. With the windows up and the air conditioning set to recirculate, we were always breathing fresh air. Of course, the team had to change the cabin filter at the end of the race.
Satellite Radio Rocks During a Race
On another comfort note, the electronics in the front gauge cluster proved surprisingly sturdy after being subjected to violent, prolonged shake testing. This was the Raptor's second Best in the Desert race, and the radio was still in full operation. We ran most of the race listening to Ozzy's Boneyard, which provided motivational metal via SiriusXM radio. Both Casey and Leach seemed especially thankful for the music at 5 a.m. when there were still two hours of waiting before crossing the start line. During the race, and especially with the windows down, there was too much engine and suspension noise to make listening enjoyable, especially when your helmet is too tight.
Shock Absorbers Can Take the Punishment
The suspension's ability to soak up the kind of abuse we experienced on the racecourse might have been the most impressive aspect of the new Raptor. Although the springs were just a tad stiffer and taller than factory stock equipment, they got a brutal workout in the Nevada desert and provided the on-site Ford engineers with tons of durability data. From watching both drivers, we learned that how well a truck performs has a lot to do with how smart the driver is: Push too hard and something bad will happen; push too soft and you don't get to see the full range of the truck's potential. The key is to let the truck tell you where its limits are. We never found those limits.
Cars.com photos by Mark Williams
Comments
Cool write up! I didn't know the Raptors were or are coming with bypass rear shocks as shown in that last shot!!!
This site is pro-Ford and pro-Raptor!
No denying it now!
No body else makes anything like this truck so say its a FORD site if you want but where's the competition??
Not a stock or production based truck unless it has license plates on it, I do not see any on this truck!
I raced in Baja before and a few of us had plates on our trucks including myself and Scott Sells, 4-time champion in stock class with his 88 Toyota pickup!
We raced actual production based trucks. I remember a guy walking by at contingency row in Ensenada, Mexico and he commented that my truck was the closest race vehicle to an actual pickup truck and I showed him my plates on my 86 Toyota pickup! He was impressed!
I still daily drove it after races and even drove it home after finishing races many times!
Ahhh, the days of running a true production based pickup in the 1990's unlike today and all of the fake trucks out there!
Kudos to Gregory Foutz, glad he can still compete!
I raced against him at a Parker 400 when he was still in a small Ranger and we still had our old 86 Toyota pickup!
Great guy to be around!
@ooxxii
Why don't you just call 1-800 wa wa wa. Wa wa. Wa wa.
Very interesting reading. Crybabies whose favorite manufacturer doesn't make any interesting news can forego a visit to this site. By the way this article would have been a lot more interesting if toyota ram or gm had entered the race.
Like it or not this is an amazing Truck Period!
@ooxxii by the standards of this race it was stock,also a lot of the vehicles that were no where stock couldn't even finish.
The overall winner was also driving a Ford with the ecoboost
Interesting way of finding out potential problems before full production gets underway.
What We Really Learned at the Mint 400:
Ford is recalling nearly 202,000 pickup trucks, SUVs and cars in North America because the automatic transmissions can suddenly downshift to first gear.
Read more: http://business.inquirer.net/209880/ford-recalls-202k-pickups-suvs-cars-to-fix-transmissions#ixzz47z7hQ8Lm
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Ford said it would recall about 4,800 heavy trucks F-650 and F-750 to replace parking brake connector clips.
Ford is recalling the 2015 F-150 pickup trucks in North America. According to the automaker, an upper l-shaft may have been riveted improperly on these trucks, which can cause it to separate. If that happens, drivers may lose steering control without warning. Yikes.
Ford has issued a recall for 1997-2004 Ford F-150s, 1997-1999 Ford F-250s and 2002-2003 Lincoln Blackwood trucks. Models sold in cold-weather states are being recalled for gas tank strap failures. Road salt can cause corrosion to the support straps and the gas tank could potentially fall off the vehicle.
Two under-the-hood fires in Lincoln MKCs caused by overheating block heaters were reported to Ford leading to the recall of the SUVs in the United States. Affected are 2016 model year Ford Exploders and Lincoln MKCs from the 2015 and 2016 model years.
Separately, Ford will recall 38,000 model year 2015 and 2016 low-roof Ford Transit vans to inspect and adjust side-curtain airbags that may be incorrectly positioned in some vehicles. The lion's share of those vehicles, 98 percent, are in the United States.
Hopefully they will learn about quality at the Mint 400!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzlpc3Hs6E
Wasn't aware this truck came stock with limiting straps
Posted by: ooxxii | May 7, 2016 8:25:29 AM
Toyota doesn't make a tough enough truck to run with the trophy trucks these days. The new powertrain on the Tacos are cheap cheap cheap. The Tundra is ancient and the 5.7 3urfe is a cheap imitation of their older, better V8's.
They dropped Frank's Brother on hois head when he was born...
The Consumer Reports 2015 Car Brand Report Cards ranks automakers across the world by reliability, road test performance and other factors. For the second year in a row, Lexus topped the list, nearly matched by Mazda, and followed by Toyota and Audi.
Getting the best overall score with 78, Lexus leads this year's best brands list. Consumer Reports called Lexus a company "known for making quiet, plush, and very reliable cars." The carmaker also received the highest rating for reliability and a road test score of 76.
Toyota was ranked third with an overall score of 74, a road test score of 72 and a high predicted reliability rating. "Toyota focuses on building solid, reliable cars that are pleasant, comfortable, and very popular," Consumer Reports said.
And here is comes....
Ford ranked 24th....lol
Another American automaker low on the best brands list, Ford received an overall score of 53, a road test score of 72 and a low reliability rating. "Ford’s more recent car designs drive like European sports sedans, with agile handling, an absorbent ride, and a solid feel. Reliability of most has been below average," Consumer Reports said.
heeeeheeee
Posted by: Frank's Boyfriend | May 7, 2016 12:21:08 PM
Toyota was ranked third with an overall score of 74, a road test score of 72 and a high predicted reliability rating. "Toyota focuses on building solid, reliable cars that are pleasant, comfortable, and very popular," Consumer Reports said.
What happen with Toyota quality control with killing all those drivers with a sticky gas pedal?
Absolutely awesome truck !!!!
No body else makes anything like this truck so say its a FORD site if you want but where's the competition??
Posted by: Fed up. | May 7, 2016 8:25:09 AM
What competition? Ram, Toyota, Nissan, and GM's common 4wds can take more of a beating then this Craptor! With out bent Frames or the Ford's China made lower control arm bolts getting broke by a pebble.
Good story, but its pretty lame if you own a real truck like the rest of the industry offers.
Ok johnny doe we got it. You made your point. Ford is junk. Raptor is the worst off road vehicle ever made. please leave it at that. We all know how you feel. No need to waste your time posting 20 times in every article. Here's an idea. Since you hate ford soo much, don't even waste your time reading or posting on the ford garbage stories at all! When i am not interested in the content, i don't read the articles or comment!
Beebe is off topic, Dave Z please report him.
Great write up Mark. Glad you enjoyed the ride. We just finished up the first day of the best in the desert laughlin race. Trucks working great still.
tell me?
give me ONE good reason why anybody would need to own an extreme off-road-racing truck like this other to show it off?
If Ford was smart they would make a F-150 GT with the looks of the Mustang with a high performance engine that looks good and sounds good, maybe with a 6 speed manual
johnny doe
only the Ford Ranger had the problem of the bent frames , NOT the F-150
but the new 2015 F-150's do have a problem with cracked windshields when you off-road them (the cab is flexing causing the windshields to crack)
You have creditable beefs about the Ford trucks but you need to do your homework and get it correct.
I may suggest to look at www.carcomplaints.com for the common problems with the F-150.
Don't get me wrong, I am NOT attacking you, I can agree with you but you have to get your facts right with evidence to back it up.
When a magazine article like this one is "dateline Vegas" the writers have been wined/dined by the Detroit guys big time. Vegas is the destination for this sort of marketing BS.
Fun town though--if you've never been, you gotta go. Unless you're trying to give up the booze, lose weight or striving to study harder at Bible class. Otherwise, the whole town is dedicated to making you happy while you're there.
Makes Orlando look like a Walmart.
No plates, no stock truck!
Some of us actually raced in desert off-road races and can speak from experience!
Looks like some on here are a bunch of mindless drones!
Pathetic!
Ugly junk!
ooxxii
maybe there are about 40 people in the whole country that does competitive off-road desert racing
I tend to think Ford will build a lot more than 40
"What happen with Toyota quality control with killing all those drivers with a sticky gas pedal.."
Posted by: Bluefag | May 7, 2016 1:13:39 PM
Not sure Bluefag, the they did call an inquiry, but the committee members got killed driving their Ford Exploder's to the meetings...something about loss of power steering. Go figure!
http://www.autonews.com/article/20140529/OEM11/140529846/ford-to-recall-nearly-1.4-million-vehicles-in-n.a.
Lou_DC I was talking bout the few older ones.
@ Johnny doe.
" Ford has 40,000 less miles of warranty coverage compare to GM or Ram. So them numbers aint really all that impressive for Ford. Just a trip to the Ford forms shows all the miss fires and timing chains failing around the 60,000-100,000 mile mark. If Ford offer the same Warranty cover as the others then your claim would be impressive. "
Posted by: johnny doe | May 6, 2016 7:10:27 AM
What were you talking about here?
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2015/05/ram-cuts-powertrain-warranty-for-2016.html
Posted by: I was a GM and Chrysler fan. Until they failed in the marketplace and went bankrupt. | May 8, 2016 12:12:41 PM
Hey s%^% for brains, does anyone still believe that Ford didn't receive any bailout money...lol
Set up in 2008, the CPFF helped companies obtain high-interest, short-term loans -- known as commerical paper -- during the height of the international credit crunch.
Ford's credit arm registered to sell the federal government around $16 billion in commercial paper. Like the financing wing of most automakers -- Toyota, BMW, GMAC and Chrysler also participated -- Ford found itself in need of liquidity when the lending markets dried up.
So Yes, Ford's credit arm participated in a federal program meant to free up short-term lending at a time when very few investors were spending.
It's no secret....except to boneheads like you....lol
There are a lot of know-nothing experts in here with worthless opinions, that much is for sure.
"Only the Ford Ranger had the problem of the bent frames , NOT the F-150...You have creditable beefs about the Ford trucks but you need to do your homework and get it correct. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT attacking you, I can agree with you but you have to get your facts right with evidence to back it up..."
Posted by: Lou_DC | May 8, 2016 4:37:17 AM
Actually moron you might want to do some homework yourself! I assume these are be "bent frames" that are being referred to.
http://jalopnik.com/5820104/are-ford-raptor-frames-too-weak-for-off-roading
The only time a helmet is too small is at the crown. Otherwise break the helmet in before hand by wearing it motorcycle riding. Cheek pads on most brands are adjustable by buying spares from the larger sizes.
Sounds like the Ford will last a good beating at the pits. I like these raptors. The grill looks good in the wide stance. I really want to see a v8/v10 ecoboost. Something with the ability to run on one bank of cylinders... I love the tow power of the turbo. Its really nice towing uphill on curves, cars with less than a v8 have a very hard time keeping up to 90mph wide open acceleration. That's the only good part that I experienced though. Otherwise it's a car engine and too small to slow a large load on steep curvy roads. I feel much more confident downhill in a v8. I like the v8 power more too! I have had v8 v10 in Ford ram and Chevy my whole 30+ year life. The eco from day one out towed all the other gas motors. It just isn't a great work truck motor. Its fast, fun, and does things other motors wish they could. It's too small, and no matter what at this stage in the game technology doesn't exist yet in the mainstream to make this engine perform like a v10 or v8 with more than 6 gears. Build a v8 ecoboost and I'll buy one to try. Build a v10 and I'll be buying them to try. It they aren't reliable you can have them. Right now GM has the best turn key work trucks. A few bad ignition wires, coverters, and rear ebrakes needing more attention than other designs. Easy to fix and stone reliable for 300+ thousand miles on the regular. Ford hasn't built a truck with leaf springs up front in over a decade. That was the last time they were really good. Then they stopped putting the v10 in, stopped development. It's stuck with a 110r 5 speed. It's a good tranny. The 6 speed is better for work getting a load moving. You can't get it with that 6 speed in a f350 pickup. Its a burly machine that is turnkey they just run. Put a better front suspension and steering system in the sd, keep the 3.5 boost in the 150. Build a v8 turbo or v10. Guys like me will work them. We'll love them if they are as good at going up as they are at going down. And have a natural heavy crank power feel that the little turbo although shows on paper it has. Doesn't feel any where near as good as a small v8 with an 8 speed.
What GM and Chrysler got from the Feds was substantially more than Ford received. GM and Chrysler were on the verge of bankruptcy, Ford was bad but had more liquidity because they mortgaged the house so to say. GAO report to Congress, page 33 in the footnote - Ford Motor Co did not receive financial assistance from the AIFP. It did participate in the commercial paper loan. The AIFP is the "bailout" where Ford took no money - GM took 13.4 billion and Chrysler took 4 billion. Ford did request a 9 billion line of credit but never took it. Source- GAO report to Congress on the restructuring of the auto industry.
Yes boys and girls all carmakers participated in government financing - Without AIFP GM and Chrysler would no longer exist. Ford did not participate in AIFP.
Sweet Truck!!!
The Raptor has been an insane success. The only ones crying about it are the stupidly dogmatic, the very jealous, and ones who don't have such money to burn on such a toy.
Just because your favorite company doesn't build anything nearly that cool or high performance (in a truck at least) is no reason to hate it. Part of the Raptors success is that there is no competition for it. Its a small market that would be diluted if someone invested the effort to seriously compete in it. The rewards for the possible newcomer and Ford would be much reduced. Kind of like why there is only 1 or sometimes 2 real Jeep Wrangler/ish type vehicle on the market.
I wish they had run with full stock suspension although the "slightly" beefier components were probably to make up for the weight of the safety mods...
A shame no one else even tried showing up in that class... A stock TRD or Fiate Rebel or PowerWagin that finished would have a little something to brag about as no one would expect either to beat the Raptor. Imagine if the Raptor had lost to one? The bragging right would have been immense. But even with little or nothing for them to risk they didn't play.
Hey s%^% for brains, does anyone still believe that Ford didn't receive any bailout money...lol
Set up in 2008, the CPFF helped companies obtain high-interest, short-term loans -- known as commerical paper -- during the height of the international credit crunch.
Ford's credit arm registered to sell the federal government around $16 billion in commercial paper. Like the financing wing of most automakers -- Toyota, BMW, GMAC and Chrysler also participated -- Ford found itself in need of liquidity when the lending markets dried up.
So Yes, Ford's credit arm participated in a federal program meant to free up short-term lending at a time when very few investors were spending.
It's no secret....except to boneheads like you....lol
Posted by: I was a Ford fan until the BS about not being bailed out | May 8, 2016 2:37:27 PM
-------------
Such a foul mouth.
Seems your reading comprehension is worse than your mouth. Nowhere did I speak of bailout. So to come at me with that insult is rather odd.
Wait it's my user name that spawned your attack. Which is also odd as I make no mention of bailout, but make mention of GM and Chryslers bankruptcy filings.
Good to know you understand the differences.
I like the Raptor but the Ecoboost is a POS motor. I had a 2011 F150 and it started misfiring after 60,000 miles, cracked spark plugs, etc...
Also, the gas mileage is the same or worse than my 2014, 5.3 liter Chevy V8.
If your're going to buy a Ford, do yourself a favor and get the 5.0 motor. There's no replacement for displacement.
Such a foul mouth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I
Seems your reading comprehension is worse than your mouth. Nowhere did I speak of bailout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I
So to come at me with that insult is rather odd. I'm gonna tell my mommy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I
Wait it's my user name that spawned your attack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I
Which is also odd as I make no mention of bailout, but make mention of GM and Chryslers bankruptcy filings. You hurt my feelings!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I
Good to know you understand the differences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I
lol IDIOT!
The comments to this entry are closed.