Video

Raptor was not meant for crawling. It can do it, but it was designed for the desert. Designed to run fast in Baja. But just like anything else, you cant cheap out on upgrades. Upgrading the springs is a cheap way to make the suspension more capable. But if you don’t reinforce for the extra abuse, you have failure. Simple as that. Those that get raptors have the right to use the trucks as they like. And some of us will use the truck to their max potential. You don’t have to. But if you ever get a chance to do it, you’ll love these trucks even more and you will be hooked.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad so I installing the Gen 1 Raptor shocks off rock auto on my 2013 F 150. I got the struts, you suggest getting the stock springs at the dealer then?

We have not seen any issues with the gen1 trucks running Geisers on bottom perch. So you should be fine. The problem come when guys try and do upgraded springs and mid or top search on those shocks that they get into trouble.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad I couldn't get my shock to get off its perch setting, maybe the ones off rock auto are different. I loosened the screw but the perch wouldn't move.

They may be fused. But it’s a grove and have to take them apart. Some penetrating fluid and maybe a mallet to get them to pop off.

No. Everything worked fine afterwards.

Same speed man. And your confusing clip sync with a higher speed. This was all done on an iPhone and it’s very, very difficult to get the identical positions and speeds of the clips with those kind of clips. Would we had used a professional camera shooting 4K and 120 fps we could have done it sure. But not with what is a 2-3 year old iPhone.

That day sucked

Was one of the OG Founder member back in the day. And yeah man. Getting old sucks

🤣🤣 truth hurts don’t it.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad go check cybertruck offroad videos. its great

You will definitely like them man. Cost is lower and grip and longevity have been great.

You’re a braver man than I. I tried it with my Geiser springs and after both bolts started twisting, and I was no where near close I stopped. They work either way the stock springs sure. But for aftermarket shit is scary.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad yeah indeed… but your other video is so true the springs suck i feel as if it clunks more then stock

Yeah man. Very rough and I don’t recommend them anymore.

I did man. And it was super nice. Great torque, a lot of pickup and go. Very impressed with that inline 6. I also drove the Colorado i4 too so that may have made it feel better because with the 35s and bison package it felt sluggish. While the i6 diesel was super nice and made me want to build a Chevy prerunner

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad GM prerunner would be sick!

I’ve done a few in Vegas on the border for Mojave trail runs. Definitely want to do more runs out there, specially southern Utah

Glad we could help man. This is why we try and document it all.

You guys definitely deserve the credit for paving the way so we could DIY this. So thank you.

Pricing info is in the video 2 times. I don’t know the time codes off the top of my head, but they are there and a comparison to the typical mid travel kit cost as well.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad11:01 my bad !

That’s just a standard truck bed tool box. I drilled it and added mounting points to it on the sides and secured it to the L track. This worked for us for a while, but it eventually ran into issues. The tool box was not really designed for the abuse I put on this truck and it bent and warped. A pelican case or a roam case is a much better option

I don’t. When we filmed the springs were a little stiffer than we liked. I dont know if they have changed the spring rate since

It can give your a little bit more space, but I don’t think it would be worth it.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad My chest is sore and hands cut up this morning. Will put it back together since actuator works and door is not broke.

Yeah, we were in the same boat. Arms and hands all cut up and sore from how we had to contort to get in there. I never want to do that job again.

@KeepItDirtyOffRoad I did not put the hard bolt back on. Just put piece of cardboard between control unit and duct to take up slack. Even the easier one was a pain in the A also but got it on. My ac us still broke but at least the blend door is eliminated. Low pressure switch bad. Jumped and clutch engaged but did not get cold.

Damn. That sucks man. I need to take a look at mine too. My AC don’t blow really cold unless I’m going 60mph down the freeway.

@@mauropotiguar that’s how math work. For less money you get more than just the jack. And for offroad jacks you need a mount at minimum. So getting the jack and the mount for about the cost of just the pro Eagle is a huge savings. Pro Eagle with mount and cover that’s included your at $900 all in. For that same amount I can add every grove fab work accessory for the jack and have money left over. That’s a win and good value.

Thanks. Much appreciated.

What kind of range you think this would get offroad?

Huh. Did you watch the video?

Yeah, you still have options. Limit straps could help big time in the event of a failure. But you can easily get carried away with what else you’ll want like bump stops up front or shock bucket reinforcement. Sometimes it’s easier to stay close to stock. And that’s where Eclick and the top hats shine. Regardless, as long as you don’t overdrive the truck, you will be fine in the meantime. It’s easy to get carried away with these trucks because they are so capable and fun. Just remember, it’s still a stock truck.

Totally agree. Specially not the hummer EV weight. I want a fun engaging experience and I think a raptor suspension would be so fun with an EV power train.

There is a lot to cover 🤷‍♂️. Deep dive like this is not for everyone. But I really enjoy geeking out on these builds

⁠@@KeepItDirtyOffRoadI personally enjoy your longer videos, keep them coming

Thanks man.

They were just running a much shorter spring here. Looks really odd.

I think the term is planned obsolescence. Planned failures well after the warranty expires that are usually most expensive than the projected value of the vehicle. All manufacturers do it

Thanks, Hopefully they offer the parts as kits here soon and we can pick whatever 1/2 ton truck we want from GM to use as our base.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad totally agree, feels like it's own version of those Dirt King trucks but obviously with the power upgrades and such

I agree, except with the economy of scale of GM they could make that price, when it's a bunch of collab'ed companies and such and there's straight labor costs and development costs are all tied into this 210k price

Yep, but I don’t think it will be available till next year. Baja kits is part of Fox now and they are not going to do anything to reduce their sale of the first 500 trucks.

1:06:47 This is just bump steer, they need to fix the pivot locations of the tie rods and it will be fixed, especially because it is toeing in and out while cycling through the travel. Bump steer is also most apparent at the extreme ends of the suspension travel so as it was fully extended in the clip you played, the tie rods were sucking inwards.

Its an LT too haha, LS has been gone for many years outside of crate engines. Its an LT1/L86 Truck Motor

I personally think it closer to being on par but I agree with you that I wished ford offered a more complete truck with camber caster locks, hydraulic bumps and billet arms. Some day maybe they will.

I think it’s more than just bump steer though. Driver side has a tone more movement than the passenger side. And none of it is seen or felt in the steering wheel. And what ever the engine code is. LT 6.2 was badass here and the best feature of this truck either the whipple. I have not really gotten back into Chevy since the 90s. This truck is having me look again.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad I love my ford 6.2 but owning a Yukon Denali with the L86 6.2 and now a Camaro with the LT 6.2, they just feel like the power was always available instead of only above 3k RPM like the boss motor. But still, gotta give credit to Ford because it didnt require them to outsource to Fox and Brenthel to build a Baja ready truck, they just did it in house and learned from their mistakes which is so killer. Thanks for the review of the truck I have been waiting to see it from a different POV than the media lol

Truck was in 2wd for all the testing. And you could feel the wobble by the seat and not the steering wheel so as other have pointed it out, it’s most likely bump steer. As for the spring, you are right and someone else already pointed that out. They are using a shorter spring here. But a lot of what we felt was while we were in 2wd. It would be far worse in 4wd

The only way a Tacoma would be better than this is if it’s LS swapped period. There isn’t a scenario where that V6 is making anywhere near 700hp. And yes, you could fully link and LS swap a Tacoma for less.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad ls3 with a Magnum or Whipple and sas or 5.0 from HRD

Ford uses a combination of rubber bushings on the door latch and extra reinforcement from the factory. The rear cab is a tough spot to reinforce because that’s where the drive shaft is at. So I’m sure that’s a factor why they don’t have any extra bracing here

It’s actually only half inch more travel than a stock Gen3 Raptor both front and back. Very minimal extra. But I agree, there is a lot of drawbacks here that make the price of the truck crazy. At a lower price point most of them could be forgiven. And yeah man, a video this long is only for those that geek out on trucks like us. Most will maybe watch 10-15min of the whole video and that’s it. It’s the world we live in with shorter attention spans. My hope is to get the guys that want the deep dive and want that extra detail to keep tuning in.

@KeepItDirtyOffRoad I'm here to get deep! Lol, I did have to pause it after about 5 mins. My wife and I watched House of Dragon, and then I got back to the goods. I'm also not a fan of the front extra lights. For the price, I would have wanted to see something better. If it was under the price of a Raptor R, there might be less nitpicking, but for that price, it's probably going to be for a very specific fan. I'm starting to see why they only made 500. Thanks for the video, man! I really was hoping for something better, but they can't all be Raptors. I mean winners. Lol 🤙🏼🤙🏼

@SHAKA.RAPTOR 🤣 they definitely can’t all be raptors. But these guys got close. It this was priced at or below Raptor R money, I would want one too. But I think on the DIY side and buying the kits will be much cheaper.

You guys have experience with the GM electronic rack? Because that’s the trucks biggest issue right now

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad the 2500/3500’s historically have these issues and can be solved with HD joints and longer thread engagement.

Interesting. Definitely needs some help for sure. The way the tires were moving differently from each other was kinda shocking. Driving it was a little confusing. Once we saw the footage it all made sense.

Thanks 🙏

Oh That’s right. All the new GM V8 engines are LT. I’m not a big GM guy on the new stuff and totally missed that.

That was a great correction. What were your thoughts on the amazing Chevy steering off-road? I personally loved the Chevy power and coming for a 1969 Chevy Chevelle, I love the Frankenstein builds. 🤙🏼🤙🏼

Very true. Those that can afford these will hold them as trophies, and very, very few will actually see dirt. I’ll wait till they start to sell these parts in the aftermarket so I can build my own.

@@KeepItDirtyOffRoadwe need to get those upgraded dual valve shocks on the 24 raptors !

Yes we do!! Would be interesting to see if there is a way to also integrate the position sensor for the raptor

Ok. Random comment with no context. Please explain.

I'm referring to the front tires towing in and out over the bumps. Its just a bad suspension geometry in conjunction with the wrong offset of the wheels. It's probably limited by the oem design of the suspension. Not the end of the world, just annoying.

Ah ok. Thanks for clarifying. And I agree. Look a little closer at the slow video though. Passenger tire is moving one way, driver tire is moving another way, and a lot more, and the steering wheel is not showing any of it. Aside from some bad geometry there is a bad rack or ball joint, or hub too on that passenger side. All pointing to bump steer putting additional wear on components.

Pretty cool truck. But not like an HM Elite. But $$$

Probably for way less too.

Thanks for the breakdown. And now that spring setting makes sense. Almost looks like they used a shock body designed for a much longer spring or for dual rate springs and added threads to handle the shorter spring. They did have it on the table and visible from the presentation video. It did not look like a long spring. And they had destroyed their original spring already. They also mentioned the no slide and scratching up the shocks. From what we saw, the truck performed well. It needs a little more tweaking but it’s basically there and perming better than a TRX right now.

That could be a factor I’m sure. But we’ve seen TRXs and raptors with live valves / active valves run much more level and flatter with the sway bar connected. This could be too that extra frame flex that the team was talking about contributing as well.

Thanks man. Would love to take you up on it to experience how the truck performance

Dude, you're Bossy as hell! If I had the R, I would have made the offer as well for the same reason. Can't wait to see that video! 🤙🏼🤙🏼