Day 2 in the dirt

Does this look like a happy raptor owner:w00t::w00t: A beautiful day in the Jean dry lake beds south of Vegas

Lookin good man! How do you like that 6.2?

Falcon

Ric, congrats on the new truck. Have fun with it. You can now join us on the runs.

Nice!!!!!

Congratulations Ric! First day and you got some seat time in the dirt! Wooooo Hooooo!!! :spinning: :banana:

I'm very happy for you! :clap:

Thanks for sharing the pics. I look forward to seeing you at the Raptor Roundup in Vegas next month!

Falcon said:

How do you like that 6.2?

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Aw jeez, not that again!

The way I see it is the Raptor is a special vehicle because of what it can do offroad (and because of that it's also terrific on road). It's not special because it has a 5.4 or a 6.2 or whatever engine you want to talk about putting into it. Those of us who've had our Raptors for some time and had them offroad know what the truck can do on and offroad and me personally, I'd like to hear what people think (A) of the vehicle overall and (B) of the Raptor offroad. It is an incredible truck and I'm looking forward to every owner (hopefully) taking their Raptor offroad and sticking their "toe in the water" to learn what it's capable of.

In my opinion, anyone who's focused on what the 6.2L motor can "do" is probably a street truck driver. Perhaps many Raptor owners and wannabe owners have never driven offroad so they have no idea what to expect or what to compare it to. Like I said, I hope every owner gets a chance to take it offroad and see what their RAPTOR can do no matter what engine is under the hood.

MagicMtnDan said:

Congratulations Ric! First day and you got some seat time in the dirt! Wooooo Hooooo!!! :spinning: :banana:

I'm very happy for you! :clap:

Thanks for sharing the pics. I look forward to seeing you at the Raptor Roundup in Vegas next month!




Aw jeez, not that

again!

The way I see it is the Raptor is a special vehicle because of what it can do offroad (and because of that it's also terrific on road). It's not special because it has a 5.4 or a 6.2 or whatever engine you want to talk about putting into it. Those of us who've had our Raptors for some time and had them offroad know what the truck can do on and offroad and me personally, I'd like to hear what people think (A) of the vehicle overall and (B) of the Raptor offroad. It is an incredible truck and I'm looking forward to every owner (hopefully) taking their Raptor offroad and sticking their "toe in the water" to learn what it's capable of.

In my opinion, anyone who's focused on what the 6.2L motor can "do" is probably a street truck driver. Perhaps many Raptor owners and wannabe owners have never driven offroad so they have no idea what to expect or what to compare it to. Like I said, I hope every owner gets a chance to take it offroad and see what their RAPTOR can do no matter what engine is under the hood.

Click to expand...

At least one auto journalist who's driven both would disagree with your assessment...
If the new 6.2-liter V8 exposes anything about the 2010 SVT Raptor, it's that the truck's chassis could probably handle another 100 horsepower. Or 101. At some point during our drive time, even the big engine felt stressed through the thickest mud at speeds that would make Walker Evans or Rod Hall proud. Perhaps the aftermarket will be quick to offer a supercharger for the 6.2? We think yes.-from autoblog

There have been several threads and many comments on the "5.4 vs 6.2" thing...

I don't mind them at all. Is this "dispute" much different than a good-natured dispute over favorite sports teams? Not in my opinion.

Each engine has it's advantages and disadvantages... and each of us has different "priorities" whether it be as simple as saving the extra cash... or just wanting the most powerful option. Maybe you like being able to use E85 in the 5.4? Or like the fact that on premium the 6.2 gains a few ponies? Perhaps the "proven" nature of the 5.4 is important to you. Or maybe being one of the first to get their hands on the "engine of the future" is your cup of tea? This list could go on and on...

People root for their favorite team. How BORING would it be if everyone just showed up and said "we don't care who wins! We just love the game!" What if nobody had a preference for one team over another???

We all love the Raptor... we have that in common. And I appreciate and enjoy the passion and, yes, even the occasional "difference of opinion" as to which engine option is the better choice!

OK... putting my :soapbox: away now!

I know there is a million writeups and stories on these from us first timers, I thought I would share mine. First, there is no way that I could top Nacho's experience on the Autobahn LOL. I picked it up last night at 9:00pm, I thought we would never get done signing the papers, I was giddy as a school girl.....I am absoleutly amazed at how well this truck handles compared to my 95 Ram 2500, this is like riding in a Mercedes on the road. I do notice that the front end tends to squat in on road steering maneuvers and braking. I will attribute that to the Fox setup. I kept the rpm down today as I am still putting on the "breaking in" mileage....It was very hard not to get on it. The exhaust is a throaty sound.... reminds me of the good old days of headers and cherry bombs. The noise tapers down as you even out your acceleration. The braking on this thing is fantastic both on and off road. Although I generally just get off the throttle to slow it down off road, I did alot of hard braking moves just to get used to it.
I was up at daybreak headed for the dry lake beds, only about 20 minutes from my house. I went in off road mode with 4X2 and played on the dry lake bed....then I turned off the nannies and had a little fun shooting rooster tails all over the place. The wife went along today and was definitely wide eyed the whole trip. She enjoyed it though. I went through some deeper sand, small whoops and deep soft sand ruts and never lost traction. We were on some of the same trails that are used in the Primm 250 and we ended up behind the Jean airport and Nevada Landing. I did not get on the highway to go back, I turned around and went on some other trails. I did not get a chance to use hill descent yet but am looking forward to it. This vehicle is amazing...Thank you SVT and Ford.
Gadgets....my oh my....I have a lot of catching up to do with sync, voice commands, and all of the other bells and whistles. A Craven stubby antennae will be first.....I thought i ripped the roof off the raptor pulling into the garage but it was only the antennae dragging against the stucco. I spent about ten hours driving today and the seats are so comfortable. I am still amazed at how well this thing drives. I will report out on the mileage once I get a couple of thousand on it. I am looking forward to the next run with all of you. Thanks for your support and I will enjoy meeting as many of you as possible here in Vegas in a couple of weeks.

Sweeeeeeeet!!! Gratz Ric! I can feel your excitement thru your retelling, and I'm sharing it!

Dan... it aint a crime to ask how someone likes their 6.2 bud Nor is it a direct, indirect or implied attack on us 5.4 owners. I'm afraid you're just gonna have to get used to lots and lots and lots of talk about the 5.4, the 6.2 and the comparisons between the two.

Healthy discussion and debate regarding engine options is a huge part of the user experience (and enjoyment) of any forum, and I personally think its going to be a big and fun part of owning a Raptor.

In any event though, its all good and all welcome here

CONGRATS! The first pic is perfect. Says it all! : ) HAVE FUN and get it dirty.