Raptor vs Lightning

[Crikk]

I think that thing is SICK!!! I love it!! I wouldn't buy it because here in Chicago I need 4x4. Honestly I wish chevy made a "raptor" kind of truck. I grew up in a chevy household, dad had chevy trucks and corvettes my whole childhood, I even had my room painted with corvette emblems. My dad bought his first super duty for the diesel in 1999 and put 108kmiles on in 2 1/2 years and never even needed to put brakes on it, now 5 super duties and a raptor later never had another chevy. I bought my first ford brand new in 2010, a fx4, and immediately could tell how much better of a truck it was. Now I have got my fiancé a taurus sho to go with my raptor, and consider us a "ford" family......

But, I cannot lie and I must say that I still feel alittle weird sometimes putting my ford shirt on! I think in the last couple years Chevys build quality has come up to par with ford and I really do like the new body style of Chevys. If the raptor never would have came out and I still had my fx4 I would be looking at a new chevy. The problem is now the raptor has ruined me. I DRIVE my raptor!!! Like it is a corvette!!! So to have to go back to something that doesn't handle and drive like the raptor wouldn't work for me! But I really do wish chevy would put something out like the rap I know they could when you look at how bad ass the corvette and camaro line have become, not to mention caddys V's.

 

[Leeann]

I owned 2 lightnings. Back then they were popular, but now a days I rarely see them. I do have a few friends who still own them though. I regret selling my 04 sonic blue.

 

[Jordan@Apollo-Optics]

I had a Lightning. Cool for a college kid that just wants to be loud and obnoxious and have a truck but not actually do anything with it. It sucked ass. It was a 2 seater that was loud. That appeals to about 20,000 people in the united states...not nearly enough to justify the R&D cost for another one. A truck appeals for a variety of different reasons: off-road capability (whether it's high speed or just going through thicker shit than a car can), payload ability, and seating capacity. A lightning delivers on none of that. Highly doubt you'll see another one anytime in the near future.

 

[Reptar]

I had a Lightning. Cool for a college kid that just wants to be loud and obnoxious and have a truck but not actually do anything with it. It sucked ass. It was a 2 seater that was loud. That appeals to about 20,000 people in the united states...not nearly enough to justify the R&D cost for another one. A truck appeals for a variety of different reasons: off-road capability (whether it's high speed or just going through thicker shit than a car can), payload ability, and seating capacity. A lightning delivers on none of that. Highly doubt you'll see another one anytime in the near future.

lol bit of a skewed/one sided review there. A Lightning is about as light/nimble/responsive as you're going to get for a truck. An excellent choice if you want as close to a sportcar handling and power as you can but need a truck for the bed space or towing. For most people offroad capability isn't a need to have, so a truck that isn't geared for offroading isn't a big deal, otherwise 2wd trucsk wouldn't be so popular. And a L had nearly as much payload as a scab raptor back when all f150's were much lower payload rating than they are today. And the L also had a bigger bed than the midget one on the Raptor, you could actually carry a load of sheetrock and not have it hanging a foot off the tailgate.

Both trucks appeal to different markets, one isn't better than the other, but just because one is great for offroad doesn't mean the other one is a garbage college kid ride lol.

 

[SwampKing]

Perfectly said reptor. And if anyone ever needed an screw, a Harley Davidson 02-03 is a screw lightning with HD badges. I wish the lightning could be produced as a screw this go around. They did it with our Raptors, why not?!

 

[The Tank]

After thinking about GM's possible intro into the "super street" truck race with the Cheyenne, why can't Ford answer?

My thought: Alternate the SVT trucks in a 4 or 5 year rotation between the Raptor and the Lightning.

Ford needs to close the market on street trucks like they did with the Mustang.
GM and Chrysler have entries (Camero and Challenger), but their both a step or two behind the Mustang. Put that 5.8L monster in a lowered, lightened F-150 and rock-n-roll.

Because this chassis is to heavy and to make a 3rd gen L it would have to out perform the 2nd gen L and it would make for one very expensive truck

Ford announced the Tremor back in July. I think this is the closest thing we'll see to a Lightning.
All-New 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor Is World's First EcoBoost-Powered Sp … - Press Release

That will be it until the new lighter frame comes out in a couple of years

Was the lightning even anywhere near as popular as the raptor? The market isn't there for street trucks like that IMO.

Not really its a niche market but so is the Raptor and a lot of people are buying Raptors over FX4s and just mall crawling them.

Why would they not just offer both the lightning and the raptor. I'm sure they would sell enough of both to make a profit.

Niche vehicles rarely make actual money.

According to SVT's website here are the production figures for each year of the second generation Lightning:

1999: 4,000
2000: 4,966
2001: 6,381
2002: 4,726
2003: 4,270
2004: 3,781

According to SVT's website here are the production figures for the first two years of the Raptor:

2010: 10,437
2011: 11,135

I believe sales have continued to increase every year. That's not bad for a vehicle released during the Great Recession.

IIRC Oakville is much smaller then the Derborn

not a fan of street trucks. Well some are cool, but if i want muscle I'd rather have something that can handle better and is lighter. If I want a truck, I want something that can haul/tow and have some sort of offroad capability.

You've obviously never driven a Lightning. While its no Ferrari or Lotus it still handles extremely well.

To me, the Lightning is a waste. Its only really popular in the southern states and the west coast. The Raptor is a MUCH better concept for a specialty vehicle because it can do everything for everyone.

Its a niche vehicle its not made for everyone. And those same places you just listed are where the Raptor sells the best.

Chevy will never release it. How many SEMA special editins have we seen come and go, with nothing ever produced despite consumer desire?

I'm still waiting on the that GMC from a few years ago.

I owned 2 lightnings. Back then they were popular, but now a days I rarely see them. I do have a few friends who still own them though. I regret selling my 04 sonic blue.

It getting hard to find one that hasn't had a very rough life. I regret selling my 03 DSG truck.

Perfectly said reptor. And if anyone ever needed an screw, a Harley Davidson 02-03 is a screw lightning with HD badges. I wish the lightning could be produced as a screw this go around. They did it with our Raptors, why not?!

HDs were 2/3s of the Lightning. They used the older less powerful engine. They didn't have the suspension tuning like the Lightning. Screws are horrible for sports truck because they are heavy, with Raptors weight isn't an issue as much as wheelbase, overhang, and approach and departure angles.

 

[SwampKing]

HDs were 2/3s of the Lightning. They used the older less powerful engine. They didn't have the suspension tuning like the Lightning. Screws are horrible for sports truck because they are heavy, with Raptors weight isn't an issue as much as wheelbase, overhang, and approach and departure angles.

Maybe but running 11's in a 6k pound truck isn't bad when I owned my screw. Of course with a tiny bit of tuning, pulleys, ect..... It was a capable truck until these newer chassis came out as far as light weight goes and "the quarter Mile". Only thing my 2003 screw didn't have stock to a lightning was Shocks but upgrading to Qa1's solved that dilemma and a pulley. Handled less squirmy off the line compared to a lightning which helped with 60' times anyways in my case. Of course by the time I was done with it, not much was stock. Setup rite, my screw would surprise local corvettes, Just saying, Same reason I won't be supercharging trying to catch times in a Raptor. I'm better off just adding bogarts N/A and taking off the heavy weights. I wish I woulda kept my 2-tone Harley though, But I was thinking a 2016 model that's supposedly going to be light weight again rite?! I'm sure it won't be to 03' spec chassis weight but.... That's the only reason I thought a 16' might be a great idea for another run of the lightnings......the Chevy Cheyenne just got me stoked, STRICTLY for this reason being! .

 

[matrix243]

Because this chassis is to heavy and to make a 3rd gen L it would have to out perform the 2nd gen L and it would make for one very expensive truck

That will be it until the new lighter frame comes out in a couple of years

Not really its a niche market but so is the Raptor and a lot of people are buying Raptors over FX4s and just mall crawling them.

Niche vehicles rarely make actual money.

IIRC Oakville is much smaller then the Derborn

You've obviously never driven a Lightning. While its no Ferrari or Lotus it still handles extremely well.

Its a niche vehicle its not made for everyone. And those same places you just listed are where the Raptor sells the best.

I'm still waiting on the that GMC from a few years ago.

It getting hard to find one that hasn't had a very rough life. I regret selling my 03 DSG truck.

HDs were 2/3s of the Lightning. They used the older less powerful engine. They didn't have the suspension tuning like the Lightning. Screws are horrible for sports truck because they are heavy, with Raptors weight isn't an issue as much as wheelbase, overhang, and approach and departure angles.

I'm glad someone cleared that up. Thanks.

I'm hitting over .9g lat. with just a tire upgrade in my lightning, so the suspension on the lightnings still holds up to todays cars.

---------- Post added at 12:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 AM ----------

Less than 4500lbs? Ya right!

 

[svtippy]

raptors sell more we all see the numbers and know that's a fact but the lightning was an amazing truck and they didn't sell that many because they were an actual limited production truck and only certain dealerships could sell svt cars/trucks at the time I believe only 50 in the US so the sales # or the two trucks are skewed and you really cant compare the two in sales

 

[Deinonychus]

I'm still of the opinion that a killer Lightning, lightened F-150, maybe in Scab to increase every day functionality, and most of all with the super snake supercharged 5.8L would make a King of the Street Trucks python that would "crush" the competition be it anything Government Motors may produce and even the Viper that Dodge had once produced.

It would be a great compliment for the Off-Road King that Ford now produces.