Washboard Dirt Roads = Major Problems

[PDT905]

I have a $40 vair compressor under my seat. Works great, maybe a little slow but not really.

I usually run street pressures (33ish) and it is definitely serviceable off road. The more you go down the more you benefit, until you go low enough to debead

Awesome, thanks. I found a Viair that's only slightly more expensive and should be perfect for the amount of airing up that I'll need to do.

 

[TXRaptor]

There’s always one. I’ll keep an eye out for you on the Baja 500 podium.

Don’t worry about Jaz. He is smarter than anyone on this forum and he will gladly give you his wisdom free of charge because he is such a nice guy.

 

[Dustan]

I find it hard to compare the raptor to any other vehicle due to the 35” tires on it. The mistake that ford made was trying to get fuel economy numbers up by over inflating the tires. I don’t know of another vehicle that has this tire size stock. I think when statements are made that any other vehicle was fine on this washboard dirt road, while experienced owners are trying to help us is going to **** some owners off. I am new to this off-roading scene and have had the back end kick out and scare the hell out me. But I blame myself for not looking into proper air pressure setting and instead trusting what Ford put on the door.

 

[jzweedyk]

Googled: SSM 47757

Some 2019 F-150 Raptor vehicles built on or before 15-Nov-201 8 may exhibit a harsh or bumpy
ride during all driving conditions. To resolve this concern, reprogram the vehicle dynamics control
module (VDM) using the latest software version of the appropriate Ford diagnostic scan tool. For
claiming, use causal part 18B008 and applicable labor operations in Section 10 of the Service
Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.

I am travelling so I called a local Ford Dealer. It took a while but finally got them to look it up. My 19 was built in the first week. This dealer told me reprogramming is not covered and wanted to charge me $ 150.00. I have the full maintenance and extended warranty, so it doesn't sound right to me. Any input? When I get to another area I will try another dealer. Has anyone had this done?

 

[Uncas]

I find it hard to compare the raptor to any other vehicle due to the 35” tires on it. The mistake that ford made was trying to get fuel economy numbers up by over inflating the tires. I don’t know of another vehicle that has this tire size stock. I think when statements are made that any other vehicle was fine on this washboard dirt road, while experienced owners are trying to help us is going to **** some owners off. I am new to this off-roading scene and have had the back end kick out and scare the hell out me. But I blame myself for not looking into proper air pressure setting and instead trusting what Ford put on the door.

Ok everyone, take a pause here. First in-vehicle lesson at Raptor Assault is traction control and controlled drifts on washboard. The first lap they have you come out of a turn in normal mode and hammer it. The ass end hops around, gets loose and the traction control kicks in. You have a dead pedal and you can’t get out of the slide without almost stopping. Second lap, still in normal mode but no traction control, coming out of the turn, you hammer down and the ass end tucks under as you gain speed. Third lap, Baja mode and you realize why you bought this truck. One more lap, back to normal mode to remember how bad normal sucks.
Tire pressure is discussed also at Raptor Assault and while they run a little lower (32/28) since these vehicles see little on pavement driving, they have tested the KO2 and said 38/34 was the optimum pressure for most on/off-road conditions. Tire pressure down in the low 20s is for rock crawling with true beadlocks (which are not DOT approved on highway) and this truck is just not built for true rock crawling.
This is a performance pre-runner, hammer down and you wont be disappointed. While my GEN 1 was a blast to drive and extremely dependable, it had nothing on my GEN 2, just hate that it’s got to go in for cam phaser, trans displacement pump and creaky leaf springs before the summer is over. Still wouldn’t trade if for anything else on the market, past or present.

 

[rtmozingo]

Ok everyone, take a pause here. First in-vehicle lesson at Raptor Assault is traction control and controlled drifts on washboard. The first lap they have you come out of a turn in normal mode and hammer it. The ass end hops around, gets loose and the traction control kicks in. You have a dead pedal and you can’t get out of the slide without almost stopping. Second lap, still in normal mode but no traction control, coming out of the turn, you hammer down and the ass end tucks under as you gain speed. Third lap, Baja mode and you realize why you bought this truck. One more lap, back to normal mode to remember how bad normal sucks.
Tire pressure is discussed also at Raptor Assault and while they run a little lower (32/28) since these vehicles see little on pavement driving, they have tested the KO2 and said 38/34 was the optimum pressure for most on/off-road conditions. Tire pressure down in the low 20s is for rock crawling with true beadlocks (which are not DOT approved on highway) and this truck is just not built for true rock crawling.
This is a performance pre-runner, hammer down and you want be disappointed. While my GEN 1 was a blast to drive and extremely dependable, it had nothing on my GEN 2, just hate that it’s got to go in for cam phaser, trans displacement pump and creaky leaf springs before the summer is over. Still wouldn’t trade if for anything else on the market, past or present.

No, @Dustan is right. I just got new tires on my truck and where previously I had to run 4A, I can now run 2wd, that's how much more traction I have.

I am nearly 100% certain now that the KO2 was chosen for fuel efficiency considerations, as their lack of traction (rolling resistance) is immediately apparent with my new tires, which are only 2lbs per tire heavier yet noticeably affect mpg. More importantly, whereas the KO2s would breakaway really quickly and dramatically, my coopers take much more force to start sliding, and they regain grip as soon as you want them to.

The raptor ko2 gives a nice ride and excellent mpgs, but it doesn't last long when put to work. 38 miles of Texas dirt ate them up.They grip in every situation, but just enough to say they do. Really, my new tires (not broken in) have nearly 3x the grip my BFGs had at their best.



Also, the traction control coming on at a bad time can actually send you careening somewhere you don't want to go. It helps most of the time, but not always. RSC is the most annoying as it loves to kill power right when you are trying to finish a sharp turn.

 

[Uncas]

No, @Dustan is right. I just got new tires on my truck and where previously I had to run 4A, I can now run 2wd, that's how much more traction I have.

I am nearly 100% certain now that the KO2 was chosen for fuel efficiency considerations, as their lack of traction (rolling resistance) is immediately apparent with my new tires, which are only 2lbs per tire heavier yet noticeably affect mpg. More importantly, whereas the KO2s would breakaway really quickly and dramatically, my coopers take much more force to start sliding, and they regain grip as soon as you want them to.

The raptor ko2 gives a nice ride and excellent mpgs, but it doesn't last long when put to work. 38 miles of Texas dirt ate them up.They grip in every situation, but just enough to say they do. Really, my new tires (not broken in) have nearly 3x the grip my BFGs had at their best.

View attachment 127546

Also, the traction control coming on at a bad time can actually send you careening somewhere you don't want to go. It helps most of the time, but not always. RSC is the most annoying as it loves to kill power right when you are trying to finish a sharp turn.

Not what I am saying here Chief, first thing I said was that full blown traction control is not your friend in most off-road situations but some traction control can be useful. I don’t turn it off when driving to and from my house, as long as I am above 35 mph on the corduroy, things are good on the Raptor or my company issued Explorer.
Second, I said I think there’s no need to air down as extremely as some have said. The KO2 is a good tire as long as it is aired in the 30’s, I have 35k on the factory set driving up Colorado trails with a lot of rocks and stumps and rallying out on the desert plains, I probably can get another 10k out of them. That being said, I will replace them with Nitto Trail Grapplers when these are toast because I have had great traction and performance out 4 sets on my GEN 1 and 3 sets on the wife’s JK.
Tire preferences vary as much as preferences in women. You may like blondes with a nice rack while I like brunettes with a tight pinion.
Thing is this is a great truck and you can leave it stock or you can dump 30g in it and change it to something else, your choice, that’s why we live in ‘Merica.

 

[wheelman55]

Fun thread. The following is one man’s experience.

My place in the Big Bend is 3.5 miles off pavement before I get to asphalt. Beyond the house, I’ve got literally 100’s of miles of off pavement roads to play on. My longer rides are 50-60 miles off pavement. We have a little bit of washboard, but mostly dirt with limestone/bedrock sections. Lots of whoops, abrupt rock steps and sharp pointy rocks.

I drive a 2018 Raptor, a 93 F250, a 97 F350 and a 2010 Volvo XC70 (RIP due to deer kill )

What works best?

If i’m traveling at “good neighbor” speeds...the Volvo is hands down the best driving vehicle on the washboards. I use 36 psi all around on it.

The Raptor comes in second. I use 32/28 psi unless I’m heading up to town (90 miles) to get groceries, then I air it up to 38/34.

The F250 is worse than the F350, although both are pretty terrible. If I air them down to 40 the ride is passable.

Doing a 54 mile section of primitive road down in the Nat’l Park took me 4 plus hours in the F250 aired down to 36. Raptor did it in 2 hours, could have done it in 1.5...maybe.

When I can get away with faster speeds the Raptor is king, providing that I use 32/28. FYI, the TPMS on my 2018 will not read below 30 psi.

Things that I use:

• Air down per above
• A tire plug kit for each vehicle. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DIECCK/?tag=fordraptorforum-20
• A second spare for the longer trips
• Viair 400P. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X9B32M/?tag=fordraptorforum-20
• Replaced the Viair air gauge (it failed) with a Milton https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075SGV4XK/?tag=fordraptorforum-20
• Repeat...the inflator on the VIAIR failed. Replace it.
• I also replaced the air hose. The OE Viair hose has a shortish life span. I replaced it with this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00807XN4K/?tag=fordraptorforum-20
• The inflator will do you no good if these parts fail.
• An aluminum 3 ton jack
• A Makita 1/2” impact wrench, two batteries, along with two impact sockets to change tires.

I replace tires well before they get to the wear bars. If i was doing only highway, I would likely get another 10k+ on the rubber. I do a six tire rotation on the Raptor, every 5k miles. I use ceramic balance beads on the trucks and my 12k dual axle trailer...the beads are stupendous...all vehicles run true.

I use the Viair a lot. The Makita impact wrench is a beast. I’ve plugged a few tires. I’ve yet to get a flat off road, however I’ve helped a good handful of other people with their flats. I hoping that karma will stay with me...

I absolutely love my Raptor. I hope to stay driving a vehicle this sweet for many years to come.

Happy trails!

 

[rtmozingo]

Not what I am saying here Chief, first thing I said was that full blown traction control is not your friend in most off-road situations but some traction control can be useful. I don’t turn it off when driving to and from my house, as long as I am above 35 mph on the corduroy, things are good on the Raptor or my company issued Explorer.
Second, I said I think there’s no need to air down as extremely as some have said. The KO2 is a good tire as long as it is aired in the 30’s, I have 35k on the factory set driving up Colorado trails with a lot of rocks and stumps and rallying out on the desert plains, I probably can get another 10k out of them. That being said, I will replace them with Nitto Trail Grapplers when these are toast because I have had great traction and performance out 4 sets on my GEN 1 and 3 sets on the wife’s JK.
Tire preferences vary as much as preferences in women. You may like blondes with a nice rack while I like brunettes with a tight pinion.
Thing is this is a great truck and you can leave it stock or you can dump 30g in it and change it to something else, your choice, that’s why we live in ‘Merica.

This I agree with.

That's why I tell everyone to only reduce the TC as much as necessary to stay out of your way, but no more than that.

And while I agree about tire pressures, if you are running aggressively you gotta be aware you will chew through the BFGs quick.

 

[zombiekiller]

to supplement some of the commentary here, I will also say that the stock BFGs that come on raptors leave a lot to be desired.

They are light, they are load range C, so they have more give than most tires folks are used to.

any other tire on the market has a stiffer sidewall and makes the truck more predictable in the dirt.

I thought that my general grabbers, and the extra rolling resistance that they provide actually helped my truck A ton. It dorve way way smoother back to back when comparing bfg ATs to generals.

My truck likes that extra unsprung weight and resistance. YMMV, but this is what I've experienced.

I also recently switched back to MPT tunes from Cobb canned tunes. WOA. TC and stability control pull a TON of power. Once I disabled both, I'm able to spin heavy 37s going 35 MPH. My point in mentioning this is that some of the trucks weird behavior might also be alleviated with even a canned tune.