So I just got my 2012 Raptor a few weeks ago. What a truck.

I love my Ex too & I'm keeping it but they are 2 totally different animals

Think Cargo Plane vs Light Bomber

The acceleration on the Raptor is amazing compared to the Ex but the suspension is a whole different universe.

Where the Ex just crushes the road and bumps & grinds over the highway the Raptor seems to float & absorbs bumps w no bumps at all.

So... I'd love to figure out a way to have Raptor like suspension on the Ex

I'm thinking custom Fox shocks as a starting point but would I have to swap out the springs too for a smoother ride ?

Would this require custom A Arms & springs too ?

 

All it takes is money.

One Up Offroad suspensions.

Call Clay at Riffraff Diesel, the Excursion forum sponsor. He works with OUO, is a dealer for OUO, and is running OUO suspension on all his rigs.

Stewart

 

Raptors have picked up some market share lately I've noticed. Lots of guys in the farming community that were running 3/4 ton trucks have made the switch to Raptors and claim to be really happy. They say it's sure one fun way to get around yet still very capable. One guy told me to think like driving a luxury enclosed Polaris RZR around all day lol!

 

I would be worried about towing capacity if you were to do something like that. I think a swap to 2005+ coil front suspension, with progressive rate long travel springs front and rear with shocks valved specifically for your application would be a big step in the right direction.

 

 

Towing isn't a problem.

 

Deaver and Alcan make some sweet leaf springs, including custom rates and setups if you have the money. I had a set of Alcan's custom done for the back of my Jeepspeed-esque Cherokee and loved them. Cost a bloody fortune though.

As for the A-arms... Leaf springs and a solid axle (SA) mean no control arms at all, so unless you're planning on investing many thousands of dollars or countless hours into fab work, it's just not going to happen. IFS (like the Raptor has) allows each wheel to react differently to road imperfections and respond quicker to them compared to a SA. In addition to improved handling, the ride is often times much better compared to leaf springs and a SA. That and they're designed for completely different realms of vehicle existence.

Taking a page out of my Jeep experience, we do something called a b-asta-rd pack (sorry for the dashes, it kept censoring it). Lift leaf springs ride stiffer, there's just no getting around the physics behind a taller arch and how it takes more effort to bend. Great for the mall crawler, not so much off-road on rocks and trails, nor ride comfort. So what became popular was the B-pack - we keep the main leaf, then mix and match individual leafs out of Dakota and S10 spring packs to achieve the same lift, but in a softer spring. This also meant that either while crawling rocks at 3mph or rolling down the freeway at 65, the ride was softer and more comfortable because the springs would react with less effort. Trade off was decrease in tow and payload capacities, but it's a Jeep...
You may be able to devise something similar for the Ex, but I'm not sure how successful it'd be or what you'd get a donor leaf pack from (2wd F250 maybe?), or how it would handle. Jeeps have a lot going for them with easily adjustable or progressive rate sway bars that are intended to allow maximum travel at low speeds and proper body control at road ones.

The rig in the video Clay posted has a complete re-vamp of the suspension. In it's place is a full coil, control arm suspension, basically a completely new undercarriage for your truck. Which is also why it runs between $7-11k. I'm sure it rides and performs fantastic, and it damn well better for that price tag.

I'd get with Carey of CTPerformance and see what he has to say. I have one of his setups on my Ex and love it.

 

Nice looking truck Mr Ice T,i cant wait to do the airbrush Ned kelly theme on my Ftruck..

P.S still saving for our holiday in Oregan woohoo...