well if you did some research on this truck like i have, ive been watching this thing ever since they first introduced it, you will see that they took a raptor and raced it in the baha 1000. it finished it and had no problems at all. now that tells me that this truck is made to be abused. i mean come on, the baha 1000 is the toughest race ever in my book.

 

even though it is stock, it still looks beefier than my suspension and i have a lift installed.

 

That is another misconception about the truck. Maybe you need to do a little more research. The truck used to race the 1000 only looked like the Raptor. Not one piece of the stock raptor suspension was used in that truck. Ive seen that truck in person and only the cab shell, wheels (kind of) and a few little components are stock raptor. The rest of the body panels are fiberglass and all of the suspension is one off built for racing. Your stock raptor wouldnt make it over the first leap at the 1000. That would be like saying, im going to go buy a Ford Fusion and do 200mph because the Nascar Fusion raced the Daytona 500.

Please look at this link. It shows the full build of the raptor for the 1000. Very few production parts were used. Im sorry to burst your bubble.
Ford Raptor Project
Raptor Race Build Phase 4 - Front Suspension

 

No, what I was trying to say was that it would be nice if Ford started selling vehicles again without "permanently lubricated" components so that a ball joint, for example, might last more than 60 or 70k.

 

That would mean that it would take longer to make money from you

 

no argument here, offroad. i maintain the crap out of my vehicles, p****s me off that they feel the need to make something unserviceable because a lot of people dont keep up with theirs.

 

If you break something with a custom build you have a warranty?

People should be fully aware that there's limits.

By the way, a Chilean team are racing, and not factory sponsored, a Ford Raptor in the Dakar as we speak.

Chilean Privateers Running Ford SVT Raptor In Dakar Rally - Raptor - Jalopnik

 

okay, so there were a few changes, lmao. but the fact is still the same, why would a special vehicle team build a truck and advertise its offroad capabilities as the best of the best?

 

I don't think it gives you a license to anything different than any other truck. Abuse isn't covered under any warranty, and just because the truck has a better capability doesn't give you license to drive it like a rental. Don't think the dealership will be even MORE reluctant to do work on your truck under warranty because of why you probably bought it in the first place. All the Raptor means is that Ford won't deny you warranty work BECAUSE of all the added capability.

As always, though, some dealerships are more lenient and unquestioning as others.

I hear that! My truck only had 4 zerks under the front end. Now that I replaced all 4 ball joints it has 8 . Even though my OEM ball joints lasted 180K, I'm looking to get even more out my Moogs !

 

This is the same question I had when Jeep first started their whole "Trail Rated" campaign. Before that, driving offroad any more than wet grass was considered "abuse" under warranty.

I asked a Jeep corporate rep what was going to happen since they were now officially supporting offroading their vehicles so he showed me the modification in the warranty. The new warranty specifically excluded any and all damage caused by impact (jumping is an impact).

I'm willing to bet Ford made a similar disclaimer in the warranty on the Raptor.

 

Do you see where im coming from now, its a marketing ploy to sell more trucks?

 

Don't forget lockers....the interior refit....and the fact that if your wanting a short wheelbase extended cab you can't buy it in anything but the raptor....so no....you can't do it for 50....your easily looking 60K+

 

Let's not forget the gear changeout front and rear, and widening the rear axles. One more aspect... time.

 

Let's talk resale. While no new vehicle is an investment, I can speak from experience here. No matter how well you do the mods, and how it looks, a modified vehicle is worth so much less than you put into it.

Look at how people talk about warranties. Who's going to back up a guy if he bought a built rig? What's his risk exposure. All of it.

You may or may not have trouble getting Ford to warranty a breakage on the Raptor. I'd say that if you kept the fact that you were jumping it to yourself, who's to prove you were jumping it?

And if it bugs people so much to not have greasable ball joints, they can replace them with better ones.

I just feel that coming on a Ford forum to bash the best truck ever made for offroad use seems a little odd. Don't buy one if you're a super hard core user. The same would go true for anyone who's going to really abuse a rig for any use.

I'm highly encouraging Ford with my purchase and my support to keep upping the ante. It's so hard for manufacturers to justify specialty rigs. The Raptor is light years ahead of anything else ever made and I appreciate it. It's awesome. Kudos to Ford, it's no "disaster". I'm here to say that it's a brilliant shining star in the land of truck manufacturing where everyone else is making the same old same old.

As a package, taken as the whole, it's luxurious, very very capable, and an extremely satisfying vehicle to own. I've only read about a few people being disappointed in it. On the road for daily use, it's awesome. It's super quiet inside. There are no handling quirks, in fact, considering it's rolling on 35s, it handles extremely well. The brakes work, the traction control works, the sway control works, the descent mode works (amazingly well). There's many things that a built truck may do better than a Raptor, but I'd challenge someone to do it ALL.

They're making a truck for your purposes, the $130k race edition. Pretty expensive right? I'd like to see how someone's cobbled together rig does in comparison, as a whole truck. Heck, then again, I'd like to see a built rig do all the Raptor does for less in appearance, safety, and all capabilities.

If you want a truck that jumps better, I'd say build one. If you want a Raptor, well, we all (those of us that actually drive one anyway) know what it is, and again, it's no disaster.

 

I never once said that the truck was a disaster. I was pointing out that the idea was a disaster. Enjoy your truck and do as you please with it. I was simply pointing out, and you were sucked into their marketing ploy by stating that you thought that their race vehicle was the same as the showroom model. No arguments here that it is leaps ahead of the rest but just be aware that there could be complications if the truck is jumped and you are looking for warranty work even though Ford did it in their ads.