PEKIN, Ill. – There’s a new creature in the desert that you
should be aware of. The all-new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is preparing for an off
road race series called the 2016 Best in the Desert.
The racing series will really put the all-new Raptor to the
test in every terrain with a tough stretch of courses. The core of the
2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is a purpose-built fully boxed frame made from more
high-strength steel than the outgoing Raptor now.
A lot of features go into the Ford Raptor to make it the
ultimate off-road truck, and some of those features are the same in the actual
production Raptor like:
- Torsen front differential to improve off-road capability further, significantly increasing grip for the front
end and allowing the truck to pull itself over obstacles and up steep grades –
even when traction is split between the front tires
- First-ever dual exhaust and
new Ford Performance 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels with next-generation BFGoodrich
All-Terrain KO2 tires enhance off-road performance
Greg Foutz, owner of Foutz Motorsports, Ford’s truck builder and primary race truck driver said,” This is the most stock truck I’ve ever seen in my time building Ford race trucks. Without custom technology or other modifications, this all-new Raptor is ready to prove the toughness and performance in the Best in the Desert series.”
The Raptor has plenty
of modifications to make it a beast on the trail including:
- Race-optimized
three-inch-diameter external-bypass front and rear Fox Racing Shox similar to
Raptor’s segment-exclusive internal-bypass Fox Racing Shox
- Race-optimized
front and rear springs raise ride height to gain additional ground clearance
and provide increased compression rate to handle extreme terrain
- Custom-fabricated
roll cage
- MasterCraft
seats with five-point harness safety belts and window nets
- LED
light bars
- Racing fuel cell
- Lowrance GPS
- RacePak digital dash and data
logger
The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor prepares for an off-road racing series with its drivers Greg
Foutz and Tim Casey, who are both champions
of numerous stock full-class desert races.
The
F-10 Raptor runs off Ford’s second-generation high-output 3.5L EcoBoost engine
and a all-new 10-speed transmission for better efficiency.
The
power distribution between the rear and front wheels is done with a new
transfer case that combines the best traits of clutch-driven, on-demand
all-wheel drive with durable, mechanical-locking four-wheel drive. This will
help send power to the wheels in slippery conditions.
The
off-road technology has formed into an all-new Terrain Management System which
lets the driver select different modes to optimize driving dynamics to
environmental conditions. There are six preset modes:
- Normal mode for everyday driving
- Street mode for higher-performance, on-road driving
- Weather mode for rain, snow or ice
- Mud and sand mode for muddy, sandy trails and terrain
- Baja mode for high-speed desert running
- Rock mode for low-speed rock crawling
If
you’d like to see this truck in action, here are the following Ford F-150
Raptor dates and locations:
- Parker 425, Parker, Arizona, Feb.
4-7
- Mint 400, Las Vegas, March 10-14
- Laughlin Desert Classic, Laughlin, Nevada, May 5
- Vegas to Reno, Nevada, Aug. 17-20
- Bluewater Challenge, Parker, Arizona, Sept. 10-Oct. 6
- Pahrump Nugget 250, Pahrump, Nevada, Dec. 1-4
We
look forward to seeing updates on the racing series as it begins this weekend!
Looking for a truck to take you on adventures? Velde Ford has plenty to choose
from. Take a look at the 2016 Ford F-150, it may not be the Raptor, but it’ll still
get you where you want to go.
At Velde Ford, we're committed to providing our customers with an unbeatable level of service and a great car buying experience. Feel free to visit Velde Ford located at 2200 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554.
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VeldeFordPekin.com
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