Automotive

Electronic adaptive shocks adjust 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor's suspension on the fly

Electronic adaptive shocks adjust 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor's suspension on the fly
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
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With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
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With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
Inside the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
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Inside the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
3/20
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
4/20
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
5/20
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
6/20
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
7/20
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
8/20
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
9/20
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
10/20
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
11/20
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
12/20
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
Inside the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
13/20
Inside the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
14/20
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
15/20
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
16/20
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
Inside the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
17/20
Inside the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
18/20
There’s no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
19/20
Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor’s suspension an electronic makeover
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
20/20
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
View gallery - 20 images

With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there's more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power. The company has just detailed a few upgrades for the forthcoming 2019 edition, including electronically adaptive suspension that promises smoother rides over rough terrain.

Ford teamed up with performance racing outfit Fox to give the Raptor's suspension an electronic makeover. This meant building on its existing internal bypass shocks by integrating sensors into both the car body and the suspension itself, enabling it to continuously adjust damping on the fly.

"By automatically varying compression rates, Raptor can now make the most of its suspension travel of 13 inches at the front and 13.9 inches at the rear," said Hermann Salenbauch, global director, Ford Performance. "The 2019 Raptor is not just more capable off-road. It's smarter. Not many trucks need sensors to detect when you are midair. Raptor sets the dampers to full stiffness to help smooth shock performance as the truck lands."

With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power
With its 3.5-liter twin turbo V6, the 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor packs plenty of punch, but the way Ford sees it there’s more to off-road muscle than sheer engine power

The 2019 F-150 Raptor will also include a new feature called Trail Control, which works just like cruise control, but for low-speed, off-road maneuvering. It enables drivers to select a speed between 1 and 20 mph (1 - 32 km/h) and have the Raptor automatically adjust the power and braking to each wheel individually, while they simply worry about steering over the rough terrain.

Inside are new Recaro sports seats with blue Alcantara insert and accents that are claimed to bring extra support in the seat back and cushioning. The exterior has also undergone a few minor tweaks with a reimagined rear appliqué, new beadlock-capable wheels and new color options that include Blue, Velocity Blue and Agate Black.

There's no word yet on the pricing, but the 2019 F-150 Raptor will go on sale in late 2018.

Source: Ford

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1 comment
1 comment
guzmanchinky
Sooo, this truck. Amazing piece of kit. But utterly worthless. Why? 1.) It's huge. You can't take it on any trails that are usually made for a Jeep Wrangler at best without either getting stuck or running into someone coming the other way and not being able to find a turnout wide enough for both vehicles. 2.) It's nose heavy. When you jump it off road (something I'm sure 99% of the buyers of this vehicle will never do) it dives nose first, especially if you don't remember to keep the throttle floored (which transfers the rotational inertia of the wheels into the truck, nosing it down even harder). A buddy of mine did this and totaled his Raptor simply by bending the frame a bit. But yes, it is a brilliant machine. If you're going to fly around the wide open desert a lot, and you know what you're doing...