When it comes down to the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor, the devil is in the details. For the most off-road oriented pickup truck Ford has ever developed, engineers have gone the extra mile to turn things up to 11. The choice in rubber is a perfect case in point.
Developed in parallel with the chassis, the BFGoodrich all-terrain T/A K02 tires aren’t off-the-shelf units. FoMoCo is adamant that more than twelve variations were tested before the automaker and BFG settled on the compound and tread pattern. Better still, the rubber shoes were developed with real-world driving in mind, not just for off-road fun.
The tread pattern, for example, boasts an optimized contact patch with wide channels between the tire tread for off-road prowess. The large sidewall lugs also enhance drivability off the beaten track. The strong nylon and steel belts, on the other hand, were designed with two things in mind: to improve wear life and the ride in real-world driving situations.
Remember the pre-production 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor that was entered in the Best in the Desert off-road racing series? That truck competed in the grueling competition with the same BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 as the ones customers get on the production version of the F-150 Raptor.
Slated to go on sale this fall, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is motivated by a twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine with more horsepower than the naturally aspirated V8 of yesteryear. I will sure miss the burble of the eight-cylinder engine, though. On the upside, the force-fed V6 has a thing or two in common with the motor that animates the 2017 Ford GT, a $450,000 supercar expected to deliver world-class performance.
Another technological marvel you should look forward to is a 10-speed automatic transmission. The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is the first Ford model to get it. The regular F-150 will also switch to the 10-speed unit in the near future, as will the Mustang. Production of the unit will start this month at the Ford Livonia plant.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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