Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
Ancient Egypt is widely considered the starting point of crude suspension technology, but the Roman Republic and Empire made the leaf springs famous across the Old Continent. The elliptical setup was patented in the 1800s by a British inventor, and obviously enough, the first motor vehicles utilized this design because of its sturdiness and simplicity.
As far as the U.S. truck market is concerned, Dodge upgraded the 2009 Ram 1500 full-size pickup to coil springs for a few notable reasons. First of all, coils improve ride comfort and cornering stability due to less unsprung mass. Secondly, this setup provides better articulation off the beaten path.
Turning our attention over to mid-size pickups from domestic manufacturers, Ford comes to mind with the Ranger Raptor. As opposed to lesser trim levels, the off-road specification combines a coil-sprung solid axle with a Watts linkage, Fox 2.5-inch internal bypass dampers, and special bracketry.
The Ram 1500 TRX and all-new Ford F-150 Raptor also feature coil springs, and as the headline implies, the next generation of the Ranger Raptor will also employ coil springs. Spy photos uploaded on the Ranger6G Forum confirm this setup, along with 285/75 by 17-inch BFG rubber shoes.
If you’re curious what those dimensions mean in terms of diameter, make that 33.8 inches as opposed to 32.7 inches for the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and 30.56 inches for the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. Proven at Baja and rated for severe snow, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires also happen to be arguably the best OEM solution for off-road applications.
Expected as a 2023 model at the earliest, the Ranger Raptor for the U.S. market won’t feature the 2.0-liter EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel sold in Europe and Australia. The Ford Motor Company is most likely hiding a twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost under the hood, but we’re not quite sure which one of them.
The 2.7-liter “Nano” in the Bronco may be on the underwhelming side of internal combustion because the Nissan Frontier also develops 310 HP from a free-breathing engine. As a result, I’m willing to wager ten bucks on the 3.0-liter “Nano” of the Explorer ST. In the mid-size SUV, the six-cylinder lump offers 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet (563 Nm) of torque.
Turning our attention over to mid-size pickups from domestic manufacturers, Ford comes to mind with the Ranger Raptor. As opposed to lesser trim levels, the off-road specification combines a coil-sprung solid axle with a Watts linkage, Fox 2.5-inch internal bypass dampers, and special bracketry.
The Ram 1500 TRX and all-new Ford F-150 Raptor also feature coil springs, and as the headline implies, the next generation of the Ranger Raptor will also employ coil springs. Spy photos uploaded on the Ranger6G Forum confirm this setup, along with 285/75 by 17-inch BFG rubber shoes.
If you’re curious what those dimensions mean in terms of diameter, make that 33.8 inches as opposed to 32.7 inches for the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and 30.56 inches for the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. Proven at Baja and rated for severe snow, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires also happen to be arguably the best OEM solution for off-road applications.
Expected as a 2023 model at the earliest, the Ranger Raptor for the U.S. market won’t feature the 2.0-liter EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel sold in Europe and Australia. The Ford Motor Company is most likely hiding a twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost under the hood, but we’re not quite sure which one of them.
The 2.7-liter “Nano” in the Bronco may be on the underwhelming side of internal combustion because the Nissan Frontier also develops 310 HP from a free-breathing engine. As a result, I’m willing to wager ten bucks on the 3.0-liter “Nano” of the Explorer ST. In the mid-size SUV, the six-cylinder lump offers 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet (563 Nm) of torque.
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