Previously in charge of engineering for the Mustang, the kind gentleman in the clip below is much obliged to explain why the ins and outs of the first V8-engined Raptor in a heck of a long time. Carl Widmann tells Andre Smirnov from The Fast Lane that “people have been asking for a V8,” but as you have guessed by now, this engine is different from the 5.2-liter supercharged monster that powers the now-discontinued Shelby GT500.
“We had to meet truck durability,” explains Widmann, hence its redesigned oil pan that’s capable of picking up oil at pretty big angles. The cast stainless-steel exhaust manifolds are different from the tubular units of the GT500 as well, also developed specifically for durability. Carl’s team also decided on a smaller pulley – 74 versus 80 millimeters - for the 2.65-liter supercharger, which belts out up to 12 pounds per square inch of boost.
The smaller pulley helps the Roots-type Eaton TVS R2650 blower spin a bit faster to squeeze out more ponies and torque from the 5.2-liter V8 that Ford refers to as the Predator. Next up, the dual exhaust system is understandably longer than a Mustang’s exhaust because of the sheer length of a crew-cabbed pickup from the half-ton segment. The longer exhaust piping is one of the reasons the power is different. “We have a lot more air pushing out,” says Widmann, adding that numbers aren’t everything.
“I think it's a point where you're trying to balance how much power can you put down on the wheels and how much weight you want to put on the front end.” Given that Raptors are often used to bash dunes into submission, the Ford Motor Company’s engineers refrained from adding too much weight to the front end. There is additional weight compared to the V6-engined Raptor, that’s for sure, which is why the front dampers are specially tuned and the front springs are just a bit stiffer to better handle the V8’s weight.
Right off the bat, Ford knew that it’s bringing eight cylinders back to the Raptor when the Dearborn-based automaker started research and development of the third-generation model. That’s why the rear leaf springs of the second generation are gone in favor of a five-link setup with coil springs, which provides up to 14 inches (circa 35.5 centimeters) of travel.
Last, but certainly not least, Carl tells Andre that his team decided on beefing up the 10-speed automatic transmission with Super Duty-grade parts for – you’ve guessed it – durability. In this application, the 10R80 features a four-pinion gear carrier, a heavy-duty rear output assembly with PTFE washers, a 260-millimeter torque converter, a heavy-duty turbine damper, and a new calibration that enables blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shifts.
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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