New Truck - Ford Raptor Or ?

[treillw]

Going to need a new truck eventually. Considering a raptor. Live in Montana, tons of dirt roads, road to my house is a rutted up, washboarded, rocky, mostly unmaintained dirt road - I'm on it every day. We're almost always in the mountains driving rough roads for several hours each weekend too.

My main goal is to have a truck that I can drive on these rough roads with and not feel like the trucks gonna fall apart and my teeth are going to fall out and decrease travel time.

Don't really care about it being fast (would get the 6 cylinder with the 37" tire package and upgraded shocks) - incredibly slow compared to my other toys in reality.

The main question I have is is the raptor worth it? I'm thinking i might be able to buy a $60k truck and add $6k in suspension, winch, bumper, $2k in tires and be far shy of the $90k raptor price tag. Thoughts? I like the GMC half ton with the small diesel engine getting 27 mpg. What alternative truck would you choose and what upgrades? I don't want something small like a Tacoma.


Other considerations:

I'd use the truck in snow, which could be capable of burying it. Would add a which. Generally, how are raptors in the snow with deflated 37s? I don't want any low hanging plastic junk on it to get ripped off when it's buried in the snow.

Sounds like the automotive industry is being deregulated. I'd suspect better gas mileage and more power coming soon. Wonder how long it will take?

Thanks!

 

[DESERT ED]

If you can swing it, go for it. Run 35s in the winter so you don’t sink. Enjoy the smooth ride.

 

[LostWapiti]

A consideration of/against the raptor is width. So many places I go are narrow and being wider is not helpful. Maybe it’s not a factor for you. Another mark against the raptor for me also is the 5.5 foot bed especially for being a massive truck.

One of my friends has a Ranger Raptor and it’s way more spacious and comfortable than a Tacoma while only being about the width of a regular half ton so I’d say look in to it and you may be surprised.

One of my friends also has a Chevy 1500 trail boss with the diesel and he’s been very happy with it except it consumes DEF really fast when towing. He doesn’t off-road it though as he has a Tacoma trail right he beats the piss out of.

Personally I wouldn’t pay the Raptor tax and would probably just get another truck and throw the upgrades on that. Everyone’s financial situation and desires are different though. Been contemplating picking up an old half ton to do this to as a dedicated hunting rig since my F350 is not a good option ever for off road and I prefer to not scratch it if avoidable.

 

[treillw]

If you can swing it, go for it. Run 35s in the winter so you don’t sink. Enjoy the smooth ride.

How would 35s be better than 37s in snow?

 

[treillw]

I like that the at4x has locking front and rear differentials - huge plus for snow. Don't believe the raptor has a locking front diff.

 

[Idaho Mtns]

That’s a tough one for sure and no wrong/right answer treillw. You asked about Raptors, but also non Raptors (which is why I’m chiming in). I’ve always liked the Raptors and a good friend is on his 2nd high end model. I’m more about balance and offroad, and have favored diesels. My last 2 half tons have been a ’21 Ram diesel and a ’23 GMC AT4 w/the inline 6 diesel. Both with the off road packages which softens the ride a bit when off pavement. The diesel platform extends the range by a lot. I’ll grab another pickup in the coming year and it will likely be another GMC small diesel in the AT4 model but I have zero brand loyalty. Just want something that works for me in the mountains. Ram and Ford dropped their fuel efficient diesels so don’t have a lot of interest in their offerings anymore.

My only big knock on the GMC AT4 is the worthless Goodyear 4 ply tires they slapped on an “off road” model. A year into the truck and I went for some proper offroad 3 peak snow rated tires.

Keep us posted on what you purchase, why, and how it worked out. Data points are always good.

The main question I have is is the raptor worth it? I'm thinking i might be able to buy a $60k truck and add $6k in suspension, winch, bumper, $2k in tires and be far shy of the $90k raptor price tag. Thoughts? I like the GMC half ton with the small diesel engine getting 27 mpg. What alternative truck would you choose and what upgrades? I don't want something small like a Tacoma.


Thanks!

 

[lil' bear]

Personally, I would just get an ecoboost f-150 and upgrade it. Put a different suspension and a tuner kit on it. I think all of the 3.5L engines come with a 36 gallon tank. I'm getting about 700 miles per tank on my 2013. Plus you have the option for 6.5ft bed.

 

[tony]

Get an F150 XLT and build it. Get the factory rear locker, it works in 2 wheel and 4 wheels.

 

[butcherboy]

Are you buying new or used? If new then you can go to Ford’s webpage and start playing around with different packages and adding things you want. Upgrade some other things once you get the truck. Supposedly Ford is upgrading their V8 Coyote engine in 2026. If you are set on a Raptor then go for it.

 

[K_pem]

Man, as sweet as those Raptors are, I don't think they're nearly as tailored to mountain style driving as much as they are the desert/pre runner type market, not to mention they're pretty pricey...

I just upgraded this year and I settled on the Chevy 1500 ZR2. Has the Multimatic shocks that the GMC AT4X has, as well as the front and rear lockers and some cool offroad driving modes (offroad/terrain). I definitely think that the GM trucks still lag behind on interior/ tech features compared to RAM and FORD but these have to be the best factory shocks and offroad options, definitely the best camera system (really nice for tight roads/trails). Not to mention they're pretty affordable. If you wanted to spring a few extra thousand you can get the "Bison Edition" which gets you the AEV Offroad extras (fully skid plated underbelly and bumpers).

I got the standard ZR2 with the 3.0 baby Duramax (as I couldn't justify the added cost for a couple extra skid plates and bumpers) and so far, I am super impressed with it offroad. Plus, I regularly am averaging 20+ mpg.

 

[K_pem]

That’s a tough one for sure and no wrong/right answer treillw. You asked about Raptors, but also non Raptors (which is why I’m chiming in). I’ve always liked the Raptors and a good friend is on his 2nd high end model. I’m more about balance and offroad, and have favored diesels. My last 2 half tons have been a ’21 Ram diesel and a ’23 GMC AT4 w/the inline 6 diesel. Both with the off road packages which softens the ride a bit when off pavement. The diesel platform extends the range by a lot. I’ll grab another pickup in the coming year and it will likely be another GMC small diesel in the AT4 model but I have zero brand loyalty. Just want something that works for me in the mountains. Ram and Ford dropped their fuel efficient diesels so don’t have a lot of interest in their offerings anymore.

My only big knock on the GMC AT4 is the worthless Goodyear 4 ply tires they slapped on an “off road” model. A year into the truck and I went for some proper offroad 3 peak snow rated tires.

Keep us posted on what you purchase, why, and how it worked out. Data points are always good.

I was pretty certain I wanted the AT4 when I started looking as 2 of my buddies both have them. Then I learned that the Chevy ZR2 (non-Bison) is essentially an AT4x for the price of the AT4, as long as you're okay omitting the AEV bumpers and extra skid plates.

I'd take a hard look at the ZR2 if considering the AT4. My buddy was pretty disappointed when he heard that I got my 24 ZR2 that has the Multimatic shocks and both F/R lockers w/ 20k less miles for more than $5000 less than his 23 AT4.

 

[TxhunterPRC]

I've got a 2024 raptor with the 3.5 EB on 35's. I have taken it to the mountains multiple times and it performs flawlessly. Multiple ranch trips and many miles on dirt roads in Texas as well. It also drives very well on the highway and it has towed some pretty stout loads as well. My main two gripes would be lower fuel economy and bed squat. I have gotten around 16 mpg lifetime. I have 28k miles on it, with 90% being on the interstate going 75+. In town, keeping speeds from 40-70 mph, I normally get around 18-20 mpg. The bed squat is not a big deal either but takes some getting used to if you haven't had a Gen 3 raptor before. Overall, really love the truck and I would recommend it. Going to be hard for me to buy anything else other than a raptor after owning one. But, only you will be able to tell if it is worth it, for me, it was. Silky smooth on road driving and the best factory off road ride as well.

 

[jolemons]

Long time former Raptor owner here. Two reasons I wouldn't buy another are 1) width 2) service life on the shocks. But man, they are fun to drive.

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[TxhunterPRC]

Long time former Raptor owner here. Two reasons I wouldn't buy another are 1) width 2) service life on the shocks. But man, they are fun to drive.

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What life were you getting out of them? I've seen anywhere from 30k-60k miles.

 

[gbflyer]

I have a gen 1 with 230K on it. It’s still bad ass. No idea about the new ones.


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[jolemons]

What life were you getting out of them? I've seen anywhere from 30k-60k miles.

When I spent a lot of time on wash boarded roads, close to 30k before I would have them rebuilt.

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[DESERT ED]

How would 35s be better than 37s in snow?

I figured they would be lighter.

 

[Gulogulo]

Been loving my Silverado ZR2 for the past four years. Smooth riding, comfy and the locking front/rear diffs have been life savers. Firestone airbags and the 6.2L pulls like a dream.

 

[ThorM465]

I bought an 801a package raptor for my Wife this summer. I opted to take it to WY this year because of the semi self driving mode my SRW CCSB F350 doesn't have since I was driving solo.
I had it all over the east side of Bridger National Forest from Nov 16th to the 26th. I got there just as the snow was piling up. I couldn't have been more impressed with how it did in the snow. I had it on some fairly steep snow/ice covered grades around cottonwood creek and I never had any problems. I bought some snow chains, but never needed them. It probably had a lot to do with the 400lb Smartcap and the 200lbs or so of gear in the bed of the truck.
The ride through those roads and trails was far smoother than my F350 was last year.
It was horrible in the mud. Particularly a few stretches out towards cottonwood creek from Daniel. I honestly don't know if its the tires or the particular type of mud in that area.
The 5.5" bed is on the small side, you're going to feel it.

I'm happy with my decision to trade my Wife's 4runner for it, especially for the deal I got. It's a sports car in a trucks body. I'm glad I opted to drive it to WY over my F350. However, I do still prefer my diesel over the Raptor.