NE Ford

So I've had my raptor rears on for about two months now and I thought I would put up some feedback. Let me first start by saying I had been contemplating this upgrade for a while, I did my research with other rear shocks and these won me over. They look great and from what I read the performance was going to be unmatched......

Truck: 2011 5.0 XLT supercab. Stock front coilovers, stock rear block. 285/70/17 Cooper AT3.

Install: Rear shock install is pretty straightforward, however I found out quickly that the raptor shocks are about 1.5" longer than OE. I put the attached the shock at the lower mount then used a ratchet strap to compress the shock to allow fitment into the upper mount. Added about five minutes to the whole process. Overall quite easy.

Performance: Once on my truck I immediately noticed a difference. However it was not the difference I was hoping for. The shocks are much stiffer than OE, which I was expecting, but I was suprised how much movement the rear end now had over small bumps. I was hoping for a more planted feeling but the rear end would chatter over bridge expansion joints, railroad crossings, smaller pot holes and frost heaves. This was a bit of a disappointment. On the other hand, larger hits like speed humps and whoops the shocks performed excellent. It was everything I had hoped for, solid compression to a smooth rebound. I was very happy about that. I can see why this shock is spec'ed on the Raptor and right at home in the sand.

Verdict: Overall I am a bit disappointed by the performance of these shocks, which could be a result of me setting expectations too high. My normal driving conditions require more small bump compliance, and after two months of driving I've had enough of the wandering rear end. It almost felt as if something under the truck was loose. I retorqued the shock bolts and a few other areas that I thought may be the culprit but the chatter continued. These shocks certainly have a place in our market and if I spent more time off-road or was planning to upgrade my leaf pack than I may be singing a different tune. I would be interested to try something more specific for our trucks, like the Boss or Fox 2.0 shocks to see if they have a different feel.

This is by no means an angry rant, or me blowing smoke about a product. I just wanted to let others know about my experiance. If you've had nothing but great performance from your Raptor rears please let me know, maybe I'm doing something wrong. Or if you've had Raptor rears and sold them off for something else what did you go with? How was the performance after the change?

Thanks for reading.

Chris's FX4

How many miles did the shocks have on them when you received them? Depending on the mileage on them or how the previous owner used his Raptor, they may need to be rebuilt.

You should also be running the Raptor rear blocks or a similar 2.5" rear block. This will put the shock back in its correct zone for how it was originally valved. Cause right now its more compressed than it should be due to your stock rear block. This will cause it to bottom out quicker.

deanfx

Thanks for this review. I seriously considered putting them on my xlt. I have no doubt that the chatter on small bumps is because of the length of the shock and the fact that it is pre-compressed so much so. I went with bilstein 5100 on the rear and they stick the heavier mud tires to the ground like I had hoped they would.

WarSurfer

A couple things to consider:

A Raptor in its lightest configuration is 6000lbs, which is probably at least 500lbs heavier than your truck.

As Chris said, you are running the shock lower in its compression zone. It's valved to ride within a certain zone and to become more stiff the more it is compressed - factory Raptor blocks would help.

You also have a different spring pack than a stock Raptor. Not saying the stock unit is all that great but they are designed to work together. A multi leaf pack from Deaver/National would be optimum.

NE Ford

Chris: the shocks were off a 2013 Raptor with 11k miles on them. The original owner of the truck was a 68 year old retiree who bought the truck because of the interior. Zero off roaring. Current owner pulled the shocks off as soon as he got the truck.

I had considered the rear block could be an issue but since I'm not leveled I have yet to test that theory. What is the size of an OE raptor block?

Wow, I knew the raptors were heavier but not that much. Appreciate the info. I've thought about leaf packs but as of right now they aren't in the cards.

Chris's FX4

Raptor block is like 2-7/8 inches and then tapers to 2.5 or something like that. F150lifts sells one that tapers like factory block or you can sometimes find Raptor owners selling their's or in my case, getting rid of them for free.

NE Ford

Looks like I'll have to try adding a block to see if that improves the handling. May take a while since now I'll have to level the front.

What's the lifespan on these shocks before a rebuild is recommended? I would hope 11k highway miles doesn't warrant one.

WarSurfer

edit:
I couldn't remember so I looked it up on the Raptor Forum - 100k miles.

HaloLifts

We have a solid billet Raptor style block 2 7/8 tapers to 2.5", we have one scratch & dent set, all it is, is the black powder coat is not perfect.

NE Ford

I just went out and took some height measurements on my truck. I found that the stock block measured 1.25" so replacing that with a raptor block (2.875"-2.5") would net a rear lift of 1.5"-1.25". If I bought a coilover set at 2" that would maintain about 1" of rake.

Does all that sound about right? Simple math I know.