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That's the one thing I cannot figure out - with the rear end, the TrueTrac and the factory traction control go together like pretzels and beer, but does the XLT use the factory traction control on the front wheels, or just the back?
Good question, it would be interesting to know. Add to that, is the traction control turned off when in 4times4?
I played with it after work. I kicked in in 4WD in the driveway, and backing out and turning, yes, the familiar "In 4WD" slow speed steering.
So I put about 15 miles on it, around this end of town, from 25-45 mph, and it drives and turns no different than it did before.
Next I took it to the West End, where there's a nice 1/2 acres empty lot, that is for sale, and had been used to park trucks on.
First, in 2wd I started at the back, stepped on it, and I had both back wheels churning for about 20 feet, then they grabbed, and accelerated pretty well, with some traction control flashes, and it did good.
I then went back, to the side of the other start, kicked in 4wd, and stepped on it again.
NOTE: Anybody who's glad I did it first, and risked buying a part that wouldn't work is free to send me Cokes and Popcorn every Christmas !!
This time I got 4 short spins, and then the truck kind of hunched up, grabbed the ground, and accelerated like a SOB. I was looking at the street up ahead, figuring where I better hit the brakes at - and no TC lights flashing.
I really wish we would have a late season snow storm, but I'm in it for the long haul, and I'll see how it does in the snow when it snows.
The biggest thing to this upgrade is to shop your Ford dealers, parts prices range from list price, $900+ to heavily discounted dealers. Same website, fordparts.com, just dealer shop until you find the best deal.
Second biggest thing is a good mechanic, who can make sure it's shimmed up right, and gets a nice contact pattern. Mine charged me 4 hours labor.
All told, including the bad tie-rod end, this is a $1300 mod - which is what, about 2 truck payments if I would have traded?
Raptor traction - Priceless - Ha Ha
Last edited by montanaman; 03-29-2017 at 10:18 PM.
Now that I have a drain plug in the front - it's time to finish the job and service the back 'punkin. Don't you love the look of chrome on that big 9.75" axle cover?
We had to do some driving yesterday, and saw three season of weather.
Spring, Fall and Winter - nothing like living in the mountains, is there ?!
Coming home at about midnight, it started snowing, with driving wind and sleet in Bozeman, and I was pulling my 10' dump trailer.
Bozeman pass was nasty - before we go up it on the west side all the semi's were crawling and flashing their lights, because there was about 4" of slush/sleet on I90, and it was right at freezing temp.
Unfortunately, I had pulled off my studs two weeks ago, because it was 65 degrees and nice, so I'm back to my Hankook ATS 'Summer' tires.
So we're going uphill, and it felt like I was slowing down, and I see my tach wandering up, and realized both tires were churning pulling that anchor behind me.
So I let off the gas, twist the ****, and after I kicked in the front, I stepped on it again to start speeding up again, and it was night/day difference on the traction. That thing just pulled, and after I got up and over the pass to Livingston I kicked it out.
I know FORD puts the LS front end in the RAPTOR's for a reason, so they can tear through dirt, sand, and gravel offroad, but it's awesome in the snow too.
Is it worth the money to have a true 4 X 4 ? It is to me !
•ZOMBIE THREAD REVIVAL•
I had a TORSEN installed in the front of a 97 Mountaineer, TruTrac in the rear. There's nothing better than having all four wheels putting down power. Winter snow was stupid-fun in that thing, learning to use the torque biased traction was a hoot (no-steer, power-only lane changes are a thing, in the right conditions).
You paid about $100 more for your Raptor front differential than I did for mine, which is pretty sweet since you got it from the dealer.
Anybody on the fence about this: just do it!
I was driving two weeks ago, down I90, it was icy, a lot of vehicles on the road, and in 75 miles I saw several vehicles off the road, who had lost it.
I have my studded tires, and I was in 4 x 4 going about 50mph, and I think the guy ahead of me had his cruise control on, because I saw his back end start kicking out, then I saw the brake lights light up, and he was sideways right in front of me - about 50 yards.
We were both in the "Fast Lane" because it was in better shape, so I dropped down into the median, which was about 6' lower, but had a gentle slope.
I went by him, and there was about 12-15 inches of snow down there, on top of grass, and right away it started sucking me down to a crawl, and I had to punch it to keep my speed up. Really punch it, almost floored, and I drove in there for a couple of hundred yards, before I tried looking up to see if there were any cars up there, but I figured nobody got around the guy who spun out, so I aimed for a spot between the delineator posts, and drove back up there, and it was pure luck I never hit a post, a culvert, nothing.
So it didn't hurt anything having studded snow tires, and limited slip in both ends, and my final thought is that I didn't realize how much power it took to push through that snow like that.
I was driving two weeks ago, down I90, it was icy, a lot of vehicles on the road, and in 75 miles I saw several vehicles off the road, who had lost it.
I have my studded tires, and I was in 4 x 4 going about 50mph, and I think the guy ahead of me had his cruise control on, because I saw his back end start kicking out, then I saw the brake lights light up, and he was sideways right in front of me - about 50 yards.
We were both in the "Fast Lane" because it was in better shape, so I dropped down into the median, which was about 6' lower, but had a gentle slope.
I went by him, and there was about 12-15 inches of snow down there, on top of grass, and right away it started sucking me down to a crawl, and I had to punch it to keep my speed up. Really punch it, almost floored, and I drove in there for a couple of hundred yards, before I tried looking up to see if there were any cars up there, but I figured nobody got around the guy who spun out, so I aimed for a spot between the delineator posts, and drove back up there, and it was pure luck I never hit a post, a culvert, nothing.
So it didn't hurt anything having studded snow tires, and limited slip in both ends, and my final thought is that I didn't realize how much power it took to push through that snow like that.
03-29-2017, 07:00 PM
