Raptor / F150 Frames Bending..

bogeypro · August 3, 2011

I used to own a Titan and still go on the forum some. Saw this thread about Raptor frames bending, then a link to raptor site where others with F150 while towing is having frames bending.

http://www.titantalk.com/forums/off-topic-...em-raptors.html

http://www.raptorforumz.com/showthread.php?t=14208

holy cow!! design flaw in frame causing them to bend.

old-chevy-dude · August 3, 2011

not a design flaw..

ABUSE by the drivers.

read the full information before jumping to conclusions:

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/21/svt-bos...amage-claims-w/

basically you have guys that changed the rear leaf springs with after market stuff, and removed some of the designed safety stops as well as used a tuner to remove the speed limiter, then drove the truck beyond it's capabilities on unknown roads (they did NOT pre-run the course to know where all the possible danger areas were) and bent the frame.

the 4 professional drivers that were part of that run did not bend their frames, the 10 morons that ran the course too fast with aftermarket mods that did bend their frames are now bitching because Ford won't warranty it.

I do not blame Ford one bit for warranty denials, nor do I believe that there is a design flaw if the vehicle is driven within it's design capabilities.

sw6416 · August 3, 2011

There is just something wrong with driving a new truck like that ........... unless you have more money than common sense!

redjewel2ss · August 3, 2011

and this is why other car companies are not building trucks like this... their owners are dumbies with too much money!!!

xGMCx · August 3, 2011

you can break anything – you can even break a trophy truck..."

The man says it all right there. The differences between the amateurs and the trophy truck guys are sponsors and money. If you can't afford to break something, then don't do it

Stevens03 · August 3, 2011

Ford built the Raptor to be a high-speed offroad Baja monster right from the factory. IMO, you are an idiot if you buy a raptor just to cruise around town and look pretty.

They are badass trucks all the way. I wanted one soooo bad before I got my silverado.

I agree... Ford needs to stand behind the trucks. Their own advertising shows the truck being brutalized. Don't build it if your not going to stand behind it. Lame if you ask me of Ford to blame it on the owners. I'd think the frame would bend the other way when jumping When there's many examples of the exact same bend in the frame,... I find it unreasonable to believe ever one of them did the exact same damage. The owners all found the same weakness.

and this is why other car companies are not building trucks like this... their owners are dumbies with too much money!!!

Agreed...

old-chevy-dude · August 3, 2011

Ford built the Raptor to be a high-speed offroad Baja monster right from the factory. IMO, you are an idiot if you buy a raptor just to cruise around town and look pretty.

They are badass trucks all the way. I wanted one soooo bad before I got my silverado.

I agree... Ford needs to stand behind the trucks. Their own advertising shows the truck being brutalized. Don't build it if your not going to stand behind it. Lame if you ask me of Ford to blame it on the owners. I'd think the frame would bend the other way when jumping When there's many examples of the exact same bend in the frame,... I find it unreasonable to believe ever one of them did the exact same damage. The owners all found the same weakness.

if you read thru the whole thing there is more to it that that.

I happen to know personally (not via internet) one of the 14 that was on that run, all those that have damage were running aftermarket leaf springs, had the jounce bumpers removed, and were running in excess of 100 mph (used a tuner to remove the 100mph limiter). The damage was caused by the over sized leaf springs smacking the frame at the jounce bumper break point, since there was no jounce bumper there to absorb the energy it smacked into the frame..

they modified the car and over drove it through a course/area they were not familiar with, the 4 that did not have damage ran the exact same course but in full stock mode under 100mph.

there is more to it than the first dozen posts elude too.

you cannot expect Ford or any Manufacturer to warranty repair a vehicle that received damage due to modifications and owner neglect, and that is what happened here.

the reason they all suffered the same damage is they all did the exact same thing, over drove the vehicle (recommended speed by the organizers was 60-80mph and those that had damage admitted to excess of 115mph) on a course that they did not scope out and they were not aware of the 2 major cattle crossings that caused this damage.

The organizers of the run had GPS data where marked the bad areas of the course and made that available to those that participated as they had pre-run the course. all 10 of those that suffered damage DID NOT heed the warnings of the professional drivers that ran the event, the 4 that did, did not suffer any ill affects.

again, I don't believe Ford has any responsibility to step up and pay the $800 - $1000 for frame straighting for anyone that modified the vehicle and drove it beyond it's ability.

strafingmoose · August 3, 2011

I can't believe people drive any kind of truck like that and expect no serious damage. That's why you do it with OLD trucks that don't cost a penny and you buy parts, buy parts, buy parts..... Hell, it's scientifically known that our roads are so bad here that they cut the life expectancy of some parts seriously and that's ONROAD.

dave_benn · August 3, 2011

I happen to know personally (not via internet) one of the 14 that was on that run, all those that have damage were running aftermarket leaf springs, had the jounce bumpers removed, and were running in excess of 100 mph (used a tuner to remove the 100mph limiter). The damage was caused by the over sized leaf springs smacking the frame at the jounce bumper break point, since there was no jounce bumper there to absorb the energy it smacked into the frame..

In the picture up top the jounce bumper is what it bent, i don't know what your talking about in regards to that.

From what i read on that forum, the aftermarket springs were made by deaver, and were designed to act like the factory springs in the sense that it would't over-flex and jam up into the frame. I did read somewere that there were stock trucks also having this problem, and even in a advertisment by car and driver (if i remember corectly, there is a link in that raptor forum to it), and it shows the frame bending going over a jump, they don't point it out but if you look closeley at it you can see the bed flexing.

MikeNH · August 4, 2011

People simply hit an obstacle too damn fast. Ford made a great product with the Raptor but those people pushed it beyond it's limits. Just like you can't take a stock Jeep hardcore rock crawling. And the "but they showed it on TV jumping" is the worst damn argument on the planet. There are sooooo many variables when it comes to that sort of stuff that there is no way to realistically compare it. Right off the bat I'll say most of the ads showed the truck in loose sand, not packed gravel. That'd make a huge difference on landing impact forces.

old-chevy-dude · August 4, 2011

In the picture up top the jounce bumper is what it bent, i don't know what your talking about in regards to that.

From what i read on that forum, the aftermarket springs were made by deaver, and were designed to act like the factory springs in the sense that it would't over-flex and jam up into the frame. I did read somewere that there were stock trucks also having this problem, and even in a advertisment by car and driver (if i remember corectly, there is a link in that raptor forum to it), and it shows the frame bending going over a jump, they don't point it out but if you look closeley at it you can see the bed flexing.

the deaver spring rate is much softer than OEM, so they bottom out much more readily than OEM.. also at those speeds the rebound is not 11" it's probably 3"-4" at most, couple that with softer springs, excessive speeds, not knowing the course = parts broken.

my thoughts are based on what I know from talking to guys on that run, the primary guy leading the charge against Ford had Deaver Springs and removed his bump stops, several others may not have removed them (as evident by the picture) but all 10 had the Deaver Springs, and even Deaver stated they should have also installed the Deaver Bumps Stops:

notice theirs requires a cross member installed, and relocating the bump stops to work with their springs.

the bottom line is you can't keep the hammer down while going through certain obstacles, you have to slow down at certain ones. You can't just go top speed across anything and come out ok.

----

Stevens03 · August 4, 2011

if you read thru the whole thing there is more to it that that.
I happen to know personally (not via internet) one of the 14 that was on that run, all those that have damage were running aftermarket leaf springs, had the jounce bumpers removed, and were running in excess of 100 mph (used a tuner to remove the 100mph limiter). The damage was caused by the over sized leaf springs smacking the frame at the jounce bumper break point, since there was no jounce bumper there to absorb the energy it smacked into the frame..

they modified the car and over drove it through a course/area they were not familiar with, the 4 that did not have damage ran the exact same course but in full stock mode under 100mph.

there is more to it than the first dozen posts elude too.

you cannot expect Ford or any Manufacturer to warranty repair a vehicle that received damage due to modifications and owner neglect, and that is what happened here.

the reason they all suffered the same damage is they all did the exact same thing, over drove the vehicle (recommended speed by the organizers was 60-80mph and those that had damage admitted to excess of 115mph) on a course that they did not scope out and they were not aware of the 2 major cattle crossings that caused this damage.

The organizers of the run had GPS data where marked the bad areas of the course and made that available to those that participated as they had pre-run the course. all 10 of those that suffered damage DID NOT heed the warnings of the professional drivers that ran the event, the 4 that did, did not suffer any ill affects.

again, I don't believe Ford has any responsibility to step up and pay the $800 - $1000 for frame straightening for anyone that modified the vehicle and drove it beyond it's ability.

Your right, I only read the first 2 or so pages, then skipped around. I agree with you 100% From the start of the thread, it was sounding like the FJ issue with the frame tearing apart and the Tundra tail gate folding, where the dealer wouldn't admit an issue till they had near 500 complaints and a class action law suite brought up.

sonjaab · August 4, 2011

The guys over at Pickuptruck.com are riding a poster and Raptor owner named Huck pretty hard

over the bending frame issue. This guy carries on how "tough and invincible" the Raptor is

compared to those POS ordinary GMs and Mopars..................

Hes eatin' crow now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stevens03 · August 4, 2011

I just got done reading 45 pages,..... I have a mixed review of the topic. I think there's a little blame on Ford's part and there's blame on the owner/driver.

mhenshaw · August 4, 2011

I completly side with Ford on this one.

If you took any truck and added a prerunner suspension you would not go out your first run and jump 5' in the air at 100 mph. You SHOULD slowly work your way up to driving faster and cycling the suspension more. You would soon notice that your truck is bottoming out hard and you need to correct something.

These guys should have known they were bottoming out with the upgrade leaf springs and should have stopped. Instead they do damage and blame Ford on building a weak frame.

Tomorrow I'm going to buy a Road Armour bumper and start pushing trees down. But I won't stop till my truck overheats from me damaging the radiator. I'll blame chevy for making a weak frame too!!!