My '24 Braptor notes (6 months in)

[wrs2k]

Howdy Braptorites,

I'm memorializing my '24 Braptor ownership experience having picked it up new ~6 months ago now at 6.5K miles. It's my first Ford product ever. Why now? The technical design along with its crazy fenders sold me. Raptor is the M/AMG/GTX of Ford so over time I've really come to admire all the engineering nous that went into making the Bronco an authentic Raptor. I own other tarted-up-from-base-0-trim vehicles so the concept of race on Sunday, sell on Monday is nothing new to me. I'm all in.


What I love about it

• The chassis/suspension design is world class. I could tell <10 ft of test driving it off the Ford dealership lot that this truck is special. All the benefits of the bespoke chassis stiffening, beefed up axles, suspension pick up points, live shocks and electronics to harness it all translate well from Baja runs to plain ol' city driving. It's indestructible for LA streets and 85 mph hwys which is exactly what I'm looking for in a daily SUV.

• The Braptor offers a broad spectrum of livability and driving character that very few other vehicles offer. You want comfort? Just dial back that suspension to 4x4 soft and cruise around in quiet mode. You want a bit of on ramp fun? Go Baja mode, sport suspension and manually shift with paddles as in some ways it's more entertaining than doing the same in an old 911 GT3 because you're on 37s man! Headed to Joshua Tree for a weekend getaway? Well you got 13.1" of ground clearance, 3x lockers along with all the 4x4 cruise control you'll ever need. Go do!

• For every 10 F-150 Raptors I see on the 405/10/101, I spot maybe 1 Braptor. And an amazing sighting it is. I stare in wonderment because the factory design is outright audacious. I believe it's still the only SUV that comes with 37s from factory today. USA baby!

• Speaking of audacity, Ford Performance sells a full carbon fiber kit that replaces all six fender pieces, the fender grills, plus the hood and rear door cover. Fits perfectly and looks special. It's crazy how big these pieces are in hand. Wonderfully constructed and installs like an OEM accessory piece should. Be forewarned that these get easily damaged during shipping (speaking from first hand experience).

• I'm normally a buy-the-engine-performance-you-want-stock guy, but the Ford Performance engine calibration module is free ~ 100lbs/ft for $850. It really livens up the powertrain with just the right amount of torque. You have peace of mind since your factory warranty remains intact so long as you have a Ford dealer or ASE certified shop install it for you. I do not care to pay more for a V8 because this twin turbo FP enhanced V6 is so well mated to the 10 speed transmission. If ever a V8 Braptor R is released, I'll just stash the cash and be happy with what I got.

• HVAC controls are perfect. Simple. Elegant. Just gets the job done. I have some other vehicles where such basic features are software nested behind a touch screen. There's nothing like a simple, familiar button press and a turn of the knob to get exactly what you want fast.

What I'm choosing to live with

• The driveshaft is clunky in stop-and-go especially first drive off in the morning. It started rearing its ugly head around 2K miles. I understand the driveshafts are not serviceable unlike my old school, made in Japan Toyota Land Cruiser units. I have a healthy amount of mistrust of dealership service bays in general so the less they get their hands on my ride the better. It's not so bad that I have to find a solution. It hasn't gotten worse over 4.5K miles so I'm OK for now.

• Apple Car Play sometimes plays no audio, though it's connected. I have to reboot my iPhone to get it to play audio. Annoyance, but not a deal breaker.

My mods and no mas

• I do not like the OEM beadlock capable wheels for tres reasons: 1) I have zero functional need to air down where it's a safety necessity; 2) I don't like the way they look; and 3) I don't like the weight penalty. So I picked up a set of Tirerack sourced Method wheels which are ~27lbs each shaving off approximately 8-10lbs per corner (properly load rated). I only like black wheels and much prefer the inset, dished look of them. The Methods are also hub-centric and offer ~10mm more poke compared to stock which is not too little, not too much for my liking.

• I typically modify the suspension & tires on some of my fun vehicles yet I will not touch the Braptor's factory setup. It's dialed in by Raptor engs. I have zero interest in upsizing tires which will add weight and impact gearing neither of which is factory vetted. I'm really glad Ford chose to homologate a C load range BFG K02 to keep the AT tires as light as possible while fulfilling its capability targets.

Other cars that I may trade it in for

1. The new Land Rover Defender OCTA - Another vehicle with a trick suspension setup that can brutalize any LA driving situation. But it's probably 3x the cost of what my Braptor is worth in trade today. It's not 3x better. In fact, it's not as good looking as the Braptor imho.
2. Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR - I've owned one of these before and the new one looks sweet, but it's a bit dainty running on 23s. Again, 3x+ the price of my used Braptor. Looks as good just in a more LA valet curb appeal way, but nothing really special when you look under the cover. V8 BMW power plants in both Land Rovers a real selling point for me.
3. NOTHING else comes close including the new YouTube crazed Toyota products.

Fingers crossed that the Braptor remains as reliable as my buddy's 4 year old F-150 Raptor.

Enjoy yours in good health!

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[THE_SAVSQCH]

Howdy Braptorites,

I'm memorializing my '24 Braptor ownership experience having picked it up new ~6 months ago now at 6.5K miles. It's my first Ford product ever. Why now? The technical design along with its crazy fenders sold me. Raptor is the M/AMG/GTX of Ford so over time I've really come to admire all the engineering nous that went into making the Bronco an authentic Raptor. I own other tarted-up-from-base-0-trim vehicles so the concept of race on Sunday, sell on Monday is nothing new to me. I'm all in.


What I love about it

• The chassis/suspension design is world class. I could tell <10 ft of test driving it off the Ford dealership lot that this truck is special. All the benefits of the bespoke chassis stiffening, beefed up axles, suspension pick up points, live shocks and electronics to harness it all translate well from Baja runs to plain ol' city driving. It's indestructible for LA streets and 85 mph hwys which is exactly what I'm looking for in a daily SUV.

• The Braptor offers a broad spectrum of livability and driving character that very few other vehicles offer. You want comfort? Just dial back that suspension to 4x4 soft and cruise around in quiet mode. You want a bit of on ramp fun? Go Baja mode, sport suspension and manually shift with paddles as in some ways it's more entertaining than doing the same in an old 911 GT3 because you're on 37s man! Headed to Joshua Tree for a weekend getaway? Well you got 13.1" of ground clearance, 3x lockers along with all the 4x4 cruise control you'll ever need. Go do!

• For every 10 F-150 Raptor I see on the 405/10/101, I see maybe 1 Braptor. And an amazing sighting it is. I stare in wonderment because the factory design is outright audacious. I believe it's still the only SUV that comes with 37s from factory today. USA baby!

• Speaking of audacity, Ford Performance sells a full carbon fiber kit that replaces all six fender pieces, the fender grills, plus the hood and rear door cover. Fits perfectly and looks special. It's crazy how big these pieces are in hand. Wonderfully constructed and installs like an OEM accessory piece should. Be forewarned that these get easily damaged during shipping (speaking from first hand experience).

• I'm normally a buy-the-engine-performance-you-want-stock guy, but the Ford Performance engine calibration module is free ~ 100lbs/ft for $850. It really livens up the powertrain with just the right amount of torque. You have peace of mind since your factory warranty remains intact so long as you have a Ford dealer or ASE certified shop install it for you. I do not care to pay more for a V8 because this twin turbo FP enhanced V6 is so well mated to the 10 speed transmission. If ever a V8 Braptor R is released, I'll just stash the cash and be happy with what I got.

• HVAC controls are perfect. Simple. Elegant. Just gets the job done. I have some other vehicles where such basic features are software nested behind a touch screen. There's nothing like a simple, familiar button press and a turn of the knob to get exactly what you want fast.

What I'm choosing to live with

• The driveshaft is clunky in stop-and-go especially first drive off in the morning. It started rearing its ugly head around 2K miles. I understand the driveshafts are not serviceable unlike my old school, made in Japan Toyota Land Cruiser units. I have a healthy amount of mistrust of dealership service bays in general so the less they get their hands on my ride the better. It's not so bad that I have to find a solution. It hasn't gotten worse over 4.5K miles so I'm OK with living with it so long as it gets no worse.

• Apple Car Play sometimes plays no audio, though it's connected. I have to reboot my iPhone to get it to play audio. Annoyance, but not a deal breaker.

My mods and no mas

• I do not like the OEM beadlock wheels for tres reasons: 1) I have zero functional need to air down where it's a safety necessity; 2) I don't like the way they look; and 3) I don't like the weight penalty. So I picked up a set of Tirerack sourced Method wheels which are ~27lbs each shaving off approximately 8-10lbs per corner (properly load rated). I only like black wheels and much prefer the inset, dished look of them. The Methods are also hub-centric and offer ~10mm more poke compared to stock which is not too little, not too much for my liking.

• I typically modify the suspension & tires on some of my fun vehicles yet I will not touch the Braptor's factory setup. It's dialed in as Ford engineers intended. I have zero interest in upsizing tires which will add weight and impact gearing neither of which is tested by Raptor engineers. I'm really glad Ford chose to homologate a C load range BFG K02 to keep the AT tires as light as possible while fulfilling its capability targets.

Other cars that I may trade it in for

1. The new Land Rover Defender OCTA - Another vehicle with a trick suspension setup that can brutalize any LA driving situation. But it's probably 3x the cost of what my Braptor is worth in trade today. It's not 3x better. In fact, it's not as good looking as the Braptor imho.
2. Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR - I've owned one of these before and the new one looks sweet, but it's a bit dainty running on 23s. Again, 3x+ the price of my used Braptor. Looks as good just in a more LA valet curb appeal way, but nothing really special when you look under the cover. V8 BMW power plants in both Land Rovers a real selling point for me.
3. NOTHING else comes close including the new YouTube crazed Toyota products.

Fingers crossed that the Braptor remains as reliable as my buddy's 4 year old F-150 Raptor.

Enjoy yours in good health!

Hi ,

My name is SavSqch and we both have BBR’s!

I PPF’d mine and have yet to pull trigger on wheels but am looking at -18 wheels with 38s.

You did pick the right color and I recommend PPF that BBR. Better to wrap it up so doesn’t get anything on it.

Grats on pulling trigger on that 15k carbon fiber, I didn’t have the stomach to do it wife would have smoked me if I did lol (let’s be serious that’s the real reason).

Your ride looks awesome and don’t forget to .

BBR

 

[wrs2k]

You did pick the right color and I recommend PPF that BBR. Better to wrap it up so doesn’t get anything on it.

It's Xpel protected from new everywhere including the carbon bits plus the windshield. I love all black vehicles. My fav.

I would've never bought the Braptor w/o the FP cf kit.

Thanks dude!

 

[javelina]

thanks for sharing that write up. I partial to Method wheels as well. Enjoy!

 

[wrs2k]

thanks for sharing that write up. I partial to Method wheels as well. Enjoy!

Neck breaker especially sans side steps!

 

[battering ram]

I’m 3 months in. 4,500 miles.
I love its ride. Soft and comfy

My only neg is its power. I’ve got the tune. It’s still minivan fast to me. Its power doesn’t match its looks. I get people trying to race me all the time. I never do cause I think I’ll most likely lose. I know it’s not a muscle car. And it weighs 5500 lbs. it still needs a bigger engine.

 

[stampede1]

Great build and nice write up, but we will need more photos please. How long do you anticipate the CF accessories holding up before sun damage over time or you do believe that the protective coating will prevent that problem. I love the CF but I have not seen anything that conclusively states that that it can be protected against sun damage/fade without deterioration at some point. I ask because I am tempted to pull the trigger on the CF including the roof but not at the expense of speculating that it wont need replacement at some point. Nothing like southern California sun, especially if it gets parked outside due to size.

 

[javelina]

Neck breaker especially sans side steps!

Have some AMP Research Power Steps on her. Wifey loves 'em. Allows her to get in/out easily.

 

[wrs2k]

I’m 3 months in. 4,500 miles.
I love its ride. Soft and comfy

My only neg is its power. I’ve got the tune. It’s still minivan fast to me. Its power doesn’t match its looks. I get people trying to race me all the time. I never do cause I think I’ll most likely lose. I know it’s not a muscle car. And it weighs 5500 lbs. it still needs a bigger engine.

My other car has over 1K hp/tq bone stock and I still find the Braptor plenty peppy. Any more power and I'd be concerned about braking performance with the ATs.

I guess it's all YMMV. Enjoy!

 

[wrs2k]

Great build and nice write up, but we will need more photos please. How long do you anticipate the CF accessories holding up before sun damage over time or you do believe that the protective coating will prevent that problem. I love the CF but I have not seen anything that conclusively states that that it can be protected against sun damage/fade without deterioration at some point. I ask because I am tempted to pull the trigger on the CF including the roof but not at the expense of speculating that it wont need replacement at some point. Nothing like southern California sun, especially if it gets parked outside due to size.

I have zero concerns as my other rides have OEM CF with no long term issues to date. They're all parked indoors with Xpel on them so not sure if I'm a good gauge.

Gl and gracias!

 

[stampede1]

I have zero concerns as my other rides have OEM CF with no long term issues to date. They're all parked indoors with Xpel on them so not sure if I'm a good gauge.

Gl and gracias!

Thanks for the feedback and I really do want to see some more photos, it is great!

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