Raptor Too Wide for East Coast?

[dcg2]

Interesting that this popped back up. I was having this conversation with my Off-road group when we were at The Lannding in Penn Run, PA recently.

The one member of my group with a JKU running tons and 40s is 6" wider edge of tire to edge of tire than my Badlands SAS with stock wheels and stock tires.

I was talking about the idea of portals that would likely be 4" up and 4" out on each side (similar to the Raptor) which with 37" tires would likely make it 4" wider than the JKU.

That would really be pushing it for the trails there and at BFR. Rausch is a bit more open generally and I haven't been to AOAA yet.

It's definitely a valid concern IMO.

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[Deleted member 3063]

Raptor got it's flares scuffed a few times due to the wider stance. If the wheels fit everything else will follow. Fold in my mirrors, don't make me laugh, no wider than a regular F150.
Knew a girl that was intimidated by the size, she got over it.

 

[TheWhiteWizzard]

takes curbs nicely

 

[lmarchetti]

I am very curious as to why the, its too wide to trail run opinion prevailing!

The painted surface width is the same with all Broncos.
The Raptor mirrors are less than half an inch wider on both sides than a Badlands

The width is all in tires and replaceable plastic fender flares. Replacement flares for a badlands is less than $500 for an OEM set of 4.

Assuming a Raptor is twice the cost, folks are really not going to take it down a trail for fear of possibly scratching $1,000 worth plastic flares on a $70,000 truck (That's only 1.5% depreciation to trail run it!)


Raptor

Overall width with mirrors	86.9 in.

Badlands

Overall width with mirrors	86.2 in.

 

[JPNC]

I am very curious as to why the, its too wide to trail run opinion prevailing!

The painted surface width is the same with all Broncos.
The Raptor mirrors are less than half an inch wider on both sides than a Badlands

The width is all in tires and replaceable plastic fender flares. Replacement flares for a badlands is less than $500 for an OEM set of 4.

Assuming a Raptor is twice the cost, folks are really not going to take it down a trail for fear of possibly scratching $1,000 worth plastic flares on a $70,000 truck (That's only 1.5% depreciation to trail run it!)


Raptor

Overall width with mirrors	86.9 in.

Badlands

Overall width with mirrors	86.2 in.

I would like to hear an answer to this as well. I am no expert but your point sounds solid.

 

[Crazycactus]

I am very curious as to why the, its too wide to trail run opinion prevailing!

The painted surface width is the same with all Broncos.
The Raptor mirrors are less than half an inch wider on both sides than a Badlands

The width is all in tires and replaceable plastic fender flares. Replacement flares for a badlands is less than $500 for an OEM set of 4.

Assuming a Raptor is twice the cost, folks are really not going to take it down a trail for fear of possibly scratching $1,000 worth plastic flares on a $70,000 truck (That's only 1.5% depreciation to trail run it!)


Raptor

Overall width with mirrors	86.9 in.

Badlands

Overall width with mirrors	86.2 in.

The fenders on the Raptor stick out approximately 2" on each side more than a Badlands. I checked, as I have both. The track is wider also. You can see the fender bulges in pictures.

 

[Gtrekker]

Here is some perspective on the width of the Braptor vs a Wildtrak 2dr. both with 37" K02s.

 

[lmarchetti]

The fenders on the Raptor stick out approximately 2" on each side more than a Badlands. I checked, as I have both. The track is wider also. You can see the fender bulges in pictures.

It is clear the raptor is wider, I am not debating that. From what I can see fenders and tires are all that are wider though. Tires are are of no concern and the fenders are cost effective to replace. I would take a raptor anywhere I would take my badlands. It has the same mirror with, so it will fit all the same trails, a raptor will simply scratch the plastic fenders more often than a badlands..

 

[Razorbak86]

I am very curious as to why the, its too wide to trail run opinion prevailing!

The painted surface width is the same with all Broncos.
The Raptor mirrors are less than half an inch wider on both sides than a Badlands

The width is all in tires and replaceable plastic fender flares. Replacement flares for a badlands is less than $500 for an OEM set of 4.

Assuming a Raptor is twice the cost, folks are really not going to take it down a trail for fear of possibly scratching $1,000 worth plastic flares on a $70,000 truck (That's only 1.5% depreciation to trail run it!)


Raptor

Overall width with mirrors	86.9 in.

Badlands

Overall width with mirrors	86.2 in.

It is clear the raptor is wider, I am not debating that. From what I can see fenders and tires are all that are wider though. Tires are are of no concern and the fenders are cost effective to replace. I would take a raptor anywhere I would take my badlands. It has the same mirror with, so it will fit all the same trails, a raptor will simply scratch the plastic fenders more often than a badlands..

Where are you getting your width specs? The spec sheets I found from Ford are listed below:

• 2022 Bronco Raptor Tech Specs
• 2022 Bronco Tech Specs

Width (with mirrors folded)

• Bronco Raptor: 85.7 in.
• Bronco WildTrak: 79.3 in.

Track Width (front/rear)

• Bronco Raptor: 73.2 in./73.6 in.
• Bronco WildTrak: 66.9 in./66.9 in.

There is a good 6" inches of difference there across both dimensions. The mirrors will fold in, but the wheels/tires won’t. It’s not an issue of scratching tires or fender flares. It’s an issue of clearing them across the maximum width on the outside of the tires. Some trails you simply will not pass between the trees without using a chainsaw or taking a bypass, which is not always available. However, that’s true of regular Broncos, too, but regular Broncos will pass through a little tighter trails than Raptors.

 

[lmarchetti]

Where are you getting your width specs? The spec sheets from Ford are here:

• Bronco Raptor Technical Specs
• Bronco Technical Specs

Width (with mirrors folded)

• Bronco Raptor: 85.7 in.
• Bronco WildTrak: 79.3 in.

Track Width (front/rear)

• Bronco Raptor: 73.2 in./73.6 in.
• Bronco WildTrak: 66.9 in./66.9 in.

The mirrors will fold in, but the wheels/tires won’t. It’s not an issue of scratching tires or fender flares. It’s an issue of clearing them across the maximum width on the outside of the tires. Some trails you simply will not pass between the trees without using a chainsaw or taking a bypass, which is not always available. However, that’s true of regular Broncos, too, but regular Broncos will pass through a little tighter trails than Raptors.

The widths I posted are with the mirrors folded out. https://www.ford.com/suvs/bronco/models/bronco-badlands/.

I think what is scaring away most folks is trail rash, not a situation where 2 unmovable objects are too close together where they have to turn around. Pinstriping and rubbing branches is far more common and causes some (est 1.5% of value) financial loss.

Let's be honest here, how many trails have tree trunks/boulders that are 80 inches wide, not 86 AND don't have a bypass? 5% 10%?

Seems like a corner case that you might need to be mindful of, but I don't think that should deter Raptors for hitting the trails.

I personally never had a situation above where folding in the mirrors made the difference between clearing tree trunks and not, but branches for sure...Creative (on trail) lines usually get me through.

 

[Razorbak86]

The widths I posted are with the mirrors folded out. https://www.ford.com/suvs/bronco/models/bronco-badlands/.

I think what is scaring away most folks is trail rash, not a situation where 2 unmovable objects are too close together where they have to turn around. Pinstriping and rubbing branches is far more common and causes some (est 1.5% of value) financial loss.

Let's be honest here, how many trails have tree trunks/boulders that are 80 inches wide, not 86 AND don't have a bypass? 5% 10%?

Seems like a corner case that you might need to be mindful of, but I don't think that should deter Raptors for hitting the trails.

I personally never had a situation above where folding in the mirrors made the difference between clearing tree trunks and not, but branches for sure...Creative (on trail) lines usually get me through.

Well, trails in various geographic areas of the country are often very different.

The photos I posted above were from a local trail run in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. That is a pretty typical trail for where I live, and I had to fold my mirrors in 5-6 times that day. We also had to cut down a sapling to enable the four Broncos in our group to pass, because the bypass was blocked by a large tree fall. It was a fun trail, but quite technical because of the tight passages. All of the Broncos made it through, but we had to use spotters on a few occasions because of the narrow gaps.

Below is an overhead drone photo that shows the forest in which we were wheeling, and if you squint a little, you'll see our four tiny Broncos on the right (east) side of Lee Creek...

There are other trails in this area where you simply cannot pass in a Bronco without using a chainsaw to clear tree falls or widen the trail. Not even a handsaw will cut through some of the large tree falls, which are often over 12" in diameter. Here is an example of one that we were lucky enough to be able to just drive under…

My local group has been forced to turn around on some trails where the primary path and the bypass were both blocked by tree falls.

I see from your profile location that you live in Littleton, Colorado, a southern suburb of Denver. My sister lives just to the west of you in Highlands Ranch, and I have been to Colorado many times. I know the trails there are much different than here, yet Arkansas is still west of the Mississippi River, whereas this entire thread was originally created to discuss Raptors running trails on the east coast... yet another entirely different geographic area with its own common trail characteristics.

I'm not suggesting that Raptors should avoid trail-running here or on the east coast. I'm just saying that sometimes actual trail width clearance is a greater issue that just the fear of pinstriping or minor cosmetic damage.

 

[lmarchetti]

Fantastic productive conversation, good to see two sides of the same coin. Sweet pictures! Interesting to see that part of world! To my eyes that's a jungle, I could understand how the state would have a hard time maintaining it...

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