Raptor Assault Course (honest review)

[pablo94sc]

It's a driving technique.
Trail braking - Wikipedia

Interesting. Never knew it was called that.

Sponsored

 

[dboot66]

The molles are from my 21 F-150, the passenger right rear fits perfect, the forward ones from the F-150, are tapped and drilled into the sides just forward of the bed cover roll. the driver side rear Builtrite is supposed to come out with a left rear to work with our power points. The bed cover is a Retrax with the integrated slot for racks, installed the Armadillo mid-size chase rack, no drilling into the bed! I also have a low-profile cross rack for the paddle boards.

Hey I'm guessing the model you have is the Armordillo CR-M Chase Rack for Mid Size Trucks. On the Armordillo web site it doesn't list the Ranger as an option when typing in 2024 Ford and then choosing a Model. But, I assume it fits well from your post. I see you can upgrade the rack to have a 3rd brake light on the rack. My question for you is does your chase rack block the 3rd brake light on your Raptor? Because I see a lot of racks that seem to block the view of the 3rd brake light. If you had it to do-over, would you buy the 3rd brake light integrated into the chase rack? Or just stick with the rack by itself? Thanks

 

[kaycott88]

Thanks for sharing the information. I just booked a 10 day vacation in UT with the assault course happening right at the end of it. This will be my second time in SLC so I knew there was plenty to do to make a vacay out of it. Definitely is worth making another trip out there if you enjoy the outdoors and amazing views.

 

[kaycott88]

I too attended the Assault Class yesterday and agree 100% with ag02m5.

I recognize that there are some who have a lot of experience rock crawling and even some that may have done some Baja racing, however speaking for those that have not had those more extreme experiences, I thought I was well rewarded for spending the day in the classroom, mountains and deserts of Utah. It was 100 plus degrees, a moderate dry wind and blowing dust, but I'd do it again if I were afforded the opportunity.

Defending the Ford Performance Racing School a little, it's important to remember that they have to worry about the safety of the attendees no matter what their prior experience may be, protect the investment of the trucks used so they'll last a while and familiarize the owners with how capable their new toy is. All this while dealing with what mother nature happens to dish out that day.

I though the event was well thought out and the different courses they took us on were created to showcase the diverse capabilities, engineering and different diving modes that have been incorporated in this truck.

I thought Mike, Jen and Donny were amazing instructors who communicated well and made the experience a lot of fun for all. They covered an incredible amount of information in just one day while speaking to a diverse group with a wide range of prior knowledge and practical experience, all the while creating a fun and entertaining environment.

I was assigned to Jen's group, and she was talking to us over the radios 70% of the time we were in the truck sharing a wide range of information. I'm sure even those that have more experience got good information that will make them even better off roaders. Granted, some of the information was fairly basic for experienced off roaders along with things that could easily be learned from reading the owner's manual, but I know many in our group didn't read owner's manuals and learned something for the first time. Jen made an effort to know everyone's name and I felt that she really wanted to make sure I had an enjoyable and educational time.

I will probably never take my truck on a side hill or hill climb at 32 degrees but having that experience in a controlled setting helped me build confidence in what this truck is capable of. The articulation course allowed me to see the kinds of terrain the truck can navigate and for the novice to see how lockers assist with one wheel or two wheels off the ground. That was just as enlightening to watch as it was to drive.

I loved the Baja racing track (wish it was longer) and thought I wasn't too bad until Jen jumped into the driver's seat and served some humble pie! The experience of riding with a professional driver was not only a blast but illustrated the extremes that this little beast can deliver in the right hands. They obviously saved the demo run for last, so we didn't total the truck trying to replicate the skills that took the pros years to develop.

I recognize for some there may be a sizable investment of time and money to make the trek to Utah to attend this class, so I can only speak for myself, but I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a day in a Ranger Raptor with amazing instructors, associating with other Raptor owners and experiencing just a little of what this truck was made for.

I feel it was important to hear more opinions when trying to decide if the adventure is right for you.

So,
Personally, I thought it was an incredible experience!

Did you opt for the extra insurance or is it really not necessary?

 

[KGrow]

I did opt for the insurance coverage because the person I spoke to on the phone said that it had been needed by others in the past, however if you follow the instructors guidance, there’s a slim chance you would need it. If I went again I wouldn’t buy it.

Also, I purchased the video recording option and would not do that again either. They hand you a 64gig micro sd card which records about 4 hours of video, so you have to turn it on and off. The problem is you can’t really see when the camera is on or off, so you’ll miss a lot of what you thought you were recording. One camera is aimed inside at the driver and the other through the windshield which means when the windshield gets dirty it blocks the view of the lens. Looking at myself driving was a waste.

You may be able to bring your own 128gig and just leave it on all day. You can buy a 256 gig for less then $50. Leaving it on all day may catch something of value. At least you’d be able to listen to what the instructor is saying during the day

You can bring your own video equipment, but it has to be mounted inside the cab. Some of the best video I’ve seen was filmed outside the truck by YouTube influencers who were obviously allowed to mount them on the outside of the truck when they went.

Of course, all of this is my opinion and others may have had a different experience with the cameras and different thoughts regarding the insurance coverage.

 

[Crapblaster]

Did anyone ask what tire pressures they run? The tire pressure monitors were disabled in the truck.

 

[KGrow]

Yes, 32 psi in the front tires and 28 in the rear.

Donny said he’d probably run those numbers on the street full time unless you add weight to the bed.

 

[Crapblaster]

Yes, 32 psi in the front tires and 28 in the rear.

Donny said he’d probably run those numbers on the street full time unless you add weight to the bed.

Thanks, Seems like they did ride very well on the road at those pressures. I also noticed none of their trucks had bead lock wheels. I think that's because they stick out from the wheel and would get beat up on the rocks.

 

[Critical Habitat]

Assault course - got invite, but can't swing it due to other vacations planned.
Got to play around over the 4th weekend on some of my/my father's 360 wooded acres with 9 miles of improved old logging road loops in northern Minnesota we use for hunting and track for winter XC skiing.
I love the low-speed cruise control - can focus on steering. steep downhill and uphill control seemed great, plus got to play around on a winding, hilly dirt county road. Because of a bit of aggressive driving stupidity, got pulled over by a DNR Warden. Lucked-out with only a warning, partially because the warden knew my father very well.
Unfortunately, because of a lot of rain, I got really stuck on the trails once. Fortunately, my brother was behind me and helped pull me out with his new RR. Spent quite a bit of time getting all the mud off the truck. Even with PPF and ceramic coating, I did notice a few branch scratches that were fairly easy to address afterward.

Sponsored