So.. I've been drooling over the 2011 Raptors with the 6.2L, but nearly 45K for a decently equipped model is steep. My biggest complaints with my current F150 are the supremely annoying cam phaser tick and that the 5.4L is a little gutless for mountain driving and towing. At this point I'm trying to decide which is the better (or least bad) long term investment: A) Sell/trade-in my current truck and take a 15-20K (plus tax) hit getting into a Raptor (which would hurt alot). Down side is the cost, plus side being I'd now have a 2011 with future resale value and wouldn't need to spend much on customization. B) Hang on to my paid-off 2005 with 38K miles and sink another 5K+ into it for a supercharger? Down side being that I'll still have a 2005 and I'd pretty much have to drive it until it dies as I'd be lucky to get the money back out of the mods I have now, let alone an SC. What would you do? I know the Raptor will have a better tuned suspension for off-roading, but I don't really have the terrain around here to do 50 mph off-road anyway without falling off a cliff, so what do I really gain for all the extra of the Raptor? Here's a pic of the current truck:
Keep the truck and TURBO CHARGE IT.... if you want power, T/C is the only way to go if its HP you want.
Aren't the Turbos even more than an SC? It seems like most the SC kits are bolt-on-easy so I could install myself and then take it to a dyno for tuning.
agree with the guys above man. The Raptor was not ment for towing anyway. You get better towing specs with your current rig.
I'd keep your truck and get the supercharger. Don't get me wrong, the Raptors are super cool trucks, but for what they cost I can't see it. I also refuse to be vehicle poor anymore, but that's just me. Hell there's tons of people living with the burden of huge car payments, I'm at a point in life where I refuse to do that, but that's just me though. Not to mention, I don't live anywhere close to a desert to hit 50+mph off road so realistically if I owned a Raptor it wouldn't be for anything more then an occasional run through some mud.
turbo's are even easier of in install. SC's require you to take off the intake and place the SC intake ontop... turbo just needs to be mounted, piped for exhaust and boost, and then you're oil/water for the turbo. add a intercooler and you're done for good. you can prolly get a SC kit for what? 3.5-4.5k? The most expensive part of a TC build is a turbo, and knowing how to size the turbo for your engine is a big part of that. I would say a GT 4088R would be boss. That will set ya back roughly $2k, figure another 1k for parts/pipe, and youre done. then its a tuner that can handle boost, and a dyno tune.
