When the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor was revealed last week, one of the most interesting new features of the off-road-focused truck was its brand new coil-spring rear suspension. Already present in the current Ranger Raptor (and potentially the next-gen model) and the Raptor’s rival – the Ram TRX – we first spotted the new F-150 Raptor coil spring rear suspension last October, and now we’re seeing it live and in the flesh.
Now that we’ve seen a Ford F-150 with a coil spring rear suspension, the next logical question to ask is – will this setup make its way into any future variants? We already know that the Raptor’s little brother – the 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor – will come with leaf springs, albeit retuned for additional ground clearance. But the new Raptor could certainly open the door for future F-150 variants to utilize its new coil-spring rear suspension.
The new 2021 F-150 Raptor coil spring suspension consists of a five-link setup with extra-long trailing arms, a Panhard rod, and 24-inch coil springs – the longest in its class, beating out the Ram TRX by 0.378 inches. The TRX also utilizes a five-link setup.
The new 2021 F-150 Raptor’s coil-spring rear suspension provides better articulation over obstacles, reduces friction in the spring system, and weighs significantly less than a comparable leaf spring system. It also enables the 2021 F-150 Raptor to achieve 15 inches of rear suspension travel when equipped with 35-inch tires, which is 25 percent more than its predecessor and two more inches than the Ram TRX.
In addition to those tangible benefits, coil spring rear suspensions provide better ride quality and handling prowess than leaf spring setups, so it seems like a natural next step that Ford might offer them in other F-150 models in the future, especially now that the 2021 F-150 Raptor has one.
We’ll have more on the 2021 F-150 Raptor soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, Ford F-150 Raptor news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Wow……coil rear suspension?
Umm….Dodge, Ram did thst in like 2009 on the 1500….
Dont hurt your self now Ford
Yet it only took Dodge 10 years to reverse engineer Raptors to even remotely come up with something competitive to an old leaf spring suspension? Obliviously Ford has been working on a five link coil suspension for years now too. Dodge just happened to unveil theirs first, and is already obsolete. The gen3’s 35″ and 37″ options both have longer travel.
dont they have air ride too?
It’s about time. Ford has had a light truck independent rear suspension in it’s arsenal since it was put in the Expedition. GM owners/friends love the ride in my 2017 Expedition compared to their full size SUVs. And the handling is fantastic!
It’s a 5-link solid axle. The pic is pretty obvious.
You’re right. They should go full independent rear suspension similar to the Expedition. The basic components are there, they just have to be reengineered to get the longer travels.
Wow! Ford developed one of the best IRS designs for the Mustang…why has it this taken so long for the truck platforms?
It’s only great for high-dollar buyers. Luxury Mustang? No wonder the whole pony-car segment is shrinking.
Why not just do a full rear coilover, and beat the after market to the punch… you’re paying 65k plus for a base modle…( I don’t care if ford says 55k you’ll never see it)
Ford may be able to keep the cost down, by just purchased their rear coils from Dodge! Just order them in Ford Blue!
In my above comment, purchased should read, “purchasing”, for some reason I was unable to edit.
Chevy did this years ago. What they ended up with was a nice-riding “car” that lost its ability to haul loads or tow anything.