√Ford Ranger Raptor twin-turbo V6 power test

Ford Performance guru Rob Herrod has put a new Ford Ranger Raptor twin-turbo V6 ute on a hub dynamometer to show the haters on social media just how much engine power makes it to the rear wheels.

When it comes to the new Ford Ranger Raptor, it turns out too much power is never enough.

Since the latest Ford Ranger Raptor had a power upgrade from a twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel (157kW/500Nm) to a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 petrol (292kW/583Nm), ute fanatics have been salivating about the performance possibilities.

Testing by Drive shows the vehicle stops the clocks in the 0 to 100km/h dash in 6.0 seconds neat – time after time and regardless of what mode the vehicle is in, as long as the accelerator pedal is pushed to the carpet.

While other media outlets have recorded 0 to 100km/h times 0.1 to 0.2 seconds quicker than our VBox numbers, Drive’s test was with a full tank of fuel and all safety aids active.

Now, performance fanatics are obsessing about how much power is delivered to the rear wheels – even though it is the fastest new double-cab ute on the planet for the money. The supercharged Ram TRX does 0 to 100km/h in 5.0 seconds in our testing, but it costs $200,000-plus.

With such strong interest in the new Ford Ranger Raptor’s performance, a number of videos have appeared on social media after putting the vehicle on a “rolling road” dynamometer.

That is when a car is tested in laboratory-type conditions. The vehicle is static but the engine power is measured by driving the rear tyres on a giant roller.

However, it has become apparent chunky off-road tyres blunt performance more so than low-profile sports-car tyres.

In a number of “rolling road” dynamometer tests published on social media, the power output claim for the Ford Ranger Raptor was deemed to be way off the mark.

This prompted Herrod Performance – an official Ford Performance outlet, and the outfit behind the locally-developed and locally-assembled supercharged Ford Mustang R-Spec program – to conduct a more thorough power test by measuring output at the rear wheel hubs.

Measuring an engine’s power via the hubs eliminates the loss of energy through the tyres. The only energy loss is through the driveline (the gearbox and driveshaft).

“You always have this trouble with four-wheel-drives,” Rob Herrod told Drive.

“You can’t get a fair indication of an engine’s power output due to a number of factors, including tread squirm, the weight of the wheel, the weight of the tyre, and the rolling diameter of the tyre. Hard and soft tyre compounds can also make a difference.”

While the power numbers Herrod Performance unearthed differ slightly from tests by other tuners, Rob Herrod said the most accurate way to measure the output of the Ford Ranger Raptor at the rear wheels is when the vehicle is tested in seventh gear.

“It’s a 10-speed automatic gearbox, but seventh gear is the one-to-one ratio, straight from the engine to the wheels. That’s the most accurate way to measure power in this car. If you measure it in sixth gear, the power numbers displayed are going to be skewed.”

Rob Herrod’s son Chris Herrod, who also works in the family business, said in his Ford Ranger Raptor “hub-dyno” video:

“There’s been a lot of numbers kicked around social media about what this car actually performs.

“So we thought … why not take our own car down, put it on the hub, and see exactly where we’re at.”

After just two tests, Herrod Performance showed the Ford Ranger Raptor – their own workshop ute – delivered 251.1kW at the rear hubs at 4082rpm, and an estimated 580Nm (based on the computer’s internal calculations for torque).

The output of 251.1kW at the rear hubs compares to Ford’s claim of 292kW at the “flywheel” (the engine only), which is considered to be within tolerance after sending the power through the gearbox, tailshaft and axles.

“There will always be a difference between the engine power and the power at the hubs. The Raptor’s (engine power) numbers are accurate … you cannot lie with the hub,” said Chris Herrod, in a reference to other tests on social media that showed weaker performance numbers.

Meantime, performance tuners who are not affiliated with Ford are fuming after discovering the new Ford Ranger Raptor and next-generation Ford Mustang have encrypted engine management computers that make it next to impossible for independent workshops to tamper with.

“For years, engine management computers have been open to hackers, but Ford has shut that down,” said Rob Herrod. “While independent repairers will still be able to conduct routine maintenance, workshops that want to tamper with engine power will not be able to get into the software unless they are endorsed by Ford.”

The post Ford Ranger Raptor twin-turbo V6 power test appeared first on Drive.

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