Steering Tie Rod Failure at Speed - Ranger Raptor

[embedded rock]

Go to the 35 minute mark to see the RR crew get out and look.

Sponsored

 

[cc1999]

Go to the 35 minute mark to see the RR crew get out and look.

lol
I was watching that now.
looking for it.
Thanks for min mark.
Cool video .

 

[cc1999]

Whatever it was they fixed it quickly and got back the race.
I went ahead asked what broke on the RR in the comment section of that Baja 1000 video.

 

[embedded rock]

A steering tie rod could be changed quickly. For off-roading, alignment only needs to be close.

 

[Ultra45]

This could be off topic a bit, but maybe not.

Anyone watch SCORE coverage of the Baja 1000? Ford Racing (FR) entered 4 Raptors. Two F150's, BR, and a RR. The RR failed in about 20 minutes. The crew got out and were shown looking at the left front from the side. The RR was repaired, but finished past the 36 hour time limit. I never heard what problem the FR RR experienced. Does anyone know what happened to the RR? Curious they were looking at the left front in the direction of the tire.

I watched the live feed. There was someone on the Score broadcast that said they broke a shock. Later in the race they broke a second shock based on the commentary.

 

[embedded rock]

I watched the live feed. There was someone on the Score broadcast that said they broke a shock. Later in the race they broke a second shock based on the commentary.

Ok, thanks. The FR RR turned into a hoopty at Baja. Briefly.

 

[Ultra45]

Ok, thanks. The FR RR turned into a hoopty at Baja. Briefly.

Probably the nicest hoopty you could imagine.

 

[cc1999]

I found listed in the race results the BR won its class
The 3.5 F150 Raptor won its class
The RR DNF
The Raptor R DNF

 

[Onceaneagle]

I found listed in the race results the BR won its class
The 3.5 F150 Raptor won its class
The RR DNF
The Raptor R DNF

Well, Ford Performance with two wins and two DNF. As a former commander told us in the Army, just one "Aw, s**t!" erases ten "Attaboy!"

 

[gtistiffler]

I’ve seen that there are lots of tie rods upgrades/braces for Broncos. I wonder if any would fit the Ranger.

 

[spazzyfry123]

Well, Ford Performance with two wins and two DNF. As a former commander told us in the Army, just one "Aw, s**t!" erases ten "Attaboy!"

I'm stealing this to put in my Friday pep talk with my team

 

[IwannaGOfast]

I’ve seen that there are lots of tie rods upgrades/braces for Broncos. I wonder if any would fit the Ranger.

I believe most of the Bronco tie rod upgrades will be too short as the RR is 1.3" wider per side than the bronco. However, @BigMeatsBronco is running Bronco Rough County tie rods on his RR. They apparently are longer than some of the other Bronco options out there. He can probably chime in with more info. Here are a few threads showing his steering upgrades.

https://www.ranger6g.com/forum/thre...ade-rough-country-vs-oem-ranger-raptor.11215/

https://www.ranger6g.com/forum/threads/3-0-ford-performance-steering-rack-tie-rods-upgrade.10741/

I'm pretty sure all of the Bronco "band-aid" braces and steering sleeves would work on the RR. Their effectiveness is a whole other debate though, depending on who you talk to.

 

[spazzyfry123]

I believe most of the Bronco tie rod upgrades will be too short as the RR is 1.3" wider per side than the bronco. However, @BigMeatsBronco is running Bronco Rough County tie rods on his RR. They apparently are longer than some of the other Bronco options out there. He can probably chime in with more info. Here are a few threads showing his steering upgrades.

https://www.ranger6g.com/forum/thre...ade-rough-country-vs-oem-ranger-raptor.11215/

https://www.ranger6g.com/forum/threads/3-0-ford-performance-steering-rack-tie-rods-upgrade.10741/

I'm pretty sure all of the Bronco "band-aid" braces and steering sleeves would work on the RR. Their effectiveness is a whole other debate though, depending on who you talk to.

I like the idea of upgraded tie-rods in a vacuum. It may have been in one of the threads you posted, but someone made the comment keen to the tie rod being sacrificial in the circuit.

While I don't believe anything should be considered "sacrificial" and that component level items should be designed with the full circuit in consideration for lockstep sublevel superiority, that just isn't the case evidently. I wish this subassembly was built "right" whatever its definition may be (I read it as "it ain't gonna break"), but as Vonnegut would say... "So it goes."

So I think you've got two paths:

1) You go through each line level until you find that the entire circuit is built in lockstep. At which point, where do you stop? Do you keep digging through the truck until you realize you should have just bought a Unimog? It's a deep rabbit hole that pushes the fusible link to more expensive items that you either have to be willing to tolerate the risk for a potential large bill relative to what it could have been or just keep using your shovel in the rabbit hole.

2) Leave it as it is. Like I told the tow truck driver, if I had a spare tie rod I could have just replaced it myself on the side of the road and been on my way. Obviously there's something else at play for the root cause of my situation, so we're going through the motions. But in a scenario where I'm bombing away in the Ranger out of cell reception, I'd rather be replacing a tie rod I had spare with me on the trail (that is unless I had a sharp shovel ($) and didn't mind digging as point out in path 1 to build out my Ranger Unimog Edition).

 

[Jason B]

I like the idea of upgraded tie-rods in a vacuum. It may have been in one of the threads you posted, but someone made the comment keen to the tie rod being sacrificial in the circuit.

While I don't believe anything should be considered "sacrificial" and that component level items should be designed with the full circuit in consideration for lockstep sublevel superiority, that just isn't the case evidently. I wish this subassembly was built "right" whatever its definition may be (I read it as "it ain't gonna break"), but as Vonnegut would say... "So it goes."

So I think you've got two paths:

1) You go through each line level until you find that the entire circuit is built in lockstep. At which point, where do you stop? Do you keep digging through the truck until you realize you should have just bought a Unimog? It's a deep rabbit hole that pushes the fusible link to more expensive items that you either have to be willing to tolerate the risk for a potential large bill relative to what it could have been or just keep using your shovel in the rabbit hole.

2) Leave it as it is. Like I told the tow truck driver, if I had a spare tie rod I could have just replaced it myself on the side of the road and been on my way. Obviously there's something else at play for the root cause of my situation, so we're going through the motions. But in a scenario where I'm bombing away in the Ranger out of cell reception, I'd rather be replacing a tie rod I had spare with me on the trail (that is unless I had a sharp shovel ($) and didn't mind digging as point out in path 1 to build out my Ranger Unimog Edition).

Not sacrificial, but the weakest link. Would you rather replace a $250 tie rod (Ford's price) or a $1500 steering rack?

But don't sweat. This is only the second tie rod failure I've heard of. You can replace it with OEM parts and likely never have another problem. Take a look at the Raptor assault school, and the things they do with those trucks.

I believe most of the Bronco tie rod upgrades will be too short as the RR is 1.3" wider per side than the bronco. However, @BigMeatsBronco is running Bronco Rough County tie rods on his RR. They apparently are longer than some of the other Bronco options out there. He can probably chime in with more info. Here are a few threads showing his steering upgrades.

https://www.ranger6g.com/forum/thre...ade-rough-country-vs-oem-ranger-raptor.11215/

https://www.ranger6g.com/forum/threads/3-0-ford-performance-steering-rack-tie-rods-upgrade.10741/

I'm pretty sure all of the Bronco "band-aid" braces and steering sleeves would work on the RR. Their effectiveness is a whole other debate though, depending on who you talk to.

IKYMI, there is a Bronco Raptor, so those parts should fit the Ranger Raptor. FYI, starting price on Bronco Raptor? About $80K.

 

[IwannaGOfast]

Not sacrificial, but the weakest link. Would you rather replace a $250 tie rod (Ford's price) or a $1500 steering rack?

But don't sweat. This is only the second tie rod failure I've heard of. You can replace it with OEM parts and likely never have another problem. Take a look at the Raptor assault school, and the things they do with those trucks.




IKYMI, there is a Bronco Raptor, so those parts should fit the Ranger Raptor. FYI, starting price on Bronco Raptor? About $80K.

The Bronco Raptor suspension is completely different from the RR suspension. But the standard Bronco suspension is very similar to the RR. The RR arms are just a little wider than the standard suspension.

Sponsored