Original Raptor jumps so far and high that it jumps again right after it lands. Napoleon Dynamite would be proud.
Napoleon Dynamite came out in 2004, well before the first-generation Ford F-150 SVT Raptor hit the market. The movie’s moody and aloof title character liked doodling ligers, tater tots, and his pal Pedro’s bicycle. Judging by the leaps the Raptor in this video from Weimarjoe makes, we think Dynamite would be a fan of Ford’s ultimate off-road truck, too.
One of Dynamite’s favorite things about Pedro’s bike is its shocks. According to Weimarjoe, the Raptor in his video is equipped with aftermarket leaf springs and shocks. Those get put to the test the way the suspension components in every Raptor do – by absorbing the impact of high jumps over rough terrain. The Raptor tears through a forest at a high rate of speed, roars up a dirt ramp, and launches into the sky.
It stays airborne for 100 feet before landing hard. Its front suspension compresses so much that the front tires fill every bit of their wheel wells for a split second. The back end does the same thing immediately afterward. If you pause the video at the 0:11 mark, it looks as if the impact turns the mighty off-roader into a low-rider.
But it takes more than that to break a Raptor. The ferocious Ford quickly bounces back – in more ways than one. The Raptor absorbed so much energy when it landed that its rebound turns into a second jump. The front end comes off of the ground and takes the back end with it. The Raptor’s rear bucks up high, tipping the Raptor onto its front tires. Once again, the rear end quickly and violently returns to the earth.
The Raptor keeps charging ahead as if nothing happened. No big deal. Two seconds later, it jumps another, smaller mound and gets a little more air.
We’d say those definitely qualify as “sweet jumps.” Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to make ourselves a dang quesadilla and get dressed for our next game of tetherball.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
