Modified Raptor Pumping E85 is Wheel-jerking Street Beast

How do you make Raptor even more of a beast? Install some bolt-ons and convert it to run on pure E85 fuel, then let it loose.

There are still plenty of people out there that are convinced Ford should’ve put a V8 in the second-generation Raptor. But what if you want the ultimate off-road F-150, but have no desire to swap out its engine for a Coyote 5.0? The next best thing to do is to juice up the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. The owner of the beast in this YouTube video from Mustang Lifestyle did that in a big way.

It started life as a 2018 Raptor SuperCrew. Like many Raptors, it didn’t stay stock for long. Its owner, a man named Michael, souped it up inside and out. Michael’s truck wears several carbon fiber accents, a beefier front bumper with integrated bull bar and auxiliary lighting, a set of aftermarket wheels inside of 35-inch tires and an aftermarket rear bumper above blacked-out exhaust finishers.

Michael’s truck may look as if it’s constantly ready to roar across the open desert and fly over every dune in sight, but Michael has spared it from the hazards of off-roading. He used someone else’s Raptor for all of that high-flying action. After Michael bought his truck, he attended a Ford Performance driver’s clinic to learn how to get the most out of his new purchase…behind the wheel of one of Ford’s own Raptors. He tells host Andrew Sheridan, “I went to Salt Lake City, Utah and drove their brand-new truck in the desert and jumped it … and got to trash theirs.”

Michael’s Raptor may not be jumping dunes any time soon, but it’ll definitely be zooming down the road. He upgraded the 3.5-liter EcoBoost under the hood by adding an intake and downpipe and converting it to run on octane-rich E85. According to Michael, his truck now gets about 500 horsepower at the rear wheels.

Sheridan lets all of them out of the stables multiple times and they pull him and Michael down the road with manic energy. The number on the digital speedo changes in a frenzy. Things get even more dramatic once Sheridan starts launching the Raptor in four-wheel drive. As the beast of a truck lunges forward, the steering wheel jerks in Sheridan’s hands as if it’s telling him the truck it’s a part of can’t be tamed.

Luckily, Michael invested in better stopping hardware to keep all of that fury in check. As he puts it, “It definitely needed brakes. The stock Raptor brakes suck.” Sheridan can sense the new setup through his right foot. He tells Michael, “This thing feels like a Mustang when it’s stopping.” From what we see, it sure seems as if it goes like one, too.

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Derek Shiekhi

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.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Derek also contributes to other outlets. He started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get even more automotive content out to fellow enthusiasts.

He can be reached at autoeditors@internetbrands.com.

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