Suspension Flex Battle: 2016 Ram Power Wagon vs. Ford Raptor [Video]

2016 ram power wagon ford svt raptor suspension flex rti
2016 Ram Power Wagon vs. Ford Raptor

Which truck has better suspension flex or axle articulation? Is it the 2016 Ram Power Wagon or the 2014 Ford F-150 Raptor? Also, how effective is Ram’s disconnecting front sway bar? We wanted to find in this ‘Suspension Flex Battle’.

These two off-road focused trucks are very different.

2015, ram, hd, power, wagon, snow, ice, off-road
Ram Power Wagon

The Power Wagon is a heavy duty truck with solid axles front and rear. It has off-road biased suspension setup and an electrically disconnect-able front sway bar that allows for even more axle articulation. It is designed for slow speed off-road crawling.

2014 ford f-150 svt raptor snow off-road
Ford F-150 Raptor

The Ford Raptor is a light duty truck with a modified off-road suspension with a wider track, special shocks, and more overall wheel travel than a standard F-150. The Raptor is designed for higher speed off-road running.

So which one of these popular trucks can flex more? We used a trailer ramp for a quick RTI (Ramp Travel Index) exercise. RTI measurements usually involve a ramp with a 20 degree angle. The ramp in this test is at an 16.5 degree incline. The official RTI calculation takes the distance traveled up the ramp ‘d’ , divides it by the vehicle’s wheelbase ‘w’, and multiplies by 1000 to get the number.

First up the ramp is the Power Wagon with the front sway bar connected. It climbed 65 inches up the ramp. The Ram climbed 88 inches up the ramp with the sway bar disconnected. This is a big difference of 23 inches. The Ram Power Wagon wheelbase is 149.3 inches. So, the best RTI score for the Ram is 589.4 points.

The Ford Raptor went up the ramp once and reached a distance of 80 inches. The Raptor wheelbase is 145.2 inches. This results in a best RTI score of 550.9 points.

Join the Flex Battle fun in the video below.