Bronco Raptor on the Highway - Thoughts?
- Thread starter SVL
- Start date
My solution to this is to open the windows and floor it…
Though after driving for a bit I’m not sure the crease has anything to do with the noise. I think the seal just isn’t sitting quite right internally because from the outside it seems airtight.
I had a Badlands before the Raptor and I think it could have had the same issue. I just drove so little at highway speed with that one I don’t remember anymore. The bigger problem for me was the door corners rubbing paint off against the body.
very detailed description of other bronco owners attempting to improve wind noise.
I just drove from Houston to Moab and the fuel economy fluctuated a lot. As far as tire and wind noise the Bronco in general is so noisy from the wind at 75+ you probably won't hear tire noise. As far as I can tell the tires are pretty quiet. If this is supposed to be a "freeway" car then you're definitely looking at the wrong vehicle. The design and intention of the Raptor is ENTIRELY off-road focused. You can get into 10th gear going 45 mph. It's not a Porsche.
As far as fuel economy elevation change and wind seemed like the big factors. I got as little as 13.3 mpg (calculated with odometer reading between fill-ups) going through Central Texas high plains averaging about 69 mph with net elevation gain, 15.5 mpg averaging around 60-62 with net elevation gain, and 18.6 mpg with only 500 ft net elevation loss averaging 62 mph (Santa Fe, NM to Cortez, CO).
This was all on premium but I don't think premium helps your fuel economy. I excluded the last leg from Cortez, CO to Moab because of the big elevation loss. The dash mpg gauge said 19 mpg on a tank that was mostly 85 octane with 62 mph average speed.
I also have a Rivian and the entire drive I was thinking the range numbers and driving time with stops would probably be similar for such a trip. The Raptor is hands down a terrible vehicle for the freeway. If you're on a mix of highways it's not too bad.
Virtually every review, both professional and personal, that I have read about the Raptor’s on road driving have been exceptionally positive. Most raters are surprised by just how good it is in normal driving considering that the vehicle is designed to be a superlative off roader. So I was surprised that you indicated it was only a good vehicle for off road. I am expecting the raptor to be as good if not better than my BL Sasq which I drove to Moab in. It cruised well and even with a soft top did not seem to be excessively loud at speed, unless the wind was blowing. I am always amused when folks point out that the raptor does not drive like a BMW, Porsche or any other expensive car, or any car for that matter. 😀
Did you have any head winds? I'm curious about how your Bronco Raptor does on the return trip.
The Braptor is never going back to Texas
. It lives in Moab.Central Texas going east was all cross/headwinds and I was trying harder than everyone else to stay behind large convoys of truckers. Because of the poor range you're basically sabotaging yourself at 70+ since that increases your need to stop for gas on a very long drive and Sam's Club made for convenient places to stop. I'm sure the mileage could have been even worse if I stayed above 80 on the interstate.
I've made this trip both ways in a number of vehicles and heading east is better MPG mainly due to elevation loss while heading north from New Mexico is better MPG due to tailwind/elevation loss.
I think on a good day the Raptor gets 15 mpg on interstates doing 70+ even with premium and if you can keep your speed closer to 60 you'll benefit from the improved aerodynamics and maybe get 17+. The 18.6 calculated mpg I got was even better than the gauge was showing so the gauge can be +/- ~1 mpg in terms of accuracy.
In the end I was pretty impressed overall (even for being relatively terrible for the freeway) because my 2.3 Badlands averaged about 17 mpg in Moab with a strong mix of low mpg off-road fuel economy (<7 mpg) so the Raptor could be pretty similar and the driving dynamics were even better than the stock 33" MTs.
Also, the paddle shifters allow you to upshift aggressively in "D" so you can be in 8th gear doing 40 mph and 10th gear under 50 mph. There is no "eco" mode on the Braptor so you can simulate it by forcing an upshift when it seems to think you want more power.
The Raptor was great on New Mexico's giant potholes so the one exception to being terrible on the freeway was that it was great on terrible roads.
See I found the long drive east to west was impressive, we didn’t have huge cross winds and things to contend with but if we’re going to compare her to high end vehicles I would compare this beast of a rig to my Shelby, she drives so well both city & highway smooth as silk considering this is an off road king, but then she is tolerant to anything off road you can throw at her.. 🤷🏻♀️ I’m curious to know if you stayed primarily in normal mode or if you played with sport etc, hubs likes sport for the play and power, I prefer normal where it doesn’t have as much spunk but doesn’t shift crazy and have all the motor bike sounds when gearing down.. I guess we all have our preferences and experiences and like what we like ❤️😉✌🏻
Odonnks
New member
I read allot of posts including this one before deciding to make the purchase. Yesterday, for my first drive, a 300+ mile trip to home From the dealer. I didn’t know what to expect.
At 60 mph wind noise it fine. My Grand Cherokee on M&S tires is about the same. Going above 65 the noise picks up and still is not bad. At 75-80 it’s way more noticeable but not unbearable. Holding a normal conversation is possible. Turn up the radio volume a tad and it’s not noticeable.
I had a soft top Jeep Rubicon that was much louder inside.
in the end, I didn’t buy it to make long interstate trips but after yesterday I wouldn’t hesitate.
At 60 mph wind noise it fine. My Grand Cherokee on M&S tires is about the same. Going above 65 the noise picks up and still is not bad. At 75-80 it’s way more noticeable but not unbearable. Holding a normal conversation is possible. Turn up the radio volume a tad and it’s not noticeable.
I had a soft top Jeep Rubicon that was much louder inside.
in the end, I didn’t buy it to make long interstate trips but after yesterday I wouldn’t hesitate.
DallasCajun
Well-known member
I’ve noticed the wind noise at higher speeds but don’t think anything of it since this is basically a brick with giant spinning gears at the corners. In other words, it’s almost made to create noise with the large surface area and nooks/crannies that are bound to be loud when moving.
As for whether any internal creases are pointing to gaps which cause noise, the question is whether water is getting in through those creases. I’m assuming that’s not the case since it wasn’t already mentioned.
I just think that it’s the general shape that creates noise when moving. And as resistance due to air increases exponentially as the speed increases I would assume that there is a similar correlation between sound/noise and speed.
As for whether any internal creases are pointing to gaps which cause noise, the question is whether water is getting in through those creases. I’m assuming that’s not the case since it wasn’t already mentioned.
I just think that it’s the general shape that creates noise when moving. And as resistance due to air increases exponentially as the speed increases I would assume that there is a similar correlation between sound/noise and speed.
Ok guys I was confused by all the wind noise conversations as I’ve previously expressed ours is awesome we’ve done ample highway driving and no issues…. Yesterday I started to hear some noise and I was thinking WTF so after looking around all my windows I found there’s a chunk of the rubber seal that seemingly just fell out!! Now it’s winter so obviously I have yet to take the top off my ride.. on the passenger side there’s a good 1 1/2” gap on the back window corner… I also notice on both sides there seems to be a 1” gap between front and rear windows (hubs however thinks this might be a drain for any water accumulating on the roof, if someone can confirm theirs is like that too pls) I’m going to call ford Monday to express my concern on the seal and hope the parts come in along with my windsheild lol but I’ve put some pics of the missing chunk… passenger in photo 1 and drivers side to compare in pic 2 added pic 3 of the gaps I’m curious if you all have too 😉
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RaptorusMaximus
Member
It's VERY loud...no way around that, wind noise is defening especially if your going freeway speeds into a headwind. The gas tank is too small as well, 270 mile range is sucks for long road trips. The flip side is that it has a good ride and enough power to not have to downshift too often. just did a 12 hour road trip this weekend and other than the issues above it was fun.
Wind noise for me isn't unbearable. I realize this is an older thread, but when it is really windy out (like when there are 30+mph wind gusts)I get whistling inside my cabin while driving and sitting still. No idea where it is coming from.
Anyone else have this issue? I haven't checked any seals, and I don't feel like sitting around at a dealer while they fumble around with it just to say it all looks fine.
Anyone else have this issue? I haven't checked any seals, and I don't feel like sitting around at a dealer while they fumble around with it just to say it all looks fine.
RaptorusMaximus
Member
Ask your dealer, there are several TSB's for wind noise and whistles they can fix.
RaptorusMaximus
Member
I've also got a gen 1 raptor, it's EXTREMELY quiet, practically no wind or tire noise, the only thing I hear is the purrrr of the borla exaust. The Bronco is a lot louder inside. Not road noise, it's the wind, especially if there's a cross wind you really hear air leaking out the opposite side. It's to be expected with a frameless door/window design.
If your getting air noise from the around the windshield theres a service bulletin for that.
My bronco raptor arrived without the headliner and I’m considering adding the OEM one aftermarket, Ford has it available as accessory aftermarket but some dealers say it’s Braptor compatible and some say it’s not???? Has anyone else added it aftermarket? I plan to also address wind noise with the G6 thread 🧵 suggestions just wanted to put it all together in one install. My ride gets loud at highway speed especially when cross winds blow. I expect a certain amount of wind noise on the highway. I added a headliner to my wrangler and it was significantly quieter so hoping this makes a difference too.
Some thoughts/ideas in this thread below:
Sound Deadening Headliner Question
Excited to get a 9-26-22 schedule date, but my order sheet doesn't show anything about the sound deadening headliner being included. Is that a default option that all Raptors have it automatically included? Or did my sales guy forget to click the option - I know there's no charge for it...
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