Whipple Tuned and Shattering Records | Bronco Raptor Hits the Dyno and the Track

SID297

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Whipple Tuned and Shattering Records | Bronco Raptor Hits the Dyno and the Track

BRaptor_Whipple_Tune_002.jpg


They say good things come to those who wait. Well in my experience patience and performance are two difficult concepts to mix, but when done properly the results can be quite rewarding. As most of the SVTP faithful know, aftermarket tuning on many late model Fords can be a bit tricky. Gone are the days of bringing a pulley and Diablo Predator to the dealership and modding your Terminator before you leave the lot. We now live in a world of encrypted ECUs and waiting for the aftermarket to crack the code. Luckily for us, Whipple Superchargers has just released their performance calibration for the Bronco Raptor and we happened to get our hands on one of the first units for our in-house BRaptor.

We’ve been steadily modding our Bronco Raptor over the past few months, and even threw more boost at it with a piggy-back device. However, a full tune is always preferable because it allows you to adjust aspects that effect the driving dynamics in a way that is beyond the capabilities of a typical Plug-&-Play device. According to Dustin Whipple his BRaptor calibration (delivered to the ECU via Whipple’s Tomahawk tuning device); substantially increases performance, optimizes the shift schedule, increases pedal sensitivity, is adaptable to various octane levels, and increases the speed limiter among innumerable other changes.


This video covers our full day of fun, including hole-shotting a Camaro with a 3-Ton Off-Road SUV.

So we decided to load up and head out to 5 Star Tuning in Florence, SC for a little dyno session. We started our day out on the rollers with 93 Octane fuel in the tank, the factory tune in the ECU, and a Whipple intercooler hanging out in front. That combination netted us 367.6 RWHP and 403.1 RWTQ (all torque figures are measured in lb-ft). Our BRaptor now has about 5,500 miles on the clock, so it is thoroughly broken in and these numbers appear to reflect that.

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Now it was time to upload 17.5 MB of digital goodness into the computer. The tuning process is substantially the same as every other modern tuning device. However, one major difference is how fast the Whipple Tomahawk is able to write the tune file to the ECU. It is much faster than you may expect. With the tune installed we made a few more dyno pulls and ended up making 419.5 RWHP and 470.9 RWTQ. Peak gains of nearly 52 HP and 68 lb-ft from a simple tune on a 3.0L engine are impressive, but the real story is the power under the curve.

BRaptor_Whipple_Tune_015.jpg


As you can see from the dyno sheet above, the Whipple calibration is making substantially more power than the factory tune across the entire RPM range. It’s allowing boost to build much earlier in the pull, and by 3,000 RPM it is making 17.5% more torque than stock. The gains are everywhere, not just the peak. Speaking of the peak; the Whipple file also raises the RPM limiter, which allows the BRaptor to rev out to 6,000 RPM while in stock form it runs out of steam around 5,500RPM. This thing is definitely making a difference that you’ll feel on the street.

Most would be satisfied to stop there and call it a successful day, but that’s not the SVTP way. We decided to throw a little Boostane Pro into the tank just to see if there was any power left on the table. Since the Whipple cal has adaptive octane logic it would be able to take advantage of any added points from spicing up the 93 in the tank. Josh @ 5 Star Tuning dosed the Braptor with about half a can, then gave it a little shake for good measure. The result was 423.4 RWHP and 467.9 RWTQ, most of which comes at the top of the RPM range.

BRaptor_Whipple_Tune_016.jpg


What adding Boostane shows us is that Whipple has optimized this tune to run on 93 Octane. If you’ve got a fresh tank of good quality fuel you’re going to get almost everything there is to be had out of this tune. In other words, this tune is on point. However; while dynos can give you some great info, there’s no replacement for gathering data out in the wild. That’s why we left 5 Star Tuning and headed directly out to Darlington Dragway, where the 55 degree weather was perfect for making a few hits. We managed to get three runs in, here are the results:

BRaptor_Whipple_Tune_001.jpg

We made all of our passes in Sport Mode, in 4-Hi, with the traction control off. The trick is launching with enough RPM to build boost off the line, but not so much so as to upset the extremely soft Bronco Raptor suspension. As you can see in the video above, leaving too hot causes the off-road-centric SUV to pogo stick through the 60-foot mark. That undulating motion destroys ET, but we did manage to squeak out a best run of 13.9 @ 98 MPH with some porpoising. By dropping the luanch RPM we did manage to leave smoothly and click off a 14.0. I think with enough time to figure out the launch the Whipple tuned BRaptor could consistently run 13.8 @ 99MPH. That puts us running about a second faster with 8-9 MPH more speed than many other stock media tests I’ve seen. This won’t be the last time I take it down the track.

The Bronco Raptor might not be the perfect ¼ mile track beast, but it’s still a blast to make a few runs at the track. I bought this thing to have fun with, so mission accomplished. And with the Whipple calibration loaded up it’s even better. I’ll be doing a full driving review on the Whipple Intercooler/Tune combo in the near future, so keep an eye on SVTP if you don’t want to miss that.

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black92

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How it should have been stock! Bet it's much more fun to drive around now.

Also, I wouldn't run Boostane too often because it seems several have suffered from it coating sensors, spark plugs and whatnot.
 

CobraBob

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That Raptor WOKE up. LOL. But seriously, that is an impressive power boost. And helps it live up to its name. I'm looking forward to hearing what's next. ;)
 

SID297

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How it should have been stock! Bet it's much more fun to drive around now.

Also, I wouldn't run Boostane too often because it seems several have suffered from it coating sensors, spark plugs and whatnot.

It won’t hurt anything.

Maybe I missed it or maybe it wasn't mentioned but how much does that horse weigh?

5,800 pounds.

That Raptor WOKE up. LOL. But seriously, that is an impressive power boost. And helps it live up to its name. I'm looking forward to hearing what's next. ;)

SPD Downpipes. Maybe a slightly revised Whipple tune.
 

kevinatfms

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Well i feel a shit ton better. My 2021 F150 2.7 just ran bottom 13's on regular ole 93. Wish i got the high 12 with some E30 but the fueling wasnt in the cards.

Suck it BRaptor.

PS, how does this thing weigh more than my Supercrew F150.
5800lbs? I weighed right at 5470 with 3/4 tank and my fatass in the truck. This is on the scales at MIR.
 

SID297

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Well i feel a shit ton better. My 2021 F150 2.7 just ran bottom 13's on regular ole 93. Wish i got the high 12 with some E30 but the fueling wasnt in the cards.

Suck it BRaptor.

PS, how does this thing weigh more than my Supercrew F150.
5800lbs? I weighed right at 5470 with 3/4 tank and my fatass in the truck. This is on the scales at MIR.

Steel body and 37s are a big part of it. Ford reinforced the crap out of the Bronco because of the removable roof. It basically weighs the same as an F-150 Raptor.

I really like the 3.0L EcoBoost. I think it's going to be great in the Ranger Raptor (which I'm thinking about getting).
 

LS WUT

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I love the license plate haha, bad ass bronco sir. Making some good power, and good times being she’s a heavy girl.
 

SID297

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I love the license plate haha, bad ass bronco sir. Making some good power, and good times being she’s a heavy girl.

Thanks. The thing is, it's not just the weight. The wheels and tires are very heavy and soak up a lot of power. Maybe I should buy a set of standard Bronco wheels and tires from a Chevy truck owner for track days.


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GNBRETT

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The updated shift schedule and throttle mapping alone are worth getting the tune. Should be nice when out fitted like this too:

View attachment 1787761


I seen one in person for the first time the other day. It was white and had all the doors and roof removed and I gotta admit it looked dope AF. Like made me really consider buying one. Just looks so wide!

Whats ur gas mileage?
 

SID297

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I seen one in person for the first time the other day. It was white and had all the doors and roof removed and I gotta admit it looked dope AF. Like made me really consider buying one. Just looks so wide!

Whats ur gas mileage?

That's why I included the one pic with the other Bronco. The BRaptor doesn't even look like the same base vehicle as a standard one when you see them together.

I don't remember the normal everyday mileage it gets off the top of my head, but we got about 18MPG coming back from the track.
 

GNBRETT

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18 is reasonable..... My Ram 1500 with a 6 inch lift and 35 inch tires gets 14 mpg.

Yea, the BRaptor is a night and day difference for sure. It really is a hot truck dont care for the two door tho...... Naked they look sexy AF.

That's why I included the one pic with the other Bronco. The BRaptor doesn't even look like the same base vehicle as a standard one when you see them together.

I don't remember the normal everyday mileage it gets off the top of my head, but we got about 18MPG coming back from the track.
 

TORQUERULES

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Steel body and 37s are a big part of it. Ford reinforced the crap out of the Bronco because of the removable roof. It basically weighs the same as an F-150 Raptor.

I really like the 3.0L EcoBoost. I think it's going to be great in the Ranger Raptor (which I'm thinking about getting).
The Ranger Raptor should save you quite a bit of weight, so tuned it should haul ass.
 

TORQUERULES

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Just saw one not too long ago in Ashland, KY in green. Looked fantastic, and noting like another Bronco including the Sasquatch package. My wife didn't believe it was a Bronco at first. Lol.
 

TORQUERULES

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Thanks. The thing is, it's not just the weight. The wheels and tires are very heavy and soak up a lot of power. Maybe I should buy a set of standard Bronco wheels and tires from a Chevy truck owner for track days.


View attachment 1787842
I always pay attention to tire weight when you get into all terrain/off-road tires. I don't seriously off-road, so I can get away with that. Makes a difference in parasitic loss, mileage, etc.
 

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