The folks at PickupTrucks.com recently took the Mopar Ram
Runner and the Ford SVT Raptor F150 to the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular
Recreation Area in southeastern California and when the dust cleared – the Ram
Runner was found to be the winner.
PickupTrucks.com headed to southeastern California with the
Ram Runner, the Raptor, and SCORE International Off-Road Racing Series Trophy
Truck driver Chad Ragland.Ocotillo
Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area has a 4.73 mile off-road course which
Ragland used to test the capacities of the two trucks.In the end, Ragland was able to lap the
course 33 seconds faster in the Ram Runner than he could in the mighty Raptor
even though the SVT F150 packs more power than the standard production 5.7L
Hemi found in the Ram Runner.
“I was impressed with Ram Runner’s extreme off-road
capability,” said Ragland. “We jumped, slammed into mounds, cut through deep
sand and it came out like a pro, rarely getting into the bumpstops or touching
the skid plates,” said Ragland. “Those front-end shocks are amazing. During our
first set of runs, I could feel myself tighten a bit as we headed toward the
big rocks and ruts, but then the front end just sucked it all up. Those big
springs and shocks had no problems.”
In addition to picking the Ram Runner over the SVT Raptor
because of the quicker time through the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular
Recreation Area course, the editors at PickupTrucks.com like the fact that the
Ram Runner is a aftermarket package that can be purchased at once or pieced
together.The Mopar Ram Runner package
also allows Ram owners who want to build their truck for optimal off-road
performance to pick select items from the kit while using their own items based
on their preferences.
“Our Mopar Ram Runner is the ultimate desert racer based on
a production vehicle,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar,
Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Mopar Ram Runner
offers superior suspension travel to handle rough terrain and greater approach
and departure angles for better clearance.”
The odds are good that most of the folks here at
DodgeForum.com think that the Ram Runner is better than the Raptor and now the
folks at PickupTrucks.com have made it official!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
The folks at PickupTrucks.com recently took the Mopar Ram