Tuners Create Ford Ranger Raptor R With a Supercharged V8

In case you hadn’t heard, the Ford Ranger Raptor is a weapon. When my buddy Andrew reviewed it last March, he called it an “instant classic,” and it even won The Drive‘s Truck of the Year award. Not only is its Fox Live Valve suspension incredible, paired with that snazzy Watts link rear-end, but the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 is also mighty in its own right with 405 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. But what if Ford made a Ranger Raptor R with a V8?

That’s effectively what Killa Conversions and Performance out of Australia has created with its new supercharged Coyote V8 swap. It elevates the power specs to 750 hp and 670 lb-ft of torque thanks to a Roush blower. Importantly, this switcharoo also involves a transmission swap to the sturdier 10R80 from the stock 10R60 in the Ranger Raptor, Bronco Raptor, and Explorer ST.

Now, I can’t pretend to know what this rig is like to drive. But I imagine it compares similarly to the F-150 Raptor and its Raptor R counterpart. The supercharged, dual overhead cam 5.0-liter surely makes it faster on the top end and rowdier all around, if not necessarily better in most real-world situations. Both the F-150 and Ranger Raptor are more than capable enough; crank up the power and you start to see diminishing returns on handling and, crucially, balance. But whoever’s willing to pony up nearly $57,000 USD on top of the cost of the truck probably cares more about V8 grunt anyway.

You have to remember that this isn’t being marketed in the States, where you can buy an F-150 Raptor R for $115,000. In Australia, one of those full-size monsters costs the equivalent of $230,000. That means this DIY Ranger Raptor R is a big bargain at the US equivalent of $125,000 all-in.

The Gen 3 Coyote on its own wouldn’t be a worthwhile swap. Sure, the noise is good, and even though the naturally aspirated V8 makes 460 hp on its own, it’s actually down 10 lb-ft of torque compared to the 3.0-liter EcoBoost. That explains why Killa Conversions and Performance went all the way over the top with the supercharger. If it weren’t for that, I’d feel a little meh about this truck.

If you’re going to eliminate the finesse of a factory-built rally truck with more power, you’d better give it enough to blow through the turns it can’t make. I’d say that’s exactly what they’ve done here.

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