The second-generation Ford Ranger Raptor can now be had with a force-fed V8, but not via Ford – and it will cost you a pretty penny.
Based in Landsborough, north of Brisbane, aftermarket tuner Killa Conversions and Performance is now offering owners of the current Ford Ranger Raptor the option of a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 to replace their super-ute’s standard 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6.
Killa claims the fitment of a Roush supercharger brings the outputs of the Ford Mustang-sourced third-generation Coyote 5.0-litre V8 to a whopping 750hp (559kW) of power and 670ft-lbs (908Nm) of torque.
That’s almost double the power and torque outputs of the standard Ranger Raptor’s 292kW/583Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 and, “to handle the extra power”, Killa says it has also swapped the standard 10R60 10-speed automatic transmission for the stronger 10R80 unit from the V8 Mustang.
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For reference, earlier versions of the Coyote V8 formed the basis of the supercharged ‘Miami’ engine packing a Harrop supercharger in the final FPV and Falcon XR8 models, while the third-gen Coyote V8 powered the 2018-2021 Mustang GT.
In its latest guise, Ford’s naturally aspirated Coyote V8 continues to do duty in the Mustang GT and Dark Horse, as well as the Ford F-150 pickup in the US.
Needless to say, the Ranger Raptor V8 engine swap doesn’t come cheap, and it will void Ford’s factory warranty.
Killa is asking $89,000 for the privilege, on top of the price of the vehicle (currently $90,440 before on-road costs) and also excluding engineering certification costs in your state or territory, which normally amounts to several thousands of dollars.
But the company points out that its turn-key V8 conversion – which took 12 months to develop and comes fully installed and integrated with all of the Raptor’s standard safety, multimedia and powertrain modes to avoid throwing errors codes or disabling features – still represents good value compared to at least two high-performance full-size pickups not currently available via official channels in Australia.
“It’s what you’ve been waiting for… The only way to make your Next-Gen Raptor sound good! Plus it gets a huge gain in power!,” said Killo on its Facebook page late last week.
“I know your first question, is it expensive? Well yes, it’s a lot of money, priced at $89,000 you get a brand-new supercharged engine and transmission, fully installed, drive in drive out.
“Now if you compare that to a Ram TRX @ $260,000 or a F150 Raptor R @ $360,000, a brand new Next-Gen Raptor with the engine swap will be around $190,000 and will outperform the other two in nearly every way!”
Indeed, at $190,000, this V8-swapped Ranger Raptor will be about double the price of the standard model (about $95,000 drive-away), but still cheaper than the last TRX Final Edition vehicles sold in 2024, priced at $249,950 plus on-roads.
Of course, this isn’t the first Ranger Raptor to receive the homegrown power-up treatment, or even a V8 swap.
For around $6000, Herrod Performance offers a Power Pack producing 380kW and 780Nm via a larger intercooler and oil-cooler, plus recalibrated engine software.
Perth tuner Formula Tech will fit a 6.2-litre General Motors LS3 V8 and 6L80 auto to your previous-generation PX1 Raptor for $53,500, or a Coyote V8 to any 2.0- or 3.2-litre diesel-powered PX2 or PX3 Ranger for $60,550 and $61,000 respectively.
It also offers an optional three-year warranty for $3600.
Various Garrett turbo upgrades are also available for the Raptor’s turbo six, and Killa will also replace the original Raptor’s diesel engine with a naturally aspirated Coyote V8 for $62,000 or a GM LS3 for between $49,000 and $58,000.
Despite the apparent appearance of V8-powered Rangers undergoing development testing by the Blue Oval brand as long ago as 2019, Ford has said any potential Raptor V8 program never got beyond the “conversation” stage before being ruled out due to issues including the lack of bottom-end torque – something this blown V8 conversion should address.