A New King?
Talk about fun! After one of the biggest snowfalls of the year in Colorado, what could be better than taking two super trucks into the snow-covered mountains? Absolutely nothing! For more than a decade, the Ford Raptor has been the undisputed king of pick-up trucks. That was until 2020 when RAM introduced the 702-hp TRX, which quickly dethroned the Raptor. Now more than a year after the TRX hit dealerships, Ford’s all-new third-generation Raptor has arrived. We want to find out which super truck is king this year. The only way we now how is to put them head-to-head in an off-road battle: Ford Raptor vs RAM TRX!
The Trucks
The two super trucks we tested in this video are the 2022 Ford Raptor (with the 37″ tire package) and our long term 2021 RAM TRX. The Raptor is powered by a 3.5L Twin-Turbo V6, making 450 hp and 510 ft-lbs of torque. The TRX’s Supercharged 6.2L V8 makes a much more impressive 702 hp and 650 ft-lbs. We’re not necessarily using all that power in the snow. What’s much more important are the tires. The Ford runs a 37″ BFGoodrich K02 A/T tire (Three-Peak rated). The TRX uses a 35″ Goodyear Wrangler Territory A/T. Both trucks come standard with 35″ tires, but only Ford gives you the option to upgrade to 37s.
RAM TRX 35″ tire 
Ford Raptor 37″ tire
Snow Pit
The first part of our trail is very steep and narrow with trees lining both sides. The snow was also untouched with a solid sheet of ice underneath, (we were the first ones to tackle this trail after the storm hit). Tommy took the Raptor through first. He quickly found out that the only way to get through snow this deep is to stay heavy in the throttle. Unfortunately that tends to kick the rear end of the truck sideways. Tommy held it together and got through without tapping any trees.
The TRX followed the same exact line. The rear end kicked the truck slightly to the right just like the Raptor. What was very different however, was the sound. The TRX sounds just perfect; the supercharger whine and burly exhaust note make for a very special experience. The Raptor’s sound has been greatly improved upon compared to the second generation truck (thanks to a new exhaust). It still doesn’t come anywhere close to the tunes coming out of the TRX.
Hell’s Turn
This next obstacle is pretty tough. Its a super steep, off-camber turn, which needs to be taken with a lot of momentum due to the depth of the snow. Tommy ran it first in the Raptor, and went straight for a giant Boulder. He stopped the truck just in time, but decided to back it down and let the TRX break through the fresh snow first. Immediately the TRX followed the same path, and was again, headed straight for the Boulder. Roman was a little more daring and decided to give it another go with even more throttle. There was plenty of wheel spin and a complete lack of traction, but Roman planted his foot all the way up and made it to the top.
Once the snow was broken up a bit, the run became a lot easier for Tommy in the Raptor. This time he applied full throttle, and the Raptor’s K02s dug right in, but he didn’t make it to the top without any issues. On the way up the Raptor got a “Service AdvanceTrac” warning, but it went away with a simple re-start of the truck.
The Winner?
There’s nothing more satisfying that breaking though fresh snow in two insanely powerful (and insanely bright) trucks. We found that the TRX’s tires managed the snow a bit better than the Raptor’s, even though they are not snow-rated. We think this is due to the bigger lugs on the Goodyear tire. Both trucks made it to the top and made it back home in one piece. For me though, the sound of the TRX is hard to beat. Check out TFLstudios for more snowy Ford Raptor vs RAM TRX off-road testing.
