In terms of styling, Ford hit a homerun with the first- and second-gen F-150 Raptors. With its enlarged fenderwells and widened stance, the Raptor is an easily identifiable truck. Possibly the only plain external feature that’s shared with the standard F-150 on the first generation Raptor is the rear bumper. Despite the stock front being unique, the rear is simply run-of-the-mill.
After installing our Addictive Desert Designs Lite Series front bumper on our 2012 Raptor, we had the itch to freshen up the appearance of the back of our truck. Since we wanted to keep the styling similar, we order an Addictive Desert Designs Venom series rear bumper. This tubular bumper is a bolt-on replacement for the 2010-2014 Raptor (also fits standard F-150s). To get an extra hand securing it in place, we took up a little shop space at Low Range 4x4 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
While the video above will give you the rundown on just how quick and easy of an install this was, we’re hitting the highlights of the American-made bumper below.
The F-150 series Venom rear bumper ships with a hammer black powdercoat finish on the main base and a satin black coating for the bolt on panels. It’s constructed of 1¾-inch, 0.120-wall tubing, making it significantly stronger that the OE bumper. While our Raptor was not equipped with backup sensors, there is an option for trucks equipped with that safety feature.
The stock bumper attaches using a total of four upper and two lower mounting bolts. ADD reuses the stock mounting holes, but will require you to drill out the upper four holes to ½-inch. This setup allows us to retain our stock hitch and recovery points so we don’t lose any functionality.
The new upper hardware and bumper mounting tabs provide some room for adjustment. We found a second set of hands helpful to get the bumper mounted and adjusted correctly.
If you’re planning on taking advantage of the light openings on the bumper, you’ll need to do so before the bumper is installed. We chose a set of 2-inch square CREE LED lights from Rough Country. The X5 Series lights are built with a die-cast aluminum housing and each contains five, 5-watt high-intensity CREE LEDs.
Putting out a combined Lumen count of 4,500, the lights work great for backing up at night or adding some extra reward visibility when you need it. While the X5 Series lights do include a complete harness and switch, we elected to tap into the Raptor’s built-in auxiliary power switch panel.
One of the more practical features of the Venom bumper for those jumping in and out of the bed is the large top surface. This also provides more protection between you and an opposing obstacle.
Fitment is always a concern with aftermarket bumpers, but we are happy to report that we didn’t have any issues. We added a little weight over the stock bumper, but not a tremendous amount. Overall, we’re happy to have a bumper that’s more fitting for the truck and adventures we have in store.
See more in the gallery below.
