Roush's RT6 Is An F-150 With Some Serious Off-Road Hardware
Roush kicks things up several notches in the suspension department for its RT6 off-roader.
When it comes to aftermarket builders of Ford vehicles, few can match the track record and engineering expertise of Roush Performance. At one time, Roush modified vehicles were considered the pinnacle of Ford-approved performance models and were sold within select dealerships. While not as intertwined with Ford as it once was, Roush continues to produce quality hopped up Blue Oval vehicles, the latest of which being the F-150-based Roush Performance RT6 off-road rugged sport truck. Think of it as an uprated Tremor package with some Raptor-level ability.
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The biggest upgrade Roush makes for the RT6 is ditching the four-wheel drive F-150’s stock suspension for its Roush 6.0 Performance Suspension System, an all-new, purpose-built setup that Roush says delivers improved off-road performance without sacrificing on-road drivability. Roush also does it all without interfering with the F-150’s safety systems.
The 6.0 stands for a full six-inch lift over the stock F-150 thanks to the installation of a set of adjustable height Roush coilovers up front, with lift blocks and a set of rear dampers propping up the rear. By going with lift blocks, it allows Roush to retain the F-150’s stock rear springs, which helps maintain the truck’s overall driving feel while still providing the RT6 with the added height it needs to do hardcore off-road things. The new Roush dampers were added to match the additional travel afforded by the leaf spring lift blocks.
A new set of lift spindles (what the front wheel hubs attach to) were also added to help maintain the proper geometry of the 2025 F-150’s front suspension. When you add a lift kit without adding something like this, you can get the static alignment set to drive straight, but it can drastically change how the vehicle drives over bumps and road imperfections and make it feel unstable even at speeds below typical highway driving.
While the rear doesn’t require a new suspension attachment point, Roush Performance added a set of traction bars to the RT6 to prevent leaf spring wrap and wheel hop as you stomp on the throttle and put the power down (Roush doesn’t make any modifications to the F-150’s powertrain). The traction bar itself is designed with a front clevis bracket ahead of the front leaf spring eye so that it can provide control over axle wrap while still allowing the spring to move and stretch normally.
To further aid with overall stability, a new front lower crossmember was bolted to the existing one—it’s welded to the F-150 frame—as another solution for keeping the lower control arms level. The move allows the front differential to drop, keeping the front axles from sitting at a straining angle and thereby helping reduce wear on the CV joints. The high clearance crossmembers get some added protection in the form of a quarter inch, laser-cut skid plate.
