Opinions on 3.5 inch lift kit?

RangerCoby

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So I'm thinking about doing a 3.5 inch lift on my Ranger.

I'm currently deciding between the Fabtech, BDS or Rough Country kit.

All three include control arms and spacers for the front and either a block or shackle for the rear.

I'm interested to hear from other members who have installed one of these kits.

I plan on running the stock 18s and 275/70/18s which are slightly bigger than 33s. So I'm also wondering which of these will work with stock wheels. I feel like all 3 should work, but only the BDS kit mentions it.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Coby
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Rene Michaels

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So I'm thinking about doing a 3.5 inch lift on my Ranger.

I'm currently deciding between the Fabtech, BDS or Rough Country kit.

All three include control arms and spacers for the front and either a block or shackle for the rear.

I'm interested to hear from other members who have installed one of these kits.

I plan on running the stock 18s and 275/70/18s which are slightly bigger than 33s. So I'm also wondering which of these will work with stock wheels. I feel like all 3 should work, but only the BDS kit mentions it.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Coby

Why spend all that money on those kits and only go with 275/70/18? You can buy a front leveling kit from fordrangerlifts way cheaper and get that size tire on it. I guess I'm not following the logic for the need for a 3.5" kit for that tire size. Now 285/70/18 or 17 I get.
 
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RangerCoby

RangerCoby

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Why spend all that money on those kits and only go with 275/70/18? You can buy a front leveling kit from fordrangerlifts way cheaper and get that size tire on it. I guess I'm not following the logic for the need for a 3.5" kit for that tire size. Now 285/70/18 or 17 I get.
A 285/70/17 is .2 inches smaller than a 275/70/18 and a 285/70/18 is only .5 inches bigger.

I don't want to run 285s on stock wheels because in most cases a spacer is needed to clear the spindle knuckle.

The 3 inch level kit is on my list of options as well. I'm leaning more towards a 3.5 though because I do still want a slight rake for towing my motorcycles. Also, I like the control arms and differential drop brackets that come with the 3.5 kits. Lastly, with the 3.5 kit I can fit 34s when I get ready to upgrade to aftermarket wheels.

Do you have any opinions or experience with the kits I mentioned? If you have the 3 inch leveling kit from FRL I would be interested in hearing your opinion on that as well.

Cheers,
Coby
 

treimche

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I just installed the Fox 2.0 front coilovers and rear shocks, Icon front upper control arms, BDS 1" rear shackles and BDS intrusion beams. If you want a little rake, this setup is perfect because the front will be lifted 3", and the rear will be lifted 1", giving about .5" of rake. You'll want to measure your heights front to back and side to side to verify, but sitting stock, my Ranger was 2.5" taller in the rear. If you want, you can also raise the Fox coil overs up another .5" to get the full 3.5" lift. I did not do a diff drop because I wasn't ok with having to drill holes in the frame.
 
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RangerCoby

RangerCoby

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I just installed the Fox 2.0 front coilovers and rear shocks, Icon front upper control arms, BDS 1" rear shackles and BDS intrusion beams. If you want a little rake, this setup is perfect because the front will be lifted 3", and the rear will be lifted 1", giving about .5" of rake. You'll want to measure your heights front to back and side to side to verify, but sitting stock, my Ranger was 2.5" taller in the rear. If you want, you can also raise the Fox coil overs up another .5" to get the full 3.5" lift. I did not do a diff drop because I wasn't ok with having to drill holes in the frame.
I've also considered doing a similar setup and it's still a possibility as well. I didn't think about the drilling holes in the frame aspect of the differential drop brackets. I guess I was thinking it would reuse factory holes, so you've brought up a good point. The FabTech kit doesn't come with drop brackets. It says the control arms compensate for that. That is one thing I like about that kit, but I don't know if that's just a marketing line.

I think I know your answer, but how are you liking the Fox Coil overs? I think they may be out of my budget, but I could probably fit some Eibach coil overs or maybe some other brands into my budget. I've also considered doing a leveling strut with the stock springs.

I do like the BDS shackles though as they are advertised to correct pinon angle. I have thought about doing a coil-over and shackle combo or a 3 inch level from FRL and a shackle.

So many options and things to consider! I might have made it worse by starting this thread as more options and setups are discussed, lol.

Cheers,
Coby
 


treimche

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I just got the Fox stuff installed yesterday and have only driven home from my shop, but it immediately feels a lot better than the stock FX4 suspension. After I get an alignment done I'll report back on the ride and handling, but so far its great.
 

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Why spend all that money on those kits and only go with 275/70/18? You can buy a front leveling kit from fordrangerlifts way cheaper and get that size tire on it. I guess I'm not following the logic for the need for a 3.5" kit for that tire size. Now 285/70/18 or 17 I get.
A 285/70/17 is .2 inches smaller than a 275/70/18 and a 285/70/18 is only .5 inches bigger.

I don't want to run 285s on stock wheels because in most cases a spacer is needed to clear the spindle knuckle.

The 3 inch level kit is on my list of options as well. I'm leaning more towards a 3.5 though because I do still want a slight rake for towing my motorcycles. Also, I like the control arms and differential drop brackets that come with the 3.5 kits. Lastly, with the 3.5 kit I can fit 34s when I get ready to upgrade to aftermarket wheels.

Do you have any opinions or experience with the kits I mentioned? If you have the 3 inch leveling kit from FRL I would be interested in hearing your opinion on that as well.

Cheers,
Coby
Yes, see my post here:
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/3”-level-lift-fits-2wd-4wd.2673/page-4#post-80453

As far as the tire size difference, I'm going for a *wider* tire so height isn't as much of a concern. Not ready to invest in the wheels/tires yet... but when I do, it will be either Cooper AT3 XLT size LT285/65R18 which are 11.6 width but only a 32.56 diameter, or LT285/60R18 NItto Ridge Grapplers width 11.5, diameter 31.69

As far as the need for spacers, I don't think they are necessary if you get the right offset on the wheels, right?. If you are sticking with stock wheels, I do understand.
 

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You will need a spacer with the stock rims, even if lifted. With the stock 255/60/17 I could barely fit a finger in between the spindle bracket. I ended up having to bite the bullet and swing new rims with an offset. You should be fine with just 1/2 spacer on the stock rims. I went with 285/70/17 and definitely needed the offset.
 
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RangerCoby

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Yes, see my post here:
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/3”-level-lift-fits-2wd-4wd.2673/page-4#post-80453

As far as the tire size difference, I'm going for a *wider* tire so height isn't as much of a concern. Not ready to invest in the wheels/tires yet... but when I do, it will be either Cooper AT3 XLT size LT285/65R18 which are 11.6 width but only a 32.56 diameter, or LT285/60R18 NItto Ridge Grapplers width 11.5, diameter 31.69

As far as the need for spacers, I don't think they are necessary if you get the right offset on the wheels, right?. If you are sticking with stock wheels, I do understand.
Yeah, I'm sticking with stock wheels for now. I will upgrade at some point, but right now I'm more interested in height than width. When I upgrade to aftermarket wheels I will probably look at a wider tire and a wheel with a more suitable offset.

If I can get away with not running spacers that would be ideal.
 
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RangerCoby

RangerCoby

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You will need a spacer with the stock rims, even if lifted. With the stock 255/60/17 I could barely fit a finger in between the spindle bracket. I ended up having to bite the bullet and swing new rims with an offset. You should be fine with just 1/2 spacer on the stock rims. I went with 285/70/17 and definitely needed the offset.
My stock tires are 265/60/18 and I have enough clearance to fit a 275. All the aforementioned kits say nothing bigger than 285 on stock wheels. Hopefully I can get away with not using a spacer, seems most members haven't needed them until going to 285s or wider. I'll keep my fingers crossed though.
 

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A bit off topic but what fuel mileage are you guys getting with lift kits and large tires? Just curious, thanks!
 
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RangerCoby

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A bit off topic but what fuel mileage are you guys getting with lift kits and large tires? Just curious, thanks!
I can't speak for the lifted guys yet as I'm still figuring out what setup I'm going to run.

However, through my own research it seems that wider tires have more of an affect on gas mileage than height does. Take that with a grain of salt though as I don't yet have any experience. Also, 10 ply seems to affect it more than a lighter tire.

Hopefully someone will pitch in with their experience as I'm curious as well. I'm currently getting 22 mpg and would like to stay close to that if possible.
 

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I can't speak for the lifted guys yet as I'm still figuring out what setup I'm going to run.

However, through my own research it seems that wider tires have more of an affect on gas mileage than height does. Take that with a grain of salt though as I don't yet have any experience. Also, 10 ply seems to affect it more than a lighter tire.

Hopefully someone will pitch in with their experience as I'm curious as well. I'm currently getting 22 mpg and would like to stay close to that if possible.
Ya I was running 10 ply 32” and lost 3-4 mpg
 

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A bit off topic but what fuel mileage are you guys getting with lift kits and large tires? Just curious, thanks!
16.9 mpg to 17.3 mpg on the Lie-o-meter. I have a 3 inch lift with 295/70/17 Cooper SST PRO MT's with a -12mm offset. If your worried about fuel mileage..... DO NOT modify your Ranger period!! Highly recommend to stay on the porch and not run with the big dawgs. However, if your not a mall crawler and use it off road then Jack that bad boy up and put some manly tires on there and put those Tacoma boys back in their place, lol. No way you can lift any Truck and put larger tires on and expect factory fuel mileage. Not meant to offend everyone, but most peoples expectations are just too much. Comments not directed at you BRUH, just my $.02 and experience.
 

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16.9 mpg to 17.3 mpg on the Lie-o-meter. I have a 3 inch lift with 295/70/17 Cooper SST PRO MT's with a -12mm offset. If your worried about fuel mileage..... DO NOT modify your Ranger period!! Highly recommend to stay on the porch and not run with the big dawgs. However, if your not a mall crawler and use it off road then Jack that bad boy up and put some manly tires on there and put those Tacoma boys back in their place, lol. No way you can lift any Truck and put larger tires on and expect factory fuel mileage. Not meant to offend everyone, but most peoples expectations are just too much. Comments not directed at you BRUH, just my $.02 and experience.
there's also something called compromising... pretty easy to choose a slightly larger tire and mild lift that will still perform really well off road without completely ruining your fuel mileage and on-road driveability.
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