New buyer FX4 question

[Blue Streak]

By any chance s there a dealer near you with a F 150 that has one with the Fx4? You could try that and get a basic idea how it rides but as others have said it's really going to be subjective to your personal feel. For me I have no idea what others are talking about when they say it's "bouncy" ? It's a truck and rides like a truck, actually I think it rides really nice and smooth for a truck and so does everyone who's been in it. If you've owned trucks before then I wouldn't worry about it at all, buy one and enjoy it!

But beware...This site has been known to drain bank accounts mighty fast.

And also beware the damper king is already working on.

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[Dmax]

I have a ‘20 XLT FX4. I test drove a Sport non-FX4 and liked the ride. However I wanted the FX4 features for off roading. I went ahead and got an FX4 without driving it first. It turned out that both are very similar while driving around town...until I drove my FX4 from Albuquerque NM to Mesa AZ and back. The truck was too bouncy after hitting road bumps and potholes at 75-80 mph. It was bad to a point where I felt it was dangerous. After that experience, I swapped out all 4 FX4 shocks/struts for Bilstein B8 5100. That was the best decision ever! The ride is huge improvement.
As for your purchase, one option is to get the FX4 and see how you like it. Worse case is to swap out the struts/shocks if you can’t live with the bounce. Good luck.

Agree

 

[dtech]

Time to put your eggs in baskets and test for smoothness, Chevy did this but I'm thinking it might work on a Ford as well , alternatively I took my wife along for test drives and made notations with respect to head rolls when driving over bumpy roads.

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[Jamesb]

Add my name to the list of Fx4 owners that say the ride is fine. I don't have a non-Fx4 truck to compare but have zero complaints about the ride, a few other minor things but overall the truck is great.

Enjoy and welcome to Ranger5g, save some $ for all your mods! ?

 

[HenryMac]

I've driven mid size pickup trucks since 1985. 4x4 mid sized pickups since 1993.

IM0 the FX4 Ranger isn't bouncy, even on the crappy roads we have here in Colorado.

It does not ride like a front wheel drive passenger car though, it rides like a 4x4 mid size truck.

Some folks expect an empty 4x4 pickup truck with best in class towing and payload ratings to ride like a passenger car. Pretty sure that's unobtanium.

 

[ryyck]

I have a fX4 and replaced the rear shocks and will do the front. My wife drives a BMW X3 M40i. She finds the truck extremely bumpy. I don’t mind it too much. It really just depends on what your expectations are. Off road it’s great. Pavement another issue to some and my wife. When I could compress the rear shocks with my hands after replacing them, it confirmed how soft they were. Those are my two cents.

Hey Dmax
I have a Lariat FX4, the wife drives a X3M40i...crazy.
I came from a M235i BMW, and our son has the 4x4 Titan...he replaced his shocks , in the rear, with Bilsteins.
The Ranger is certainly not a BMW, and is a lot more bouncy then the modded Titian. The bouncy shows itself on the curves in-town or mild speeds on a 45 mph roadway. If you are going 70mph on a long trip...it's a great ride. I've never had the Ranger crawling over trees so I can't comment on that. My son told me to replace the rear shocks, as is the opinion of a number of forum members, and the ride will improve. What I need not to do is plant the drive experience of a BMW on a Ranger. That's the old adage of apples and carrots.... But the plan is, replace the rear shocks to stiffen that road banter of the Ranger. I'm cheap and want to wear the Ford shocks out a bit more. But I have expectations that the Ranger ride will benefit.

 

[Cape Cruiser]

My thought on the bouncyness is that its fine going down normal roads but hitting speed bumps or going in and out of driveway aprons makes it wiggle side to side pretty bad and takes a bit to settle down. And its worse in the passenger seat as you dont have the steering wheel to hold on to. My 19 scab 4x2 when sitting at a light and a tractor trailer goes by it feels like the truck wants to roll over ,my 20 fx4 doesnt do that. Bret

 

[Bobobots]

I find the FX4 ride fine as well.

On the highway, it feels like I'm driving on a cloud. My last vehicle was a Japanese rice car with low profile tires so I welcome this comfy bounce.
I often drive downtown, encounter speed bumps, and street car tracks; so having a higher ride with a little bounce is great when compared to my last vehicle.

Reading the other thread about bounce, there were folks that found adjusting the tire pressure helped somewhat if it was an issue. I haven't found a need to adjust it on the truck, other than the summer/winter adjustment.

 

[Robert Scott]

I have a 2020 Lariat FX4 and love it. I keep my tires at 35 PSIG, the ride is perfect.

 

[The_Limey]

Thank you all for the detailed replies. Sounds like FX4 is the way to go. Easy enough to change out shocks later if needed.

Next question (aside from color of course - that's the one that really keeps me up at night. can't switch that out like a shock! blue is amazing. but will it age well. magnetic is safe, hides dirt. black is amazing when clean... but that won't be often parked outside 24/7) is 17" or 18" wheels. I see Lariat FX4s Sport appearance optioned with both. Love the look of the Sport's stock 17" magnetic rims more. But ride comfort is paramount. I assume 17s are cushier with higher sidewall?

 

[Guioco]

Thank you all for the detailed replies. Sounds like FX4 is the way to go. Easy enough to change out shocks later if needed.

Next question (aside from color of course - that's the one that really keeps me up at night. can't switch that out like a shock! blue is amazing. but will it age well. magnetic is safe, hides dirt. black is amazing when clean... but that won't be often parked outside 24/7) is 17" or 18" wheels. I see Lariat FX4s Sport appearance optioned with both. Love the look of the Sport's stock 17" magnetic rims more. But ride comfort is paramount. I assume 17s are cushier with higher sidewall?

The blue one with the options I wanted (xlt fx4) sold off the dealer's lot the day before I got there. Got magnetic and am not dissapointed.

 

[Jamesb]

Thank you all for the detailed replies. Sounds like FX4 is the way to go. Easy enough to change out shocks later if needed.

Next question (aside from color of course - that's the one that really keeps me up at night. can't switch that out like a shock! blue is amazing. but will it age well. magnetic is safe, hides dirt. black is amazing when clean... but that won't be often parked outside 24/7) is 17" or 18" wheels. I see Lariat FX4s Sport appearance optioned with both. Love the look of the Sport's stock 17" magnetic rims more. But ride comfort is paramount. I assume 17s are cushier with higher sidewall?

I have the 265/65/ 17's and again, they ride fine. IMO PSI will have a lot more of an affect on ride comfort that 18's compared to 17's.

If ride comfort is "paramount", factor in the $ for upgrading to Bilsteins or whichever shocks you prefer. Personally, I think the FX4 rides fine and decided to spend my first mod money on other things.

PS. Ingot Silver is always a solid choice.

 

[DanaBovender]

I have a 2019 Lariat 4x4, cost me $56 to add TM. I have no issue with the comfy ride.
Not like I really needed TM, not planning to take the lux truck rock crawling anyway.

 

[codestp202]

I went with a Supercab 4x4 xlt with a locking diff. I didn't see the value in the FX4. I bought the missing Transfer Case Skid plate for $30, and added terrain management for $50. Those were the two things I truly cared about that I didn't have on my truck.

As far as suspension goes, if I'm going to spend the additional $1200, might as well get aftermarket stuff that will be better then the FX4 equipment. I spend about 80% of my time on road and maybe 20% off road so the normal suspension seemed like a better choice.

I suppose the other thing I'm missing out on is the terrain control, but it seems that is in the works of a simple button replacement and a forscan change once that is figured out.

 

[YaBoiNewton]

ive read all the “bounce” posts and reviews of FX4 handling

thanks!

It seems to me that many people reviewing trucks and complaining about "bouncing" are not approaching the vehicle with the right frame of mind. Car reviewers will always exaggerate any perceived negatives and you simply cannot expect sedan performance out of a pickup truck. If you have ever driven a pickup truck before, a ranger will feel very familiar with or without the FX4 package.

Like you, I wondered about the difference the FX4 suspension makes and test drove both multiple times in the same day. I didn't notice a difference and opted for the FX4 to get the extras. I will modify it eventually, but I've done 12,000 miles since May 2020 and I have nothing to complain about on or off-road.

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