BDS 2” leveling kit installed

Randy2400h

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Full write-up forthcoming. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a major PITA, this was at least a 9. On my way to the tire shop then alignment shop tomorrow.

Some quick notes:
1) You’ll really need these tools in particular: a heavy duty strut compressor, an air hammer (yes really) and air impact wrench, PB Blaster lubricant, anti-seize lubricant for the threads on strut compressor, blue threadlocker, 35mm axle nut socket, 15mm 18mm 19mm 21mm impact sockets, two jack stands and a floor jack (preferably two) and a 1/2” drive torque wrench.

2)Compressing the strut is difficult with your standard McPherson strut compressor kit but it is doable, it is far more difficult to reassemble the strut to be perfectly aligned top to bottom so it can be remounted (I’ll have some good tips on this). I marked a spot on the top of the top strut “hat” with a paint marker that lined up with lower strut mount bolt when looking straight down from the top of the strut (when it is removed for disassembly obviously). That said, I would make the necessary
alignment marks and take it to a 4x4 shop that can use their wall mounted strut compressor; just make sure you carefully explain the importance of the alignment marks and don’t leave the shop without it being exact.

3)To get the lower a-arm to extend low enough to allow the strut to be removed, you need to partially pull out the axle, WITHOUT pulling apart the inner CV joint (the joint that is inside the rubber boot nearest the front differential). You have use the air hammer to punch the axle through the hub, but you don’t want to punch it out of the hub entirely, you can accomplish this by threading the axle nut back on a few turns (enough threads to start pulling the axle back through during reassembly).

4) Remove the ABS sensor out of the knuckle and away from the action. Disconnect the brackets for the brake line not only on the knuckle but also on the inner fender to give yourself more leaway; you’ll need it to get the strut in/out.

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Randy2400h

Randy2400h

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The guys at the alignment shop are already telling me that there isn’t enough adjustment to get my Ranger back to zero camber with the 2” BDS kit installed. They say it will still have a slight positive camber (1/2 degree postive). They said they wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes out with an adjustable upper ball joint, like for the Tacomas, because apparently any kind of front end lift destroys the camber of those trucks.

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Randy2400h

Randy2400h

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And I posted this in another thread. I made a mistake regarding ordering tires. I ordered a set of 5 tires (275/65-18s) for my stock 18” wheels. And come to find out that the spare wheel is a 17”. Now I have to head back to the tire shop again and change out the spare tire with a 275/70-17. Very close in size. Since I still have a positive chamber after the alignment, I’ll be rotating my tires every 3k miles until I can come up with a solution such as a shorter upper a-arm or adjustable upper ball joint.
 
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Randy2400h

Randy2400h

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About to install the remainder of the BDS 2” leveling kit, the rear struts. The BDS 10-stage hydraulic struts will hopefully quiet down the chatter in the rear.

I am happy to report that the the front end is far less “bouncy” now with the preload spacers installed in the front struts, that was the effect I was hoping for.
 


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Randy2400h

Randy2400h

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Finished my install. The BDS Nitro Series NX2 struts are now installed in the rear. I’m going to give the whole set-up a few hundred miles before I make final judgments.

Initial impressions

Around town on roads: The “bouncy” ride in the front has been significantly more stable while being comparably smooth over large road gaps, potholes, etc. So the preload spacer in the front struts appears to have given me both the tire clearance and the desired change in ride I wanted. For the rear, the verdict is still out but around town it doesn’t seem to do anything to dampen harsh road defects over the stock shocks, but it seems to do a much better job controlling the rebound rate. I get get less feedback from the rear-end when turning off onto a side road through a large dip, which means not getting whacked in the back of the head with my headrests anymore.

Off-road: I have a nice little loop near my house in Colorado Springs with a heavily rutted 42 degree hill climb (so says my off-road inclinometer), followed by a section of crushed boulders. I was able to do a before and after run. All OEM ride up the rutted hill was “bouncy” and kind of uncomfortable while carrying some speed in 4H. In 4L, diff locked, with the crawl control set to 2mph it was significantly better but still a little bouncy on the hill climb. On the back section of crushed boulders I had to slow down in 4H (like “Whooooaaahh” that’s too much) and knew better to go that fast on the second pass in 4L. “Bouncy” would be a little too nice, we’ll just say got a little beat up. Post BDS kit and bigger tires is where this truck really excels. Although a bit hesitant, I did another 4H hill climb with speed and hit a large mud hole at the top. In one word, FUN! It was significantly more stable and even with the new surprise at the top of the hill it felt far more controllable and never out of control. In 4L, diff locked, and crawl control set to 2mph, it felt very tame (take your grandma with you). On the crushed boulder section, much more docile and dare I say “fun” again. Absent was the feeling of getting kicked around. It didn’t buck up violently out of bumps.

Comparing the stock vehicle to my current set-up leads me to these observations about the stock FX4 suspension.
1) The front end is too soft
2) The rebound rate is awful both front and rear, hence the “bouncy” feeling or more significant “getting kicked” after after a large bump; the rear is more apparent because it doesn’t have the weight of the engine/drivetrain to dampen the rebound.

Initially, I would say the BDS kit plus 275/65-18 tires is definite improvement off-road and fair improvement on-road.

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Desert_5G

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looks nice. I went w/ the upgrade fox 2.0 in the rear. im sure after I run this setup for a year i'll be wanting to go to a full coil over stance eventually.
 

RCMUSTANG

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I wonder if they'd sell the rear socks by themselves.
 
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Randy2400h

Randy2400h

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BTW, the shock boots didn’t come with the kit. I went to my local 4x4 shop, and it was $7 for a pair of black shock boots, BDS brand.
 
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Randy2400h

Randy2400h

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I wonder if they'd sell the rear socks by themselves.
I’m pretty sure they do. I’m sure you could call their sales line and get a price. If you need a part number, let me know. I can fish out the strut boxes from the recycling bin.
 

j0shm1lls

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What I really want to know is if I went with the 2" lift for now, with the fox 2.0 rears, will there be an 'upgrade path' for me when the 3.5" lift kit is released. I don't want to have to buy another set of rears that I already have. I tried asking BDS, but they gave me their standard line of not talking about release dates or future products...
 

orbit8

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The guys at the alignment shop are already telling me that there isn’t enough adjustment to get my Ranger back to zero camber with the 2” BDS kit installed. They say it will still have a slight positive camber (1/2 degree postive). They said they wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes out with an adjustable upper ball joint, like for the Tacomas, because apparently any kind of front end lift destroys the camber of those trucks.

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I wouldn't necessarily use that alignment as gospel. It's showing 08-11 Ranger specs. The 2008-2011 Ranger does not have strut based front suspension and many different frame and control arm measurements. It is very rare that a vehicle from a different generation will use the same camber, caster and toe specs. I checked my Hunter Alignment machine and I'm not seeing any specs for a 2019+ Ranger yet. I'll call my Hunter rep and see what he says.
 

justspeed7

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Really wanting to do this same setup but don’t want to have alignment issues.
 

orbit8

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Here are the specs from my Hunter Alignment Machine. There are 3 options for Ranger 4x4, top one is generic, the bottom one is the same for both 255/70-16 and 265/60-18, so I just combined both on the bottom of the sheet. Ideally the Ranger wants .03 degrees camber, basically 0 degrees. As for caster, I would say stay above 2.5 and you'll be fine. I see no real 'alignment issues' just shops who are in a hurry and may not dial in the best camber/caster ratio. Personally I would dial in camber and make that as best I could without sacrificing caster so much to create bad driveability.

Randy2400h, what do your cams look like? Can you post pics of all 4 and note which is front, rear, left and right?
 

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skibuff

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Looks great!!

Aside from the 2" lift did you have to do anything to get the tires to fit?
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