Potential issues with lifting/leveling the front end?

[Jason@Stage3]

So what long term effects are there to leveling a Ranger with a 2” front end lift?

Likely none.

Out of our 22 F150 project trucks we've had over the years, only one had a CV issue and it's solely because John tried to take its 7" lift up to 9" as an experiment.

Sure, the Rangers are a different platform, but we're hopeful. We talked to ICON at SEMA and they didn't seem to have any concerns, either.

What’s the best way to go, collar or spacer?

There's no such thing as "best". There's only best for your budget, desired ride quality, and application.

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[THLONE]

"likely, hopeful, didnt seem, no such thing as "best"." LOL

 

[Jason@Stage3]

"likely, hopeful, didnt seem, no such thing as "best"." LOL

I apologize if our 15 years ripping modified Ford trucks around is not adequate for you.

We'll be doing A LOT more with the Rangers, and we'll let everyone know what we break and how we break it.

 

[doug910]

The way people think mods work: If Mod X, then Y will result.

The way mods actually work: If mod X, then A, B, C, or D, and/or a combination of all can result.

If you can't deal with the possible risks associated with mods, don't do them people.

 

[T-Wrecks]

There's no such thing as "best". There's only best for your budget, desired ride quality, and application.

It would be really nice if someone would spell out what these +/- are, like a someone who actually sells these parts .

 

[Jason@Stage3]

It would be really nice if someone would spell out what these +/- are, like a someone who actually sells these parts .

I'd be happy to. We get a little into it with this blog post, but there's a lot more on the market now.

As stated, there's really no "best." Everything in mechanical engineering is a balancing act between price, quality, performance, application, material availability, manufacturing ease, etc. The only real question you should be asking yourself when shopping for any aftermarket part (not just suspension) is thus: "is this the best part for my truck and my budget for what I'm doing?"

That question gets you much further along than asking "what's best?" since you'll get two-dozen answers, and what's best for the Ranger owner that wants to rip around off-road at 75mph is diametrically opposed to the Ranger owner who's towing on pavement or just making the occasional Home Depot run.

Anyway, on to it:

Strut Spacers/Preload Spacers: these are perfect for the owner just looking to level without spending a ton of cash. They're fine, but don't expect much, since you're keeping the stock strut assemblies and springs. A perfectly suitable upgrade for squeaking on slightly larger tires and getting rid of rake, but not ideal for improving handling, ride quality, or off-road capability. If you are taking regular camping or hunting trips, then you may want something more robust.

Leveled Struts: these include Eibach Pro-Struts and Bilstein 5100s (whenever they land). Still fairly inexpensive, but more pricey and with a more intensive install than a spacer. However, you do actually get a bump in handling and off-road performance. Good all-around systems for general-purpose trucks. Can handle light/medium difficulty off-roading as long as you're not going too crazy with your speed. Adding Eibach's spring into the mix can further improve handling and performance, especially since you'll get ride height with less preload. Still won't equal 2.0 coilovers or 2.5 coilovers in outright damping, but they're still a step above running a spacer with the stock shocks/strut assemblies.

2.0 Coilovers: include Fox 2.0s, and I'm sure we'll see a couple of other 2.0 options hit soon. 2.0s are another pretty "balanced" suspension/leveling option, though they can handle more aggressive off-road applications better than a more basic leveled strut and they won't be as stiff on-road as a 2.5 coilover. They are up there in the price range, and if you're not going to use them to their full potential, then you may want to stick with some sort of leveled strut.

2.5 Coilovers: include Icon 2.5, King 2.5, and Fox 2.5s with more likely to hit here soon. If you're really going to rip your truck around off-road, then this is where you want to be. Granted, the downsides are their high prices and fairly stiff on-road ride (especially in the case of Icon's 2.5s), but if you are going to blast around in the dirt at +50mph, this is where you want to be. Just make sure the rest of the truck can handle it. While awesome, these still aren't for everyone and if you're concerned about street ride quality or using the things to their full potential, you probably want to look at 2.0s instead.

As I said earlier, CV issues are pretty rare on the F150s, even when they're pushed hard off-road. From research on the T-6 Rangers, it seems that CV issues are likewise rare, but we'll see how the 2019 Rangers hold up, especially now that we have an ever-growing sample size.

 

[kieefer]

I would expect replacement springs to also be an option in the future. Cheaper than full coil over setups with a better ride than using spacers.
I buyer could get by with adding higher quality shocks later on.

As far a springs go, shouldn’t the stock 4wd spring be longer and heavier than the 2wd model. Possibly another option but I haven’t checked part numbers or compared the two side by side.

 

[uthunter]

@Jason@Stage3, thanks for your continued support here and answering all our questions. That's the reason I've got an order coming from you right now of some rear 1" blocks. Keep it up!

 

[Jason@Stage3]

@Jason@Stage3, thanks for your continued support here and answering all our questions. That's the reason I've got an order coming from you right now of some rear 1" blocks. Keep it up!

Thanks for your business!

Let me know if have any questions or shoot me a PM if you want to work out a deal on your next parts order!

 

[T-Wrecks]

Let me know if have any questions or shoot me a PM if you want to work out a deal on your next parts order!

Thanks for the info, I'll be looking to order from you guys when I get my FX4 next week. I'm looking at the BDS leveling kit with the fox shocks. My truck will be 90% on road use with off road for hunting access out west which can be a bit rough (i.e. not joy driving or running the Baja) so I don't think I need a full coilover kit (or have the $$). My concern is topping out the strut with a spring spacer and a rougher ride on road. Would a 2" strut spacer be better or the combo of strut and spring spacer?

 

[Jason@Stage3]

Thanks for the info, I'll be looking to order from you guys when I get my FX4 next week. I'm looking at the BDS leveling kit with the fox shocks. My truck will be 90% on road use with off road for hunting access out west which can be a bit rough (i.e. not joy driving or running the Baja) so I don't think I need a full coilover kit (or have the $$). My concern is topping out the strut with a spring spacer and a rougher ride on road. Would a 2" strut spacer be better or the combo of strut and spring spacer?

From a pure ride quality standpoint, a strut spacer will be smoother than a preload spacer. That being said, we ran BDS's kit on our own truck for all of 10 minutes, and the extra stiffness wasn't all that noticeable, especially considering we jumped up to bigger tires at the same time.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

My Ranger is the second truck I've leveled with strut spacers, the previous truck being a 2014 Tacoma Off-Road with 85k on the clock when I sold it. I don't use my truck for desert racing or anything like that but they definitely see a decent amount of time off pavement during hunting season and I don't shy away from pushing boundaries a little if there is a hunting spot I want to get to. The 90% of time spent on pavement is mostly highway driving since I commute close to 100 miles round trip. That said, I've never had any issues with premature wear or overall handling/performance. Like others have mentioned...it all boils down to what you're looking to get out of your truck and having common sense / reasonable expectations. Personally, I don't need a top of the line setup to crawl down trails and and I don't expect my truck to handle like a race car in corners or cruise down the road like a Cadillac...so I'm totally fine with the strut spacer approach.

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