2022 Ranger Lariat FX4 soft suspension

[Steve_]

I just bought a '22 Lariat FX4. Before buying it, I read threads on here about the soft suspension. This is my first truck, so it's probably particularly jarring to me. I noticed that it seems fine at highway speeds, but driving through the city isn't great.

Is the general recommendation to upgrade to the Ford Fox 2.0, or is there a cheaper option?

I'm looking for better on street performance than off road. The most off roading I do is pulling a 2800# trailer down logging roads.

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[Bob902]

If you aren't doing a lot of off roading, then Bilstein or Eibach is the way to go. Bilstein is more road oriented where the Eibach is kind of in between on and off road. Plus, you don't have to deal with the rebuilding of the Fox. I have the Eibach and am very pleased with them.

 

[Steve_]

@Bob902 Thanks. These? https://offroad.bilstein.com/en/products/bilstein-b8-5100/

 

[Bob902]

@Bob902 Thanks. These? https://offroad.bilstein.com/en/products/bilstein-b8-5100/

Those would work fine. Their 4600 series would also work and they are a little cheaper. Several on here have the 4600 and like them. I think @subquark has them. Hopefully he will chime in. If he's not on Amazon buying something for Soupie

 

[Tom_C]

I have the Eibach pro truck 2.0 on the rears only. At the time it was about $200, and I installed them myself without a jack or lift. I can still tell the front is a bit soft on the road, but overall it helped a lot to even out the ride on the road.

 

[GhostStrykre]

Here’s a great video that talks extensively on Fox vs bilstein vs eibach



I wanted the fox attributes but didn’t want the rebuild every 30k-50k miles. Bilstein being digressive means it’s stiffer on initial hit, and I wasn’t sure if I’d hate that. Eibach is the in between on the two. Eibach seemed to be the best fit for me.

Note that eibach and Fox have screw type adjustment whereas bilstein uses preset circlip grooves. So less adjustment on the bilsteins. Which some may actually like.

 

[subquark]

Those would work fine. Their 4600 series would also work and they are a little cheaper. Several on here have the 4600 and like them. I think @subquark has them. Hopefully he will chime in. If he's not on Amazon buying something for Soupie

Phew, had to take a break, my Amazon account froze me out for too many interactions per minute.

I have the 4600s on a stock '22 2WD XL and am very happy with them.

My install:
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-ranger-today.3511/post-601633

no need to rremove wheels

 

[Steve_]

Thanks all. I've drive it for a couple months and then make a decision.

 

[leanit]

Thanks all. I've drive it for a couple months and then make a decision.

Good idea. I got the exact same spec Ranger about 7 weeks ago and it struck me as feeling very car-like in its ride and handling on road. At first I thought it was weird, but now I'm used to it and passengers (dogs and people) prefer it to my outgoing Frontier. It drives well and can still haul weight when needed, so it's working as designed. Generally, the whole thing is car-ish, but it works.

 

[Steve_]

Good idea. I got the exact same spec Ranger about 7 weeks ago and it struck me as feeling very car-like in its ride and handling on road. At first I thought it was weird, but now I'm used to it and passengers (dogs and people) prefer it to my outgoing Frontier. It drives well and can still haul weight when needed, so it's working as designed. Generally, the whole thing is car-ish, but it works.

I wish it felt more car-like. My last two cars have been a Crosstrek and RAV4, and the Ranger doesn't feel car-like to me, at least not yet...

 

[Bob902]

I wish it felt more car-like. My last two cars have been a Crosstrek and RAV4, and the Ranger doesn't feel car-like to me, at least not yet...

Well......its not a car

 

[9zero1790]

id go bils without a second thought lol. ok little bit biased. I am not a promoter of them but .... they have been around a long time and earned a well respected reputation for quality products. Bils invented the shock absorber at a time many still had to clean up poop after the means of transportation they used needed a break lol. most of the Bilstein stuff that comes to the usa is made in usa or germany and comes with no bs warranty. They take care of customers. I have talked to them on the phone and spoke to a real person with no computer /robot operator. made me happy. they even spoke english lol. They made parts for some of the most demanding applications of on and off road racing machines in history. in all fairness many brands make good stuff. many of the newer popular brands have great reviews and i cant bash them as i have not tried most of them.

 

[subquark]

Thanks all. I've drive it for a couple months and then make a decision.

That's why I changed mine. I wasn't keen on doing mechanical changes - just things to make it easier to use and make it last longer - like a bed step, BedRug, floor mats, those kinds of "mods".

But that head whipping and jarring ride at low speeds, like turning a corner in the neighborhood, I knew I had to do something.

The shocks I chose didn't affect ride height and are certainly a higher quality shock than the stock ones. In the write up I have, I mention that it may have reduced that jarring by like 40%. It's really hard to quantify and it isn't like going from a steel roller coaster ride to a 1980's Cadillac, it's pretty subtle.

It feels like someone tossed a big lead blanket over the bed and the bounciness is a bit dampened.

Not a big difference but enough to no longer be aggravated by the head whipping. Even Kate says it feels a little smoother.

It was easy and economical and, if you were to stay focused, could easily be done in under an hour. If you're a bit of a grease monkey, then 15 to 20 minutes (or 18 years old).

I made an afternoon of it and wanted to play with my air tools, so I took off both rear wheels and the spare. I took the opportunity to clean the spare and flip it over so the valve stem faces down.

In my write up, I mention that I should have strapped the shocks to their proper length - one went in easy but I had to mess around with the scissor jack to get the other one in. That was the only aggravation I had.

And what has also helped my ride is having a pair of Swing Cases loaded up with about 100 pounds of crap. And what's made a really big, big diff is the ShurTrax and it's 30 gallons of baffled water weight! You could accomplish the same, for much less, with four 60# tube sands. Of course, that pings your mpg.

I also keep rear tire pressure one psi less, at 34 but doubt that does anything at all for the ride quality.

Good luck in whatever you do! =)

 

[Steve_]

Well......its not a car

Hahah, yeah, I know..

 

[JohnnyLightning]

I have a 2020 fx4. This is my first truck. On the highway the truck floated a little annoyingly, when compared to my 600HP Jaguar that thinks it is race car. I just figured that is the way trucks are. But I was bored. I swapped out the rear fx4 shocks for Bilstein 5100's. It probably took me 45 minutes in the driveway. No jack. Just cardboard to make sliding in and out easier. The only hard part was compressing the new shocks to get them into place. I couldn't just compress them by pushing up. So with a big screwdriver as a pry bar I squeezed them in. So the difference is now on the highway the back has zero float and the front has a little. Changing out the fronts costs a bunch of money and is hard. The backs cost $240 and was easy and made a giant improvement. I would say dont wait to see how you like it as is, just swap out the backs now.

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