onobeka
Well-Known Member
Great thread! You could also check mine here: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/droop-limited-on-ranger.11099/. I was trying to discuss the same aspects.
The travel on Rangers is limited by UCAs and LCAs before anything else. Well, I am not 100% on the LCAs for the US rangers, but I hope you guys can clear that part out.
Uptravel: Leveling/lifting (generally not that different in this respect) will increase your uptravel. The limit on the stock suspension is not given by coils binding (spring fully compressed), rather by the bump stops (in European models) and I have not figured out what in the US ranger, which has no bumpstops as far as I saw pictures and understood from you guys. My guess is the LCAs hitting the swaybar or something like that - check my thread for detailed explanation. When a spacer if fitted, the LCA angles down, giving it more space until the bumpstop (whatever sort of) stops the uptravel.
Downtravel: Leveling/lifting will limit the downtravel (droop), until you would mount an upgraded UCA that allows the wheel to go further down until the UCA hits strut housing or the shock maxes out, whichever comes first. When the stock UCA is paired with a longer strut (spacer/coilover), the UCA will hit the top strut housing (tested), sooner than stock suspension (which I am not sure it really happens because I did not check it before the lift, but I guess it does as well). It's difficult to calculate how much sooner because it's pivoting and the shape of the stock UCA is awkward. Many lift kits do not include an upgraded UCA. For mall crawling this is of course not an issue, yet even offroad specialists quote that for a 2" lift an upgraded UCA is NOT needed, provided the downtravel remains greater than 60mm. In my case, on an about 2.5" inch lift (spacer) the travel is beyond that figure. Still, this puzzles me because for offroad capabilities you want to have as much "safe" downtravel, as possible, at least as much if not more than stock. By safe I mean: shocks not maxed out and CVs in a safe angle, which is debatable even with a 2" lift.
The travel on Rangers is limited by UCAs and LCAs before anything else. Well, I am not 100% on the LCAs for the US rangers, but I hope you guys can clear that part out.
Uptravel: Leveling/lifting (generally not that different in this respect) will increase your uptravel. The limit on the stock suspension is not given by coils binding (spring fully compressed), rather by the bump stops (in European models) and I have not figured out what in the US ranger, which has no bumpstops as far as I saw pictures and understood from you guys. My guess is the LCAs hitting the swaybar or something like that - check my thread for detailed explanation. When a spacer if fitted, the LCA angles down, giving it more space until the bumpstop (whatever sort of) stops the uptravel.
Downtravel: Leveling/lifting will limit the downtravel (droop), until you would mount an upgraded UCA that allows the wheel to go further down until the UCA hits strut housing or the shock maxes out, whichever comes first. When the stock UCA is paired with a longer strut (spacer/coilover), the UCA will hit the top strut housing (tested), sooner than stock suspension (which I am not sure it really happens because I did not check it before the lift, but I guess it does as well). It's difficult to calculate how much sooner because it's pivoting and the shape of the stock UCA is awkward. Many lift kits do not include an upgraded UCA. For mall crawling this is of course not an issue, yet even offroad specialists quote that for a 2" lift an upgraded UCA is NOT needed, provided the downtravel remains greater than 60mm. In my case, on an about 2.5" inch lift (spacer) the travel is beyond that figure. Still, this puzzles me because for offroad capabilities you want to have as much "safe" downtravel, as possible, at least as much if not more than stock. By safe I mean: shocks not maxed out and CVs in a safe angle, which is debatable even with a 2" lift.
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