Benchmarking the Tremor w/ '20 XLT FX4

[LoneRNGR]

So I think I can do this at a pretty affordable price. Here is where I'm starting.

☒ = Already part of the FX4 package or I already have it.

Tremor Package – Enhanced Performance Features
☐ Off-road tuned suspension
☐ FOX 2.0 monotube dampers with rear piggyback reservoirs
☐ Rear multi-leaf springs
☐ 9.7” of ground clearance
☐ 32” General Grabber A/TX all-terrain off-road tires
☐ 6-switch auxiliary power pack
☐ Black exposed steel bash plate
☒ Terrain Management System
☒ Trail Control
☒ 4x4 electronic rear locking differential
☒ Off-road screen

Tremor Package – Upgraded Styling
☐ Hoop steps
☐ 17” Magnetic-painted aluminum wheels
☐ TREMOR box-side decal
☐ Unique grill with Magnetic-painted surround, black bars and red nostril accents
☐ Magnetic-painted wheel-lip moldings with 1" wider offset
☒ Magnetic-painted bumpers
☐ Ebony seats with Miko suede inserts and TREMOR stitched into the seat backs
☐ Black interior accents
☒ All-Weather floor mats

Off-Road Tuned Suspension ☐
I would like to build my stock Ranger FX4 to similar specifications as the Tremor package, especially the Performance Features, but not necessarily with the same brands of parts. I was going to check-off this section since the FX4 is already advertised as having an "off-road tuned suspension," but we will see where this goes.

FOX 2.0 Monotube Dampers with Rear Piggyback Reservoirs ☐
I plan to replace the FX4 shocks with Bilstein 5100. The front shocks allow pretensioning the spring to provide lift to the front-end. I expect to set the height to 0.6" which I expect will be closest to the Tremor setup. The version of the Bilstein 5100 shocks that do have reservoir cylinders only have a 90 day warranty, whereas the standard rear shocks have a limited lifetime warranty, so I'm inclined to stick with standard.

Rear Multi-Leaf Springs ☐
I do not know why Ford didn't go with a multi-leaf spring in the United States. It probably has to do with cost saving. All of the aftermarket springs I have seen for the Ranger provide lift, which I do not want. So I need help with this one. Continue using the single spring, which will probably be fine as long as I don't exceed its limits, or go with an alternative? And what would be the alternative?

9.7” of Ground Clearance ☐
I think the FX4 has 8.9" of ground clearance. Does anyone know where the lowest point on the Ranger is so that I can verify this?

32” General Grabber A/TX All-Terrain Off-Road Tires ☐
General makes three different Grabber A/TX tires in 265/70R17, so I don't know specifically which one they are using, but it looks like it is probably a tire with an "E" load range and would weigh about 52 lbs. Seems to me that a better fit would be a BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 that can be had with a "C" class load range and would be a much lighter 46 lbs.

6-switch auxiliary power pack ☒
I don't want to replace the dash tray. That's where I keep my fries. I've got this one crossed off already. I'll be installing a Light Force switch fascia with 3 switch plates. I'll use one to switch a light, another will have a RJ-45 microphone connector for a ham transceiver, and the third plate will eventually have a Red Arc brake controller knob.

Black exposed steel bash plate ☐
Paint the one I got? Have it powder coated? Put Rhino-Liner on it? Just leave it alone? Ideas?

All of the features below are checked off because they come with the FX4 package:
Terrain Management System ☒
Trail Control ☒
4x4 electronic rear locking differential ☒
Off-road screen ☒

Now, to the styling features.

Hoop steps ☒
I'm going to check this box off. I have Go Rhino running boards already and even though I don't particularly like running boards or steps, smaller members of my family will not go without them.

17” Magnetic-Painted Aluminum Wheels ☒
I have the sport package wheel that I think look great, so I'm not going to switch these. It is not in the Ford Tremor literature, but I'm told that the wheels may have a slightly different offset making the stance just a little bit wider (hence the wider wheel-lip moldings). Does anyone know what this offset is? I have some 1" spacers that I might use on the sport wheels.

So we are looking at a 0.6" level in the front, 265/70R17 tires and 1" wheel spacers. I don't think there will be any clearance issues, but I'm not certain. I really don't want to cut out or replace the intrusion beams.

TREMOR Box-Side Decal ☐
I have a sticker that says FX4 on there now. I also have a Raptor styled "RANGER" sticker. Any other ideas?

Unique Grill with Magnetic-Painted Surround, Black Bars and Red Nostril Accents ☐
I have the XLT grill and I'm not interested in replacing it. I don't like the Lariat grill or the Raptor style F O R D grill. Looking for ideas regarding "colored inserts."

Magnetic-Painted Wheel-Lip Moldings with 1" Wider Offset ☒
I'm going to mark this off for now. Mine are already magnetic painted. Unless the tire sticks way out, then I'll leave it be.

Magnetic-Painted Bumpers ☒
I have that with the sport package.

Ebony Seats with Miko Suede Inserts and TREMOR Stitched Into the Seat Backs ☐
My seats are black (maybe they are Ebony ;-). I think I'm going to leave this alone but I'll listen to any suggestions...

Black Interior Accents ☐
What are these? Everything in my truck is black, except the trim around the AC vents... oh these are black on the Tremor? Maybe I can get Ebony Interior Accents.

All-Weather Floor Mats ☒
Yep. I have these.

I appreciate all comments and I'll document my progress here.

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[Trustable]

That switch plate looks pretty cool. Gonna have to look into that when I pick up my ranger. Was gonna go with a bluetooth brake controller, but it would be nicer to just have it built in.

 

[LoneRNGR]

for me personally, my labor to install all the extras has a cost to it as well.

I can understand that. I'll track the costs and see if it is really that expensive. I'll include hours of labor involved and you can decide if its a DYI thing or a professional job. Keep in mind that I have a 2020 truck and I'm not interested in trading it now and performing my own labor to make modifications is often a reward unto itself.

 

[LoneRNGR]

Hydraulic Bump Stops?

In an Autoblog article on the Tremor it says, " The anti-roll bars are less stiff, and hydraulic bump stops have been fitted."

I cannot find any reference to the use of different anti-roll bars or hydraulic bump stops in any of the Ford marketing. Is this true?

 

[t4thfavor]

Hydraulic Bump Stops?

In an Autoblog article on the Tremor it says, " The anti-roll bars are less stiff, and hydraulic bump stops have been fitted."

I cannot find any reference to the use of different anti-roll bars or hydraulic bump stops in any of the Ford marketing. Is this true?

there's not even a sway bar on the rear of the Ranger. And I think it would be cool if hydraulic bumpstops were available.

 

[LoneRNGR]

there's not even a sway bar on the rear of the Ranger. And I think it would be cool if hydraulic bumpstops were available.

I think they are talking about the front, where there is a sway bar and a bump stop. The bump stop is just hidden under the coil at the top of the mount. There are some shocks that have internal bump stops, but I don’t think that is the case with the Ford Ranger.

 

[seanellaz]

So I think I can do this at a pretty affordable price. Here is where I'm starting.

☒ = Already part of the FX4 package or I already have it.

Tremor Package – Enhanced Performance Features
☐ Off-road tuned suspension
☐ FOX 2.0 monotube dampers with rear piggyback reservoirs
☐ Rear multi-leaf springs
☐ 9.7” of ground clearance
☐ 32” General Grabber A/TX all-terrain off-road tires
☐ 6-switch auxiliary power pack
☐ Black exposed steel bash plate
☒ Terrain Management System
☒ Trail Control
☒ 4x4 electronic rear locking differential
☒ Off-road screen

Tremor Package – Upgraded Styling
☐ Hoop steps
☐ 17” Magnetic-painted aluminum wheels
☐ TREMOR box-side decal
☐ Unique grill with Magnetic-painted surround, black bars and red nostril accents
☐ Magnetic-painted wheel-lip moldings with 1" wider offset
☒ Magnetic-painted bumpers
☐ Ebony seats with Miko suede inserts and TREMOR stitched into the seat backs
☐ Black interior accents
☒ All-Weather floor mats

Off-Road Tuned Suspension ☐
I would like to build my stock Ranger FX4 to similar specifications as the Tremor package, especially the Performance Features, but not necessarily with the same brands of parts. I was going to check-off this section since the FX4 is already advertised as having an "off-road tuned suspension," but we will see where this goes.

FOX 2.0 Monotube Dampers with Rear Piggyback Reservoirs ☐
I plan to replace the FX4 shocks with Bilstein 5100. The front shocks allow pretensioning the spring to provide lift to the front-end. I expect to set the height to 0.6" which I expect will be closest to the Tremor setup. The version of the Bilstein 5100 shocks that do have reservoir cylinders only have a 90 day warranty, whereas the standard rear shocks have a limited lifetime warranty, so I'm inclined to stick with standard.

Rear Multi-Leaf Springs ☐
I do not know why Ford didn't go with a multi-leaf spring in the United States. It probably has to do with cost saving. All of the aftermarket springs I have seen for the Ranger provide lift, which I do not want. So I need help with this one. Continue using the single spring, which will probably be fine as long as I don't exceed its limits, or go with an alternative? And what would be the alternative?

9.7” of Ground Clearance ☐
I think the FX4 has 8.9" of ground clearance. Does anyone know where the lowest point on the Ranger is so that I can verify this?

32” General Grabber A/TX All-Terrain Off-Road Tires ☐
General makes three different Grabber A/TX tires in 265/70R17, so I don't know specifically which one they are using, but it looks like it is probably a tire with an "E" load range and would weigh about 52 lbs. Seems to me that a better fit would be a BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 that can be had with a "C" class load range and would be a much lighter 46 lbs.

6-switch auxiliary power pack ☒
I don't want to replace the dash tray. That's where I keep my fries. I've got this one crossed off already. I'll be installing a Light Force switch fascia with 3 switch plates. I'll use one to switch a light, another will have a RJ-45 microphone connector for a ham transceiver, and the third plate will eventually have a Red Arc brake controller knob.

Black exposed steel bash plate ☐
Paint the one I got? Have it powder coated? Put Rhino-Liner on it? Just leave it alone? Ideas?

All of the features below are checked off because they come with the FX4 package:
Terrain Management System ☒
Trail Control ☒
4x4 electronic rear locking differential ☒
Off-road screen ☒

Now, to the styling features.

Hoop steps ☒
I'm going to check this box off. I have Go Rhino running boards already and even though I don't particularly like running boards or steps, smaller members of my family will not go without them.

17” Magnetic-Painted Aluminum Wheels ☒
I have the sport package wheel that I think look great, so I'm not going to switch these. It is not in the Ford Tremor literature, but I'm told that the wheels may have a slightly different offset making the stance just a little bit wider (hence the wider wheel-lip moldings). Does anyone know what this offset is? I have some 1" spacers that I might use on the sport wheels.

So we are looking at a 0.6" level in the front, 265/70R17 tires and 1" wheel spacers. I don't think there will be any clearance issues, but I'm not certain. I really don't want to cut out or replace the intrusion beams.

TREMOR Box-Side Decal ☐
I have a sticker that says FX4 on there now. I also have a Raptor styled "RANGER" sticker. Any other ideas?

Unique Grill with Magnetic-Painted Surround, Black Bars and Red Nostril Accents ☐
I have the XLT grill and I'm not interested in replacing it. I don't like the Lariat grill or the Raptor style F O R D grill. Looking for ideas regarding "colored inserts."

Magnetic-Painted Wheel-Lip Moldings with 1" Wider Offset ☒
I'm going to mark this off for now. Mine are already magnetic painted. Unless the tire sticks way out, then I'll leave it be.

Magnetic-Painted Bumpers ☒
I have that with the sport package.

Ebony Seats with Miko Suede Inserts and TREMOR Stitched Into the Seat Backs ☐
My seats are black (maybe they are Ebony ;-). I think I'm going to leave this alone but I'll listen to any suggestions...

Black Interior Accents ☐
What are these? Everything in my truck is black, except the trim around the AC vents... oh these are black on the Tremor? Maybe I can get Ebony Interior Accents.

All-Weather Floor Mats ☒
Yep. I have these.

I appreciate all comments and I'll document my progress here.

Check out the BDS 3.5" lift with extensions and Upper Control Arms up front and shackle lifts in rear. Unless you are planning on Baja racing you probly don't need external reservoirs on front or rear. I installed this w/ the BDS Low Profile intrusion beans and run 295/70 R 17 tires on 17X10 wheels and +12mm offset w/ Zero clearance problems. ride is dreamy on or off road. https://www.offroadpowerproducts.co...er-control-arm-lift-kit-2019-ford-ranger.html I have over 1 foot clearance.

 

[seanellaz]

Hydraulic Bump Stops?

In an Autoblog article on the Tremor it says, " The anti-roll bars are less stiff, and hydraulic bump stops have been fitted."

I cannot find any reference to the use of different anti-roll bars or hydraulic bump stops in any of the Ford marketing. Is this true?

I pulled the anti roll bars off my '20 Fx4. Glad I did as articulation is MUCH improved. Ya, corners with a little more lean but I am not trying to win races in a slalom.

 

[Bungleflop]

for me personally, my labor to install all the extras has a cost to it as well.
so, while the tangible parts could probably be purchased within a price range that makes sense to modify your existing truck, rather than sell/trade in on a factory delivered Tremor, it's my time involved that males it an easy choice for me to go with a trade-in instead of dressing up for a party i wasnt invited to.
I'm not lazy, I just know my time isnt free, even if its a labor of love.

That's basically what sold me on upgrading also warranty

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