Considering a Ranger build

[JG007]

Hello, Ranger 5g,
I am considering stepping down from a F250 to a Ranger. The reason is I use my F250 for work. I drive 25-30k a year with about half of that being dirt. The dirt is mainly ranch roads / logging roads through the west.
Work pays for my gas but not my truck maintenance. I am getting tired of paying for the repairs on the F250. I think, I would cut my maintenance cost by at least 25% less in a ranger. I can always borrow a ranch truck to tow horses when needed.

Now to the fun part,
If I go with the ranger I am looking at 2020-2023 FX4 ext cab, for the payload and 6ft bed.

The build I am pricing at the moment will look like this:
OME suspension heavy pack
ARB Bumper
10K winch
32-33" skinny tires

A few questions:
For the guys running 32-33" skinny are you noticing a big difference between the 32-33"?
For those running OME, how do you like it on the ranger? I have always used OME on my landcruisers.
Has anybody wired in the Ford factory upfitter switches?
Thanks

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[underwhelmed]

If you’re going to run 10 ply they will be heavy and hurt your gas mileage. I haven’t noticed a performance difference with my 32” skinny tires (Only 4 ply 255/75/17).

I'm just running Bilsteins all around with 1.2” level on front. I’ve got the Super Cab because I value the extra bed space over extra seating.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Hello, Ranger 5g,
I am considering stepping down from a F250 to a Ranger. The reason is I use my F250 for work. I drive 25-30k a year with about half of that being dirt. The dirt is mainly ranch roads / logging roads through the west.
Work pays for my gas but not my truck maintenance. I am getting tired of paying for the repairs on the F250. I think, I would cut my maintenance cost by at least 25% less in a ranger. I can always borrow a ranch truck to tow horses when needed.

Now to the fun part,
If I go with the ranger I am looking at 2020-2023 FX4 ext cab, for the payload and 6ft bed.

Fun!

The build I am pricing at the moment will look like this:
OME suspension heavy pack
ARB Bumper
10K winch
32-33" skinny tires

Solid plan

A few questions:
For the guys running 32-33" skinny are you noticing a big difference between the 32-33"?
For those running OME, how do you like it on the ranger? I have always used OME on my landcruisers.
Has anybody wired in the Ford factory upfitter switches?
Thanks

I have run 30" (stock), 31", 33" skinnies, and 34" tires. On my 33s and 34s, I can get 16-19 mpg. I didn't notice much difference between the two.

I have the OME HD front, 1" strut spacers, and the SD rear with 2.2 'medium' duty leaf springs. I have a SmartCap and Decked, so I have quite a bit of weight. I would not go with the HD springs. The ARB bumper was a bit heavy with a 12000 winch, so I added the strut spacers to bring the front back up. I do not run a front sway bar and the truck rides smooth as butter.

The Upfitter switches include a lot of wiring, and run $1700 for the dash piece alone. There are a lot better options. The Garmin PowerSwitch is bluetooth and has CarPlay/Android Auto support. I highly recommend this option. I have it mounted to the Mil Spec Designs tray from Australia.


You can read up on my build in the link in my signature. Here is a picture for fun.

 

[JG007]

Fun!



Solid plan



I have run 30" (stock), 31", 33" skinnies, and 34" tires. On my 33s and 34s, I can get 16-19 mpg. I didn't notice much difference between the two.

I have the OME HD front, 1" strut spacers, and the SD rear with 2.2 'medium' duty leaf springs. I have a SmartCap and Decked, so I have quite a bit of weight. I would not go with the HD springs. The ARB bumper was a bit heavy with a 12000 winch, so I added the strut spacers to bring the front back up. I do not run a front sway bar and the truck rides smooth as butter.

The Upfitter switches include a lot of wiring, and run $1700 for the dash piece alone. There are a lot better options. The Garmin PowerSwitch is bluetooth and has CarPlay/Android Auto support. I highly recommend this option. I have it mounted to the Mil Spec Designs tray from Australia.


You can read up on my build in the link in my signature. Here is a picture for fun.

thanks for all the help. Great build.

It looks like you are running the AOB Switch panel. I was thinking of running the same, any complaints?

I am definitely a skinny tire guy, so will go 32-33 skinny.

 

[Grandaccess]

I am running 285/70 on Roush rims and a lift, for a Truck I think it gets good gas, I went down to NYC and back this weekend and averaged 20.7 mpg (400 miles round trip) 50/50 hwy/city driving, no power difference that I notice, I haul heavy loads once a week, I can lite them up at a red light, so no I dont see a difference from stock ....

 

[Colo_Ranger]

thanks for all the help. Great build.

It looks like you are running the AOB Switch panel. I was thinking of running the same, any complaints?

I am definitely a skinny tire guy, so will go 32-33 skinny.

AOB? I had the Auxbeam originally, it worked just fine. Then I had the LightForce fascia with CH4x4 switches. That worked good, but I was able to remove this much wire from my truck by switching to the Garmin PowerSwitch.

This makes trouble shooting issues easier and, well... its just less complicated.

 

[JG007]

AOB? I had the Auxbeam originally, it worked just fine. Then I had the LightForce fascia with CH4x4 switches. That worked good, but I was able to remove this much wire from my truck by switching to the Garmin PowerSwitch.

This makes trouble shooting issues easier and, well... its just less complicated.

Heard..
I was referring to your switch panel.

https://www.aironboard.com.au/store/ford-panel-for-ranger-px2-px3-and-everest.html

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Heard..
I was referring to your switch panel.

https://www.aironboard.com.au/store/ford-panel-for-ranger-px2-px3-and-everest.html

Interesting. I hadn't seen that one. Mine was from Lightforce. It kept both 12v ports and only had 3 switches. The CH4x4 were dual switches, so I had 6.

Also, did you work in a kitchen at some point in your life? That's the only place I've heard... "heard".

 

[JG007]

Yes a long time ago, and the saying never left me

 

[Frenchy]

I was probably the first person on this form to run the Old Man EMU suspension on the Ranger. I will not argue that at first I did like it, but after leaving the Ranger and going into a 93 Pathfinder I learned real quick that the old man emu suspension seems to have a little bit of a weak dampening control on the nitro chargers. The BP 51s on the other hand probably have excellent control with dampening and are adjustable to suit your needs. If you don't want to spend the money on BP 51s then I would recommend taking a look at dobinson's. They are also available in the United States and they are made in Australia. I feel their shocks are much higher quality compared to the Old Man EMU.

If you plan to do a lot of off-roading there's nothing wrong with going with a 33-in tire. If you're not planning to do a whole lot of off-roading then I would stick with the 32-in tire. It will help save on gas.

 

[JG007]

I was probably the first person on this form to run the Old Man EMU suspension on the Ranger. I will not argue that at first I did like it, but after leaving the Ranger and going into a 93 Pathfinder I learned real quick that the old man emu suspension seems to have a little bit of a weak dampening control on the nitro chargers. The BP 51s on the other hand probably have excellent control with dampening and are adjustable to suit your needs. If you don't want to spend the money on BP 51s then I would recommend taking a look at dobinson's. They are also available in the United States and they are made in Australia. I feel their shocks are much higher quality compared to the Old Man EMU.

If you plan to do a lot of off-roading there's nothing wrong with going with a 33-in tire. If you're not planning to do a whole lot of off-roading then I would stick with the 32-in tire. It will help save on gas.

Interesting facts, I have heard many folks run the Dobinsons and like it . I have always loved the OME. I will look into the other options. I am not sure I need the BP51, but we will see.

Tire-wise, I do about 25-30k a year and 10-15k of that is dirt.
I was thinking of going skinny 255/85/16 or the 17" version. I am also thinking of going with 265/75/16 or the 17" version.

 

[Frenchy]

Interesting facts, I have heard many folks run the Dobinsons and like it . I have always loved the OME. I will look into the other options. I am not sure I need the BP51, but we will see.

Tire-wise, I do about 25-30k a year and 10-15k of that is dirt.
I was thinking of going skinny 255/85/16 or the 17" version. I am also thinking of going with 265/75/16 or the 17" version.

If you already have 17 inch wheels then I would save money and stick with those. Stock you can fit 265/70-17 and with the lift I had no major problems with 285/70-17 Firestone Destination XT's. I did have a little rub at full lock with them, but they held up just fine

 

[JG007]

If you already have 17 inch wheels then I would save money and stick with those. Stock you can fit 265/70-17 and with the lift I had no major problems with 285/70-17 Firestone Destination XT's. I did have a little rub at full lock with them, but they held up just fine

How did you like the firestones?
I have AT111 on my f250 and they have done great. I also have had wildpeaks at3w and duratracs and loved them all.

Also, I only mention 16" b/c I love the classic steelie look. I am considering finding some 16" ranger steelies and using those

 

[Frenchy]

There is a complete thread on here with my review on the destination XT's. To say the least I love them. I have ran three different sets. One on my Ranger, one on a service van and one on a 93 Pathfinder that I had. I will be put in another sit on my 2012 Frontier that I have. Excellent tire in my opinion

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