FX4 Suspension

[RangerMags]

I drove for 2 1/2 years on the stock fx4 suspension. My biggest complaint was brake dive which was horrendous.

That said I now have Eibach coilover/ extended rear shocks , Icon UCA and 1" rear blocks and it is a huge improvement on and off road. At some point I will be swapping out rear leafs to multileafs.

The stock fx4 is ok but leaves allot of room for improvement.

Yeah I think I have come to the conclusion that I’m just going to upgrade the tires and run the FX4 suspension till it’s shot to save on $. Once it’s time to be replaced then I’ll get a fancy upgrade.

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[9zero1790]

maybe ford wants the fx4 to be kinda middle ish in terms of performance. its better and cost more than the base 4x4. but is not as much as the tremor or raptor and performs a lil less than those. so ford wants us to spend more money...

 

[9zero1790]

Yeah I think I have come to the conclusion that I’m just going to upgrade the tires and run the FX4 suspension till it’s shot to save on $. Once it’s time to be replaced then I’ll get a fancy upgrade.

good plan! the fx4 ranger and a good set of tires is a very capable truck off road.

 

[RangerMags]

good plan! the fx4 ranger and a good set of tires is a very capable truck off road.

Agreed man. Have a good 4th and I’ll keep you in the loop for any off road plans!

 

[SymChris]

It seems like 9/10 people hate the FX4 suspension because its boaty and just not as refined as other suspensions out there

9 out of 10?

Maybe 9 out of 10 people just don’t use it appropriately?

p.s. that seems very high. My estimate just based on this forum is maybe 5-6 out of 10 (which I agree is still very high).

p.p.s. I’m happy with the ride in my stock ‘19 FX4. She’s smoother with a load in the back (!) but acceptable, to me, unloaded as well. Some of the roads here you can feel it harsher but c’est la vie…

 

[RangerMags]

9 out of 10?

Maybe 9 out of 10 people just don’t use it appropriately?

p.s. that seems very high. My estimate just based on this forum is maybe 5-6 out of 10 (which I agree is still very high).

p.p.s. I’m happy with the ride in my stock ‘19 FX4. She’s smoother with a load in the back (!) but acceptable, to me, unloaded as well. Some of the roads here you can feel it harsher but c’est la vie…

I might have exaggerated just a tad… ?

I definitely need more weight in the back.

 

[Todd Chapin]

Yeah I think I have come to theconclusion that I’m just going to upgrade the tires and run the FX4 suspension till it’s shot to save on $. Once it’s time to be replaced then I’ll get a fancy upgrade.

Sounds like a good plan. I have 265/70/17 Cooper Rugged Trek and it is the a major improvement over the stock Hankooks. You can run this size or equivelent (32") on stock suspension.

 

[Foodieguy]

2022 Lariat Fx4 owner. Long post, laying some groundwork.

I've been lurking/researching all of these suspension threads. I dislike the spongy feel of the ride. 98% of my driving is city/pavement but I have some off-road at my deer lease and other hunting areas and also want to do some camping on the beach down at the South Padre National Seashore. Plus would like to go to some of the off road parks nearby.

I had pretty much decided on a 2in level by replacing front and rear with Eibachs or Bilsteins and the getting some 265/70/17 tires when it’s time to replace the factory tires. Should improve the ride and get a little bit more clearance, right?

Now to my question. A forum member is selling some used Fox Ford front and rears (https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/fox-ford-performance-leveling-kit-500.21435/#post-470453)

Seems like a significant upgrade from the Eibachs or Bilsteins, right? But wondering if that’s overkill fo how I use my truck. looking for opinions on the Fox setup vs the others. TYIA!

 

[Foodieguy]

2022 Lariat Fx4 owner. Long post, laying some groundwork.

I've been lurking/researching all of these suspension threads. I dislike the spongy feel of the ride. 98% of my driving is city/pavement but I have some off-road at my deer lease and other hunting areas and also want to do some camping on the beach down at the South Padre National Seashore. Plus would like to go to some of the off road parks nearby.

I had pretty much decided on a 2in level by replacing front and rear with Eibachs or Bilsteins and the getting some 265/70/17 tires when it’s time to replace the factory tires. Should improve the ride and get a little bit more clearance, right?

Now to my question. A forum member is selling some used Fox Ford front and rears (https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/fox-ford-performance-leveling-kit-500.21435/#post-470453)

Seems like a significant upgrade from the Eibachs or Bilsteins, right? But wondering if that’s overkill fo how I use my truck. looking for opinions on the Fox setup vs the others. TYIA!

Any advice on this one?

 

[Bob902]

Any advice on this one?

I have the stock FX4 fronts but put Fox shocks on the rear. I am pleased with this setup.

 

[micl9]

I did mine in stages
Stage 1 - too cheap bought some Rough Country N3s and they made a BIG difference
Stage 2 - Got some rear Bilstein 5100s, to be honest a slight improvement only over the RCs. But definitely stiffer as you get a work out installing these!
Stage 3 - Added the Fronts set at the 1.8" setting. Not earth shattering but got me a little lift in the front (i don't care about the rake that much so went with the middle setting). Feels tighter. Have not driven at night yet to see if the float is completely/mostly gone now.

Crap I didn't answer your question! That's a good price on those and there has to be an advantage with it being Ford "approved". Don't worry about overkill, but do get rid of the Fx4 crap.
Also not having to swap in your stock springs is a plus.
And Hell your both in Austin!!! Buy em!!!

And Please don't try to sell the Fx4 takeoffs! ?

 

[EJH]

I have the stock FX4 fronts but put Fox shocks on the rear. I am pleased with this setup.

Same here. This is a great setup for roughly $300. Huge improvement. I am still hoping to do Foxes on the front some day....

 

[ShutterBug]

I'm hearing that some people going with the Fox Tuned by Ford set up without upgrading the UCAs. Anybody see a problem going this route?

 

[Colo_Ranger]

I'm hearing that some people going with the Fox Tuned by Ford set up without upgrading the UCAs. Anybody see a problem going this route?

UCAs are only needed if you lift 3.5" or more. I ran 3 inches of lift and Ford was able to bring the alignment back to factory spec, no problem.

 

[Deleted member 15875]

The stock suspension on the Ranger both FX and Non FX reminds me of this bad boy..

Now swap out the stock dampers for some Bilstein's and it's an entirely different truck.. I swapped out the rears at 2500 miles. Still need to do the fronts but just doing the rears made it ride sooooooooooooo much better.

Too funny. This is exactly how I described my Ranger to my wife today. It's rides like a Cadillac but in the best possible way.

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