Noob Questions on Lifting FX4

[D0lphan72]

I brought my newish FX4 to the offroading trail recently & fell in love with the hobby & was mindblown at how well the truck handled itself in what I considered difficult terrain. Please mind I'm brand new to offroading & don't know really anyhting about speccing out a truck for upgrades

I want to look into lifting the suspension on the truck & getting new tires so I can go through the rougher terrain more confidently & have basically no idea no idea on what I should be looking for or what to do to get the most out of it & was looking for recocmendations on what to look for. Below is essentially requirements that I have for my new kit/ tires but am looking to see if these are possible as well.

* In theory I think I'd want to get a 3-6" lift for it. Not sure what my options would be or how much it would affect driving/ MPG

* I don't want to have to do extra work such as removing brake lines/ rotors, brakes etc. I'm not sire if there's certain heights that would require this but that would probably be my stopping point.

* I have the factory 18" wheels on it. I'd like to find big, offroading tires that would still work with those as I'd rather save some money on having to buy new wheels.

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[AzScorpion]

Anytime you lift a truck it's going to affect your milage. How high and how big of tires will determine that, it's physics. On my '19 Ranger I went with the Eibachs set to 3" and had 32's on it (which are actually 31.6") and it was the perfect setup for what I was doing. My mileage took around a 2 mpg hit but I also had a Livernois tune and when driving it normal I could still average 22.6 mpg.

I can't help you on the instal because I had my local shop do it. For what they charge me ($375.00) including a front end alignment it wasn't worth my time trying to do this. Besides I just don't like working on stuff now like I use to and my time and sanity is more valuable. lol

 

[D0lphan72]

Anytime you lift a truck it's going to affect your milage. How high and how big of tires will determine that, it's physics. On my '19 Ranger I went with the Eibachs set to 3" and had 32's on it (which are actually 31.6") and it was the perfect setup for what I was doing. My mileage took around a 2 mpg hit but I also had a Livernois tune and when driving it normal I could still average 22.6 mpg.

I can't help you on the instal because I had my local shop do it. For what they charge me ($375.00) including a front end alignment it wasn't worth my time trying to do this. Besides I just don't like working on stuff now like I use to and my time and sanity is more valuable. lol

Appreciate the tips. Definitely going to have a shop do this instead of myself hahah. Beautiful truck!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Don’t take any advice from that guy. He doesn’t even look after his truck properly. Never changes the oil on time, let’s the battery run down, hardly ever washes it or cleans the interior, and drives it like it’s a rental. His Sabre Ranger was so neglected, it fell apart after only a few years and he had to buy a new one! I think he chose that colour to hide all the rust but they stopped offering it so he had to get a white one.

Besides all that, he clearly can’t be trusted because he rounds up on size. So, I can only imagine what he told Annie when he first met her. ?

 

[Bob902]

Don’t take any advice from that guy. He doesn’t even look after his truck properly. Never changes the oil on time, let’s the battery run down, hardly ever washes it or cleans the interior, and drives it like it’s a rental. His Sabre Ranger was so neglected, it fell apart after only a few years and he had to buy a new one! I think he chose that colour to hide all the rust but they stopped offering it so he had to get a white one.

Besides all that, he clearly can’t be trusted because he rounds up on size. So, I can only imagine what he told Annie when he first met her. ?

Ruthless???

 

[Chris M]

Ruthless???

He sure covered a lot of bases, didn't he?
Imagine how that would have looked if they weren't friends!

 

[AzScorpion]

Besides all that, he clearly can’t be trusted because he rounds up on size.I can only imagine what he told Annie when he first met her. ?

I could only fool her for so long then eventually she found out.

Don’t take any advice from that guy. He doesn’t even look after his truck properly. Never changes the oil on time, let’s the battery run down, hardly ever washes it or cleans the interior, and drives it like it’s a rental. His Sabre Ranger was so neglected, it fell apart after only a few years and he had to buy a new one! I think he chose that colour to hide all the rust but they stopped offering it so he had to get a white one.

Shush you! ? The new guys aren't supposed to know this.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

For the record…AzScorpion takes immaculate care of his truck and has wheeled the pants off it in many places that are on people’s bucket lists.

As you can tell, we kid around a bit on this forum. Actually, this is one of the trucks I reference often to show people they don’t need to have huge tires or a big lift and fancy aftermarket wheels to get a great look and equally great off-road performance.

You don’t need 3-6” to be off-road worthy. Some folks go that high because they take their trucks places the rest of us wouldn’t dare, so it’s necessary. Others go that high because they take their trucks………TO THE MALL - and that’s fine - wait, no it’s not.

These trucks are great “out of the box”. In fact, you’ll see rigs on here with crazy off-road and overlanding modifications that are still running OEM wheels and tires.

You don’t need a big lift or aftermarket wheels, and you don’t need to move brake lines or anything else. A good set of levelling coil over front shocks (2” level is just fine) with a matched set of rear shocks, along with a bit more aggressive tire in the 31.6” (265/65R18) range, on your stock wheels, will serve you well and improve the quality of the ride.

Don’t over think it - it’s already a pretty amazing off-road truck.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

He sure covered a lot of bases, didn't he?
Imagine how that would have looked if they weren't friends!

Like so many others on here, sometimes, I like to keep the lurkers and brand new members guessing. ?

 

[AzScorpion]

For the record…AzScorpion takes immaculate care of his truck and has wheeled the pants off it in many places that are on people’s bucket lists.

As you can tell, we kid around a bit on this forum. Actually, this is one of the trucks I reference often to show people they don’t need to have huge tires or a big lift and fancy aftermarket wheels to get a great look and equally great off-road performance.

You don’t need 3-6” to be off-road worthy. Some folks go that high because they take their trucks places the rest of us wouldn’t dare, so it’s necessary. Others go that high because they take their trucks………TO THE MALL - and that’s fine - wait, no it’s not.

These trucks are great “out of the box”. In fact, you’ll see rigs on here with crazy off-road and overlanding modifications that are still running OEM wheels and tires.

You don’t need a big lift or aftermarket wheels, and you don’t need to move brake lines or anything else. A good set of levelling coil over front shocks (2” level is just fine) with a matched set of rear shocks, along with a bit more aggressive tire in the 31.6” (265/65R18) range, on your stock wheels, will serve you well and improve the quality of the ride.

Don’t over think it - it’s already a pretty amazing off-road truck.

I haven't had as much time to take my Tremor off road as I'd like to. Right after I got it we took off on a 5 week vacation in June/July and then we went back to AR for a week looking at properties. I had spent all pf last fall working on buying the lot and drafting up the house then this spring selling my house in AZ. I really wanted to hit the trail up in Sedona again so I could compare the two trucks (my '19 with suspension and tires to y stock Tremor) but just didn't have time.

You're right that you don't have to go to crazy to off road and still hit some nice trails. Now if you want to do more extreme trails then you'd have to but honestly if I were going to be doing that more often I'd be looking into a Bronco or a Jeep. IMHO you'd have much more and way more mods but a lot less money. lol

Pictures rarely do any justice but these were some fun trails up in Sedona. Many of these were just with adding new tires (32's) and the stock Fx4 junky suspension. Damn, just look at the hood shine from all that 303 Graphene! ??

 

[tygr2007]

Here is my 23' Ranger Tremor.

• Specced out with a BDS 8" Lift (2" Spacers Stacked on FOX 2.5 Coilovers)
• 35x12.5x17 | Toyo M/T Tires
• 17 x 9, -12mm | KMC KM542 Wheels

With this lift and tire size, I get 10 City and 14 Highway MPG. Not exactly fuel efficient.

I have Alpharex Headlights, as I couldn't stand that ford put halogen headlights on a 2023 truck.
Rough Country lightbar in the front and 2 built into the bumper aswell.

My CV axels are at a 20 degree angle which is optimal even with a lift.

If you are going to be doing any offroading where you need travel, this is not your lift. I'd suggest a Baja kit for that. I live in Florida so this is really just a mud truck. I installed this lift myself outside in the dirt in florida heat. Go to a shop if you're going to get this sort of thing done. It was a pain in the #$%&#$!@$!

 

[D0lphan72]

For the record…AzScorpion takes immaculate care of his truck and has wheeled the pants off it in many places that are on people’s bucket lists.

As you can tell, we kid around a bit on this forum. Actually, this is one of the trucks I reference often to show people they don’t need to have huge tires or a big lift and fancy aftermarket wheels to get a great look and equally great off-road performance.

You don’t need 3-6” to be off-road worthy. Some folks go that high because they take their trucks places the rest of us wouldn’t dare, so it’s necessary. Others go that high because they take their trucks………TO THE MALL - and that’s fine - wait, no it’s not.

These trucks are great “out of the box”. In fact, you’ll see rigs on here with crazy off-road and overlanding modifications that are still running OEM wheels and tires.

You don’t need a big lift or aftermarket wheels, and you don’t need to move brake lines or anything else. A good set of levelling coil over front shocks (2” level is just fine) with a matched set of rear shocks, along with a bit more aggressive tire in the 31.6” (265/65R18) range, on your stock wheels, will serve you well and improve the quality of the ride.

Don’t over think it - it’s already a pretty amazing off-road truck.

Was wondering if they wete joking around or they really hated eachother lol

I took it offroading & it did an incredible job by itself for sure. However, the area I brought it to is very rocky even for 'beginner' trails & there was a lot of scraping on the bottom. That's why I was looking into lifting it. Not so much for performance, just for safety on the trucks components

 

[AzScorpion]

Was wondering if they wete joking around or they really hated eachother lol

I took it offroading & it did an incredible job by itself for sure. However, the area I brought it to is very rocky even for 'beginner' trails & there was a lot of scraping on the bottom. That's why I was looking into lifting it. Not so much for performance, just for safety on the trucks components

There's going to be a lot of scraping and banging going on especially if you're on rocky trails. The key is your approach angle and your speed. You always want to go slow (like barely crawling) over rocks and make sure you air down, I usually go down to 18 lbs.

The second picture above was from Schnebly Hill Rd in Sedona. It's 6-7 miles of rocks and drop offs and really designed for Jeeps/Broncos. I had to try it in my Ranger but I wouldn't again as it was a back breaking 90 minutes ride. I was wondering why there were no other trucks out there and only Jeeps that day. lol This was done with the stock Fx4 pogo stick suspension and 32's so it just shows you it can be done without any crazy lifts. The only damage was a big scrape under my stock side steps.

Here's a few recent reviews from Tripadvisor and they're pretty spot on.

1- This is a serious warning. We were in a good four wheel drive and were seriously concerned about whether we were going to make it all the way down or have to abandon our car. There are very large rocks, a cliff edge and it is extremely bumpy, such that you need to think carefully about whether your car can make it down. It also took a significant amount of time (an hour and 15 minutes) so don’t go by what Waze or Google maps says.

Gorgeous views but please think seriously before doing it and be prepared.

2- Road is rocks and ditches and not for your average driver. Even if you have an off road vehicle, you need to know how to navigate this road. It's a great road and loads of scenery. You can also bike (extreme biking) or hike (I wouldn't just because whenever a vehicle goes past you, you'll be covered in their dust).

3- This was a terrifying ride and we don’t recommend it to anyone. We were driving a Toyota Highlander but didn’t realize how horrible this ride would be. The road was horrible. It was filled with drops of rocks 1-2 feet deep and at times we didn’t know which way to go. The side of the mountain or the edge of the cliff. Apparently this road is not maintained and is very dangerous and is not fully disclosed as such. Just please beware.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Lift will help your approach and departure angles but the lowest point of your truck (differential) remains the same. Tires make the real difference and a lift will allow for larger tires but keep in mind that every additional 1” of diameter only gives you 1/2” more clearance.

To minimize or avoid damage to the underside there are two things you can do…

1. Slow the heck down
2. Install skid plates

A suspension upgrade and a more aggressive tread, along with some experience, should help you slow things down and be able to make it up and over obstacles more smoothly, which will help with the scraping issue. You can add full or partial skids or just one for the differential, transmission, gas tank, etc. - there are plenty of options.

Browse through “Post your off-road pics“ thread and you’ll see some heavily modified as well as almost stock trucks doing all kinds of things and comments about the equipment that’s installed. A lot of the members will have links to their build thread in their signature line or will have a link to their Showcase (shown in their Profile). The Showcase will usually detail their modifications and have additional photos.

It’s a great way to see what folks are putting, or not putting, on their trucks without posting a question and sitting around hoping the right people see the thread and offer their two cents.

Don’t get me wrong, I think lifted trucks have their place and I really like the way mid-size trucks look when they are.

 

[TerraMechE]

You are getting some good perspectives from people. A lot that should drive your decision making should depend on your brand of "off roading".

For me, and what I consider more dedicated off roading (especially if rocks are involved), I'm an advocate for big tires, low gears, low tire pressure, little lift, sliders, skid plates, and lots of well controlled travel. For me this means, 1.5" front lift, 1.5" rear lowered, 37's, Bronco/Ranger hybrid front end, custom dampers, spring under axle rear suspension and lots of cutting. She's cycling 11" front and rear now.

It's a hugely compromised setup for daily/dirt bike hauling/rocks/forest service roads. I do friggin love it, though.

Some Bilstein 5100's or the like, sliders and 33's are arguably better bang for the buck... She partied hard with this setup.

My main compromise is the tire tread. The AT3 XLTs aren't horribly aggressive, but they roll very easy when up to speed and are quiet. I get 15-17mpg around town and can still tickle 20mpg if I'm cruising at 65mph. Aired down, they work surprisingly well, too.

I really don't like lifting an IFS much, and I like keeping a low CG as much as practical. My opinion is that IFS just don't work well when the angles of the control arms (and CVs) are way outside of their design envelope.

This setup would change a bit if more mud or more speed were more a part of my 'wheeling.

If you like modding your truck and wheeling, welcome! Just know you and your pocketbook are doomed ;-)

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