XionUAV
Well-Known Member
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- #1
It's been a few thousand miles since getting the salvage Ranger back on the road, and off-road as it were. It's a great vehicle for what I use it for. One thing I've been very impressed with is how well it handles on pavement. It almost matches my Q5 or Touareg for sporty handling. Off-road it also does well although the Eibach Pro Truck 2.0 shocks are pretty harsh over rough terrain. This is with 35 PSI in the AT4W 285/70-17 tires. Recently I put together a mobile air compressor to lower the pressure a little for those longer trips on desert roads and trails.
One thing I really do like about the Eibach front coilovers is the adjustability. Currently running about a 3" level. The BDS 1" lift shackles were removed from the back because they weren't necessary. The "Off Road" version of the FX4 actually has decent lift in the back already. I thought it would need a bit more with the front level but it doesn't unless a monster lift is being installed.
The transmission works well enough but I am aware of the issues with the pre-2024 10R80. If it lasts to 100k miles I'll consider myself lucky. The little 4-banger has a surprising amount of torque mid-rpm that tapers off quite a bit at higher revs when accelerating. Still plenty for me though and I plan no "mods" to the motor or exhaust. Most I've done is add the Lariat cover to make the top of the motor less ugly.
The Falken AT4W tires are the one regret I have with the build. I miss the rim protector on the Dura Trac and Ridge Grapplers I've had and have on other vehicles, but more than that there appears to be a Road Force imbalance that apparently can't be corrected. I only selected these tires because of great reviews, but I'm not impressed.
On the very first drive after they were installed, the front-end began to shake so violently that I thought a front tire was coming apart. A roadside inspection showed nothing obvious. The shake subsided somewhat as I drove back home, but it was clear that a tire was defective. A few hundred miles later and trip back to Discount Tire showed one of the front tires had a very high Road Force imbalance so a new tire was ordered. Oddly, the techs also said that all the other tires were out of balance by 4 oz. That's a lot. So either the first balance or last balance was screwed up.
On a personal note here, I've been loyal to Discount Tire for over 20 years and followed certain managers around with whom I had established a business relationship. Those managers have all left the company and the relationships are gone. Looks like it's time to find a more personable, local professional tire dealer for my fleet of vehicles.
After about 6,000 miles, the tires still feel slightly out of balance. I may cut my losses and replace them with Ridge Grapplers. Been very happy with those on a Touareg overlander.
I was a bit surprised by how rough the motor and drivetrain are even with the Tom Woods one piece drive shaft. At lower speeds especially, there is a noticeable vibration through the floor and seat of your pants. Not bad, just not smooth. So it handles like a sports sedan but vibrates to remind you you're in a truck and not a refined das auto.
Vehicle tracking using Amateur Radio APRS is used for those desert and mountain trips so a chase bar was considered to mount an antenna. After exhaustive searching, I decided they would be more trouble than not, especially since ATVS and motorcycdles are hauled in it. Would make using tie-downs less convenient. Plus I don't like the style of most of them. So no chase bar. Mag-mount antennas are used on the roof and work fine.
The VLAND LED DRL headlights work fairly well. Cuttoffs and high-beam fill-in aren't as good as OEM buckets but hard to beat for around the $300 cost. A few days ago a Weather Tech bug guard arrived so that will go on when temps go up a little. Should make the front end look a little less puffy fish-lips face. Plus it will cover up a bondo crack on the corner of the hood where it had to be repaired because of damage from crappy packing when it was shipped from Ford.
Another personal note here. Ordered a bug guard from American Trucks that showed up broken in half. Filled out and submitted the return and refund request with a bunch of pictures only to be told a few days later that a replacement would be sent. No. That wasn't the option checked on the return form. A few days after that they said they'd refund once the bug guard was returned. So apparently they want to pay the shipping back for the giant box just to prove all the pictures I provided weren't faked. But also at the bottom of the form it states that "original shipping costs will not be refunded." So they expect the buyer to eat the cost of shipping for a product purchased from them that shows up damaged. Filed a PayPal claim for the full amount.
By the time the first response came from their customer service department regarding the return, I had already ordered the Weather Tech bug guard through Amazon and recieved it in good condition. A week after requesting a refund, I'm still fighting them about the shipping charge. I will DEFINITELY never order anything from them again.
Bottom line, I like the truck. I like the size, the look overall with the Bushwacker slim flares, Roush weels and Rough Country front bumper, the handling and the decent power. Now, since it averages only about 17 MPG, which sucks for a turbo 4-banger, what would be really nice is a small-block V8. Wishful thinking.
One thing I really do like about the Eibach front coilovers is the adjustability. Currently running about a 3" level. The BDS 1" lift shackles were removed from the back because they weren't necessary. The "Off Road" version of the FX4 actually has decent lift in the back already. I thought it would need a bit more with the front level but it doesn't unless a monster lift is being installed.
The transmission works well enough but I am aware of the issues with the pre-2024 10R80. If it lasts to 100k miles I'll consider myself lucky. The little 4-banger has a surprising amount of torque mid-rpm that tapers off quite a bit at higher revs when accelerating. Still plenty for me though and I plan no "mods" to the motor or exhaust. Most I've done is add the Lariat cover to make the top of the motor less ugly.
The Falken AT4W tires are the one regret I have with the build. I miss the rim protector on the Dura Trac and Ridge Grapplers I've had and have on other vehicles, but more than that there appears to be a Road Force imbalance that apparently can't be corrected. I only selected these tires because of great reviews, but I'm not impressed.
On the very first drive after they were installed, the front-end began to shake so violently that I thought a front tire was coming apart. A roadside inspection showed nothing obvious. The shake subsided somewhat as I drove back home, but it was clear that a tire was defective. A few hundred miles later and trip back to Discount Tire showed one of the front tires had a very high Road Force imbalance so a new tire was ordered. Oddly, the techs also said that all the other tires were out of balance by 4 oz. That's a lot. So either the first balance or last balance was screwed up.
On a personal note here, I've been loyal to Discount Tire for over 20 years and followed certain managers around with whom I had established a business relationship. Those managers have all left the company and the relationships are gone. Looks like it's time to find a more personable, local professional tire dealer for my fleet of vehicles.
After about 6,000 miles, the tires still feel slightly out of balance. I may cut my losses and replace them with Ridge Grapplers. Been very happy with those on a Touareg overlander.
I was a bit surprised by how rough the motor and drivetrain are even with the Tom Woods one piece drive shaft. At lower speeds especially, there is a noticeable vibration through the floor and seat of your pants. Not bad, just not smooth. So it handles like a sports sedan but vibrates to remind you you're in a truck and not a refined das auto.
Vehicle tracking using Amateur Radio APRS is used for those desert and mountain trips so a chase bar was considered to mount an antenna. After exhaustive searching, I decided they would be more trouble than not, especially since ATVS and motorcycdles are hauled in it. Would make using tie-downs less convenient. Plus I don't like the style of most of them. So no chase bar. Mag-mount antennas are used on the roof and work fine.
The VLAND LED DRL headlights work fairly well. Cuttoffs and high-beam fill-in aren't as good as OEM buckets but hard to beat for around the $300 cost. A few days ago a Weather Tech bug guard arrived so that will go on when temps go up a little. Should make the front end look a little less puffy fish-lips face. Plus it will cover up a bondo crack on the corner of the hood where it had to be repaired because of damage from crappy packing when it was shipped from Ford.
Another personal note here. Ordered a bug guard from American Trucks that showed up broken in half. Filled out and submitted the return and refund request with a bunch of pictures only to be told a few days later that a replacement would be sent. No. That wasn't the option checked on the return form. A few days after that they said they'd refund once the bug guard was returned. So apparently they want to pay the shipping back for the giant box just to prove all the pictures I provided weren't faked. But also at the bottom of the form it states that "original shipping costs will not be refunded." So they expect the buyer to eat the cost of shipping for a product purchased from them that shows up damaged. Filed a PayPal claim for the full amount.
By the time the first response came from their customer service department regarding the return, I had already ordered the Weather Tech bug guard through Amazon and recieved it in good condition. A week after requesting a refund, I'm still fighting them about the shipping charge. I will DEFINITELY never order anything from them again.
Bottom line, I like the truck. I like the size, the look overall with the Bushwacker slim flares, Roush weels and Rough Country front bumper, the handling and the decent power. Now, since it averages only about 17 MPG, which sucks for a turbo 4-banger, what would be really nice is a small-block V8. Wishful thinking.
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