Where will a bone stock FX4 Ranger go?

[P. A. Schilke]

As mentioned previously, unless you're doing serious rock crawling, there's a near-zero set of circumstances where Terrain Management won't perform just as well, if not better, than a *FRONT* locker, especially if you already have a rear locker.

Front lockers are so incredibly limited in their usefulness.

HI GK,

When we created the FX4, my prototypes has a front torsen differential. Bean counters had the fire hydrant syndrome...they had to leave their mark on the FX4 "hydrant". So we gave up the front diff. Beanies were happy they did their job. We had tested with and without front diff. There was not much difference for most of the testing...so we pissed and moaned to the beanies, knowing full well the plan was to give them the "bait"...front diff delete... Flippin beanies thought they won....when in fact they lose but they never knew it... Marketing was pissed as they wanted to tout the Torsion front diff, but like a new puppy, they rolled over and urinated on their belly...

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

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[Gizmokid2005]

HI GK,

When we created the FX4, my prototypes has a front torsen differential. Bean counters had the fire hydrant syndrome...they had to leave their mark on the FX4 "hydrant". So we gave up the front diff. Beanies were happy they did their job. We had tested with and without front diff. There was not much difference for most of the testing...so we pissed and moaned to the beanies, knowing full well the plan was to give them the "bait"...front diff delete... Flippin beanies thought they won....when in fact they lose but they never knew it... Marketing was pissed as they wanted to tout the Torsion front diff, but like a new puppy, they rolled over and urinated on their belly...

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

I would love to have one as an option. Just like I'd appreciate a Torsen/LSD rear as standard, this is my first Ford truck with an open rear diff, but sadly here we are, likely due to the same as your story, money.

 

[Leftcoast]

I emailed TFL trucks yesterday asking about a Tremor to ZR2 offroad comparison. They say it's in the works and a few months out.

 

[t4thfavor]

I emailed TFL trucks yesterday asking about a Tremor to ZR2 offroad comparison. They say it's in the works and a few months out.

As much as it pains me to say it, the ZR2 will wipe the floor with the Tremor.

 

[RVA Overland]

As much as it pains me to say it, the ZR2 will wipe the floor with the Tremor.

Boo

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

HI GK,

When we created the FX4, my prototypes has a front torsen differential. Bean counters had the fire hydrant syndrome...they had to leave their mark on the FX4 "hydrant". So we gave up the front diff. Beanies were happy they did their job. We had tested with and without front diff. There was not much difference for most of the testing...so we pissed and moaned to the beanies, knowing full well the plan was to give them the "bait"...front diff delete... Flippin beanies thought they won....when in fact they lose but they never knew it... Marketing was pissed as they wanted to tout the Torsion front diff, but like a new puppy, they rolled over and urinated on their belly...

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Thank the bean counters for leaving the Chrome shifter and oversized knob on the 5-speed FX4s i installed one of those shifters in my 02 Ranger Edge

 

[SilverSlugger]

My wife and I spend a fair bit of time hunting for isolated camping offroad, and when we have the crazy idea to go on classic offroad trails we end up googling 'stock tacoma XXX road' to try to get an idea of whether we could survive.

Given I'm tickled pink with how well our stock ranger does, I thought maybe a thread that could serve as a compilation of the places a stock FX4 will go would be helpful to other drivers/potential buyers. It might make someone feel better about trying a "jeep" trail, or it might make someone feel more comfortable buying the ranger instead of a Zr2 or whatever.

By bone stock, I mean no lift/level, stock tires.

Flagstaff AZ, Forest Road 231 all the way to the Edge of the World. The Ranger handled it easily.

 

[t4thfavor]

Depends what they do with it. TFL is notorious, at least in my opinion, for leaving a lot of capability on the table as far as pushing the limits. In a majority of their tests, every one of the vehicles involved completes the task. And usually the main problem with the few that don't make it is clearance and them not wanting to potentially damage a vehicle they don't own by trying anyways, which is understandable. But if that's the case, then the Tremor will win because, as @the5Gmartian pointed out earlier, it has better clearance numbers.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them just take them to one of their usual rutted out and rocky hills that both trucks can easily handle, send both trucks up, they both do it just fine, add a lot of unnecessarily commentary and setup, one host will chose the truck with the fanciest gizmos as the best, the other will say that old school off-roading is better, and that's it.

I'm not saying one or the other is better (in the end who really cares), just that a TFL comparison video will hardly settle the argument. We'll ultimately learn nothing but both parties will be able to use the video to "prove" their point. All that said, I'll watch it and be entertained, and that's really all TFL is trying to do.

Lol, I should have said "TFL also sucks at actual reviews of performance".

My comment was in the context that the ZR2 is far more capable offroad than a slightly taller FX4, and comes with proper shocks, proper tires, and twin lockers. It will double destroy the Tremor if they test the diesel in all but the pointless drag race (The fast one, not the slow one). The original comment had little to nothing to do with how TFL would review it.

 

[Leftcoast]

As much as it pains me to say it, the ZR2 will wipe the floor with the Tremor.

Talk is cheap. I'd like to see the front locker fanboys get their hat handed to them when the Tremor trail control walks right over something the ZR2 struggles. This isn't Ali/Frazier but it might settle the front locker debate.

 

[t4thfavor]

Talk is cheap. I'd like to see the front locker fanboys get their hat handed to them when the Tremor trail control walks right over something the ZR2 struggles. This isn't Ali/Frazier but it might settle the front locker debate.

I've used the current gen trail control quite a bit, don't expect it to be a substitution for 2 physical lockers and proper offroad tires.

 

[the5Gmartian]

@t4thfavor One youtube channel I watch a lot is 4wd 24/7. Its a bunch of Aussies who go to some pretty gnarly off-road trails. One of them has a front locker and the majority have rear only. I can only recall maybe 2 or 3 times total (and I have watched a lot of their content) where the front locker made it where the others didn’t. 95% of the time they all have to winch themselves up. As others have stated the Tremor (or FX4) have terrain management so it’s not like it has a complete open diff up front anyways. Again, you’re overstating the usefulness of a front locker for 99% of off roading. Congrats on beating a dead horse. If the ZR2 was so magical, why are you here now?

 

[Leftcoast]

I've used the current gen trail control quite a bit, don't expect it to be a substitution for 2 physical lockers and proper offroad tires.

I take it you saw the TFL Tremor vs Gladiator vs Tacoma video which proves you wrong.

 

[t4thfavor]

I take it you saw the TFL Tremor vs Gladiator vs Tacoma video which proves you wrong.

Well, I've also driven the trail control in plenty of nasty spots, I'll go watch the video now, but I don't consider any of the TFL crew "good" drivers.

 

[Leftcoast]

Well, I've also driven the trail control in plenty of nasty spots, I'll go watch the video now, but I don't consider any of the TFL crew "good" drivers.

There's a surprise.

 

[t4thfavor]

There's a surprise.

OK, watched the parts that mattered, all it showed me is that the Tremor computer has more self control than Andre's right boot. And a Gladiator weighs so much not even being locked front and rear can save it.

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