Hey I have a 2006 ford ranger and I really want to start making some changes to it
just wondering if there is a huge difference between a body lift and suspension lift?
I dont do anything to crazy in the truck either just a few trails. Any tips are great and prices for them too thanks!

 

there is a huge difference do a little searching

 

Basiclly

a body lift, lifts the body off the frame to make room for larger tires

a suspension lift lowers the suspension from the frame making room for larger tires, more wheel travel,more articulation most of the time stronger parts than stock

second thing to look at is cost
bodylifts are by far the cheapest way to go
suspension lifts are more expensive

im getting ready to do a body lift on mine i went with the body lift because i dont really offroad my truck other then getting to my favorite fishing and camping spots

 

Thanks Micheal yeah i agree Iam not going to do anything to crazy with it so maybe a body lift
is a better idea. Iam just worried about how good body lifts are compared to the suspension lifts
do you know any good sites I can look them up on?

 

heres the kit i bought though jegs
Performance Accessories 70033 Performance Accessories Body Lift Kits
same kit though summit
Performance Accessories PA-70033 - Performance Accessories Body Lift Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com
they are marked 01-05 but will fit all the way up to 09
the only problem you will bump into is the filler neck and vent tube they very in size year to year your but a quick trip to napa sould solve the issue

 

personally i'm not a body lift guy. i'd rather have the suspension travel. both systems raise the vehicle's center of gravity but i'd rather have that increase under the frame then above it.

there are other options if you only want a small amount of lift. your already a "preykey truck" so that helps. i forget what is available for the front but you could either get some shackles or get an AAL for the rear.

 

I would do a suspension lift. Body lifts dont give you ANY more ground clearance. Only bigger tires and suspension lifts will. Mostly its in the tires tho. That you need a body lift to clear... giant catch 22.

I just didn't like being able to see the frame under the truck. So I went with suspension.

 

For just doing light wheeling a body lift is defintely the way to go. The body spacers are made out of some type of plastic composite and are of pretty good quality. I have had mine on for a few months and have and no issues so far. There are a few members who have had em on for 5+ years and have had no issues.

 

You’ve heard the differences, what about BOTH and go with 35s ?

 

DOUBLE LIFT FTW!!!

 

Yup !
I am just doing the SL Lift but if I decide to go to 35s fro 33s somewhere down the trail I will do the BL.

 

bl is easy to do and cheap allowing for bigger tires. I dont mind mine but i just hate the lack of ground clearance. i always seem to get hung up on my front diff lol

 

thanks for the worthless post, douche.

 

P,
Not sure that we will ever get out of the low front diff syndrome, the BL raises the body and leaves the diff in OEM position, the Suspension lift raises the frame and leave the Diff. Both lift methods result in the differential being in the same position.
Larger tires will raise the diff but just how big can you go with tires without a Body or Suspension Lift, catch 22.

A BL will keep the center of gravity low better stability while a suspension lift will lift the mass of the vehicle and raises the center of gravity, good or bad ?!?!

A BL’s have longer bolts holding the body to the frame and the body is lifted off the frame increasing the shearing forces applied to the bolts when accelerating or sidewards movement off trail or just going around a corner. (This is probably the reason I chose the Suspension Lift).

Luck on your choice.

 

you wanna raise ground clearance and differentials, get unimog axles...

 

don't throw me in the fire for posting this...but the write up on brands and pros/cons, etc seems legit and very informative. it is from TRS, but I think it can help break down what some want. There are some good posts up in here but also kind of confusing for me. IMO

2wd rangers all years: 2WD Ford Ranger Suspension Kits

4wd rangers 83-08: Ford Ranger 4x4 Suspension Kits

 

why would we flame? it seems like a good write up. alot of info get s swapped from site to site as some of us on here are members of both.

 

I just know sometimes forums of the same "subject" don't always get along. so I was just putting it out there. There's like 3-4 or more ranger sites aren't there?

 

I was reading up on a body lift and it was saying that is ugly and shows off lots of the frame rail
if I was to put on 33's with a 3 inch body lift wouldnt that hide the frame again?
and 33's are the biggest tires that can fit under a stock ranger with a three inch lift right?

 

first off, I would start looking on google at lifted trucks and seeing what you think about ugly.

my dad bought a "taco" toyota pickup in 94 (1992 yota pickup and was rolled by previous owner and then sold to a local junk yard) and we've had it since. It has a 3in body lift and has 3" dual tube front, rear, single side step, and dual roll bars in the bed. you could see the frame at the back end of the truck. It doesnt look BAD until you get to the viewing point of being able to see entirely through the 3" gap out the other side of the truck at whatever is past it.

if you can get 33's under a stock setup I'd say you are doing good. even with cutting out plastic fender or other crap. don't just think about if it will fit...you may still want to be able to make at most a 4 point turn...let alone probably a 12-15 point if you can't turn the wheel but 6 inches total.

 

adding the bigger tires will not eliminate any frame that you see. the bigger tires will raise the entire truck not just the frame. Body lifts on rangers do not really show much at all. If you have step tubes or rock sliders on your ranger you cant even see the frame and the gaps can be easily covered up with either the $100 gap guards that can be ordered or you can make your own for like 20 dollars...

 

So what your saying is I wont beable to 33's under my truck even with a three inch body lift?

 

no, plenty of guys on here have 33's with any lift. with STOCK suspension is what I thought you meant. I guess I missed the last 3" lift you had at the very end. sorry. go look at google images and type in ranger lifted and looked at ones with a 3" lift and then find ones that have like 8 or more inches of lift. you'll see how it's not ugly with 3".

 

you can easily fit 33s with a 3 inch body lift. i have 33s with just a tbar crank right now

 

true story! Im running that same setup 33x12.50 on a 3in bl. DO IT! also if planning on 33's make sure your gears can handle it.