need help choosing. im shopping for one of these years rangers. which year would be better to lift? and which year has the most problems after lift. i know they make cheaper kits for the 93 to 97 models skyjacker makes an 8" but is this a good lift? or is the suspension on the 98 to 2000 a better suspansion to start off with?

 

depends if you want TTB or IFS....

personally i would take TTB any day

 

i would go with the 1998-2000 because in 1998 ford upgraded the steering to rack and pinion. i think there are also some other upgrades on the 1998. the '93-'97 would probably start rusting soon

 

how is rack and pinion good for a offroad truck? explain especially for lifting? love to hear that...

lovely IFS drop brackets oh joy... IFS kits.. around

4" $1500+front driveshaft $500
5.5" $2300+front driveshaft $500


TTB hmmm

4" superlift $700 which is more expensive of the few out there..
5.5" superlift $1100 """""" """ """"

5" procomp $850

 

i say '93-'97......TTB is a far superior suspension than the '98+ SLA suspension....

Superlift kits are really a great price for what they come with for $1100 (coils, brackets, radius arms, rear lift, shocks, pitman arm).....the Skyjacker and Duff kits are the top 2 in quality and reliabilaty with Superlift right behind

 

more to add........

i DO NOT recommend the Skyjacker 8" lift kit UNLESS you are going to be running it on a supercab 4.0.....any other Ranger and they don't weigh enough to allow for proper alignment......

I recommend the Skyjacker 6" Class II kit and a 3" body lift if you want that much lift...

 

here is some TTB info:
https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ad.php?t=60703

 

yeah TTB is the best suspension. Easy to lift and they can flex rather well. after lifting newer rangers you'll hear a lot about axles and cv joints and such. I plan on lifting my ranger 6" and putting 33's on. You can fit 35's but its more a stuffed tire lift on it. The only thing is that the TTB suspension isn't quite as nice on road as the IFS

 

biggest worry on a TTB is keep up on making sure the u-joints, wheel bearings, spindle needle bearing are ok.. or your front end will look like my truck...

 

TTB all the way.

 

thanks man i heard about this and if im going with the later year than im planning on getting the supercab. this is the kind of helpful advice ive been lookin for. thanks for everyones input its all been helpful. now all i got to do is find the truck, ive been lookin for almost 2 weeks already and havent found one thats perfect yet.

 

I miss my TTB, I'd take it anyday over my current SLA, and rust can be stopped, it's called paint.

 

1997 is the best year to customize IMO.

Easiest too.

 

yeah go with ttb i have it stock and it works pretty good offroad stock i love mine and caint wait to lift it.

 

just to clarify for the OP, all 83-current rangers were equipped with IFS. 83-97 are TIB/TTB and 98+ are SLA

IMO, TIB/TTB = work truck or offroad toy. SLA = street truck or DD
not to say either cannot do any of these things, but using the proper suspension design for its best suited purpose yields a better result.