Suspension Tech General discussion of suspension for the Ford Ranger.

4x4 Long Travel

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Old 04-02-2009
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4x4 Long Travel

i have no experience in the long travel department. i can see the benifit of having the long travel kit if you plan on playing in the desert, but if your rig is 4x4, will the long travel kit help or hurt your 4x4 capabilities (i.e. crawling)???

please enlighten me!
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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from what people have told me, the only place it will really hurt is if you're trying to rock krawl.

other then that, i think it'd be badass on the trail.

if you search back a little, you'll see i started a thread on it, and im pretty sure theres some good info in there
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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http://www.fourwheeler.com/projectbu...4x4/index.html

That's the link to the whole build, but there's a ton of good info in there and some good pictures of what that truck can do.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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thanks i'll check it out! although, the crawling deficiency might veer me away since i do like to do it from time to time. basically i am in search of a setup that will make my rig an efficient versatile rig for the desert and the rock trails...
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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The only reason I can see where it would hurt crawling is because you don't get a lift from the kit. Other than that I see the magazine crawling with it just fine.

 
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Old 04-02-2009
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if you are just into crawling/wheeling and not desert and speed why not just SAS it?
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by Tys 4x4
from what people have told me, the only place it will really hurt is if you're trying to rock crawl.
It made mine better. The LT kit flexes better than stock. And you get ground clearance from tires, not lift, so by fitting 35's or 33's on it with LT you'll be much better off than say an RCD or Superlift.

Anyway...
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by rngprerunner
It made mine better. The LT kit flexes better than stock. And you get ground clearance from tires, not lift, so by fitting 35's or 33's on it with LT you'll be much better off than say an RCD or Superlift.

Anyway...
All depends on the application and usage...
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by TrePaul86
All depends on the application and usage...
Long travel out performs a standard lift in all respects. With fiberglass you can step up in tiresize so theres no real need for "lift".
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by Woods-Rider
if you are just into crawling/wheeling and not desert and speed why not just SAS it?
SAS is overrated.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Yeah but andy like I said... Usage is a key factor... And the look he wants. Also, Price is a huge factor in the decision of LT kits.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by fddriver02
SAS is overrated.
I would agree on two conditions. If you are only going as big as 33's or you run highspeed terrain. Everything else a Solid axle will outperform your normal IFS
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by redranger4.0
I would agree on two conditions. If you are only going as big as 33's or you run highspeed terrain. Everything else a Solid axle will outperform your normal IFS
Yeah I wouldn't go biger than 33's. But if I wanted SAS I would buy something with it factory and with a short wheelbase like a Wrangler Unlimited or short bed Yota. There are some people on here that seem to think that a SAS solves every problem.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by redranger4.0
I would agree on two conditions. If you are only going as big as 33's or you run highspeed terrain. Everything else a Solid axle will outperform your normal IFS
Why only 33's? I could run 37's if I so desired.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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i don't plan on doing serious rock crawling nor do i intend on running the baja 1000. however, i like to crawl from time to time and i also enjoy a little speed in the desert. doing the rcd or superlift w/ coilovers and install will run me about $3500 ea and will pretty much just keep me nuetral. the db lt kit will run me about $5000 and a sas should be about the same done right. since i have a bl now w/ 33's, i was thinking i could possibly run 35s with the lt, bl, & fibers. i just want to make sure if i do crawl, that i won't "f-up" the lt kit. if so, i should probably sas my rig!
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by Ford'sFORD
i don't plan on doing serious rock crawling nor do i intend on running the baja 1000. however, i like to crawl from time to time and i also enjoy a little speed in the desert. doing the rcd or superlift w/ coilovers and install will run me about $3500 ea and will pretty much just keep me nuetral. the db lt kit will run me about $5000 and a sas should be about the same done right. since i have a bl now w/ 33's, i was thinking i could possibly run 35s with the lt, bl, & fibers. i just want to make sure if i do crawl, that i won't "f-up" the lt kit. if so, i should probably sas my rig!
You wont mess up the suspension, it's just independent suspension Doesn't flex as well as SAS. However, anything is better than stock torsions.

It'll provide a smoother ride off road as well.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by CBFranger
You wont mess up the suspension, it's just independent suspension Doesn't flex as well as SAS. However, anything is better than stock torsions.

It'll provide a smoother ride off road as well.
Its called LONG TRAVEL for a reason
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Long travel with a body lift huh?
I can hear the desert guys laughing at you now
With the right wheels, and the right fenders you should easily be able to run 35's with just the Dixon bros kit. You can adjust your ride height as you see fit depending on what you're doing with the truck.
Just keep in mind how many CV's Jason went through before upgrading them...
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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so if crawling won't mess up a lt kit, but won't be as good as a sas and i plan on doing some crawling as well as desert... is there even an advantage to going all out with the lt instead of just going with the rcd kit???
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by brianjwilson
Long travel with a body lift huh?
I can hear the desert guys laughing at you now
Yup, loose the body lift, you won't need it. You don't need it now for that matter.

Just keep in mind how many CV's Jason went through before upgrading them...
To be fair I only blew one. I blew one, ran it for a year broken, and ended up breaking one more (the outer) because of the axle shaft flopping around for so long. So yea, I really only blew one in four years of hard abuse.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by rngprerunner
Why only 33's? I could run 37's if I so desired.
I was refering to stock IFS.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by Ford'sFORD
so if crawling won't mess up a lt kit, but won't be as good as a sas and i plan on doing some crawling as well as desert... is there even an advantage to going all out with the lt instead of just going with the rcd kit???
When you're doing desert stuff I'd put money on the true LT kit doing better.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by rngprerunner

To be fair I only blew one. I blew one, ran it for a year broken, and ended up breaking one more (the outer) because of the axle shaft flopping around for so long. So yea, I really only blew one in four years of hard abuse.
Oops, my bad. Seems like I kept hearing of you breaking CV's. I guess the worst part for you was losing the hubs . My point behind that they will be stressed a bit more with 35's too. I imagine your CV failures were mostly due to extreme angles though..?
By the way, I must have seen your trucks pictured 4-5 times in the 60 tips article. Zip tie hubs, bilstein 5100's, light bar, bed extender... How many trucks do you all have, combined? Seems like a pretty big variety of vehicles.
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by CBFranger
When you're doing desert stuff I'd put money on the true LT kit doing better.
well that's the thing, i won't be doing just desert. as of now with my extremely cranked torsion bars and bl, i play in the desert a little and also crawl some moderate to low-high level trails. my ride quality is sh*t and my performance isn't that great. i am leaning on the rcd kit to improve in both areas... but am open to lt or sas. just want to make sure i am going to install something that will best meet my needs and stay between $3000-5000 parts & labor! big window in expense, but if all i really need is the rcd then of course i want to stay at that $3000 range, but if the others will greatly improve my abilities on both sides, then it may be worth the extra cash!
 
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Old 04-02-2009
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Originally Posted by CBFranger
When you're doing desert stuff I'd put money on the true LT kit doing better.
It is a true long travel kit. 14" of wheel travel with 4wd.
 


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