Suspension Tech General discussion of suspension for the Ford Ranger.

SEEKING HELP FROM THE COILOVER GODS!

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Old 12-05-2009
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SEEKING HELP FROM THE COILOVER GODS!

Ok guys. Before any of you rattle me for this.. yes i have searched for hours today and hours yesturday and im still a little unsure of how to do this.

As you all know ORW is comign out with that coilover kit with brackets, fox shocks and coilovers for the front. Word on the street is that that kit will be basicaly a stock height conversion, aka same height as my truck is now with the Prekey crank up front, a 2" kit.

Im still unsure if this kit will work for me, im 90% certain it will but i wanan be 100% sure. I have a 2008 FX4 with just the prekey mod up front for about 2.5" lift over stock height. Will this kit work as a direct replacement for my torsion bars and keep the same height.. i know i should be talkign to ORW about this, they already said thats exactly what would happen but i want to be sure this will work before i purchase their kit.

Also, IF IN THE FUTURE i wish to lift my truck higher in the front after i have already purchased and installed this kit (brackets, gussets, shocks/coils) What do i have to do to say make the kit a 4" lift instead of the 2" lift? Do all i need to do in the future is purchase longer coils and shocks or is there more to it than that? Do i gotta lower my control arms liek the superlift kit does?

Basically im looking for some of you coilover gods to guide me in the right direction, i definately want to do this kit and ditch my bars, but im also curious about lifting it even more down the road and how to go abouts doing that. also.. do i really need those support arms that people install, that basically mount where the torsion bars were for support?

Hopefully you can understand what im trying to get at. I know the basics but i wanna get it all downpacked.

thankssssss
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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Yes the ORW would keep the same height you're at now, but remember that coilovers are adjustable so you have some wiggle room there. And if you do decide to add more lift later the brackets will still work, you'd just need a longer coilover. I doubt you'd be able to get 4" without adding drop bracketry though, all your joint angles would be too extreme. You won't need the support bars unless you add a superlift, even then it would depend on how hard you plan to wheel the truck, if at all.
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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like ryan said. what they are offering will get you that 2.5" like you have now...

then if you get say a superlift kit you just need to buy new coilovers.
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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Originally Posted by RazorsEDGE
Yes the ORW would keep the same height you're at now, but remember that coilovers are adjustable so you have some wiggle room there. And if you do decide to add more lift later the brackets will still work, you'd just need a longer coilover. I doubt you'd be able to get 4" without adding drop bracketry though, all your joint angles would be too extreme. You won't need the support bars unless you add a superlift, even then it would depend on how hard you plan to wheel the truck, if at all.
Originally Posted by zabeard
like ryan said. what they are offering will get you that 2.5" like you have now...

then if you get say a superlift kit you just need to buy new coilovers.
Agreed, and you would definitely have to get a Superlift to get 4"+. I have a Superlift with Skyjacker leafsprings and have right at 6" of lift. Support bars aren't needed if you only do light offroading.
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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Did ORW say what coilover you need for your current set-up? 2.0" x 5.0"? That's what I think you will probably need, but I have not verified this. I am going to call Nick at ORW on Monday.
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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so if i got the coil overs for my 08 2wd sport, and wanted more lift, would i be able to use the super lift kit, or would it still not work for me cos im still only 2wd?
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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Well, you could use the superlift on your truck with the CV stubs, rotors, and wheel bearings from a 4x4 ranger. It wouldn't get you hardly any extra lift though since you'd have to ditch your lift spindles in favor of the superlift knuckles.
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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Thanks guys, yeah Nick has been pretty good over at ORW, knows his stuff.
 
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Old 12-05-2009
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Originally Posted by RazorsEDGE
Well, you could use the superlift on your truck with the CV stubs, rotors, and wheel bearings from a 4x4 ranger. It wouldn't get you hardly any extra lift though since you'd have to ditch your lift spindles in favor of the superlift knuckles.
If he just used the drop down cage that should give him extra lift, the lift spindle should still be able to be used. Even if you just built a drop down cage it should work.
 
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Old 12-06-2009
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Originally Posted by jdugan4859
If he just used the drop down cage that should give him extra lift, the lift spindle should still be able to be used. Even if you just built a drop down cage it should work.
No. The distance between the upper arm and lower arm would be 4" further than before. There is no way you could use the lift spindles like that, thats why superlift provides knuckles that are 4" taller than stock.
 
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Old 12-06-2009
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well then, it looks like when i go to coils, im going to have to go to 4x4 as well. :)
 
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Old 12-06-2009
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Originally Posted by RazorsEDGE
No. The distance between the upper arm and lower arm would be 4" further than before. There is no way you could use the lift spindles like that, thats why superlift provides knuckles that are 4" taller than stock.
Ahh, I just assumed the SL kit dropped the upper as well. It wouldn't be hard to fab up an entire drop down cage for the upper and the lower.
 
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Old 12-06-2009
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Originally Posted by jdugan4859
Ahh, I just assumed the SL kit dropped the upper as well. It wouldn't be hard to fab up an entire drop down cage for the upper and the lower.
That would probably be a lot more difficult than you think. Since the upper arms sits on top of the frame you'd have to bring it outside the frame to drop it down any. That would throw all the geometry off too, you'd have to widen the track for the lower arms as well and then you'd need to extend the tie rods. If you were going to go through that much trouble you might as well SAS the thing.
 
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Old 12-06-2009
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Originally Posted by ShadowRanger08
well then, it looks like when i go to coils, im going to have to go to 4x4 as well. :)
fabtec 3" lift spindle and the coil-over's... problem solved... I'm curious to hear what size of c/o Nick recommends...

Joey
 
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Old 12-06-2009
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Originally Posted by RazorsEDGE
That would probably be a lot more difficult than you think. Since the upper arms sits on top of the frame you'd have to bring it outside the frame to drop it down any. That would throw all the geometry off too, you'd have to widen the track for the lower arms as well and then you'd need to extend the tie rods. If you were going to go through that much trouble you might as well SAS the thing.
Without tearing into, the only trouble would be dropping the lower, building a shorter upper might help, I would have to run it all threw in CAD to see what it does to the geometry. As for extending the tie rods, that is very simple, you just thread a piece of DOM on each end, one end to match the rack, one end to match a heim joint, and use a heim on the end of it.
 
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Old 12-07-2009
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Originally Posted by RagingBull2k2
fabtec 3" lift spindle and the coil-over's... problem solved... I'm curious to hear what size of c/o Nick recommends...

Joey
i have the 3" spindles, but they are the same size as stock ones, just where the rotor/wheel is mounted is moved down three inches, by the sounds of the super lift spindles they are actually 4" longer then stockers
 
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Old 12-08-2009
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so i was doing some thinking guys... and why wouldnt i be able to use some coil spacers from a 2wd coil sprung application on these coilovers if i get them, to boost me up another couple inches? I shouldnt need drop bracketry for that shout i?

Please give me some insight on this thought! id love to throw spacers on the front with these coilovers to gain a few more inches if possible.
 
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Old 12-08-2009
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If you want to do something like that you'll need a superlift and longer coilovers. I think you seem to be forgetting the fact that coilovers are adjustable, why would you need a spacer? Besides......the spacers wont fit, a coil from a 2wd ranger is way bigger in diameter than a coilover.
 

Last edited by RazorsEDGE; 12-08-2009 at 11:36 AM.
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Old 12-08-2009
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I do understand their adjustable, thats a given. I was just looking to get somewhere in that happy medium where i wouldnt need drop bracketry and still gain some lift. Think these coilovers could squeeze out 3" of lift out of the 2" or watever they come with? just wanna basically level the truck out cuz shes still perched down a bit in the front even with the prekey mod.
 
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Old 12-08-2009
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I don't think you will get that much "lift" using the stock suspension set-up. The suspension angles (geometry) will probably be too extreme.
 
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Old 12-08-2009
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Yeah the problem isn't that the coilovers wont give you the lift you want. The problem is that if you do it it will put your suspension in a heck of a bind. Your upper arms will probably be resting against the coilover and your CV shafts and upper balljoints would be binding. It would be a good recipe for crappy ride quality and lots of money you'd spend to keep replacing prematurely worn parts.
 
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Old 12-08-2009
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definately dont need that. alright ill stick to the original plan;
 
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