I am at a little bit of a loss and need some help from people that have gone through this before. I am collecting my parts for my Dana 44 and 9 inch rearend swap but I cant make up my mind weather to go with Fox Shocks, coil springs or leaf springs. Does anyone know the pros and cons between these options besides price I know how much each will cost. The truck will still see alot of highway miles plus alot of off road miles. Any help is appreciated thanks.

 

Ok so back on subject I would rather stay with people here I like the people here so I will wait for some opinions from some of the ranger-forum guys

 

I know I don't know much on the subject quite yet...but let me say this(and add a worthful post to the thread).....

Beard started out coils. He's now coil-over.

Matt started out leaves. He regrets going leaves..wishes he went coils in the least.

 

From what ive heard, coil-overs ride best on the road hands down. if your looking to keep your truck low you can go SUA with leafs or guys on here have 37s with leafs, I like leafs because of their simplicity and durability but coils give you a better ride. idk im in the same boat as you dont know what i want to do.

 

Spend the money do it right the first time. Coilovers all the way. They are super easy to get put under the truck, the hoops are easy, the springs are easy and everything is easy on them. full adjustable, rebuildable, everything. They are stout too. I prefer Sway-Away Racerunners but you can run Fox if you want.

I have had both in my hands and I think Sway-Away is a better shock for the money.

No way would I ever touch leaf springs, its old technology, kills approach angles and just not the best. With a little bit of work you can toss in a good 3 link or radius arm setup and it will run great down the road and impress people on the trail.

 

I don't get the whole leafs are simple thing. IMO the coils have been very easy to put in. Of course if you have the cash laying around coilovers are the best for sure, but at the very least do coils.

 

my only thing about coils is you cant tune it as easily.

You are either running coils that are too soft or coils that are too stiff, none of which are designed for the weight of a ranger.

When I ran coils they were great for street and crawling, but when i get out in the sand or run some high speed stuff i was always bottoming out. Just not enough to hold the weight of the truck.

Coilovers meet all the demands I want/need.

 

progressive rate bronco coils are a good choice.. most will argue that they are too stiff because they were designed for a bronco (heavier) but get a used pair so they are broken in.. good travel up and down. and also have a stiffer coil rate near the bottom of the coil to prevent bottoming out..

people will also argue that the ride is too bouncy with coils, however a good shock will fix this. (70/30) shocks are good

 

Well if the coils were a bit soft on your truck they might be a good match for mine, since its lighter. We'll see.

 

I see a bunch of people running air shocks. But I don't much about them.