thats what im talkin bout!

 

i should have taken a pic of mine when it was off the truck

but mines not flat anymore, i twisted it too haha, my new one should be here this week, and ill reinforce it before i put it on, but i wont be able to report back until spring

 

when do you go to WY?

cuz im still plannin on wheeling with you in colorado..HAHA

 

hey, i know stuff other people dont!
remember that

anywho, im going next wednesday
and i would LOVE to see your show truck on the trails with us

 

After seeing this, I'll beef mine up next weekend using some plate steel and a welder. No big deal.

 

The way i see it is things are going to break regardless. But now that we know there are weak parts in the kit the only thing you can do is reinforce them before you install the kit.
Also i hate hearing people bring up the cost of the RCD lift. Does Superlift come with coil over suspension?...NO.....Does Superlift get rid of the torsion bars?...no....well there is your reason why it cost more.

 

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!! I found out the hard way this weekend to decrank the T-bars when wheeling. My 07 spit the differential side CV bearings out of CV joint on the driverside half shaft because of them being cranked. Having them cranked, fully drooped, and trying to climb a level 4 rock obstacle at Moab put them at too much of an angle. Then, when the wheel hopped and came back down the angle on the CV was too much and spit out the bearings. Having them cranked pulls the half shaft outwards from the differntial slightly more than stock. Then when you come into a situation like I just described, the half shaft is pulled out to its limit and really has nothing for the bearings to torque against when power is applied to the front.

I wheel my "stupidlift". In fact I just had it down in Moab this past weekend, funny thing was it wasn't the "stupidlift" that broke on the truck, it was a stock peice. Hrrrrrmm. Imagine that.

You asked a question about the SL guys wheeling their lifts, and imply that they are all Street Queens. Guess what genius, you rebutting with a question about how many guys wheel their RCD lift, and then NOT giving a NUMBER makes you another one sided hypocrite *****ing about peoples *****ing. Seriously, how are you going to ask a question to prove a point, and then not answer it so we have that point proven?

You don't have a Superlift. So far I've never heard of any parts on our "stupid lifts" breaking, so therefore, your opinions and suggestions in this thread are bunk. And don't want to read some lame *** come back with some crap about this being an RCD thread and to keep it this way. If you're gonna make a side line comment about a different kit in this thread, then I don't want to hear from you or anyone later about this being an off topic post, because you guys who have no SL experience made it so.

Gumby, my SL bracket is designed just like you suggested to reinforce the RCD bracket. It has the vertical gusset on it, sorry I don't have a picture of it though.

Looks like SL took some time to do some more R&D on their kit.

 

^^^ all this talk of moab, take any pics

 

I'll ask you to comprehend the wording of my statement directed at casfz1. The key phrase is "you being one of them". There was 04lvlII and zabeard also. I can't think of others. Nonetheless, from an observable appearance standpoint, most that get the superlift (stupidlift) seem to get it for the street queen aspect.

Guys that have or have had the RCD kit and wheeled it (I don't know anyone that has the kit and hasn't wheeled it):

Me
gumby
l2en
Jared (Rangerboy03lvl2)
99ranger4x4
white05xlt
ranger
Big04Ranger (before he went SFA)
DesertSpive (on ORR, he's now running the DBR LT kit, but I've heard he also no longer has the ranger - Sean was the prototype truck for the RCD kit!)
redranger4.0
2002FX4
RagingBull2k2 (again from ORR)
rednksrule69 (another from ORR, also on here)
Ranger1 (before he rolled his truck)

That's all I can think of, anyone care to add to the list of RCD'd rangers that wheel their rangers?

FYI, I worded that post as I did for a reason; it's called a rhetorical question.

rhetorical
One entry found for rhetorical.

Main Entry: rhe·tor·i·cal
Pronunciation: ri-'tor-i-k&l, -'tär-
Variant(s): also rhe·tor·ic /ri-'tor-ik, -'tär-/
Function: adjective
1 a : of, relating to, or concerned with rhetoric b : employed for rhetorical effect; especially : asked merely for effect with no answer expected <a rhetorical question>

edited for spelling and grammar/punctuation errors

 

Rhetoric doesn't prove a point, inputing information DOES.

Camodown... only a few pics and vids. It was on the first freaking trail that I blew the CV bearings out. I may make a thread about it...maybe.

 

there is ONE maybe 2 on here that down wheel their truck, one guy with those rock star wheels... actually thats all i can think on..

as for super lift, there are a few, black04edge, Rangernvs, zabeard, casfz1, maybe a few more..
not to correct you, im on your side

but the point stands D94R, MOST people that spend the $2300 on a lift kit WHEEL IT, oh, and since were arguing SL vs RCD... you have to crank your t-bars to get the lift out of the SL.. RCD haha, my coils are cranked almost all the way up.. wanna know what the cv shafts look like?

yea... +1 RCD.. and that was with MAYBE 5 miles on the kit.. since then they have got even straighter..

that bracket is the only problem i have heard of having to do with the kit itself.

so stop your ranting on about how the RCD guys don't wheel their stuff, because we do! and how Stupidlift is better.. there is a reason it costs almost a grand more. besides, this isnt the thread for it

 

i think that piece is broken on my truck right now also, ive been meaning to fix it...

 

marvelous, now shut your pie hole and get me a pic!



Kevooo, if you get a chance to work on that, please take a pic for me. id like to see where the SL bracket broke too!

 

Kevooo, sorry i forgot your name in the list haha


so you mean to tell us.. that the drop bracket on the SL kit broke? amazing

 

twoplusone.......

the CV issue was resolved via a spacer (weak in my opinion) and should have been addressed as new CV half shafts, if I'm remembering the issue correctly. DesertSpive's (Sean Spivey) prototype RCD kit and redranger4.0 are hte ones I know of off hand with direct experience regarding this issue. DesertSpive had custom CVs done up to eliminate the need for the spacers. For that matter, RagingBull2k2 on ORR actually has DesertSpive's old RCD kit. I tried to get that kit, but Sean wouldn't ship, now did he actually want to commit meeting up with me to pick it up. I could have got the kit for $1000. Instead Aaron from DBR removed an RCD kit which I wound up with for $1500. FWIW I'm not even running the entire RCD components that address to rear end of the suspension, i.e., I don't have the AAL. I opted for 2.5" lift deaver leaf springs + RCD's rear shackle, resulting in the deletion of my OEM lift blocks.

IIRC the CV angle is a possible concern for those with the SL kit. I believe the angle is not too terribly close to the OEM angle, contrary to that of the RCD kit.

Case in point, this is my front end, photo taken today.



Never the less, CVs go, that part of the price we IFS owners pay. Unfortunately through reading and research both SL and RCD kits can and do have the potential to pre-maturely wear them out.

Speaking of IFS, short of going long travel, drop-bracket lift kits are typically, in my readings, not designed to give much more wheel travel anyhow. Their design is, for the most part, to allow for a larger tire size; which is suspension clearance speaking the only true way of adding additional clearance space under the vehicle.

 

what spacers?

 

Box 4 of 6 (page 4 of instructions)
20-69956 Hardware pack containing: (axle spacer) install instructions are on page 13, step #17.

I have the instructions in JPG format, but it's 20 MB of images, 19 images total! RagingBull2k2 had loaded up on-line and posted a link within one of the RCD sticky threads on ORR.

 

Well I'm seriously looking at the DBR kit because its versatile. 4 wheel drive magazine built ranger with it and they use it to rock crawl as well as desert run. So what if it doesn't lift the truck up. I'd rather have the wheel travel.

 

memory serves me well, that's DesertSpives truck....02 FX4. He pulled the RCD kit off to do the DBR kit and EE super charger. And fwiw, in your area LT would be a better option. Probably would have been a better option for me too, but I didn't have money for the DBR kit, which DOES NOT include the king coilovers, front glass, deaver LT leaf springs, and DBR front bumper. All that would have put me at over 5K for the setup, and that's not having an engine cage, bedcage for tires, and caged interior. Maybe one day.

 

Yes that's the one. I know what you mean. Its a lot of money. A SAS is nice but I really don't see the need for one since I don't rock crawl even though it is cheaper. I also daily drive my truck and I here the ride quality of a SAS isn't too good. Well I'm sure its better than how my truck rides now. My shocks are too stiff and my truck seems to go all over the place when I hit bumps on the freeway.

Also would you need to get the engine caged? I wouldn't do the bed cage or interior cage because I don't plan to actually race it. I just want suspension that will make my truck more capable and I really don't want a drop bracket kit. Basically I can spend my money on the DBR kit or use my money as a down for a new truck that already has coil-over suspension.

 

what wears the CV's out isn't the lift kit themselves, it is the larger tires and wheels......the stock CV's are NOT designed to handle the extra stress from the added weight of the larger tires/wheels......if someone who installed a Superlift, RCD, or any other SLA lift kit kept stock tire size, they wouldn't have a problem with the CV's......kinda like how on my truck the ball joints wear faster with larger tires and wheels (since i have no CV to worry about)

The SLA suspensions were not designed to go off road. They are a on road 4wd suspension. The only thing the lift kits for those do is make them more off road capable. The only kit that I know of that really makes them off road capable is the RCD since it eliminates the torsion bars, and with the RCD kit, it still is a SLA suspension that was designed to have good road manners.

The only Ranger suspension that was designed for somewhat off roading was the TTB. It is almost the same as a solid axle, just with another pivot point in the middle.

 

a SAS, if built and installed properly can have a better ride than your Ranger had stock. BUT it takes the proper setup; coil springs instead of leaf springs. Setting up a coil sprung solid axle is no easy task, just ask Zach Beard (zabeard). He is still working on getting his to the proper setup (i think he is finally close enough in his book). If it is setup properly, then a SAS can be as streetable as your truck is now. Look at all the trucks that still roll off the line with a solid axle that have a good comfortable ride (F-Super Duty's, Dodge Ram 2500-3500, etc.)......Chevy is the only 3/4 and 1 ton truck on the road that has a IFS front suspension. And from what i have heard from owners and from friends who work on them at Chevy garages, they are having problems with parts wearing out and breaking because of the extra weight in the front of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks....

 

If that was mostly directed at me I don't recall saying anything about the RCD guys not wheeling. Nor was I aware that I said SL is better, they both have pro's and con's.

As for your CV's "getting straighter" it means your coils are sagging...
In your picture there, MY CV's were at the exact same angles when the driverside pull itself out this weekend. So, since your CV's got "even straighter" your kit is better because the week *** coils sagged which didn't allow you enough lift to push (pull actually) the CV's to their limit??? Sounds like you're playing off poor coil over features as a design feature to their kit to cover up one more of RCD's "flaw's".

I can't see spending a grand more for a kit when I'll constantly have to worry about a cracking diff bracket and sagging coil overs that will cost another $700 to replace with correct ones later on.

I'll see what I can do, but I work the rest of the week and have to get packing up the house ASAP so we can move next week. I may not have time to mess with it, which also means I'll be riding around on a bum CV-shaft for a while.

Which is why I'm already looking for a D44 for my 07 LOL.

 

here this should help you out gumby

 

I understand there are still trucks out there with a solid axle from the factory but those are from the factory. I would do this to my truck but I do not have the skills to actually do a SAS myself. I don't weld and I honestly wouldn't know where to begin planing a SAS. Of course I can read up on it and learn but then I don't have another vehicle to get me around while I'm working on a SAS on the Ranger.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want a suspension that will perform well offroad and onroad and I wouldn't have to worry about bending a bracket that can be installed in a weekend. If I had the money and space I would just buy a full size to tow my toy and offroad that.