Okay I have a 1999 3.0 4x4 stepside Ranger and have been looking for a suspension lift for the last year and a half and well I soon found out that there were very few kits to choose from and then I found Dixon Brothers online and well I was just wondering if i should go with them. I mean i think my second choice would have to be RCD but Im not sure if thats what I want or not, I know there is no comparing the two but with Dixon i thought I would have to go through the bed of the truck with the back suspension and I really dont like that idea because i need as much room in the bed as possible for my Raptor and plus im not sure if i would have enough room because of the step side but then I asked someone not to long ago and they said that I dont really have to do that and well I wanted to know what other choices i could go with. I would like as much input on this as possible please lol I need some help on this. And I would also like some input performance wise. I already have the flowmaster catback exhaust system and k&n intake and would love to have a supercharger put in and maybe some headers and chip. If anyone could help on this please i could use all I can get. Thanks!

 

well what're your goals for the truck? that's a good question to start with.

 

Well I want something that is a good dailt driver but also something that I can go out and rally it up with and also something that runs better then stock.

 

you dont hafta go thru the bed floor with the rear suspension, but if you want the rear suspension performance to be on par with the front DBR stuff thats probly the best way to get it.

 

You wouldnt happen to have any ideas on what else I could do with the back suspension would you?

 

depends on how crazy you want to get. the easier and cheaper way is to get some upgraded leafs and some longer shocks and then run your own tube up as high as you can get it to mount the shocks to.

the other, more involved, and way more expensive method is a cantilever system (which i am particularly fond of). this will let you get some pretty damn good travel #s while retaining your bed. But if you dont need the SickGnar travel, then dont spend the time, money, and effort on it.

 

ever heard of a trailer?????? just an idea.......DBR is prob one of the best kits you can get for a ranger, an rcd is a great kit as well but its not really in the same catagory as the DBR, more of a dd kit than a desert racing one.......

 

how the hell can you safely put a raptor in a stepside bed anyway?

 

you do know that the DBR kit may not yeild that much lift. its not really a 'lift' kit, its more of a long travel kit

 

^^^^go with dixon bro's since u live in the desert you would more then likly going to need long travel suspension system...try camburg or call kartek in corona and see what they got....but i would def go long travel..thats what im savin up for,

 

if you want to go fast in the desert your going to need a bed cage BUT if your looking for slower rockcrawling stuff that is basically just articulation you can get a way with a nice set of shocks and some deavers.. this is for the rear of corse. and as for the dixon bros setup.. its sick! but if your looking for the tallest truck on the block its not your kit this one acutally works and is not for show..


JOSH

 

oh ****at..josh u live pretty close to me...err well kinda i guess..just over the 210 fwy..

 

I want the back suspension to be the next best thing to the cage. What do you think would be best?

 

I didnt think camburg made anything for a 4wd. I havent heard of kartek but I will try and look them up. Do they have a website?

 

VERY carefully lol

 

they fit just fine... helped load one into a step side back in HS a guy had one

 

well jesus, what's your budget.

if you've got a ton of money lying around, the best rear suspension that i can think of a 3 or 4 link or something of that magnitude. but if you're gonna be spending a lot of time on the road like most people, the giant 64 leafs are awesome too. they claim somewhere around 20" travel out of those leafs. so i hope you dont mind losing your bed in that case.

www.giantmotorsports.com

compromises, my man. compromises.

 

There is no comparison between the Dixon Kit and the RCD kit. Last Wednesday I had the Dixon front end kit put on my 2004 4X4 Ranger, and the kit is unreal. Also you don't need a bedcage to get long-travel in the rear. I still need to use my truck as a truck so the folks at Woolworth Motorsports are going to weld a bar between the framerails and add Deaver springs with extended shackles. I will then be able to use FOX remote resevoir shocks without having holes in the bed. They are also going to flare the bedside to make room for the tires to travel inside the flares.

If you want to see the build of the front end you can see it at Long Travel Suspension Kit. You will need to get fiberglass fenders with the kit, and I went with a 6" bulge fender from Glassworks Unlimited. They offer the best fit and finish of any I have seen.