I-Beam Vs. A-Arm

[busted bones]

Im new to offroading and currently have an A-Arm Ranger. Ive been offroading with buds in amazing I-Beam Rangers and wondered, which suspension does better offroading and why? I want to build a beast but am not sure which way to go suspension-wise. All help is appreciated.

[Wicked_Sludge]

TTB tends to perform much better off road than SLA systems. TTB generally provides quite a bit more suspension travel than its SLA counterpart...as well as having better ground clearance (SLA has a large center crossmember which hangs down).

[rickcdewitt]

if you want to lift it and drive it hard a solid axle swap will wind up only a little more expensive if you do it yourself and be much stronger and reliable.a-arm lift kits are a waste of money for the most part.a leaf spring d44 from a wagoneer and a new steering box seems to be the easiest way to do the swap on your truck.

[busted bones]

Well I have been considering selling the 4 banger for a 4.0 extended cab with a 5 spd. and this settled it. If Im not mistaken TTB=I-Beam correct? I dont want to go into SFA because I will still need a comfortable ride on streets. In my experiance they havent been fun on road if the pavements bad. Any year I-Beams to becareful of?

[pillen140]

ttb means twin traction beam, it has two i-beams that move indepentently. a strait i beam would just be one beam going across the front axle (kind of like your rear axle)these arent found on stock rangers. ford also has tib (twin i beam) which is the same thing but 2wd. ttb is better for off road and you can usually get better clearance. if you get a ttb ranger, get one with a 4.0 liter because it has a better front end(dana 35) compared to a dana 28 on any other ranger, and a 8.8 rear axle compared to a 7.5 inch diff on any thing else... more durable and you can do more mods such as bigger tires.

[Hahnsb2]

No all rangers after 89 had d35s a few 3.0s and 2.3s had the d28/35 hybrid.

[offroadranger]

a arm. better handling, less unsprung wieght, MORE ground clearance(that crossmember is 14" off the ground on my truck), less bumpsteer, waaaay less camber change, there are several bolt on kits pulling 16+ inches of travel. Thats MORE then enough.

[Simple_serf]

As someone who has done too much work on the FE of a 2wd A arm Ranger, and has worked on the TIB/TTB setup, I would say that the TTB setup is better. They seem to be built stouter, and don't have the same Balljoint problems that the A arm rangers do.

Just my opinion.

[JFA_Spyderman]

Yo,
An 89 - 97 ranger is what you want. They had body style change in 93', an interior change in 95', and a 4.0l engine will get you the D35 up front and 8.8 in the back. Good luck and get us some pics when you pick one out!

[busted bones]

I knew about pre-97 being the I-Beams. I was planning on 2WD for my offroading purposes which will involve high speed CA desert offroading. What exactly is bump steer? My buddies have aftermarket steering systems because they had problems low in the suspension with hitting the TIB. How does TTB compare to TIB or are they the same basically?

[JFA_Spyderman]

Yo,
TTB is the 4x4 version of the TIB. The 93' - 97' had larger wheel wells, so you can fit larger tires. However, you can get aftermarket fiberglass fenders for almost any year ranger. When you get into some of the high speed stuff, bump steer can get pretty bad. Most guys move to a swingset style steering. Look at some of the links here.

http://www.camburg.com/
http://www.giantmotorsports.com/

Good luck!

[busted bones]

Well Im trying to sell my 98 4 banger for about 2G and find a 93-97. Im looking for a 4.0 w/ a 5spd and the extra cab. Might be awhile until I can build it up because all the trucks Ive found are autos. Would finding a one like that and doing a 4.0 swap be cost efficient? Ive never done a full motor swap so Im a leary of it. Also could I still pass smog in CA going from 2.3 to 4.0? Sorry for getting off track.

[JFA_Spyderman]

Yo,
It's possible, but you almost have to buy the donor truck to move everything over from. So it begs the question, why diddnt you buy that one in the first place? lol. Keep your eyes open, you will find a good deal. I may be wrong, but $2000 seems like a little low to me, check around and make sure you are not low balling yourself either.

[crazywhiteboy]

im thinkin bout sellin mine. im in nor-cal. look at my sig. if ur interested, let me know.

[busted bones]

Well I payed 1500 for it. I'll look around though. Im in SoCal and prices are a bit inflated here imo. I didnt get the older model first because this one popped up and I was low on cash while needing a truck for work. I also found a shop thats willing to buy and sell engines so an old 4 banger isnt out of the question. If I sell them the 4 cyl and buy the V6 the difference is $500. That includes tranny swap, removal of old engine and installation of the new engine. Does that sound fair in price?

[busted bones]

Also, this will sound really nooby, is there such thing as differential that can go from full lock to limited slip? I ask because my buddy almost go a ticket for exhibition of speed when a cop heard his tire spinning caused by his lockers.

[BlackBII]

I think that the E-Locker can go from locker to L/S, It's an electronic one, can't remember who makes it at the moment...

[Sunk]

I think that the E-Locker can go from locker to L/S, It's an electronic one, can't remember who makes it at the moment...

Detroit makes the E-locker, IIRC.

[Wicked_Sludge]

auburn gear (http://www.auburngear.com/) makes the limited slip/"locker". the problem with that setup is that it is not a true locker. hitting the lock-up switch on an auburn gear just ramps up the preload on the limited slip...meaning it can and will still slip if enough torque is applied to one tire.

[NoMansLand]

It's really up to you from my experience the I-Beam kits go for a little more than the A-Arm kits for the simple reason ur getting the i-beams and all. The travel isnt really much off I have 19" of travel on my ranger and its a arm.. i think the I-Beam kit i saw was just a lil over 20" i think camburg's kit comes with a 1.5" lower mono ball and 1" upper so shouldnt need to worry there. Dont forget to take pics of the build :)

[Wicked_Sludge]

you only get new beams on 2wd kits, and even then, the price is about the same for a 2wd TIB kit and a 4wd SLA kit. 4WD TTB kits are cheaper than 4wd SLA kits.

and until i see pics, i call BS on 19" of travel from an SLA truck unless its highly modified.

[NoMansLand]

Well heres a link for a decent kit that yields 19" of travel for ur ranger. http://www.camburg.com/fordsprodEDGE.html otherwise they got a kit or two for I beam as well http://www.camburg.com/fords1P.html. Either way there great kits..

[Bryan22]

haha ya for $7000 dollars you can get 19 inches of travel out of an a-arm setup. it's right there in your link. for 2700 I could get 16 inches of travel out of my 94 2wd www.autofab.com .

[Shran]

Really? A thread that's almost a year old? Why?