im a newbie and have some ?s


danger ranger 01

10+ Year Member

Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
7
Points
1,501
Vehicle Year
2001
Transmission
Automatic
hello fellow ranger enthusiats....i have an 01 ranger 4x4 3.0 auto...i just got a f150 and wanna make my ranger a trail truck since i have a extra toy now to make the ball and chain mad...i wanting a lift tires and a few performance mods... i know this motor is not a power plant but whats the biggest tires i can turn effectively in offroad situations?what tpye of lift should i run a body or suspesion?im thinking a body lift cuz its cheaper...would i have a problem turning 33.12.50 or can i go bigger than that...
thanks in advance guys take it easy on me...i only know about mud riding on my other toys my 4 wheelers....:beer: :icon_cheers:
 
Welcome to the brotherhood! Well money, what are you going to be hitting up in the woods is going to make up the difference on what kind of lift you want. With a suspension or body lift you can stuff 33x12.50 with some rubbing if you don't cut out some material from the wheel wells.
 
well mainly just mud and normal trails nothing crazy like rock crawling or anything...i would rockcrawl but theres no rocks where i live...i just dont know where to start except the lift and tires at first...just cuz it will look alot better...then do the rest...then an exhaust and air intake...
 
can the motor turn 33s stock on the trail without any mods...
 
i would assume yes. I'm in the same situation. Im looking to run 33's and a body lift. I have been reading alot of builds and it doesn't seem like anyone puts in a HD power steering pump in.
 
yes... you might want to change your gearing in the rear end though.
 
I have the FX4 and tow package so 4.10's and a LSD already crossed off the list. :thefinger:
 
Welcome!:icon_thumby:..............................................................................................................................................look under my pic."Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: S.D.,CA


Year: 2002
Make: Ford
Model: Ranger Edge 3.0 cranked with 31's cambered & aligned"..................but it's a 5 spd.I have no problem,,,B.
 
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Trail Edge

I guess I'm officially old.I luv my Edge with 31's.Torsions maxed,camber kits,&alignment.It sits level with people.It looks like it has a 3" lift & you don't see frame.33's would suck the life out of it & it's not an auto tranny.I know it's for play.I guess it depends on if you have enough $ to buy a new rearend & lift kit.Don't forget your going to wear out the tranny & other parts faster.But if I had $,I would ask these guys how to build the contest winner.It would probably have a 4.0 to start or custom built V8 ,susp.lift,blower,paddles,& use nitromethane..........................................GLAMIS FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :icon_cheers:
 
my honest opinion, a 3L with 4.10's shouldn't have ANY issue with 33x12.5's my 4L SOHC has tonnes of power with them... and in most situations in the bush, i spin them in second gear with no issues (all 4, 4L)

3L's with 4.10's could probably do 35's but that's pushing it... i don't think i would have too many problems with mine and 35's but there's quite a bit of difference in power between the 2 motors...

as far as rubbing goes, i munch my rear fenders all the time... what i would do, if i were to do this again, is get rims with a whole lot less offset, (so they sit inside the fender on the rear) and wheel spacers on the front, to give me the width to clear everything, as the front doesn't flex nearly as much as the back...

that or just make bump stops the day you put the tires on! otherwise you are going to have some custom sipping on your tires...

and as for my truck, it's an 07 fx4 level II with a 3" body lift, torsion crank (about an inch-2 inches) belltech 6400 shackles on the back, explorer leafs, and a removal of the stock block (which will go back in eventually)
 
my honest opinion, a 3L with 4.10's shouldn't have ANY issue with 33x12.5's my 4L SOHC has tonnes of power with them... and in most situations in the bush, i spin them in second gear with no issues (all 4, 4L)

3L's with 4.10's could probably do 35's but that's pushing it... i don't think i would have too many problems with mine and 35's but there's quite a bit of difference in power between the 2 motors...

as far as rubbing goes, i munch my rear fenders all the time... what i would do, if i were to do this again, is get rims with a whole lot less offset, (so they sit inside the fender on the rear) and wheel spacers on the front, to give me the width to clear everything, as the front doesn't flex nearly as much as the back...

that or just make bump stops the day you put the tires on! otherwise you are going to have some custom sipping on your tires...

and as for my truck, it's an 07 fx4 level II with a 3" body lift, torsion crank (about an inch-2 inches) belltech 6400 shackles on the back, explorer leafs, and a removal of the stock block (which will go back in eventually)
I disagree.I had a 4.0. 3.0 auto wasn't designed to perform with huge tires.3.0 manual maybe
 
yeah, i've got a manual, only driven 1-2 rangers with the auto, when i was test driving, looking for the one i bought, i did not like the auto!

seemed lacking power considerably
 
Your cant just change the gears in the rear as earlier posted, you have to have matching gears front and rear if you do gears!!!!

I would probably just get some aggressive 31's and leave it as is and play offroad unless you want to go extreme and just p!$$ all your money away. I wish I would have taken that advice on like my last 6 vehicles.

Frank

I agree with weezl autos suck.
 
Your cant just change the gears in the rear as earlier posted, you have to have matching gears front and rear if you do gears!!!!

I would probably just get some aggressive 31's and leave it as is and play offroad unless you want to go extreme and just p!$$ all your money away. I wish I would have taken that advice on like my last 6 vehicles.

Frank

I agree with weezl autos suck.

^Good advise.You can do a little bit of a lift to make your truck look more aggressive and get some mean 31's to roll on and you can have a blast doing it. You can turn 33's on a 3.0 Auto, and there are alot of guys out there who do it everyday. However you probably will not be happy with the result if you want to drive the truck anywhere on the highway. But In the end, this is your truck we are talking about, so if your in the mood for 33's and want to have fun off-road, then by all means look into a suspension lift and some aggressive gears for it (4.88's+ not out of the question).
 
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i should mention that i didn't read this was an auto till just now, i thought we were just discussing autos as a random point earlier... didn't realize it had been specified one way or another...

that being said, 31's shouldn't be an issue at all! hell my truck came STOCK with 31x10.5's the autos did too (fx4 LII) though they are all the 4L SOHC... still 31 shouldn't be an issue... i still even think 33's with 3.73+ should be fine...

and 1000x agree with what frank said there about front and rear diffs! you CANNOT CANNOT CANNOT change just the rear, unless you NEVER EVER EVER plan to put it into 4wheel high or low... unless it's being used as a parking break (get it? :D)
 

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