street truck

[jwheels54]

looking to restore my first vehicle 93 ranger 2wd looking to do a 2.3t set up and im looking for best suspension for handling and or cornering not wanting to slam it or lift it maybe 1 to 2 inch drop but more worried about stiffer cornering and less body roll. i know my way pretty well around a motor but am suspension stupid especially leaf springs any help would be great

 

[RonD]

Tech articles link at the top is a good resource

info on lowering here
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/index-suspension.shtml

2.3t info here
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/index-engine-fuel.shtml

 

[JoshT]

Tech articles are a good place to start. There is no best without major surgery (full custom suspension), its all about compromise and getting it set up right for you.

Start by fixing anything thats worn out or broken. Worn shocks and bushings will hurt handling no matter how many parts you throw at at it.

Shocks can make a big difference. Good valving helps steering, body roll, and braking. I know Bilstein makes good performance shocks for both street and off road, other companies do as well.

Best place to start upgrades would be sway bars. There's a few threads on that, check this forum and the mini truck suspension forum.

Wheels and tires can help a lot. Stiffer sidewalls will help reduce roll and improve handling. Larger wheels with low profile tires take that a step further. Going a little wider tire can also help steering.

Lowering can make a huge difference. Personally I wouldn't go with less than 3 inches. That's drop beams in front. There are a bunch of threads on that in the mini forum.

 

[stmitch]

There are no 'performance' oriented suspension kits for the Ranger, but they do pretty well with some sensible upgrades. The lowering kits aren't bad, but they might lower the truck more than you're wanting to. The basic rules for handling can be applied to Rangers just like any other vehicle though.
1. Lower the center of gravity- this is done by dropping the height of the truck, the lower you go, the more your CoG drops. Don't drop it so far that the suspension can't cycle though.
2. Reduce body roll- sway bars are a great place to start. Most Rangers only had a front sway bar, so adding a rear bar is a big gain. There are options for thicker bars from other models or aftermarket as well.
3. Increase grip/traction- sticky rubber goes a long way. Getting lower profile tires, or wider tires are both good options as well. rangers can fit some really wide tires both front and rear, so this is an area with great potential. Just remember that you get what you pay for.
4. Custom setups with 4 links, irs, or front clip swaps would be the final and most extreme end of the spectrum.

 

[SteadyMobbin13]

if i can i would like to chime in on this with a question. i want more out of my truck handling wise. im sure it can be done but i want coilovers instead of shock and spring. i will be getting djm dream beams soon, so it seems that i would just have to fab up some brackets for the top and bottom and find coilovers that will fit in there? im trying to be able to spank the tuners on the twitys maybe autocross down the road

 

[Mac]

Guy used to be on the site who road raced Ranger, only one I know with one set up for that.
Dave
http://www.bosharracing.com/gallery/1995-ford-ranger-road-race-pick-up/

 

[JoshT]

Guy used to be on the site who road raced Ranger, only one I know with one set up for that.
Dave
http://www.bosharracing.com/gallery/1995-ford-ranger-road-race-pick-up/

I don't recall what the gallery on his site shows, but it should be noted that that on that truck the only thing "stock" about the suspension was the lug pattern and the frame it was mounted to. Everything inbetween was replaced with a custom SLA suspension. If you ever saw stage 2 of the Trucks' "Rolling Thunder" build their custom front suspension was based on his.