Best Off-Road Ranger

[iamcams]

Seen some forums on this topic before but they are all from a decade ago or more. More or less looking for new opinions with reasons as to why a specific generation or model year makes the most capable build.

 

[SenorNoob]

I'm gonna say 97 for one reason: Last year of the TTB.

 

[bobbywalter]

a brand new 2024 trail version. about as bad ass as one could hope for.




second best....





reg cab 7 foot bed 4.0 manual trans ttb truck.


3rd..... 2.3 lima manual trans reg cab 6 foot bed.


the ttb 2 door manual trans explorer.... probably best of breed.

 

[bobbywalter]

if you are over 6 foot tall.....probably have to live with the best truck ever made....the 88 ranger extended cab.

 

[sgtsandman]

It depends on how you look at it.

Factory suspension? The TTB Rangers are going to be the best and most robust.

Equipped from the factory? Probably the 2019 + Rangers with a rear locker as far as capability.

Each has their pluses and minuses. There is no perfect Ranger from the factory. You need to build one.

 

[iamcams]

Yea, I understand no stock suspension is perfect. My question was more along the lines of what ranger year would be the best to build up? Not necessarily which is the best stock. Don't know if that changes answers. I have a 92 4x4 with Dana 35, 7.5 LS, FM146, and 2.9. I was wondering if this was a good truck to build for off road or just make it a good looking daily that is reliable and would last me for a while.

 

[bobbywalter]

Yea, I understand no stock suspension is perfect. My question was more along the lines of what ranger year would be the best to build up? Not necessarily which is the best stock. Don't know if that changes answers. I have a 92 4x4 with Dana 35, 7.5 LS, FM146, and 2.9. I was wondering if this was a good truck to build for off road or just make it a good looking daily that is reliable and would last me for a while.

that is just damn dandy. fine place to start.

fix shit as you break it. if you keep breaking it.....get a bigger whatever it is that is breaking and then on to the new weak link......

and so on and so forth..... welcome to incrementalism. failure is a great teacher and imparts wisdom...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yea, I understand no stock suspension is perfect. My question was more along the lines of what ranger year would be the best to build up? Not necessarily which is the best stock. Don't know if that changes answers. I have a 92 4x4 with Dana 35, 7.5 LS, FM146, and 2.9. I was wondering if this was a good truck to build for off road or just make it a good looking daily that is reliable and would last me for a while.

If yours is a good one you won't be able to get a whole lot better.

Swap in a 4.0 or something else if the 2.9 lays down on you.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, what they said... My '90 is roughly as capable as anything and it's just slapped together parts... for some things I wish I'd gone the 4.0L swap instead of turbo 2.3L but hey, it still works just sucks doing stuff that needs any low end torque... which is where my V8 explorer will come in with a Jana 54 and 10.25... once I got some other projects together so I can rip into that thing...

 

[iamcams]

If I'm just doing light off-roading are bead locks necessary?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If I'm just doing light off-roading are bead locks necessary?

Nope, actually not street legal in some areas

 

[iamcams]

So what would be better. 30's on the Skyjacker 1.5-2 inch Hydro Shocks ($1,007.39) or 32's on the Rough Country 4 inch ($799.95). I don't have much to spend on suspension so what is best? Still deciding between KO2 and A/T3W. Will probably use some stock looking 15x8 wheels.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Buy once... cry once.

Save your money until you can buy what you want.

Have you looked at Duff?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Rough country doesn't fit your truck, the bracket will ruin your front diff.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

For relatively cheap to build, your current truck is perfect.

It’s also dang capable stock.

There is a ton of stuff to consider when lifting. If you’re on a budget, you need to either save up to do it all at once or do it a bit at a time, but at some point it’s going to be an expense.

I lifted my Choptop a bit at a time. I did 2” lift coils in the front at first with air shocks in the back and 31” tires. Then I found a set of used 3” James Duff coils and axle pivot drops. I got a welder to fabricate some extended arms at that point but they didn’t work out real well. For the back I built leaf packs with Explorer leaves. Then I added F-150 spring perches in the front and 2” shackles in the rear for a total of about 5” of suspension. Added a 2” body lift somewhere along the line. My shocks are for who knows what. I bought what I could get that had the compressed and extended lengths I was looking for, lol. Also, when I did the D-35 front in it, I built my own extended arms that worked out a lot better (still learning some things). It sits on 35” tires on 15x8 rims, no beadlocks. I run 12-15 psi all the time on and off the road because that’s where the tread flattened to about 80% or so.

Gears are going to be a thing, possibly. With 3.73 gears, I wouldn’t try over 30” tires with a 2.9 or 31“ with a 4.0, the good news is a 4.0 is a relatively easy swap in yours. It will bolt up to the FM-146, but the FM-146 may not last long. Also, the 7.5” will get tired of big tires at some point, it will be fine with 31” tires but beyond that you’re starting to test it’s limits. An 8.8 is an easy swap for that. Now 4.10 gears the 2.9 will be ok with 31” tires and may be able to tolerate 33” tires, the 4.0 will be ok with 33” tires and tolerate 35” tires. 4.56 or 4.88 will naturally be better. I’m running 35” tires with a 4.0 through a FM-146 and BW1350 t-case and 4.10 gears. It does it, but 4.56 or 4.88 would be better. Problem is, gears for the D-35 are getting hard to find.

Oh, and 31” tires will clear with a 2” lift, which can be done with lift coils or spacers in the front and a shackle in the rear. You will probably need longer shocks but everything else should work. Won’t be ideal for suspension performance but it’s something cheap. Extended arms for the front with a 2” lift coil in the front will give you the best budget performance.

A locker in the rear will help a lot for off-road. If you have a limited slip rear you can pack an extra clutch disk in to make it work more like a locker. The budget lockers aren’t super hard to install for a novice. Not the smoothest performance usually, but effective. The better lockers are the carrier replacement ones, like Detroit or an air locker or electric locker. You have to re-set the gear pattern though with those and they’re more money.

A locker and a 2” budget lift with long arms and 31” tires would be a best bang for the buck start.