A way to keep my lift but gain a smoother ride?

[JJMaine]

I just bought my Ranger and all I know is that the previous owner replaced the rear spring shackles and added 2" torsion keys to "level" the truck. Not sure how much it is actually lifted but with 265/75-16 Cooper Discoverer At3's on it all four corners are 37" from the ground to the center of the fender arches.

When looking for a Ranger I wasn't concerned with having any kind of lift but now that I have this one I like the way it looks and am sure I will appreciate the extra ground clearance eventually.

I just don't like how stiff the ride is and am wondering if there is a way to spend a few bucks on an actual lift kit to keep my truck at the same height (or close) and drastically improve the ride?

 

[bobbywalter]

relocating the diff and control arms or getting offset torsion keys will soften the ride.

 

[JJMaine]

Thanks Bobby, how do I go about that, it sounds like a lot of work? I have no clue about these things as its my first truck lol.

The camera on my phone wont focus it seems now but I got a photo of the rear shackle and where those are set. As I said the front has 2” keys but I had to back them off nearly all the way just to get the front down to 37” and the axles seem to be still at quite a steep angle. Or is this amount of lift just fine? I wouldn’t be opposed to dropping the front an inch or more either or the whole truck.

Ill look up offset torsion keys and see about those. I just want to get it squared away before I get the truck coated in Fluid Film Black because I’m sure it isnt fun to work on covered in that stuff lol.

 

[JJMaine]

My torsion keys say 0108 on them so I would assume that these are 2” keys for an ‘01-‘08 Ranger and if I read it correctly. The ‘01-‘08 stock keys would lift my 2011 truck two inches already so these +2” keys are actually the equivalent of a 4” lift on my truck? Does that make any sense? My brain is scrambling

Not mine, but here is a photo of what looks like the same keys that I have:

 

[ericbphoto]

The rear shackles aren't affecting ride quality, only ride height. The back will ride rough when unloaded because it's a truck and it is set up to handle with a certain load.

The front, however, may be riding rough due to the torsion keys. The torsion key style front suspension is difficult to loft effectively without changing ride quality. A better lift method probably involves relocation brackets, maybe different A-arms, things like that. The key is to lift the frame away from the suspension without changing the geometry of all the angular relationships.

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned is tire pressures and tire types. What load range are your tires and what pressures are you running? There should be a sticker on the driver door jamb with recommended tire pressures. Additionally, if tires with a higher load rating have been installed, they will have stiffer sidewalls and give a harsher ride even at the recommended pressures.

 

[bobbywalter]

the high angle of the axles is key indicator of needing to drop the brackets.

if you already backed it off two inches and its riding rough still and has high angle i am not too sure what you have going on.


do you have high angle axleshafts on it??....get a pic of the shafts

 

[bobbywalter]

The rear shackles aren't affecting ride quality, only ride height. The back will ride rough when unloaded because it's a truck and it is set up to handle with a certain load.

The front, however, may be riding rough due to the torsion keys. The torsion key style front suspension is difficult to loft effectively without changing ride quality. A better lift method probably involves relocation brackets, maybe different A-arms, things like that. The key is to lift the frame away from the suspension without changing the geometry of all the angular relationships.

One other thing that hasnt6been mentioned is tire pressures and tire types. What load range are your tires and what pressures are you running? There should be a sticker on the driver door jamb with recommended tire pressures. Additionally, if tires with a higher load rating have been installed, they will have stiffer sidewalls and give a harsher ride even at the recommended pressures.

shackle angle can majorly affect ride quality. in this case i am not thinking it is the main issue.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

shackle angle can majorly affect ride quality. in this case i am not thinking it is the main issue.

In the pic it almost looks like the spring bolt may be contacting the receiver hitch bracket...

 

[ericbphoto]

shackle angle can majorly affect ride quality. in this case i am not thinking it is the main issue.

Ok.

 

[bobbywalter]

In the pic it almost looks like the spring bolt may be contacting the receiver hitch bracket...

looks like a decent witness mark though not in a scraping arc....maybe it is trapped.... that would be rough......and if it is a normal fold shackle it looks backwards too.

 

[JJMaine]

The tires are Cooper Discoverer and Im not sure of the load rating but can check that out. They dont say “load rating C or E” on them anywhere I dont think as I checked before when trying to figure out which pressures to run. I have them set now to oem spec 30psi front and rear.

It does look like the bolts are hitting and they are like that on both sides. The top bolts look tight to me but Im not sure. What can be done to remedy that?

I’ll try to get good pictures of the front axles tomorrow to show the angles. If I have to buy new set of shackles and torsion keys (that are known to work well) then its no problem. I just want a decent ride and everything done correctly. Thanks guys!

 

[bobbywalter]

have you ever driven a normal ranger?

if you can, go test drive a stock ranger of similar age
.

 

[ericbphoto]

30 psi should be fine.

I'm wondering why that bolt head is soclose to hitting that other bracket. As mentioned, it dies look like the shackle may be backwards. But I would only expect that to be a factor under heavier load conditions. But I could be wrong.

 

[bobbywalter]

Ok.

seriously it can really be an issue

by the math and spring rate/length and my experience. this should net a horror show ride. i did not even come close to starting there. but it actually gives this particular setup the most stable ride and ok ride quality where it ended up.. took me quite a bit of trial and error....i was going off k trucks and jeep j 10s. the rear shackle is a long jeep style, and it sits where we like them. but i dont run normal springs back there either.



his rears look like longer then factory shackles but until we have more pics can not really judge it.


thing is it might ride normal....which sux for JJ....



to me and you his truck might ride like a cadillac...

its so subjective its hard to gauge.

 

[ericbphoto]

seriously it can really be an issue

I understand. My reply was short. But I didn't know what else to say and wanted to acknowledge that I was wrong.

I could see that if the shackles naturally rest at an angle that is close to "neutral?" ( not sure how to say it - the break-over point between swinging forward or rearward) it could be harsh. But if the shackles are more angled in the direction they need to travel when load is increased, they would move easier and more naturally when the suspension flexes. That would give a more gentle ride quality. That seems to make sense.