2002 Suspension(ish) lift, Shock questions

[b3million]

I'm getting ready to buy a 3"/ 2" leveling kit for my '02 supercab b3000.

1998-2011 Ford Ranger 3" Lift Kit with Shackles (Torsion Suspension)

TORCH 3" Front 1"-2" Rear Leveling Lift Kit for 1998-2011 Ford Ranger 4WD 4x4. Kit includes torsion keys, adjustable rear shackles, and hardware. Keys adjust up to 3" of lift from the factory ride height without compromising ride quality. Comes with instructions, limited lifetime warranty, and...

torchoffroad.com

(There are other companies that sell these, this one seems slightly more reputable and not like a suspicious Chinese scam)
It's an extremely simple setup, just keys and shackles. I don't want lots of lift on the truck until I get a better travel range on my front suspension- the trails I normally hit are subject to lots of erosion and I've already come close to rolling the truck over at stock height.
Three questions:
1. Is a small kit like this worth it? the PO put KYB monomax shocks on, so the ride quality is better than stock, even if only marginally. I'm not worried about ruining my ride quality. My other option would be front keys and an add-a-leaf in the rear- is that a smarter choice? It's slightly more money, but if it's a worthwhile addon, I'm willing to spend it.
2. Will I need extended shocks for the rear? I did some research and found someone else asking the same question, and all I got was that the front shocks should stay stock length, else I risk destroying my CV axles and ball joints. The post said nothing about rears, though. If I were to need extended rear shocks, do the Bilstein B8 5100s fit the use case?
3. Will such a small lift put excessive wear on the drive shaft? If so, what needs to be done to mitigate it? I know of some aftermarket options, but they are, by themselves, twice or three times the price of the lift hardware.
Answers/advice greatly appreciated. This is my first step towards getting my truck where I want it to be, and I want to do it right.

 

[don4331]

My 2 cents:

Without "wedges", you risk vibration on the rear driveshaft: The transmission and axle pinion are supposed to be parallel (more/less). If you lower the rear end of the spring 4" (to get 2" axle lift in the middle), you are changing that angle quite a bit. And vibration will be hard on u-joints.

The unfortunate part about the alternate is the extra leaf will make the truck ride rougher.

I might be tempted to get a 2nd set of lift blocks and have a local spring shop make a longer set of U-bolts (SuperLift kit uses "stacked" blocks so it not as bad as it sounds.

p.s. There's really no way to increase travel on the '98-'11 Rangers - SuperLift and Rough Counter lower the front axle (raising the truck/allowing larger tire to further lift) but they don't change the geometry, so the travel isn't significantly different.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Good thing you aren't worried about the ride. Turning the torsion bars up enough to gain 3 inches of lift... its gonna be bad because youve effectively removed all the rebound there is. On the plus side... they are forged torsion keys. I'll guess the front shocks will be full extension too. Some kits come with a shock spacers to give a little additional rebound. Rear shocks should be replaced with extended length too IMHO.

Is the goal to fit a taller tire?

How tall you want to go?

 

[b3million]

My 2 cents:

Without "wedges", you risk vibration on the rear driveshaft: The transmission and axle pinion are supposed to be parallel (more/less). If you lower the rear end of the spring 4" (to get 2" axle lift in the middle), you are changing that angle quite a bit. And vibration will be hard on u-joints.

p.s. There's really no way to increase travel on the '98-'11 Rangers - SuperLift and Rough Counter lower the front axle (raising the truck/allowing larger tire to further lift) but they don't change the geometry, so the travel isn't significantly different.

Three things.
1. What are wedges?
2. Everything i’ve read indicates blocks tend to destroy leaf springs over time, and I really am not keen on replacing them.
3. When I say more travel, I specifically mean a long travel kit. There are some out there for ~$4000. That’s a long way down the road.

I feel like I could tolerate an add a leaf, as long as I don’t need longer shocks. My next upgrade after the lift will be bilsteins, so shocks will come one way or another. That should help with the ride, I think.

 

[b3million]

Good thing you aren't worried about the ride. Turning the torsion bars up enough to gain 3 inches of lift... its gonna be bad because youve effectively removed all the rebound there is. On the plus side... they are forged torsion keys. I'll guess the front shocks will be full extension too. Some kits come with a shock spacers to give a little additional rebound. Rear shocks should be replaced with extended length too IMHO.

Is the goal to fit a taller tire?

How tall you want to go?

Yes on the tire. Part of it is ground clearance. I didn’t see shock spacers on that kit. I could probably do extended shocks on the rear though I have no idea how long they need to be.

Is the only option for a lift that doesn’t destroy ride quality one of the superlift or RC kits? I ignored the RC because their kits ride like shit, and I didn’t want the superlift because it leaves the bars hanging. So keys and shackles and or add a leaf seemed like the best option.

Like I said, people suggested against extended shocks in the front because of ball joint wear, etc. Is that true? Everything i’ve read is mostly hearsay.

I don’t want to go higher than 4” lift and 33” tires.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Shocks aren't really the issue for wear on the axles and ball joints. The lift keys and turning them up for 3 inches is.

 

[b3million]

BDS makes an add a leaf kit for up to 02 rangers, which is my year. If i get a leaf I’ll probably go with them.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'd suggest a 1 inch body lift. Turn your bars up a bit. If the rear springs are clapped... put a fresh set in and do a 1 inch shackle lift.

You should get 33x10.50x15 tires under it pretty easy.

 

[b3million]

Shocks aren't really the issue for wear on the axles and ball joints. The lift keys and turning them up for 3 inches is.

So are longer shocks a good idea on the front? I have no idea how much longer the B8 5100s are, or if they’re even supposed to be attached to a ranger of my year. Bilstein corporate website says no but they’re literally just the longer version of the b6 4600s that replace my stock shocks.

 

[b3million]

I'd suggest a 1 inch body lift. Turn your bars up a bit. If the rear springs are clapped... put a fresh set in and do a 1 inch shackle lift.

You should get 33x10.50x15 tires under it pretty easy.

I’m not a big body lift guy, pretty hard set on that.
The keys/shackles/ add a leaf kits accomodate for 1-2” of lift as well. I think 3 is just the max on the keys in the front. If 3 will destroy the ride completely I’m fine with 2 and 2, or 1 and 1.

Not sure about the life on the leaf springs. They look pretty flat at base ride and I wanna say they’re originals. 191k on the truck.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Dig a little into the specs for shocks.

Find factory extended and compressed lengths. Then look into aftermarket options that are a bit longer. The trouble is the chicken leg bottom end on the SLA trucks. Not many options there. The ones you mention above might have the correct end but far to long.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Those springs if flat are done.

My 06 with no body lift... new 1750lb springs in the rear with a one inch shackle. Fornt has RC lift keys that are set one inch over factory spec. On 32 inch tires.

 

[b3million]

Those springs if flat are done.

My 06 with no body lift... new 1750lb springs in the rear with a one inch shackle. Fornt has RC lift keys that are set one inch over factory spec. On 32 inch tires.

View attachment 134387

Drivers side leaf. Are the 1750lb springs stock? Don’t know spring rates on these trucks.
This is mine with (I’m pretty sure) no lift. The guy i bought it from didn’t tell me anything about the suspension but he took great care of the motor.

I’d like mine to ride a little higher than yours does with 1” so i think 2- 2 1/2” is where I want to be. I’ll start looking at shocks later today.

 

[b3million]

Passenger side. I have no idea how these should look.

 

[Uncle Gump]

When we talk front lift... let's be on the same page. Use this for your measurements. I'm not sure i doubt you could achieve 2 1/2 inches measured this way.

1750ib springs are heavy duty replacements.