98 4 cylinder

[Tractor Dan]

Ok. I'm looking at trading my current Ranger in for a 98 i found. It has a 4 cylinder i believe 2.5 in it. Manual Transmission. Anyone who has experience with these i would be glad to hear your input. I'm mainly just wanting to know how they do on gas and how it would do if i put my 31 inch tires on it in regards to mpgs. I haven't driven it yet, though i plan to Friday. I'm not sure if it's going to be a full trade or a partial trade, the guy at the lot said bring mine and we would see what kind of deal we could work out. So anyone who has anything to contribute feel free to post. I have only dealt with the Rangers that have the 3.0L in them so the performance with the smaller motor i have no clue about. By performance i mean general everyday driving and maybe some light towing now and then.

Dan

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

it deff has less power than your 3.0, but the 2.5 moves really well with a 5 spd.
u will get better mileage
as for tires u can put some 30"s with stock gears and it will do ok.
for 31"s u deff need to regear it.
its a tough engine man, really reliable.
besides fuel pump, steering pump and mayor tuneup i havent had any issues with mine.
the engine itself hasnt had any issue.
the front suspension canged in 98 to IFS, so that gives a bit more ride comfort, but lacks on durability from the old setup.
reg cab is larger by 3 inches on 98+

 

[caveman_joey]

I can say that my 98 has been a tough truck and good on mileage. As for the larger tire and mileage i can't say. I put the the largest all terrains I could find for my 14" rims and i average between 26-28 mpg. The 2.5 is a strong engine with the manual 5speed but there are times i'd love to have the 4.0. The main problem i have seen is the front suspension is not as durable as mentioned above, but it does ride well. I've got over 200,000 miles on mine since i purchased it new and only a few minor problems... alternater and finally put a new timing belt, plugs and wires on around 190,000 miles.

My 98 ranger is the reason i'm a ford man.... i flat out love my truck and the only reason i would stop driving it would be to pass it down to my son when it's his time (ironically he may have been conceived in that truck lol it's almost a year older than him). I also have a 02 ford escape and it does have the 3.0 in it so to compare them it is not apples to apples but they are almost equal although the 3.0 does have alittle more pep to it and close to the same mpg.

 

[Tractor Dan]

Thanks for the input. So the 98's on up they switched to IFS. How would i go about putting suspension lift on the front? Then again if i can clear 30's no problem i could always drop down to those. Just irks me i just bought the 31's back in September and they have less then 10,000 miles on them. I guess i might have to look into tires, though it comes with a decent set on it so thankfully i got some time to figure that mess out.

I know this may be a stupid question. How snychronized are the manual transmission's? I'm assuming they are pretty good. I'm just trying to figure out the stopping with it. When i drive other vehicles that are stick i just pop the clutch, put it in neutral, and let it coast while applying brakes. Not sure if tha's the right way but it seems to work. lol.

Dan

 

[Mac]

Check to see what the rear gear ratio is, I had the same combo as you with 3.45's/stock tires and on the interstate into a slight wind, it would top out at 75mph. Great in town and loved it. 28 mpg was no problem.
Dave

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

a 2" lift block in the rear and a coil spacer on the front will give u clearance for your31"s, it can clear 30"s with stock height.
i think that a 5 spd with 3.73 gears will do fine with 31"s. now if u happen to find one with the 4.10, then u have a a lot of luck lol.
mine has the 3.73 and it moves the 30"s really good. it wont top 100mph, but still reaches 90 easily. feels a bit slow on take off, but once u wind it up it moves ok.

about the tranny sinchro, its a smooth tranny, so it will do ok with your coasting while braking