Best upgrades to make Ranger happier on bumpy dirt roads?

[askthemasses]

I have a 2000 2WD and don't go mudding or off roading but do occasionally take the back roads to go find trails. The truck handles fine, but I still wonder what upgrades I could make so that it's happier. Shocks upgrade I'm assuming? What else?

 

[RonD]

Lower tire pressure

Weight in the bed, about 400lbs

The springs need to be correct for the weight they support, many with torsion bars up front crank them tighter to raise the front end higher, well now they have too much spring for the weight of the front, so stiff ride, shocks can't change that.

Rear springs on a pickup truck are always too much for empty bed weight, cheapest way to get 1/2 ton, or more, load rating.
You can use correct springs for empty bed weight with Overload springs for when you need to haul loads, the overload springs don't touch the frame until you get above, say 500lbs, in the bed.
But not much you can do with stock rear springs except add some weight to the bed

Shocks keep the springs from continuing to bounce after hitting a bump.
They do come in adjustable rates, so you can "tune them" for YOUR BEST RIDE, not mine, lol.
Shocks are personal and specific to use, some have faster recovery rates so better on washboard roads but "stiff" on pavement.
Some are soft so if Springs are correct for vehicle weight they will provide smoother ride but won't recover fast enough to get full travel over multiple bumps, i.e. washboard

 

[91stranger]

What are you wanting to make happier? Is it a bouncy ride? Poor traction? Sticks/trees/grass getting caught underneath? Shocks are easy and fairly cheap. As RonD mentioned they make nicer shocks that you can adjust. Not sure what kind of trails you are finding with a 2wd (1wd honestly) but a good set of tires never hurt and correct pressure. If you lower the pressure be sure to have a pump to raise them back up when back on the road. So I would get A/T tires or something with a softer rubber like snow tires or something and then get some shocks. Not much you can do with it being a 2000 and a 2wd.

 

[Shran]

Good shocks help, check your leaf spring and body bushings - 20 years old now and they could be rotted away to nothing (or not and in perfect shape.) Lower gears in the rear axle help a lot with low speed driving and give you a lot more control over your path down the trail but can hurt gas mileage and reduce your top speed on the highway.

Honestly some Rangers just do not ride nice. My '89 long box single cab 4x4 rides a LOT better than my '88 short box single cab 4x4. Really not much difference between the two except a minor weight difference in the engine and the box - the '89 even has junkyard shocks and the '88 has brand new ones!

 

[Curious Hound]

Could just get one of these and smooth out the road.



This message composed solely of recycled electrons. Go green!

 

[1990RangerinSK]

Honestly some Rangers just do not ride nice. My '89 long box single cab 4x4 rides a LOT better than my '88 short box single cab 4x4. Really not much difference between the two except a minor weight difference in the engine and the box - the '89 even has junkyard shocks and the '88 has brand new ones!

Rumor has it that wheelbase also impacts handling and ride. The longer the wheelbase, the softer the ride, if I'm not mistaken. That's why the long box rides better than the short box. It would even with identical shocks on both trucks.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I asked a mechanic a while back why my Ranger rides like a truck. He never did answer me, just gave me a strange look.....

 

[RonD]

I asked a mechanic a while back why my Ranger rides like a truck. He never did answer me, just gave me a strange look.....

, yes, yes, yes

They don't have too, "ride like a truck" that is, but cheapest way to make a truck is to give it truck springs setup for maximum weight rating.

A Ranger(or any 1/2 ton truck), will ride better if you carry around about 600lbs between rear axle and cab, and run with Full tank of gas, that adds 140lbs


Take a mattress, it has coil springs, if springs are setup for 150lbs and you weight 150lb then it will be comfortable for you, if you weight 200lbs you may think it is too soft, if you weigh 100lbs you may think it is too hard.

A pickup truck would be a mattress setup for a 500lbs person, lol, pretty much too hard for most people to like
And no shock absorber will help

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Good shocks help, check your leaf spring and body bushings - 20 years old now and they could be rotted away to nothing (or not and in perfect shape.) Lower gears in the rear axle help a lot with low speed driving and give you a lot more control over your path down the trail but can hurt gas mileage and reduce your top speed on the highway.

Honestly some Rangers just do not ride nice. My '89 long box single cab 4x4 rides a LOT better than my '88 short box single cab 4x4. Really not much difference between the two except a minor weight difference in the engine and the box - the '89 even has junkyard shocks and the '88 has brand new ones!

More distance between the axles helps ride quality too. Something really short coupled will be rougher than something longer.

 

[Dirtman]

Drive faster.... I find bumps go away the more the truck is airborne.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

Ok, since Dirtman went down that road, I'll offer up the best solution to this problem that I've ever found: PAVEMENT.

 

[Ranger850]

, yes, yes, yes

They don't have too, "ride like a truck" that is, but cheapest way to make a truck is to give it truck springs setup for maximum weight rating.

A Ranger(or any 1/2 ton truck), will ride better if you carry around about 600lbs between rear axle and cab, and run with Full tank of gas, that adds 140lbs


Take a mattress, it has coil springs, if springs are setup for 150lbs and you weight 150lb then it will be comfortable for you, if you weight 200lbs you may think it is too soft, if you weigh 100lbs you may think it is too hard.

A pickup truck would be a mattress setup for a 500lbs person, lol, pretty much too hard for most people to like
And no shock absorber will help

So my ranger is a matress for a 500 pound fat girl LOL
been there before

 

[Shran]

Rumor has it that wheelbase also impacts handling and ride. The longer the wheelbase, the softer the ride, if I'm not mistaken. That's why the long box rides better than the short box. It would even with identical shocks on both trucks.

More distance between the axles helps ride quality too. Something really short coupled will be rougher than something longer.

I think that's totally possible. The short box would probably benefit from a new set of body and leaf spring bushings and the front end could be gone through as well... it's just funny how rough it is. My '96 short box rode pretty nice, until I put Explorer springs in the rear, that changed things a bit but was sure nice for heavy loads.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Ok, since Dirtman went down that road, I'll offer up the best solution to this problem that I've ever found: PAVEMENT.

Youve clearly never driven thru michigan.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I think that's totally possible. The short box would probably benefit from a new set of body and leaf spring bushings and the front end could be gone through as well... it's just funny how rough it is. My '96 short box rode pretty nice, until I put Explorer springs in the rear, that changed things a bit but was sure nice for heavy loads.

I had Explorer springs in mine for awhile. Nothing seemed to squat the truck but it rode like a one ton.

Youve clearly never driven thru michigan.

Undecided. Maintained gravel is better than neglected pavement. But if they can’t maintain pavement gravel is going to be a crapshoot.