is it stupid? any ideas on what i should do?

[Blackdog455]

so i tell my dad that all i want to do is lift my ranger 3" and put 33x10.5's on it. he says that would look ugly and its a stupid idea. He also said that the center of gravity would be so off that i would roll the truck.

so...would it be stupid? Does anyone have a picture or something of a ranger with a 3" body lift on 33's? If its not a good idea, what would? i want a 3" lift, what would be a good tire to go with and have it actually look good?

 

[dogboy]

I have roughly a 2" suspension lift with a 3" body lift and it doesn't look stupid at all, I don't think.

And for the rolling, I have that setup with the swaybar disconnected/ taken off and I drive it everyday like that from Enumclaw to Auburn (and back) everyday, and would do it again in a heart beat.


And, if I'm not mistaken, you would have rubbing issues with only a 3" lift and 33's.

On the newer ranger (gen3+ ('93- current)) you can get away with 33's with a 3" lift becuase the wheel openings are larger than the openings on yours. That is just my understanding though.


Just remember, if you drive a lifted truck like a sports car, you are going to roll it. If you drive it like it's lifted, you will be just fine.

 

[93STX]

I think it would look good... a lot of people do it and haven't rolled their truck. It's like anything else you have to learn how it drives and keep it within the limits. Hell, that's exactly what I'm gonna do to mine lol.

 

[Buckeyes903]

I have 9 in of lift on my Ranger with 33's and it handles just as well as it did stock I think anyways. Never had any fear of rolling, even taken turns faster than most cars would...

 

[metalmacguyver]

A 3" body lift doesnt raise the CG nearly as much as a 3" suspension lift does.

 

[nate12346]

I have a 4 inch suspension lift with 31's & No rear Sway bar.
The only problem I had was when I took a U-turn and my back tire nudged the curb. The front driver side tire came off the ground and sat back down.... Other than that I have never had a problem with handling. To me it feels better than stock

 

[Hahnsb2]

Yeah yeah, my dad gives me shit all the time for the things I do to my rig, part of being young and dumb. It's going to be slow and get worse gas milage, so be aware of that. You can fit 33s on 3" of lift with minor fender trimming. 33s are also a bit big for your front axle, maybe not with the 4 banger though.

 

[bottledgt]

youll be just fine with that. i see no problems at all as long as you make sure it clears everything

 

[AgPete139]

3" body lift is fine. Hardly raises the CoG, and handles stock. The suspension will raise it, but don't take 90* turns @ 50 mph. You'll correct/adjust your driving habits accordingly. 3" suspension isn't a tremendous amount either. It will be fine for on-road conditions. I'd suggest good all-terrain or street rubber if you are doing mainly street driving. Get the good street tires, and prove your father wrong. I do it all the time...

*thumbs up* Now go kick ass...


Pete


.

 

[Blackdog455]

hey thanks. i would rather not have to do some fender trimming. I would like to put on the tires and be able to drive. also, how much worse will the gas mileage be if i were to do this?

 

[dogboy]

This may not be the case with your motor, but my milage for the city went from about 14-15, to about 13 city, after I went form stock tires to 33's. But highway.. I went form about 16, all the way up to 18-19 (got 20 once, but don't know how acurate that was) highway milage. Midnd you I have a 4.0L, not a 4cyl. *Those calulations have been accuratly adjusted for tire size*

But after I added the body lift, I didn't notice a change in city at all, but highway went down about .5mpg. So not all that bad.


If you don't want to do fender trimming, I'd say get some 32's. I think idealy you'd get a 32x10.5 tire, I guess you could go to a 32x9.5 if they make those.. I think the tire choice is pretty slim for 32's. And just remember, wheel backspacing WILL make a huge differance in tire clearance.

 

[AgPete139]

You're 2.3L 4 banger may lose around 3+ mpg once to switch your gearing. Do you do mainly city, or highway driving?

People will probably suggest 4.56 gears or something for your gears. With 33's and stock gearing, your truck will be a dog when it tries to get up to speed from a stop and will put more stress on your tranny.

You could do a 3" body, and get 32 x 10.50 x 15 tires. Less rubbing, and no permanent/"ugly" fender trimming. Sounds like you don't do a whole lot of wheeling, and articulation/suspension travel is not a priority. This would be a good to ease your father into thinking your truck is sitll hella safe for you to drive, and would give you a lil bit of play capability in the dirt.

 

[AgPete139]

Sidenote (after reading Dogboy's comment): My 4.0L saw no difference in gas mileage when i added the body lift. When I added my 33x12.50, I saw a decrease in economy, and then i gained it BACK after to switched to my 4.10's. Suprisingly, for the OHV 4.0 motor, the gearing brought my driving back to the optimal revving range and even a couple hundred RPM lower. When I added a 2" suspension, i noticed slightly more drag on my truck at highway speeds, and lsot about 0.5. You will probably see a lot more decrease with your motor since it will be revving higher and trying to keep up with the larger tires. Do you know what your current gearing is? There is a tag on your 7.5" rear axle that should say 373, 410, 308, etc. Or, you could lift the rear and count the revolutions of the driveshaft and count the number of revs the tires turn...

 

[Blackdog455]

so, to be safe, i should go with 32x10.5's? i could do that. i do more city driving then highway. So what kind of gears should i look into getting?

 

[Blackdog455]

oh and no, i wont be offroading it. I just want a small truck that gets 20+ mpg and where i can sit up higher then my car.