opinions??? Full widths or narrowed?

[MUDDING B-3000]

alrighty well after this summer of wheeling my finally finished ranger i plan on swapping a solid axle in but i cant make my mind up on what to do. Go full width D44 an 9" i can get a set for $400 then i would have to build them both up or just get a narrowed D44 all done up locker 4.56 gears extended RA's for im guessing around $ 1200-1500 maybe more or less ?

I plan on doing a combo of rock crawling an mud. im going to be staying under 39" tires i got 36 iroks right now. I figure with full widths it would help alot with the stablility department. instead of being top heavy.

 

[crawlin91]

full width

 

[BONES]

Full width, to me there's no question.

Makes for better turning radius as well and you won't need offset wheels to prevent the tires from rubbing when turned to full steering lock, And the biggy is stability, like you posted, you get some height from the lift, then get some width from axles and it all stays stable.

Full width all the way buddy!

 

[Bray D]

Makes for better turning radius as well

What?




Full width unless you plan to street it.

 

[89PBR96]

Full width would be cool but turning is going to be a B$tch

 

[BONES]

I street my full widths and have done since I installed them, just cover your tires and your golden.

The full width f150 (mine are from a 76 f1004x4) are only 4" wider than the d35 ttb (65" for fw 61" for d35) so what's the problem and turning has improved for me, now my tires don't rub the radius arms at full steering lock. I can turn a way tighter circle now with the full widths as long as my hubs are unlocked because I have a spooled front that is lol.

Not sure why you guys figure turning would be a bitch, I have full width under my BII and it's not a problem even with the 38" tsl's aired down to 5psi, power steering system is more than adequate to steer with locked front and one hand in the soft stuff as well as on hard surfaces.

Oh well what ever you guys without full widths want to think makes no difference to me, I run em and have gained a whole bunch from them, she turns sharper without tire rub, I have gained a ton of stability without offset wheels taking a toll on wheel bearings and I have gained the strength of 1/2 ton diffs, axles and bearings.

They make 4.5" wide fender flares from Duffs as well as more if you go Bushwacker to cover the tires easily, if you don't want to go with rubber belt like I used.

My rear tires stick out 3" on each side and the fronts stick out 5" on each side, not a whole lot further than the d35 and 35's on the stock Eddie Bauer alloys.

I still say go full width axles from the late 70's f150's or FS Bronco's, the gains far out weight the install. IMO

Oh and it can all be done with factory parts. It;s not as tough as some people (who haven't done the swap) make it out to be.

Not trying to be rude here, just stating my experiences in the swap, and I don't understand why you guys are saying steering is a problem or the street is a problem, I've done it and street it daily and here you can't have any tire stick out past the fenders at all and we're required to run mud flaps half way down the tire out back as well. Covering the tires was my main concern and it wasn't difficult at all.

 

[NMB2]

power steering system is more than adequate to steer with locked front and one hand in the soft stuff as well as on hard surfaces.

I agree with pretty much everything except for that. I dont know what you consider adequate but you must not have very high expectations.

Stock powersteering with 38's is horrible. especially locked in the front.

 

[BONES]

My entire steering system is from a 92 Explorer Eddie Bauer 4dr w/tow package (unmodified) if that helps, turns the 38's with one hand, oh wait it has Lucas in it, lol. I have a tractor ball on the steering wheel for one handed steering. Even in deep ruts or against ledges it still isn't hard to steer mine, as long as the tires are rotating even slowly it will turn them to lock without a lot of effort from the me.

Now we don't have rocks here so it may not be great in the rocks I don't know, but on hard surfaces and in the soft stuff we have around here, I haven't had any problems as of yet. It's no hydro assist, but I haven't felt like hydro assist is necessary on this rig, if I can turn the wheel with one hand why go to the trouble of fabbing in hydro assist?

If I had to use 2 hands to steer I wouldn't have installed the suicide knob on the steering wheel, lol and I certainly wouldn't have stated it's easy to steer, but one handed guys, what more can I say?

My expectations came from driving my 68 Rover with Toyota power steering and Toyota axles leaf over (small block Chevy/th350/np205) GMC Saginaw pump with the power valve mod and it was stiff steering all the time with 35's and front and rear locked, I always came home with sore arms after wheeling that thing all day, same with my GMC short box 4x4 with half tons and locked front and rear on 36's, it was a challenge to steer so most of the time I just had one front hub locked just so I could steer it around. The Bronco turns no problem with 38's and locked at both ends. I'm not a muscle bound body builder either, at 6foot 190lbs, I'm just a regular guy with average build and a beer gut, lol.

Maybe the Explorer steering system has a better output force than the stock BII steering?? Or maybe yours is worn out and takes more effort to steer now?? Just asking no offence intended.

IDK. Since they looked exactly the same and bolted right up I figured they were the same components, maybe they are not?

Sorry guys, not trying to miss lead anyone here.

 

[Chance]

Fullwidth.

 

[4x4junkie]

It seems Ford's power steering systems vary a lot.

My BII's steering turns my 35x12.50s quite adequately. Yet my Ranger literally struggles with 33x12.50s. I don't know why it's like that, but it has been that way ever since new (my first set of tires were 32x11.50s on the stock "deer-hoof" alloys, and often times even with those I had to get the truck moving a bit before they'd turn while in a rocky creek bottom). Locking the ARB makes turning pretty hopeless at times lol.

I had full plans to throw a hydro-assist setup on my BII while I was building it (even budgeting for it), but found it actually did fairly well without it. Maybe it's something that's different in the pump's bypass valve that's making for this variation?

And yes, definitely fullwidth.

 

[Bray D]

bah I don't wanna read all that crap haha. Radius arms mount in the same location whether you're full width or narrowed. You don't change the distance from the knuckle to the wedges...

If you're locked, I assume you will be if you wheel this thing, you will have a larger turn radius with a wider track width. the outside tire is further from the inside tire producing a longer 'torque arm' than a narrowed axle. Since its longer, it will resist turning more than a narrow axle.

I just said narrowed on the street so you don't have to run mega huge flares and super wide bumpers. Attracts unwanted attention and is not the most appealing IMO. If you're not worried about that then go fullwidth all the way.

 

[wahlstrom1]

15x10 w/ 4" BS on my EB is only 3" narrower in total then runnin my buddy's 17x10's w/ 5.5" BS on a fullwidth axle. And, with him running a 12.50 tire and me a 14.50, the difference is damn near negligible....

 

[predator]

question about going fullwidth, how do you set up the front axle? do you have to move the attachment points for the radius arm on the axletube?? i see it done on multiple vehicles, i just dont understand what they did on the axle itself to make it work...any explanations?

 

[Bray D]

i just dont understand what they did on the axle itself to make it work...any explanations?

Nothing really. Just extend the radius arms and mount them under the frame rails. I've got a narrowed housing and my extended arms are mounted inside the frame rails.

Wider axle = wider mounting points on the truck.

Coils are the same way. Some guys space out the upper coil buckets to accomodate the full width axle and some guys build custom lower mounts on the axle to accomodate the narrower ranger upper buckets.

 

[MUDDING B-3000]

see i plan on streeting this truck but not a DD just beable to drive it to the trail. but i think my deal on the full widths fell threw, i can still get the 9" but not the full width 44. so i may just be buying a built narrow 44 but we will see at the end of the summer.