Potential Modifcations

[RichyJ]

Im looking at putting a fair bit into my newly acquired 2010 Ranger FX4, but I do not want to go over the limit with it and kill all the warranties I have. I just want to make it look good, but also make it able to do some off-roading and mud bogging, not chassis twisting huge angle hill off roading, but there will be some rough spots, and some nice mud holes. I plan on getting a body lift, its cheaper and will probably be best for me, considering it is my daily driver and it does not affect any warranties, but If a suspension lfit is what you guys think is best I will have the money for it. 31's Seem like a good tire size, maybe 33's, some wheel spacers mainly for looks, and may try and get these Y-spoke wheels painted to be a bit more unique. I am going to do some cosmetic mods, but their just standard de-badge nightshade type deal, what I need to know from you guys is mainly what would be the best bet for a lift/wheel setup? This will be happening by the end of the summer and I just want to figure out what to start aiming for. Oh, one of my uhh.. lesser intelligent friends instantly shouted getting a posi rear end, but is it worth it or unnecessary on a 4x4 ranger? Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Frank The Tank]

Body lift is ok if you do gap guards and bumper relocation brackets........ but i personally will never do another it's just a PITA once you get over an inch and it stretches all your brake lines and ac lines in ways they just weren't meant to be.

For your truck a suspension lift large enough to clear 33's will be close to 1,600 dollars.

I would level it with longer t-bar bolts....... maybe do a 3in BL and swap the rear from spring under to spring over.... that should get you some cheap clearance without digging too deep into the pocket.

I don't like NightShade........ i actually like the new factory lights as is. Wheel spacers are fine but if your going to try to make it look young and hip your going to order new wheels and tires anyway so just get wheels with less backspacing and save a little stress on your diff. Posi is great as long as it's not welded or a mini spool........ talk about eating up tires and getting you noticed by the police.

If your smart......... youll just level the truck and get some good quality tires a tad bigger than stock (after this set wears out) and just enjoy it........... it's a brand new truck and your going to turn it into a hard sell if you modify it a lot and make it look like a "kids truck"

that's just me.........
btw I just sold my highly modified ranger at a fraction of my total investment to a man having a mid life crisis. I got lucky, not everybody finds cool people that actually have money after theyv'e made their perfectly good daily driver something else.

Frank

 

[adsm08]

Pretty much nothing you do to mod your truck will void your factory warranty unless one of two things happens:

1) you replace a factory part with an aftermarket one and the aftermarket part fails. Ford won't pay for that

or

2) they can prove that your mod caused a factory part to fail. IE you lift it and put deep dish rims on and your ball joints and wheel bearings are shot 5000 miles later.

Beyond that, Ford is usually pretty forgiving because it's the dealerships call most of the time, (they are taking steps to change that with cosmetic stuff though) and most service managers wont' reject those claims out of hand so they can keep their customer satisfaction scores up.

 

[RichyJ]

If your smart......... youll just level the truck and get some good quality tires a tad bigger than stock (after this set wears out) and just enjoy it........... it's a brand new truck and your going to turn it into a hard sell if you modify it a lot and make it look like a "kids truck"

Frank

Yea I know what you mean by "kids truck" around here we call them hick trucks, and thats not the look I was going for. What your saying is a lot of foreign language to me right now, new to the truck world, but I just want a truck that will look a bit more "beasty" than stock, and can perform like it should. Never had the leveling kit cross my mind until now, if I were to get one how big of tires could I fit without causing problems? Because the less it looks "kiddish" the better it will be really, because the less concerned dad will get. He would not appreciate me going and turning something he considers perfectly fine into something that will make me get noticed by police, which in turn makes him look bad, (Big name around here) People around here know who I am so I have to play things smart. I like the tailights I just wanted to make them a bit darker, to give the truck a true white/black scheme. Later on when im less worried about warranty I may lift it huge and stuff but right now, I just want to make it something that can do a bit more than stock, and look better, but not break the bank. Ford here will probably be more on the forgiving side for warranty issues. Thanks for the feedback though, im young and still stupid, I tend jump on things.