'01 explorer sport questions

[Htown451]

well i just got my 01 sport and its pretty much stock. Im not sure what all i can put on it if anything , before this i drove a mitsubishi galant and it was the worst. So i was wondering if anybody knew what kind of tires i could put on and what kind of lift i could do. i want to put bfgoodrich all terrains, preferably the mudd all terrains, iwant the biggest and widdest size that will fit my rim, any suggestions?

just for details this not a "sport trac" but an "explorer sport"

[21robbie21]

well you still have to work out some details here, but you do have some options. I think the first answer you need is exactly what size tire do you want to run? well if you want to reuse your stock wheels they are 7" wide and most people would suggest the biggest tire you run be a 32"x11.5" or a 33"x10.5". If you decide to go with a 32 inch tire, you could take one of two or both cheap routes and do a TT(torsion twist) and AAL(add a leaf) totalling 2" of lift, or modify a ranger body lift(2" or 3") to fit your explorer. Orginally i did both of those together and fit 33"x 12.5" ofcourse it was on an 8" rim. just click the myx link under this post to look at some pics and information. Ofcourse if you have the money to spend and want performance, i dont remember all the details but i think theres a trailmaster 4" suspension lift kit thatll fit your explorer but it cost upwards at $1900, opposed to a $200 body lift or $75 AAL and free TT. For more info on TT or AAL or modified body lifts SEARCH.

[Htown451]

im not too sure, the (TT) seems easy enough , if i could do it. I was already looking at the AAL and i found a 3" rear for cheap. A friend told me the front was a suspension lift , is it true?

[21robbie21]

i had never done anything on cars before and i installed the bodylift and TT and AAL myself, not to mention there are plenty of thorough writeups w/ pictures all over this site. I didnt quite understand what you were asking

"A friend told me the front was a suspension lift , is it true?"

But if you were trying to ask if TT is considered a suspension lift, it is. Please clarify if that isnt what you were asking.

[Htown451]

i didnt really even know what all a TT was besides what it stands for, i checked out a writeup but didnt fully read it in detail just wanted to see if it was worth a look. "A friend told me the front was a suspension lift , is it true?" i guess i meant to say if i were to lift it , it would have to be done via suspension lift and not AAL or anything else , and is that what i would have to do? with the TT is there anyway to match the 3" AAL in the back?

[21robbie21]

with the Torsion Twist if you are 4wheel drive you can't raise it more than 2 inches, but usually people have sag in their rear leaf springs so adding 3" in the rear would really only be about 2". An AAL is a form of suspension lift, its just one component opposed to purchasing a lift package.(http://www.innerauto.com/browse/year...uspension+Kit).

[Htown451]

well mines only 2wd so ....

[21robbie21]

so if necessary you can crank them further than 2", but the whole effect of a torsion twist doesnt change how much up and down travel you have, but the static position of the travel, therefore the more you lift it the lower in the down travel you will be= stiffer ride, also there are different grades of bolts that determine how much you can twist them, youll have to search for information on that.

[kabukie]

look into the Procomp lift for the 01 ranger edge. I called procomp and they claimed that the kit would fit my 02 sport. 3" lift spindles up front and shackles plus AAL in the rear.

finding after market parts for the newer sports are a pain in the ass but I love my X and wouldn't dream of getting rid of it.

[Htown451]

yea did a little more research and found that the TT dosent give you too much, a friend told me to do the AAL and suggested spacers for the front, my main concern for this is the front end and how to lift it

[21robbie21]

well another option you have as mentioned by kabukie is lift spindles for the front.

[Htown451]

im open to anything as of now, what would you suggest the best thing to do?

[21robbie21]

how much are you willing to spend? i mean as i said before the more TT you do, the worse your ride gets. SO if you can afford the spindles then go with them.

[kabukie]

the procomp kit is 600 i found the same kit for 550 online somewhere. go for it!!! GET SOME!!! why not if you want a lift get some 3" spindles and get jacked up!!!

[churd69]

Robbie and kabukie are right in their above mentioned ideas, but the question is what do you want to lift for? are you gonna off road it, or mostly looks? If your just going for looks, put on a PA883 3" BL, toss on some 33 meats and call it a day. The BL is fairly easy to do, for the most part your ride quality is the same and you can fit those big tires.

-Rich

[Htown451]

i guess im goin for performance but just amatuer, nothing special