Lift kit or Suspension conversion??

[DarthPlaydohh]

Hey guys I have a 1995 Explorer Limited Ed. 4x4. I want to lift it 4 inches, but the problem I've ran into is that it has the air ride suspension and it seems no one makes kits for it. I have found gas shocks that offer a 2.5 inch lift, but I'm unsure if I should convert the suspension or not. Any advice would be helpful!

 

[Mbrooks420]

If you are doing the lift just to make room for bigger tires you could also add a body lift.

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

If you are doing the lift just to make room for bigger tires you could also add a body lift.

I want the bigger tires, but more importantly (for me at least) the aggressive look. The problem is everywhere I have looked doesn't makes kits for the '95. It's like they skipped over 1995 for some reason or I'm not looking in the right places lol. I even went to my local off-road shop and they couldn't find one that would work. I think it's due to the air ride suspension, but I'm not sure

 

[Mbrooks420]

Body lift would likely be the PA883 for the Ranger. I don’t think it’s due to the air ride, they aren’t different except for the shocks. Your air ride stil functions correctly?

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

I saw that in other thread and looked into it. The support at suspension connection said it wouldn't fit. As far as I can tell it functions correctly. This is actually the first vehicle I've had with one, so I'm still trying to learn about it.

 

[Mbrooks420]

If you put it in low range does it lift the rear? If you pull the rear jack compartment cover, is it turned on?

 

[Turdle]

This truck is a 1995. It's a nice one. Nice enough that he often gets pounded with questions which are answered by reading things he was careful to document, so please read thouroughly.

The Black Hole

 

[410Fortune]

Is this 95 a 4wd?
First you will want to remove the air suspension, then add lift kit or method of your choice
The air suspension consists of 4 air shocks, a compressor, and some leveling switches that tell the system what height the truck is at.
Usually when the system ages or develops air leaks we rip all of this out and replace the shocks with normal gas charged shocks of your choice because the air suspension stuff can get expensive

You can do a torsion twist and shackles in order to achieve about 1.5-2" of suspension lift and add a 2-3" body lift on top of that.
This would allow 33" tires
You can also install a Superlift or Rough Country drop bracket /lift kit designed for a 96-2001 Explorer. This kit will come with new shocks that will replace your air shocks directly
This would be a 4-6" suspension lift and will also allow 33" tires

Then there is the more complex versions of custom lifts done around here, like deleting torsion bars and converting to a coilover setup. There is aftermarket long travel IFS available, expensive stuff from, mild to wild options there. And of course everyone loves to rip all of the IFS stuff out and convert to a solid axle, again this can get expensive and complex.

All of these things have been done to the Gen II Explorer several times in every way possible.
1995-2001 is considered a Gen II explorer. Your 95 is unique because it is still an OBD1 computer. In 95 the explorer was only available with the 4.0L OHV pushrod V6 and the 4r55e automatic. So when searching for parts just tell them you have a 1996 Explorer V6, anything you can bolt to a 96 will work on your 95.

To run 33" tires on your 95 you will find that the engine is under powered and the trans is under stress, so you will want to regear your ring and pinions to compensate for the larger tires. 4.56 or 4.88 gears is a good choice for a 4.0L automatic 4x4 with 33" tires.
You should also consider adding a larger transmission cooler or an additional aux cooler to help your 4r55e automatic trans handle the larger tires. Your 95 may not even have an aux trans cooler, if not that is the FIRST thing I would do before I even consider any sort of lift or larger tires.

Hope this infiormation is helpful

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

If you put it in low range does it lift the rear? If you pull the rear jack compartment cover, is it turned on?

Yes and yes.

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

Is this 95 a 4wd?
First you will want to remove the air suspension, then add lift kit or method of your choice
The air suspension consists of 4 air shocks, a compressor, and some leveling switches that tell the system what height the truck is at.
Usually when the system ages or develops air leaks we rip all of this out and replace the shocks with normal gas charged shocks of your choice because the air suspension stuff can get expensive

You can do a torsion twist and shackles in order to achieve about 1.5-2" of suspension lift and add a 2-3" body lift on top of that.
This would allow 33" tires
You can also install a Superlift or Rough Country drop bracket /lift kit designed for a 96-2001 Explorer. This kit will come with new shocks that will replace your air shocks directly
This would be a 4-6" suspension lift and will also allow 33" tires

Then there is the more complex versions of custom lifts done around here, like deleting torsion bars and converting to a coilover setup. There is aftermarket long travel IFS available, expensive stuff from, mild to wild options there. And of course everyone loves to rip all of the IFS stuff out and convert to a solid axle, again this can get expensive and complex.

All of these things have been done to the Gen II Explorer several times in every way possible.
1995-2001 is considered a Gen II explorer. Your 95 is unique because it is still an OBD1 computer. In 95 the explorer was only available with the 4.0L OHV pushrod V6 and the 4r55e automatic. So when searching for parts just tell them you have a 1996 Explorer V6, anything you can bolt to a 96 will work on your 95.

To run 33" tires on your 95 you will find that the engine is under powered and the trans is under stress, so you will want to regear your ring and pinions to compensate for the larger tires. 4.56 or 4.88 gears is a good choice for a 4.0L automatic 4x4 with 33" tires.
You should also consider adding a larger transmission cooler or an additional aux cooler to help your 4r55e automatic trans handle the larger tires. Your 95 may not even have an aux trans cooler, if not that is the FIRST thing I would do before I even consider any sort of lift or larger tires.

Hope this infiormation is helpful

It is a 4wd. I did see how pricey it would be to replace the air system and that's when I started looking into shock conversions. I'll probably go with the rough country or super lift option as I'm not that interested in wild options.

So for now at least the air ride system seems to work correctly. It does have the 4.0 EFI engineand I'm honestly not sure about the transmission.The owners manual is long lost. That said, you're probably right about the transmission and aux cooler. I'll have to look into it further. You've definitely given me a lot to think about as far as where to start and what to look for next. Thank you all for taking the time to help. It's very appreciative.

 

[Mbrooks420]

You absolutely have the 4r55e. Before running larger tires definitely get a transmission cooler. Check your door sticker for your axle code (it’s almost surely a D4). If it’s not a 3.73 or 4.10 I wouldn’t consider larger tires until it’s changed.

The transmissions are very anemic, and usually don’t rebuild well.

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

You absolutely have the 4r55e. Before running larger tires definitely get a transmission cooler. Check your door sticker for your axle code (it’s almost surely a D4). If it’s not a 3.73 or 4.10 I wouldn’t consider larger tires until it’s changed.

The transmissions are very anemic, and usually don’t rebuild well.

It's a D4. I included an attached photo of the door sticker just in case.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I figured. 3.73 limited slip.

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

So you're recommending a new transmission first?

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’m recommending a huge transmission cooler before you burn up the one in there. If it’s not broke, don’t mess with it. I’d also do a pan drop and a filter.

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

Probably a stupid question, but what do you mean by a pan drop?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Removing the transmission pan. It’ll drain around 4 quarts of fluid (Mercon V) and allow you to replace the transmission filter.

There are no stupid questions that are serious. We all had to learn this stuff from someone else. Always feel free to ask away.

 

[gmanpaint]

Reason being that drop bracket suspension lift kits skip over the 95, is because it is the only year that has weld on torsion bar brackets to the frame. 96-01 models have bolt on brackets, which are removed/replaced for the lift brackets.

95 does come with a tube & fin trans cooler. There is room for a larger cooler if desired.

When your at the salvage yards (if you go) check for a 95, and look in the glove box for a manual. I think you can buy them online as well. I think I seen one on Ebay at one time.

For code retrieval...Pay no attention to the OBD port under the dash. It is a dummy port that will not work with a reader. Have to use the one under the hood, with an OBD1 reader, or old school method with a paper clip.

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

Removing the transmission pan. It’ll drain around 4 quarts of fluid (Mercon V) and allow you to replace the transmission filter.

There are no stupid questions that are serious. We all had to learn this stuff from someone else. Always feel free to ask away.

Ohhh. There's no telling the last time that was done anyway so that would be a great idea.

 

[DarthPlaydohh]

Reason being that drop bracket suspension lift kits skip over the 95, is because it is the only year that has weld on torsion bar brackets to the frame. 96-01 models have bolt on brackets, which are removed/replaced for the lift brackets.

95 does come with a tube & fin trans cooler. There is room for a larger cooler if desired.

When your at the salvage yards (if you go) check for a 95, and look in the glove box for a manual. I think you can buy them online as well. I think I seen one on Ebay at one time.

For code retrieval...Pay no attention to the OBD port under the dash. It is a dummy port that will not work with a reader. Have to use the one under the hood, with an OBD1 reader, or old school method with a paper clip.

That makes sense. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the manual. Ha that should probably be my first purchase.