2000 Explorer XLT - Looking for customize/lift...

[igoblue]

Hi, I hope this is the right forum. I have a 2000 Explorer XLT 4X4 and I'm looking to make it more off-road friendly. Right now it's 100% stock. A couple weeks ago I took it into Death Valley and bottomed out on a couple roads. Pushed the running board up into the body.

So, I'd like to get it up to at or above 12-inches of clearance. I'm really new at this type of thing so please correct any errors or misconceptions I present.

I'm assuming clearance is measured from the ground to the bottom of the axle, correct? If so, does raising the body do any good? If not, should I get new wheels to raise the axle or are there other methods?

What is the process for getting the SUV to my desired goal?

I'm also looking to put spotlights, a rack on top, etc... but that's all secondary to getting this thing ready to take on the rough stuff.

Thanks for any help.

 

[BogFather]

First welcome to the site. The body lift only lifts just that the body not the suspension. Your best way to start is doing a tortion twist for the front which will gain from 1"-2" for your front end, And for the rear you could do the new shackles and possibly an add a leaf which again gains you another 2"-3" for the rear. Those along with a nice set of 31's gains a good bit of height. There is also suspension lifts out there that range anywhere from $600 - $2500 depending on what you wanna spend.

 

[wrigley_1285]

i say do what most explorer owners do. torsion twist up front. shackles and/or add a leafs in the rear. then do a 3" body lift. and get some 33" tires. do a search for tt shackle lift, PA 883, body lift, and stuff like that.

welcome and good luck

 

[JohnnyO]

A body lift will only increase ground clearance to the extent that the larger tires will lift the truck.
Rule of thumb on late-model Rangers and Explorers is that they are cheap to lift a little and expensive to lift a lot.
To really increase ground clearance you need a suspension lift. The Superlift kit is the best deal for the money and it costs around $2000.
The front end is not happy with tires larger than 33".

 

[wrigley_1285]

A body lift will only increase ground clearance to the extent that the larger tires will lift the truck.

that's exactly what i was meaning. bc with no BL you could only fit 31's with a TT lift. and if you do both you'll be able to fit some 33's and get your axle an extra inch of clearance over the 31's.

Rule of thumb on late-model Rangers and Explorers is that they are cheap to lift a little and expensive to lift a lot.

yeah the last time i checked super lift and trail master were still around $2000. and just the other day i found out summit sells their own brand of BL for over $60 less than a Performance Accessories. check out the price difference between all 3 of the body lifts http://store.summitracing.com/egnse...0+4294924677+115+4294918515&Ntk=KeywordSearch

 

[igoblue]

Thanks for all the suggestions. So if I'm reading this correctly I can lift my truck (if I want to spend the money) so that it will ride on 33" wheels? Am I correct that doing so will more than double my current clearance with 16" wheels?

I was talking recently to someone at the local tire store and he said I can go to 18-inch wheels without any modification. That alone would be about 2k. So, if it would be around $2500 to lift my Explorer to take 33" wheels, about how much would those cost, and where would I find such things?

Lastly, how does something like that handle on the regular road?

 

[Brandon96]

I'm going to go ahead and throw this in real fast; Groud Clearance (in my opinion) is not measured from ground to axel. In my opinion, ground clearance is measured from the lowest point on the center underside of the vehicle, to the gound (i.e. whether it may be the frame of the truck, gas tank, exhaust pipe, side rocker panels or any skid plates. To gain such ground clearance you try to get the axels away from the truck, using the various types of lift.

The distance between the ground and bottom of the front bumper I call the approach clearance. It is also known as an approach angle. Think of the ground being completely horizontal line, and draw a line from the bottom of the tire to the bottom of the bumper. The angle at which these two lines intersect it known as the approach angle, that will tell you how steep of a hil you can go up without burying your bumper into the side of it. It's the exact opposite for the rear, except it's called the Departure angle.

That's my $.02 of useless information

Good luck with your lift!!

 

[Brandon96]

Thanks for all the suggestions. So if I'm reading this correctly I can lift my truck (if I want to spend the money) so that it will ride on 33" wheels? Am I correct that doing so will more than double my current clearance with 16" wheels?

I was talking recently to someone at the local tire store and he said I can go to 18-inch wheels without any modification. That alone would be about 2k. So, if it would be around $2500 to lift my Explorer to take 33" wheels, about how much would those cost, and where would I find such things?

Lastly, how does something like that handle on the regular road?

Don't worry about wheels sizes, most of the guys here ride on either 15 or 16 inch wheels, your tire size is more important. The bigger the tire, the more ground clearance your going to have, but as you go bigger in tire size, you have to start to worry about the width of the tire, that's where wheels spacers come in. They go between your wheel and and axel and basically stick your wheels out more to get them away from your frame/wheel well and prevent rubbing while turning. But there are some thinner tires out there that are 32 and 33 inch, you just have to look for them. Most aftermarket wheels come with a more shallow back spacing (How deep they are) which in turn stick out a little farther than stock, so your tire wil not rub.

Theres a tire size and lift guide floating around somewhere, if you search that you can view the tire sizes and lift combinations that will not rub.

The ride. Torsion twists make your front end a slight bit more solid, it eliminates body roll completely in my experience, but in turn makes the ride slightly more harsh. As do add-a-leafs, the make your leaf springs a little more solid so the ride will be slightly more stiff... but they break in and almost return to stock I've heard.