99 xlt 2wd lowering, how low to go?

[downonthefarm]

well i finally got a little bit of cash to spend on my daily driver whcih is a 99 explorer 2wd 5.0. My question....is it possible to get my explorer lowered 4-5" and be aligned with a decent ride quailty? i have a set of 18x9" stang wheels for it and i need to lower it to see what tire size to get

 

[downonthefarm]

bump

 

[Turdle]

To go this low will seriously stress the front suspension components.
Upper ball joints especially--take a look thru "expo50" threads--you will see a picture of this.

I have mine about 3" lower in front, maybe a bit less. IMO this is the safe limit.