2002-2005 Explorers have a fully independant front and rear suspension. This makes lifting these truck a bit more complex than lifting your average Heep, ranger, and full-size truck.
You have 3 options:
1) 3" Body Lift. This lift inerts a spacer between the chassis and body. Does not change your factory suspension geometry. Bigger tires but mediocre ground clearance improvement (from 29" factory tire to 32" tire only nets 1.5" clearance increase). This lift keeps factory suspension geometery and factory ride. The only change will be due to your change in tires. (All-terrain ride a bit more truck-like, stiffer) LOOK HERE:
Body Lift: How-to
2) Spacer Lift: This Lift Inserts a spacer between the top of the strut and the strut mounting location. This allows factory travel, but that amount of travel has been moved down by 1.5 - 2.5". Your spacer dimension correlates directly to an increase in clearance before including larger diameter tires. Ride is pretty close to stock. You WILL need a alignment after this lift.
Options are BTF Fabrication and TRUXX. The BTF kit is a direct bolt on developed by a member of this forum. A 2.25" spacer kit will net you 3.5" of lift due to your suspension geometry. Here's the install of that lift kit:
BTF Fabrication Spacer install
3) Coil Spring: This lift uses longer (stiffer) springs than from the factory on factory length struts. Your suspension travel may actually decrease with this lift. Your up down-travel will decrease due to struts now riding in a slightly extended position all the time. Lift height may not be exactly what you order, due to the age of your vehicle factory springs may have "settled". You will need an alignment after this lift. Look here:
How-to: Coil Spring Lift
You can combine a body lift with a spacer lift, or a body lift and a coil spring lift. Longer coils with spacers is not a good idea (too much stress on your ball joints).
