Best Suspencion lift for a 2wd explorer sport?

[wolfmen007]

hey guys i know this question as been answer before but i am looking to get a lift for my explorer mainly a suspension lift that will allow me to get some minor to moderate off road mostly desert trails as well as some upgrades to the engine to get some extra power on the wheels.
if anyone would kindly point me in the right direction i would be very very thankful.
ps: i look other post before by some users of the site but i would like to know if is possible to do a mount frame for double shocks in the front as well as the best way to lift the back end with the best support for the suspension without having to weld anything, in short i would like bolt on direct fit parts the best.
im looking to get a the very least 3" lift or 5" and run 32 or 33 size tires. there is a shop here that can do it but they area asking for 6g's and i dont want to go over 2g's if possible.

 

[bcburlette]

Well I have pretty much what your talking about, I have an 01 sport with the Super lift SOA kit(5 inches in the rear) TT(2 inches front) and ranger lift spindles(3 inches front), so I have 5 inches of lift and i run 33 all terrains, which are a bit small.
NOTE: not sure if all of this will work on an 03, never seen/heard of a sport newer than 02 before, also i have no idea how this setup would hold up offroad, my explorer is pavement and flat dirt/sand only

But anyway it breaks down like this
SOA kit 5 inches $150 link
Ranger EDGE lift spindles 400$ link
^(may require new ranger front brake rotors to go with them)
Ranger brake rotors $50 ish
If its a two door( you describe it as a sport so it probably is) then it may need a longer/lengthened driveshaft after the rear lift $300
Then you just have the cost of tires.

So for the lift alone you could do it for about $900-$1100 if you did it yourself.

 

[wolfmen007]

well im planing on doing the lift with the spindles im just not sure if i want to go the TT route, i was thinking to go with a body lift instead of TT and for the back im doing Add a leaf and shackles for it giving me about 5" total on the SUV.
what im concern mostly is if it holds up good enough in the trails or if it will require extra parts that im not aware off.
by the way why you went SOA? does it handle better or if just for cosmetic purposes?

 

[bcburlette]

To be honest I went the SOA route because it was easier than doing a body lift, when you do a body lift you need to remount the radiator, the bumpers, and replace like 6-8 body mounts(or so my brother told me), plus you can no longer use the bumper hitch for towing. but with the SOA route I just had to pull out the leaf springs and remount them to the new brackets. Not sure how much time I saved going this route, but since i wasn't too worried with off road performance it worked out. By the way, should you decide to go the SOA route I have noticed it does cause increased wear on my leaf springs(not sure why) but when I put mine on the lift I have a good foot or more of drop in the back axle.

 

[wolfmen007]

i think i be doing the body lift instead then i would not want my rear suspension to give out too quick, the work im not too worry about since im not doing it myself (due to other issues like having no free time at all lately)
any recommendations for performance parts for the engine and such???
PS: is there any way that you can upload some pics of your ride so i have a good idea at the finish size of mine??
...... what year ranger parts do i need to get??? oh and you think i can get the bolt on kit double shock mounts to fit without welding or trimming anything????
i know i ask too much too often but you been a great help so far in making me decide the best route possible for this project, many many thanks.

 

[bcburlette]

Well the only performance parts i have done are a flowmaster 50 series exhaust and a swiss cheesed air-box, and as far as ranger parts I got them from a 2001 ranger edge, so i know those fit, for the most part. And I haven't the slightest idea when it comes to double shocks.

Spindle lift in progress:

After spindle lift(at the time i also had shackles on the rear):

And how it sits today:

 

[wolfmen007]

oh oh oh i am more exited now after seeing yours je je je we actually
have the same body style and i assume that it will be the same suspension
and same everything else.

those tires do look small tho mmmmmm...... you think you can fit 35 in it??
i am gonna do more search in the dual shock base setup tho i would really like to put one in there.

overall your ride looks pretty sick, i cant wait to do my own. im also painting the gray trim on the bumpers and doors to black, i seen it done and it look legit, what you think of that???

 

[bcburlette]

Thanks, lol yea I thought about painting the gray plastic in black bedliner, but decided not to, I kinda like the contrast with the gray. As far as 35s, I could probably fit them with a bit of trimming.

 

[wolfmen007]

Cool i think you should go 35" dude it will really look cool on your ride especially if is your city driving vehicle just watch the MPG tho they will chug more gas or so i been told. i will post the part numbers for my lift when i get them lol, im still shopping around a bit. I think i am going to do just the 3" lift for now.

 

[corkey]

need more than 3 inch for 35's, unless you really like using your sawzall,

 

[wolfmen007]

Oh no im not going 35" yet, only 32" or 33" those should fit in the 3" nicely correct????

 

[corkey]

yes they should,

 

[wolfmen007]

cool jajajajaja i cant wait till i set it up.
got a question tho, is there a kit for the explorer sport 2003 to do a dual shock mount? i am trying to get a good set up going for some mild desert trails nothing to fancy but a bolt on kit would be nice and i cant find them anywhere.