Lift sugestions.

[mrtrout]

I am wanting to start modifying my 1992 Explorer XLT. I am trying to decide on which size lift to go with. My wife drives this truck as much or more than I do, so I need something that will handle well. The current suspension is getting old and rides terrible, so anything will be an improvement. I plan on running tires from 30" to 32" tires. I currently have 30 x 9.50 Firestone RMTs on it now. I also want to replace all the bushings with the Energy Suspension kit.

I have been looking at the Duff and Rancho 2.5" and the Superlift 4" with Superunner steering. I would like to hear some comments on handling characteristics that ya'll may have.

Thank you,
Bryan

 

[kvo]

First welcome to the Board.

Second, a few words of advice, if your wife is not into 4wheeling, and it's her daily driver then spending money lifting it and fit it with larger tires will: 1) turn her off completely from the vechicle; 2) she'll be mad as hell at you because she can't get in and out as easy as before or her clothes will get dirty from getting in/out; 3) she can't put anything in it because it's so damn high; 4) you'll end up spending a lot more than you want to because you'll have to buy her a new vehicle; 5) there's no end once you start. That's what happened to me!!!

Now for the positive news: it'll be all yours!!!

Kidding aside, have fun and enjoy the experience.

I have the Rancho 2.5" slightly modified to fit 32". Not recommended for home installation or weekend warrior, it was installed by a shop, a full day. Extremely sturdy, have had it for about 4 years and never had a problem, except for the time I landed on the concrete pad and bent my brackets, my fault not the design.

The James Duff 2.5" could be installed at home and the kit cost is about half that of the Rancho. With slight mod, it could be fitted with 33". Ask BAEXPLODER.

Mine is used as a daily and I get about 15 MPG/City and about 17-18/Hwy, with 4.10 gears and tons of other equipment on board.

 

[mrtrout]

Thanks for the reply! I know what you mean about upsetting the wife. I would like to keep things a little milder so she will still drive the truck some. She is intrigued about the idea of swapping in a V8 though!

 

[jimbo74]

you can put on 30x9.5x15 on stock rims with no rub....

i have 31s on my 94 [31x10.5x15] on my stock rims with a minimal amount of rub... just had to trim the wheel well liner. dont wory, it is only plastic....

 

[BislamJoe]

The way I see it, the Explorers should have had the 5.0 standard since the beginning. The V8 seems the way to go for improved performance with lots of room for future expansion. i.e. install a fairly stock 5.0 now, a few years later have it built up a little, later on maybe a blower. Unfortunately, the swap itself is no cakewalk. I'm in only the planning stages of mine and it looks more feasible some days, and then it looks so tough. Hope all your mods turn out well though.

 

[Dannyboy]

A word on lifting the vehicle, this is MY experience. I made up my mind that I wanted to lift it a while back. The next step was easy, continue to drive it and not feel bad about not replacing the shocks and springs, because when it comes time to lift it, you can justify spending the money way easier. I then researched JUST HOW BIG I wanted to go. I also was trying to do it on a budget, and others said Go big or Go home right away and you will save a lot of money. I have a 3" body lift, the suspension is raised 4" in front and 6" in the rear and it rides better than before I put the lift on. This can most likely be credited to the fact that a rancho RS5000 is nicer than a stock shock with 110,000 miles on it, but hey It is big and it still rides nice.