Offroading, lift and tire question. HELP?

[RickE46M3]

I have a 1999 XLT 4.0 SOHC and I like to take it off pavement. I have gotten in only a couple situations where I have needed a tow, one being in an attempt to pull a couple 4 wheelers out of the poll lines mud I got stuck in another trucks tracks, one tire path was deeper than the other so it caused one tire to be touching and the other to NOT be touching (nothing but spin). The other time I buried myself in a snowbank, above the wheel wells when doing doughnuts in a heavily fluffy mall parking lot. I currently have 235/75/15 BFG Long Trail tires with about 20,000 miles left on them, they just don't seem to cut it when going off road really. I was wondering HOW important is the right tire for offroading? I was thinking about going a size or two above stock but wouldn't that cut my clearence down between the tire and the wheel well causing it to rub or just hindering my ability in mud, on rocks and snow because I don't have as much flex room for my suspension? I was thinking of getting some Mud-Terrain or All-Terrain from BFG... what size would be best for the best look, most versitile and how much of a sacrafice in gas mileage do you think I will take? I think I get about 17mpg now, I don't go off road TOO much but I would like too, it just seems like the Explorer is not really worth a damn when it comes to anything but tiny off road expeditions :thumbdwn: I have no lift, I thought about it but I was told I would have to take out my ABS and on top of the cost for a lift done right that was about $2,000 beans... not to mention I wouldn't pass state inspection because lifted ABS vehicles are illegal. What do you think?

 

[Blee1099]

I have a 1999 XLT 4.0 SOHC and I like to take it off pavement. I have gotten in only a couple situations where I have needed a tow, one being in an attempt to pull a couple 4 wheelers out of the poll lines mud I got stuck in another trucks tracks, one tire path was deeper than the other so it caused one tire to be touching and the other to NOT be touching (nothing but spin). The other time I buried myself in a snowbank, above the wheel wells when doing doughnuts in a heavily fluffy mall parking lot. I currently have 235/75/15 BFG Long Trail tires with about 20,000 miles left on them, they just don't seem to cut it when going off road really. I was wondering HOW important is the right tire for offroading? I was thinking about going a size or two above stock but wouldn't that cut my clearence down between the tire and the wheel well causing it to rub or just hindering my ability in mud, on rocks and snow because I don't have as much flex room for my suspension? I was thinking of getting some Mud-Terrain or All-Terrain from BFG... what size would be best for the best look, most versitile and how much of a sacrafice in gas mileage do you think I will take? I think I get about 17mpg now, I don't go off road TOO much but I would like too, it just seems like the Explorer is not really worth a damn when it comes to anything but tiny off road expeditions :thumbdwn: I have no lift, I thought about it but I was told I would have to take out my ABS and on top of the cost for a lift done right that was about $2,000 beans... not to mention I wouldn't pass state inspection because lifted ABS vehicles are illegal. What do you think?

Since you have a 99, I recommend for starters, doing a Torsion twist and shackles or AALs. That will give you about 1 to 2 inches of suspension lift giving you the ability to fit 31s or even 32s. If you wanted to go to bigger, I'd recommend installing a Performance Accessories body lift for the 98-00 Ranger. The part number is 883. I'd recommend doing BFG ATs or ProComp ATs. Since you don't take your truck offroad alot, I'd say ATs instead of MTs cause they will wear down faster than desired. You should have no issues with ABS after lifting. Mine works but I disable mine when wheeling. I've never heard of it being illegal to lift a vehicle cause of the ABS issues. Another thing you might wanna look at is how good of a Limited slip if equipped you have. The clutches direct from Ford aren't the greatest, I'd recommend an aftermarket limited slip assembly.

 

[410Fortune]

I was wondering HOW important is the right tire for offroading?

the right tire is EVERYTHING when talking off road, however for you with 98% on road you need to select a great on road tire that is decent for the type of off roading you do. There are many good AT's on the market, by going with the no name brands you can save $$$. You know there are only 5 tire manufacturers in the US market? (pretty sure its 5) How many name brands are there? 1000's this means you pay for the name on the side of the tire in most cases. getting opinions on which tire to get can be confusing. Researching them yourself and then making a decision based on your budget and availability is a good idea. I personally hate the new BFG AT's, especially for the price, but MANY people swear by them, just for example.

it just seems like the Explorer is not really worth a damn when it comes to anything but tiny off road expeditions

You might be surprised actually of what it is capable of with just a few simple and cheap mods to increase traction (IE torsion twist and shackles, the right tire and size, and a rear locker or traction device)

I was told I would have to take out my ABS and on top of the cost for a lift done right that was about $2,000 beans... not to mention I wouldn't pass state inspection because lifted ABS vehicles are illegal

Whoever told you this needs to shut up and do some research.
True in some places their are limits on how high you can lift etc, but for the most part you will be well within any street legal limits with an Explorer until you get VERY EXTREME. I am not familiar with the laws in Maine but I cannot even see a torsion twist and larger tires even qaulifying as a "lift". Check your state laws. There are typically limitations on tire coverage and bumper height, if there are any laws in place at all to limit what you can/cannot do.


ABS has nothing to do with lifting a truck, although it should be disabled with the airbags for any type of medium/heavy off road duty. Disabling it is simple on your truck.

Blee's advice above is excellent, although I would again differ with his tire choice, but thats jsut a matter of opinion. He's pointed you to many things you can search for on this forum and learn all about so you know what you are getting yourself into.

Welcome and enjoy

 

[RickE46M3]

Thanks for the advice guys, what does the torsion twist and shackle consist of and what kind of pricing am I looking at? As far as my limited slip I am unaware of how I could even find out. I parked my Explorer on a curb today and looked at it, it almost seems that if the tires were too big and took up too much of a gap that it would look down right stupid. I checked out the rating of the BFG AT and MT and the ONLY thing that MT had better was mud traction (10) vs. the AT (9), as far as tire wear the AT I hear is VERY good. My truck is mechanically sound beyond the transmission, it is not shifting properly and a mechanic said I have roughly a year left on it. If I did do the torsion twist and shackle what size tire would you reccommend? I would assume that the MT would also make my gas mileage tumble because of all the road friction... I think I will go with the ATs but what are some of those simple mods, how much do they cost between parts and labor, I really need to know this so I can map out my plan I don't want to drop too much into my 105,000 Explorer but if it were a tad higher with some nice tires on top of my tint and possible a bull bar I'd be pretty damn proud of it.

 

[AspenX]

Do a search for torsion twist and shackle, its on here thousands of times.

 

[RangerX]

^What he said.^

Do a search here for each different question you have. You need to do some reading to understand the reasons behind the advice you're getting. You've gotten some good advice so far. the only thing I would add is to disconnect your swaybars before you hit a trail.

 

[RickE46M3]

Ive got the install guide for the torsion twist and the shackles can't be that hard... I am wondering though if I should do a 32' inch tire or if I should size it down a bit... would there be much gas mileage change or much difference in off road ability if I were smaller than a 32' with TT and Shackles?

 

[Explorer#2]

if you went with a 31" tire over a 32" tire i dought there would be that much difference in your MPG, but off road a 32" tire would be better, plus you will end up wanting bigger tires if you got the 31's.

 

[SplashMan]

If a 31" or 32" tire is all you want to go to, I would do a 3" BL first off and forgo the TT/Shackles. This way your stock ride will not change very much and you will still have room for larger tires. That is what I would do if I was starting from scratch again.

 

[RickE46M3]

The reason I am doing to TT and shackles is because it is el cheapo. I don't have the money for a lift kit. I think I will go with the 31's because there about $50 bucks cheaper then the 32's and a bunch said they are the perfect tire size for the TT/Shackle set up. I am already stretching myself with $600 plus tires.

 

[Explorer#2]

it is your truck, do as you like . good luck with the lift

 

[RickE46M3]

One important question, when going about new tires and this lift... is it alright to do the TT/Shackle with my stock tires still on and then drive to get the BFG A/T's installed? I know it is only about a 2' lift but the stockers I have now are 235/75/15's a small tire compared to 31' AT's.

 

[C5 Pewter Coupe]

I have an 01 Sport, with 31" BFG A/T's.. (didn't need a TT or any other lift to fit them) they are ok in the snow, but when your in 12" or more of mud, they just clog up and your stuck.. of course you can get a come-along and some chains/cable to get you unstuck, or pony up and get a nice winch..

 

[Explorer#2]

well your BFG's are A/T's not M/T's. The A/T also have to be ok on the street so they are not that great at cleaning themselves, while the M/T clean themselves much better. You could also just pony up and get the M/T's if you do that kind of mudding