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New Ranger Owner #: 528

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 02:21 am

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Mustang-Man
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A little over a week ago I purchased my first Ranger. 2000 XLT 3.0 4x4. This truck will mostly be used for off roading, camping, and hunting woods truck. I've already started buying some upgrades to make the truck what I want. So far I've put a topper on it, bought a much needed hitch, and picked up a pair of SN95 Mustang seats that will go in once I get some 95-97extended can seat tracks. There are several more modifications to come including lights, bumpers, winches, lift, wheels/tires, and I'll be rhino lining the whole truck.

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 03:11 am

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Undrstm8ed
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Welcome to FR... You'll fit in with the lot of us. ;)

All sounds good, I'd take into consideration the amount of weight added by the complete rhino liner'ing of an entire vehicle, especially if you're looking at going all out on winching bumper w/winch, possible under body protection, and your gear, how you will store it and carry it let alone divvy it up for say a hunting weekend vs a camping one.. etc.

Weight becomes a parasitic variable and even when taken into consideration, you may find yourself dangerously near or over GVWR making for a bad situation or just overall unkind to the vehicle itself.

Winching bumper is easily 25-48lbs heavier than stock and thats not even talking full hoops setup, add another 55lbs for a 9500lb winch from most manufactures, hell even carrying a tow strap, a 20ft/30ft snatch strap, tree saver, 4 shackles, and a single snatch block, you'll have an additional 85-90 lbs, call it a hundred for conservative purposes. Things add up quick.

I run a full gamut of overlanding gear in the truck all the time to leave at the drop of hat most times, almost always have the basics I'm at just a curly hair over 400lbs just in totes, small food setup, camping gear, and other gear in the back. Not taking a multitude of things I normally would need or want.

Not saying you cant make an effective trail rig, not at all.. just you'll find yourself becoming a bit of a minimalist before you know it ;)

Last edited on Sat Jan 27th, 2018 03:26 am by Undrstm8ed

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 03:35 am

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Mustang-Man
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I totally understand that, and my plan is to outfit the truck depending on what my plans at the time are. For the most part the truck will be empty most of the time with the exception being parts that are physically bolted to the truck. During hunting season it will be pretty minimal on gear, mostly a cooler and food as I have sleeping quarters where I hunt. I have aspirations of being able to leave at the drop of a hat but realistically it isn't possible with my job so any trips I take where illI be living out of the truck will be planned well in advance so illI be able to load out accordingly.

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 08:17 am

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Mike69

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Mustang Man, welcome to F-R. I see your Ranger has the 3.0 V-6, what is the mileage & do you know if the cam synchronizer & sensor have been replaced yet?

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 08:45 am

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Dusten
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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 11:16 am

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Hi Mustang Man, glad you made it over :)

Your rims are special too,they didn't offer that in 2000

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 12:42 pm

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Mustang-Man
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Mike69 wrote: Mustang Man, welcome to F-R. I see your Ranger has the 3.0 V-6, what is the mileage & do you know if the cam synchronizer & sensor have been replaced yet?
Mileage is about 167k and as far as I know they are both original.

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 12:55 pm

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Mustang-Man
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JAMMAN wrote: Hi Mustang Man, glad you made it over :)

Your rims are special too,they didn't offer that in 2000
Thanks, I didn't know these wheels didn't come on this year, I still plan on getting some trail masters to put on it after I lift it.

Last edited on Sat Jan 27th, 2018 12:56 pm by Mustang-Man

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 02:39 pm

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Hello and welcome to the forum! Just curious, have you ever seen a truck that was bed liner coated?

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 02:44 pm

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MaDMaXX

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Welcome, nice looking 2000 there, are you in the Washington area?

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 03:08 pm

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Mustang-Man
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mhoward wrote: Hello and welcome to the forum! Just curious, have you ever seen a truck that was bed liner coated?

I've seen a few here and there over the last few years.

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Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2018 03:08 pm

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MaDMaXX wrote: Welcome, nice looking 2000 there, are you in the Washington area?
Nope I'm down in Florida.

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Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2018 02:03 am

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Undrstm8ed
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Mustang-Man wrote: I totally understand that, and my plan is to outfit the truck depending on what my plans at the time are. For the most part the truck will be empty most of the time with the exception being parts that are physically bolted to the truck. During hunting season it will be pretty minimal on gear, mostly a cooler and food as I have sleeping quarters where I hunt. I have aspirations of being able to leave at the drop of a hat but realistically it isn't possible with my job so any trips I take where illI be living out of the truck will be planned well in advance so illI be able to load out accordingly.

Fully understand, just throwing some experience your way.. My 2G Xterra for example, removed OEM Skid plate setup - a whole 32lbs removed.

Added new & better full 0.1875" (3/16") underbody Skid-plate kit adding only a small radiator protection plate, over 140 lbs total from the stock stamped steel plates 32 lbs. That's a bit shy of under 110lbs added weight. Not quite IED proof but def MORE rock proof.
By the time I finish the suspension, easily be able to do class-5 dryfalls in the Death Valley territory. I can then go out without worry and traverse nearly any road rated up to that class-5 (the toughest legitimate road rating) type trail.

Between eventual rock sliders, heavy-duty skids, and the steel front bumper w/winch I estimate I'll add ~350 pounds of extra weight on top of the differences of OEM parts pulled off on that rig alone. You definitely need to factor this and any other weight factors into fuel mileage, handling, and GVWR.

I'm a bit lucky in the sense I can disappear at a whim and go find some trails or rocks to play on and camp over a night or two just for shits and giggles, sometimes including the better half. ;)
Thats why I am always under partial load, I carry gear for all sorts of last minute opportunities or thoughts and many times its just me. i really should look at getting a dog. lol

Last edited on Sun Jan 28th, 2018 02:04 am by Undrstm8ed

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Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2018 02:12 am

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Mustang-Man
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That is some good insight, and after your first comment I started looking into upgrades that would make the Ranger safer after adding all of my additional weight that my modifications would add. I knew the best safety upgrade would be brakes and I found info on Sport Trac front brake swaps, Cobra rear brake swaps, and found the Explorer master cylinder would bolt on and add some extra pressure to get rid of any spongy feel. I know brakes aren't the only thing to consider when adding more weight to a vehicle but they are a big factor.

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Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2018 02:14 am

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MaDMaXX

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They sound like nice easy upgrades.

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Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2018 04:11 am

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Undrstm8ed
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Mustang-Man wrote: That is some good insight, and after your first comment I started looking into upgrades that would make the Ranger safer after adding all of my additional weight that my modifications would add. I knew the best safety upgrade would be brakes and I found info on Sport Trac front brake swaps, Cobra rear brake swaps, and found the Explorer master cylinder would bolt on and add some extra pressure to get rid of any spongy feel. I know brakes aren't the only thing to consider when adding more weight to a vehicle but they are a big factor.

To be honest, If it were me I'd bite into a better pad up front like Hawks LT pads, and then opt for a pair of Stainless steel lines to replace the soft lines. Most sports car like positive pedal feel you should need, buy the best rear shoes you can and call it a day.

The only thing I haven't honestly invested any time into researching yet is if the larger Master Cylinder from the Explorer would actually benefit yet. Bigger isn't always better and if you read any of the Tech Docs from Summit Racing on chassis and brake setups. They have a few vids where they state that sometimes a larger master cyl can actually hinder a brake system with a drop in pressure or positive pedal feel which the exact how and why in a Ranger/Explorer Master Cyl situation I am unclear of this as an actual upgrade worth doing or not.

Further reading states that even when doing a rear disc upgrade from an Explorer, I've yet to hear anyone state that you should swap out to the Larger one either.. So again. I really need to look deeper into some threads on some sites OR try and contact a friend over at Stop-Tech brakes I used to know.. hmmmm been a few years :

If you plan on running 35's or bigger, I would consider investing in the Sport Trac upgrade setup. I've recently pulled two 97' front spindles for that purpose being I have a 93'.. I wanted the larger surface stopping power area of the dual piston caliper setup vs. the single larger piston with those damn goofy floating calipers.. At least the 95 and up I know the caliper is bolted to the hubs !!

And I'd even opt for some Skid plates, bumpers, rockers, that are aluminum.., Buuuttttttttttt... I believe with the TQ factors of a future Fummins upload in the engine bay and the 4.56 Gears on 34's.. I'll be ok enough. :crazy

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Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2018 11:57 am

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I plan on a 2in torsion key and rear shackle lift and a 3in body lift, even though I'd like 35s I don't think they would clear so I'll most likely stick to 33s. As for the Explorer master cylinder swap, I've seen comments that after doing the rear disc swap that they had a softer pedal, this is due to the master cylinder still pushing the same amount of fluid and that same fluid now pushing in a larger surface area which reduces the amount if force it applies making the pedal feel softer/spongier. Now doing the rear disc and the front Sport Trac swap which uses larger pistons in the calipers would exacerbate the problem, now since I'd have the Explorer front calipers and similar rear calipers to the Explorer it would only make sense to use the master cylinder that was designed to give a good pedal feel for those components.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 04:43 pm

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Welcome Glad you joined us. Have fun and enjoy F-R.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 11:30 pm

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Mustang-Man wrote: I plan on a 2in torsion key and rear shackle lift and a 3in body lift, even though I'd like 35s I don't think they would clear so I'll most likely stick to 33s. As for the Explorer master cylinder swap, I've seen comments that after doing the rear disc swap that they had a softer pedal, this is due to the master cylinder still pushing the same amount of fluid and that same fluid now pushing in a larger surface area which reduces the amount if force it applies making the pedal feel softer/spongier. Now doing the rear disc and the front Sport Trac swap which uses larger pistons in the calipers would exacerbate the problem, now since I'd have the Explorer front calipers and similar rear calipers to the Explorer it would only make sense to use the master cylinder that was designed to give a good pedal feel for those components.

First off, welcome to the site!
Sounds like you've got some big plans for the truck! However, I would avoid the lift keys. They give the user the ability to over adjust the pre-load on the front suspension. This puts your CVs and ball joints at less than ideal angles, accelerates wear, and compromises ride quality. You can get up to ~1.5â€ out of your stock torsion keys for free (plus the cost of an alignment). Using your stock keys also ensures you stay within the limits of the stock suspension.
You would be hard pressed to fit 35s with just a body lift, but with enough trimming anything is possible. The bigger issue would be tryin to turn them with the 3.0l on stock gears. I run a 33â€ tire and find they're plenty big enough to get me into trouble. Haha. A good set of skid plates is definitely a must though if you're gonna wheel it.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 11:52 pm

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I have to agree I've been thinking about the 33 vs 35 and settled on the fact that 33s are more than enough for what I plan to use the truck for. I'll take your advice and max out the stock keys before I decide if I need to go higher or not, I'll decide from there if I need more clearance or not. Skid plates are definitely in the plans as when I'm out hunting I won't always be on trails so there is a strong chance if me running over stumps and fallen trees.

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Posted: Wed Feb 7th, 2018 09:54 pm

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Welcome to FR i have 33's and its perfect size for a ranger

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Posted: Thu Feb 8th, 2018 09:16 pm

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Welcome to the forum! Enjoy the truck! Build it how you envision it

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Posted: Thu Feb 8th, 2018 09:41 pm

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Well my plans have changed a bit, instead of doing rear shackles and front keys I found a Superlift lift locally used for a price I couldn't pass up so I'll picking it up soon.

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Posted: Thu Feb 8th, 2018 10:12 pm

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Welcome... !

My only concern is with the Key Cranking for lift !
Ride quality goes south really fast, hard ride, you will notice the hard ride more on the trail than on the street.

I know there isn't much for lift options for the Ranger but try out the stock height first, then decide if you need a lifted ranger or not !

Also, stay away from 16" tires, 16" off-road tires have a load range that is too high for the size of the Ranger. 15" will work or even 17", funny how that works out !

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Posted: Thu Feb 8th, 2018 10:14 pm

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Good deal..!

And 33's are perfect for about 85% of what most people will do on average off of any tarmac. You'll be fine

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