Let's see your Rangers and mods done.

[thethePete]

Yeah I feel really silly having contemplated this swap for so long and glazing over that part. Check those other axles I mentioned, otherwise the Jeep guys seem to run the spidertrax spacers all the time, so you won't immediately crash and die, but they're not my choice of solution.

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

 

[Ole Nasty]

Different kind of Ranger but plenty capable off road.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[SSPBill]

FX4 Level II





'03 FX4 Level II, 5 speed with manual transfer. These trucks have the 8.8 rear end with a Torsen diff and 31 spline axels along with f150 sized brakes front and rear. The previous owner did a Superlift diff. drop with fox/coilovers, Duratrac 33 x 12.5's and generally kept it in great shape. It's mostly stock otherwise. I have other projects in front of it but I have been toying with improving the stock leafs/lift blocks. The 4-door Explorer springs or 63" GM springs are the options I have been looking at. For now it's a daily driver.

 

[RedF]

2006 FX4, 33x10.5 BFG KMs on factory Alcoas, C4x4 winch bumper, Warn M8000, Alpine DVD, heated seats, JD traction bars, Range Rider topper. I've had it for nearly 10 years, it's been a great little truck.

 

[thethePete]

evel2 trucks definitely were a nice package. Always kinda lusted after them, but a front diff isn't a requirement for exploration back home like it is in the mountains.

As a small update to the Explorer axle swap escapade, I've done some digging and I think I found a spring setup that will bolt in and let me keep it SUA, which will give more up travel (better ride with a lower ride height), and help with axle wrap. I'll update, and probably start a build thread once I do it. Should be within the next month or so.

Also, a pic of my truck, just for the sake of the thread...

Just a little day trip with the family on Sunday.

 

[SSPBill]

I really only need the front diff to get out of my driveway. If anyone remembers the mess in Buffalo NY last year, I live 5-6 miles in for the red arrow right on the lake shore. That's a picture of the first 5' of snow, getting ready for the second 5'. That was the first winter with this or any truck. Up until then I was a road racing guy so my timing was spot-on.

 

[UltraHDGames]

A front diff for sure would help in our Canadian winters. I'm hoping with these bigger/better tires and hopefully soon a limited slip I'll do better next winter

 

[thethePete]

Bah. Get winters and throw 300lbs in the box. Ran my truck in Northern Ontario for 2 years (grew up there) and my buddy ran his for nearly 10 years, never needed 4x4 for driving in the winter. If you get lots of icy conditions, stud. The only reason I wish I had a front diff now, is the hills. Out here stuff gets real steep real fast, and having front axles is nice for climbing with a bit more control, and keeping your tires from locking up on descents.

 

[SSPBill]

I actual do agree. This was the only weekend I truely needed 4 wheel drive. All other instances have been by choice. As I said, I have been a car guy up to now and I loved my studded snows.

So on the topic of tires and in the original spirit of the tread... the Goodyear Duratec's seem to be a good compromise tire for roads, trails and snow. They are pretty stable on the road and they have a descent number of sipes for snow and ice.

Keep the tech coming on your rear spring project. Spring is around the corner and I'm ready to hit the U-pull-it.

 

[UltraHDGames]

For the last 2 years I ran bfg all terrains and wasn't really impressed, its only snowed once since I got my ******** cepek fun countrys put on but they seem to handle much better starting and stopping, I already have decent box weight from the camper shell but an extra 150 pounds of sand bags wouldn't hurt(another reason for explorer leafs hehe)

 

[thethePete]

All seasons are not all seasons. And M&S ratings aren't effective in snow.

The truth of tires is that winter tires work better in anything below 7*C. Anything lower than that and the rubber compounds in non-winter tires get hard. Some A/T tires perform better than others in the winter, but none of them will perform as good as a true winter tire, and anyone who says otherwise has never driven on real winter tires.

The Duratracs are kinda polarizing. Some people love them and they last forever, some people they're trashed in 60K... Either way, my dad switched to them and the next year bought a set of real winter tires. Needless to say, he switches them seasonally. So even though they're pretty good for a mud tire, they're still not a winter tire. If I absolutely had to run only one set of tires, they'd probably be it. Also, being a digital tread, they're nice and quiet on the road.

That said, I run Hercules Avalanche Extremes year round. They are a fantastic winter tire. I have about 30k on mine and still have 50% tread life left. I have run them all year round for 2 years, driving my truck like I stole it. I keep my pressures set properly all the time and they're wearing great. If I switched them off during the summer, I'd easily get 4-5 years out of them. I may replace them this summer with an A/T tire and keep them for winter tires, but that's still up in the air.

I've got a lot of specialized tire experience, so I'm a bit of a stickler for proper tires. Winters are winters, all seasons are for the other 3 seasons of the year. Avalanches are the only winter tires I've seen that won't wear down to nothing in the summer, and I would never run a non-winter tire in the winter.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Some BFG KO/KO2 have the "mountain snow flake" symbol. But it's complete horsecrap- at least the KO variety. I've had real winter tires (Hankook iPike, Michelin X-Ice and some others that came on the wheels I bought) and those are great.

I do like my KO as an all around tire though. I don't drive them very much in the snow on the street (because they suck- and I have another vehicle), but aired down snow wheeling they do pretty well. And in the dirt and rocks they are good. In mud they aren't very good but I live in a place that doesn't get a lot of mud.

 

[Starkman]

Here is mine, but sold it long ago. Now have an Explorer.

Skyjacker 6" longarm, 33" BFG ATs, 4.56 geared, ARB locker in front, never got to install the Explorer rear diff, everything else custom.

I like the BFG ATs in the snow...

 

[UltraHDGames]

 

[Ryan Ronning]

Here is mine. Notable mods are in my signature but the biggest up coming mods are putting in my Jeep Dana 44 Rubicon axles and a little further down the road is swapping in a 5.0 out of a Ford Explorer