by "daender" (daender)
Published 05/09/2017 at 21:00
by "daender" (daender)
Published 05/09/2017 at 21:00
Tags: ranger
STARS: 2
I just bought a set of 15x7 American Racing Torq-Thrust Ds and a set of Firestone all-seasons for pop’s ‘01 Ranger to the tune of $960 before mail-in rebates. Why did I spend that much money on a vehicle that isn’t mine? Because pops and I carpool 100 miles each day to work and I’m 100% done with having the steering wheel shake at interstate speeds because the tires and/or wheels are out of whack. There’s the Miata for carpooling but the truck is comfortable and I don’t have to worry about not being able to drive if my left knee locks up yet again. We tried re-balancing the tires, the front suspension was recently rebuilt at the Ford dealership because the PO bent up the tie-rods, and we replaced the shocks as of February with new, factory-enough spec replacements. The Ranger has the stock 15x7 steel and chrome wheels with GT Grabbers, which are more of an on-off road tire than a commuting tire. Rather than do just wheels, I bought the Torq-Thrusts because they’re on sale for $114 rather than $205 ($204?) at 44% off!
I have no regrets, I’m looking forward to driving the what is possibly the only Bright Island Blue Metallic Ranger rocking these bad boys!
...I’m still going to spend money later on for the 19.5 gal fuel tank and LSD rear end. I’m building the ultimate factory NB2 Miata and now I’m onto building my version of the ultimate factory, street-focused, North American, 2nd-gen Ranger. :B
"Maxima Speed" (maximaspeed)
05/09/2017 at 21:05, STARS: 2
Show us pics when you finish up.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
05/09/2017 at 21:06, STARS: 1
I always wanted to upgrade the wheels on my ‘94, but never got around to it. Those look pretty good!
My truck has the larger gas tank. Fillups were less frequent, but expensive. Mine didn’t have the LSD, another thing I always wanted.
Although it keeps running, at 269,000 miles, it’s probably going to end up in the junkyard soon.
"daender" (daender)
05/09/2017 at 21:10, STARS: 0
I sure will! I already bought an used set of black Westin’ Nerf Bars a few weeks ago and they changed the look of it for the better. Having the black-spoke T-TD’s is going to look SICK .
"daender" (daender)
05/09/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 1
Ours is healthy at 72k miles and I’m looking forward to logging several thousand more after this. Having a 16 gal tank means we’re filling up every other day (100 mile round trip, 90% interstates and highways, at roughly 11 gallons a day). Having that extra 3.5 gallons would mean we could fill up every three days like we did in his old S197 Mustang GT and in my Miata.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
05/09/2017 at 21:54, STARS: 0
Ultimate Ranger would have long-travel suspension.
Just sayin.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/09/2017 at 21:56, STARS: 1
Nice buy!
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
05/10/2017 at 00:55, STARS: 1
Looks nice, I think you can’t go wrong with torque thrusts on anything american. Got them on my Chevy, in gray though
"daender" (daender)
05/10/2017 at 05:06, STARS: 0
I thought about finding FX4 Level II suspension but I was also thinking of sourcing SLP Thunderbolt lowering springs and sway bar.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
05/10/2017 at 11:38, STARS: 0
Yeah, I’m not a fan of stock ride height trucks. They’re the worst of both worlds. If you’re gonna go off road, lift it, big tires, soft suspension. If you aren’t, lower it. Lowered trucks get better fuel economy (smaller frontal area) and are easier to load shit into and they drive way better.
Also, autox ranger.
"daender" (daender)
05/10/2017 at 18:54, STARS: 0
Here’s the odd thing, I noticed Ranger and B-series ride heights are all over the place. B-series tend to ride lower unless they’re the Dual Sport model and/or 4x4. Rangers come in all different heights depending on the engines, 4x2 vs 4x4, and packages. It’s worse than Miata springs!
At the same time: Mmm, Thunderbolt...
I just want the intake, exhaust, rolled rear bumper, spoiler, and suspension. I don’t need the body kit, especially that gaudy front bumper and fake hood scoop.
Also, I recently learned I can not simply replace the chrome grill insert with the honeycomb variant from the Ranger Edge. I apparently need to change the hood and replace the entire front grill and surround as they’re that different.
True Edge on left, regular Ranger with the Edge grill/surround swap on right. Notice the gap between the top of the grill to the hood on the swapped truck.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
05/10/2017 at 19:25, STARS: 1
This is pretty much peak Ranger for me, except it would be a Mazda B4000 with a manual. Mmmmm....
"daender" (daender)
05/10/2017 at 19:34, STARS: 1
Minus the hood scoop and Takata air bag, hell yes. I am looking forward to eventually buying the Ranger from pops and dropping a modular V8 of some type.
On the other hand...V8 Rally Danger-Ranger! Except in the ‘01+ body style.