Anyone wanting to lift/level a Ranger Raptor should read this!

[ag02m5]

All of the misinformation being posted on here about strut spacer “not adding any preload” and spring perch spacers “making no difference to the ride” are cracking me up!

It’s your vehicle, do what you want with it, share your own experience and feedback, but please stop telling everyone else that the engineers are wrong.
You don’t know more than them!

Ok. Please explain how the spacer adds more preload since you know so much.

Sponsored

 

[gdub]

I don't have a 2024 Ranger but I do have a 2002 Ranger with over 300K miles on it. I did a torsion bar lift of 1.5 inches shortly after buying it new. I consider a torsion bar lift equivalent to a spacer because it does not create a preload. It just changes the suspension geometry similar to a spacer.

People have argued that it stresses the suspension components and half shafts which causes them to wear quicker. I believe that is true once you get to 2" or more lift with a torsion bar crank. My experience tells me that a 1.5" lift does not create a problem because I didn't have to replace my ball joints or tie rods until about 225K miles and those replacements are still in the vehicle. I did notice the lower ball joint boots began cracking well before the ball joint needed to be replaced. I just siliconed the cracks and kept running them.

I also did not get a stiffer ride like many did when they went too far on the lift. It did reduce the downward travel of the control arms but as long as the stops are not hit, there is no perceived ride roughness. It increases the upward control arm travel which helps a lot off-road which I do a lot of. I also raced in SCCA an an amateur sports car driver for 32 years which gave me a lot of experience with how vehicles handle. I saw no degradation in handling with the 1.5" torsion bar lift and I pushed it to it limits many times.

So my opinion is, a spacer that does not provide more than 1.5" lift is OK.
There may be other negative aspects to it and a suspension lift would be the preferred way, especially if more than 1.5" lift is desired.

I am not an Automotive Engineer, but I am an Aerospace Engineer that worked for Ford Aerospace for 6 years. I helped do the initial R&D work on the composite driveshaft. That should give me at least a little credibility.

 

[joprato]

@gdub , interesting, thanks for sharing.
So, just to make sure I understand clearly, if I want to add some load in the back of the ranger (bed rack with cooler, shovel, water tank etc…) it would be better for the truck and its suspensions to get some better springs rather than doing a lift with spacers, am I understanding this correctly ?

 

[ag02m5]

All of the misinformation being posted on here about strut spacer “not adding any preload” and spring perch spacers “making no difference to the ride” are cracking me up!

It’s your vehicle, do what you want with it, share your own experience and feedback, but please stop telling everyone else that the engineers are wrong.
You don’t know more than them!

Still waiting for your explanation, besides you heard it from someone else.

 

[AlpineBike]

Still waiting for your explanation, besides you heard it from someone else.

For the fifth time, this info is directly from Fox.
If you think you’re smarter than the guys that make this suspension, by all means please call them up and give them a piece of your mind.

 

[ag02m5]

For the fifth time, this info is directly from Fox.
If you think you’re smarter than the guys that make this suspension, by all means please call them up and give them a piece of your mind.

Use some logic.

If you stand on a stool, is the earth somehow exerting more force on your body?

So now you put a spacer between the strut/spring and the body mount.

Where are the additional forces coming from in the second scenario?

The truck doesn't weigh more. Gravity hasn't changed. The springs aren't any more compressed than they were from the factory and the shock is still sitting in the same spot at rest as it was before.

The tie rod angle and the driveshaft angles have changed. That's pretty much it. Can that affect steering and cause premature wear, yes. But so will any lift without correction. Same on the driveshaft angles. Can a spacer lift limit the suspension travel? Yes. But very few are actually stressing our trucks that much. If you are sending it offroad, then yeah the perch collar or springs may be a better option. Stiffer ride but full suspension travel.

 

[AlpineBike]

Use some logic.

If you stand on a stool, is the earth somehow exerting more force on your body?

So now you put a spacer between the strut/spring and the body mount.

Where are the additional forces coming from in the second scenario?

The truck doesn't weigh more. Gravity hasn't changed. The springs aren't any more compressed than they were from the factory and the shock is still sitting in the same spot at rest as it was before.

The tie rod angle and the driveshaft angles have changed. That's pretty much it. Can that affect steering and cause premature wear, yes. But so will any lift without correction. Same on the driveshaft angles. Can a spacer lift limit the suspension travel? Yes. But very few are actually stressing our trucks that much. If you are sending it offroad, then yeah the perch collar or springs may be a better option. Stiffer ride but full suspension travel.

Your logic might apply if the suspension action was 1:1.
McPherson strut geometry is not 1:1 though. That is why a 2” strut spacer somehow magically doesn’t give you 2” of lift.
Not only are you modifying the geometry, you’re also putting more weight on the front springs therefore adding preload.
Anyone who’s ever corner balanced a race car w/ adjustable spring perches would understand this.

 

[AlpineBike]

I like how even though we have this info directly from Fox as well as an engineer at Ford who helped develop the 6G platform and people will still post on here that they are right and everyone else is wrong…

 

[MAV]

So now you put a spacer between the strut/spring and the body mount.

I wish I had measured the total shock/spring length before and after installing the spacer. We know it's very close to the same, but we need proof.

Also, said another way, measure the shock length when a stock truck is sitting level. Then drive up on a 2x6 board (1.5" thickness). Measure it again. No chance the total shock length has changed appreciably.

The tie rod angle and the driveshaft angles have changed. That's pretty much it.

This.

 

[ag02m5]

Your logic might apply if the suspension action was 1:1.
McPherson strut geometry is not 1:1 though. That is why a 2” strut spacer somehow magically doesn’t give you 2” of lift.
Not only are you modifying the geometry, you’re also putting more weight on the front springs therefore adding preload.
Anyone who’s ever corner balanced a race car w/ adjustable spring perches would understand this.

Correct that the lift is not 1:1. A 1.5" spacer gives around 2" of lift on the RR. But I believe that is more due to geometry than any significant load being put into the spring. The strut is not perpendicular to the ground, otherwise it would be closer to 1:1. I'd guess the rear is.

As far as suspension type, the RR is not a McPherson strut. My 91 Porsche is though. I think most would call it a double wishbone.

Yes. I know what corner balancing is. If you add preload to raise a corner, you are adding weight. But again, we are not dealing with preload here with the top spacer.

I do plan to do the lift before long. I will try to get the suspension height settings from Forscan before and after to see how much it changed. I don't expect it to be 100% identical but I also don't expect the changes to be any more than going from a driver only to full family on board. Maybe I can get the readings for that too.

 

[gdub]

Your logic might apply if the suspension action was 1:1.
McPherson strut geometry is not 1:1 though. That is why a 2” strut spacer somehow magically doesn’t give you 2” of lift.
Not only are you modifying the geometry, you’re also putting more weight on the front springs therefore adding preload.
Anyone who’s ever corner balanced a race car w/ adjustable spring perches would understand this.

Corner balancing a race car is different than lifting the front of a Ranger. When corner balancing, one wheel is worked on at a time. Lifting only one corner does in increase the weight on that wheel. Same goes if you lift diagonal corners. That increases weight on both of those wheels as well as taking off weight on the other diagonal wheels.

Lifting the front equally of any vehicle does not increase weight on the front wheels. In fact, it shifts weight to the rear which reduces weight on the front. A two inch lift does not shift a lot of weight to the rear but it certainly is measurable.

Please don't use examples that you are not familiar with. I have 32 years of experience corner balancing race cars and see the flaw in your reasoning.

 

[nedmo]

Man this hurt my brain to read

My names Ned and I own G.O.A.T Offroad in Australia.

We have been making strut top spacers for the next gen Ranger Raptors for 2 years now.

When it comes to lifting Ranger Raptors, strut spacers are the best option. The factory shocks are internal bypass and the bypass zone is set for the shock piston to be at factory position. This bypass zone allows more oil to flow around the piston, giving the plush ride. A spring or perch lift moves the piston out of this bypass zone, making the ride stiffer and negating the big benefits of the Fox shocks.

A strut spacer lift doesn't do that. It makes your overall strut length longer. This has a double positive effect. It gives you more droop for better performance offroad and it also stops bigger tyres from travelling up as far at full compression, giving needed clearance to stop rubbing and or guard damage. Overall wheel travel stays the same.

After significant testing of perch and springs lifts, strut top was the clear winner. Our 2" lift spacers are 32mm thick. We tested up to a 40mm thick, just to stress test CVs and tie rod ends. But at 32mm there is still plenty of angle left for solid reliability.

The Raptor uses an in shock bumpstop, so the strut top spacer doesnt change the relationship between shock travel and bump stop engagement. This is an added benefit for lifting the raptor with spacers over springs or perch collars, as its moving the travel downwards, giving more clearance to the guards with bigger tyres at full compression.

Definitely still need to do a ride height recalibration with a spacer too.

Our spacers have specifically designed for the raptor, so you dont have to cut studs or rotate the shocks. They are by far the strongest design, bolting through the factory shock top.

https://goatoffroad.com.au/products/ranger-raptor-lift-kit

 

[805 Ranger Raptor]

I agree with Ned I had to take advil after reading this and can’t stop thinking about all the F150 Raptors & Broncos that are ruined running lifted on 37’s ‍

Oh don’t tune your RR engine it will blow up but Ford says it’s ok as long as you buy there tune

 

[nedmo]

Further to the above. Lets talk about load carrying.

If you have added weight to your Raptor, from accessories for overlanding etc, and you ride height has sagged, then using strut spacers or perch collars is the incorrect method. This is where springs are required. Your goal should be to increase the spring rate enough to return the ride height to factory with your added load. Then if you want a lift, add strut spacers.

 

[coolshade]

Despite all of the conflicting opinions in here, some good info from nedmo, ag02m5, mav, gdub and others that matches what my experiences have been with lifting various cars using both methods. Thanks for the info. Helpful when deciding between the two options for the RR.

Seems like strut top spacer FTW, because: 1) They keep the shock in essentially the same position at static ride height as stock (which benefits the live valve programming, bypass zones, etc), 2) They don't add spring preload (which in theory can change small bump sensitivity in early parts of travel, although traditionally this has been highly debated), and 3) They actually add more tire clearance relative to the frame/body. The downside is the increased CV angle, but good info from @nedmo that they've analyzed this. Curious to see if people running this have had a higher rate of CV failures over time. Also does seem true that this changes the geometry of the control arms etc, so maybe the leverage curve and so on are slightly different from what the shocks were tuned on.

Also, I don't really see how spring perches add more tire clearance. Think about taking your truck in stock form and sticking 35s on it, and the 35s rub on the crash bars or elsewhere. Adding the spring perch spacers just adds spring preload which raises the truck in it's travel at static ride height. If you then compress the suspension in it's travel by 2" (or whatever lift you achieved through preload), it would then be exactly the same as stock, and rub in all of the same places. You're not really adding any additional clearance.


Have to disagree with AlpineBike on a few points though:

Not only are you modifying the geometry, you’re also putting more weight on the front springs therefore adding preload.

Not true. Adding weight does not add preload to the spring. Preload can be measured at full extension of the shock (truck is on a lift and at full droop, or when the shocks are off the truck), by comparing spring free length vs length when installed on shock. Adding weight through corner balancing or otherwise wouldn't change spring preload. Increasing the overall length of the shock also does not add preload, unless the control arms are already bottomed out in the travel they allow and the shock has to be compressed in order to install them on the truck (sounds like this isn't the case with the RR but would be curious to confirm that).

Anyone who’s ever corner balanced a race car w/ adjustable spring perches would understand this.

Adjusting spring perches on coilovers is adjusting spring preload. That's the same concept as adding the spring perch spacer in this case. If your race car coilovers also had threaded bodies with adjustable lower perches (not the spring perch but at the hub), then you could also adjust the overall length of the coilover and see that you can change ride height by changing the overall length without effecting spring preload, or shock position when sagging at ride height.

Sponsored