Making the 2024 Ranger Lariat super offroad capable?

[Antman450]

I just got my Ranger Lariat this weekend and am interested in modding and upgrading the suspension.

So, I am aware of the Raptor's suspension upgrades that make it so nice offroad, but I want to make my Lariat as cable or more capable (possible?).

My question is, what can I do to make the Lariat as/more capable as the Raptor. I imagine with the live valve shocks and things like that, you can't throw Raptor stuff on a lariat. So, what after market suspension setup can I go with. Would I do coilovers on all four corners, wheels and tires, watts link (not sure if needed), and what else?

Money is not a huge concern, I am willing to throw 5 or 10K at the suspension alone if needed. Also, ride quality on the road is less of a concern than capability offroad. I know that there are often trade-offs, but maybe I am not literate enough to know. I mainly race motorcycles and my Mustang race car, new to offroad.

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[HighDesertRanger]

Ford is supposed to be releasing an ORV (Off Road Vehicle) package at some point through Ford Performance. It includes a whole new suspension by ARB. ARB hasn't released anything for the US market yet, but I expect they will soon.

 

[pablo94sc]

If you're new to off roading, you may want to see how capable you and the truck are first by taking your truck to an off road park. You may find it completely capable of handling what you want or are comfortable doing. I say that as someone who is totally comfortable hooning a Mazda CX-5 off road deep in BLM areas. It's not about the vehicle as much as knowing what it's NOT capable of and your skill navigating off road obstacles. Otherwise you'll end up spending thousands on an off road recovery and repairs to your truck.

 

[Antman450]

Already did the offroad park stuff, did a few hundred miles actually since Friday. The truck is very capable stock, but I want to make it as capable as I can while still keeping it reasonable capable of road trips and pulling my small motorcycle trailer to the race track. This is often a s 600 - 1500 mile trip each way.

I am new to offroad modding of my own truck, but not new to offroading. I used to have a Tundra that I had Fabtech build into a prerunner in 2008. That was sick but cost me like 70K for the build (not including price of the truck). I had tons of fun with that, but I want to go smaller on the ranger as that Tundra would have been a pain to use to tow anything. And I have been racing cars and motorcycles since, not offroading stuff, so I am a bit behind in the times.

 

[Wayfaring Ranger]

I agree on waiting a bit to see what ARB USA/Ford Performance starts selling. ARB (AU) has a ton of great accessories but they just haven't started shipping them this way yet.

 

[Antman450]

Yup, that is what I was thinking. I am thinking the following:

1. The best bolt on suspension that comes out, ARB or otherwise.
2. Twin lockers, not sure on who has this, but there are some for the Aussies. I don't have the rear locker, which sucks, but aftermarket lockers will surely be available.
3. Tires and wheels TBD.
4. Any engine power upgrades that come out. The 2.3 is pretty dang good already, but you can never have enough power. I have a home shop for my other racing endeavors, so rebuilding engines is super fun for me and easy in my shop.
5. Maybe upgraded brakes, but offroad does not seem to need this much. I know for my race car that brakes were 16K alone, but so needed.

Anything else you guys can think of? I am really excited to get into the offroad modding scene now. Like a new hobby, of which I have many. LOL

 

[Wayfaring Ranger]

I'd consider a few things that aren't on your list:

rock sliders, front bumper with a winch, an AUX switch bank to power the winch and some ditch lights or a lightbar, and maybe a built-in air compressor? could also look at beadlock wheels like te raptor has if you plan on airing down.

 

[Antman450]

I'd consider a few things that aren't on your list:

rock sliders, front bumper with a winch, an AUX switch bank to power the winch and some ditch lights or a lightbar, and maybe a built-in air compressor? could also look at beadlock wheels like te raptor has if you plan on airing down.

Yeah, that seems like a given and I will be doing all that, but I was focusing this thread on performance oriented parts, things that will make a difference in handling and capabilities. I have those all added to my list though. LOL

However, I would like to hear about options for Aux switch banks. I am not sure if any are available yet. The one right by the sunglass holder would be nice.

 

[coldconfession13]

Should have gotten at least the FX4 package with rear locker

 

[LoneStarCaviar]

Probably impossible to do the Watts link, you won’t have the mounting points or special rear axle to accommodate for it. I’ve also heard the frames on the RR are considerably different than non RRs. For power, look into the whipple intercooler and charge pipe upgrade. Doing it on a copart wrecked 2 door 2.3 Bronco we just bought to make crazy. Not sure if any Bronco parts interchange, but if they do we are getting the falcon coilovers for it, from teraflex. I’ve also been looking at wheels, and besides beadlocks, I’m looking at HRE FT1s, Weld Ledge 6s, Reika R35 Ramblers, Vossen HFX1s, Vorsteiner VR601BLs, or fifteen52 Range HDs. I’ll try to get some not made in China, but might be hard.
Hate to be the one to say it, but if you’re gonna spend more on a lariat vs a Raptor, you should have probably gotten the Raptor to start. good luck.

 

[gdub]

There are different types of off-road wheeling. The Raptor is more for going high speeds across the desert. That is where the Watts linkage works really well. As the rear suspension is moving up and down, you don't get the side movement of the axle like you can get with a panhard bar type system. It is important to keep the rear axle stable at high speeds.

That is not as important when rock crawling or your typical off-road trails. So, you need to consider what type of off-road wheeling you are going to do before you start looking for how to make your Ranger better for it.

For my needs, I will go for a Tremor or a Tremor like suspension. That will meet my needs very well with minor modifications.

 

[Antman450]

Thanks for the info. I would fab up the mounts for the Watts and get the diff cover for it. I did it on my Mustang race car before going to a cambered rear end. For street racing, a cambered rear end can't be beat.

I am hoping to get this better than a Raptor for high or low speed, if that is possible. I know on my Tundra, back in 2008, Fabtech made that thing ridiculous. I might give them a call again and see what they can do but still keep my ability to tow my motorcycle trailer. If I link up the rear like my old Tundra, I can't tow anything.

LoneStar, I am looking at the RTR wheels, unless I go beadlock. Check those out if you haven't. I think they are lighter than stock wheels. The HREs are pretty nice though too.

 

[HighDesertRanger]

Ideally, something like this is what I would want for my truck. If I don’t just opt for a Raptor. Though there are definitely things I prefer in a basic XLT.

https://www.arb.com.au/next-generation-ford-ranger-builds/serious-offroader/

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