WHY DIDN'T THESE COME STOCK - Redline Tuning Hood Struts on The Ranger Raptor

[adrouin64]

These forums are not good for my bank account. Just ordered these today.

Sorrryyyyyyyy. LMAO this site gets me all the time..

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[CoastieN70]

I'd like to address the "hard to close" issue.
The struts open and hold the hood a bit more (higher) than using the hood prop and in doing this, the hood is at the maximum strut length and you could say the hood is opened slightly "over center."
When it comes time to close the hood, it is necessary to "get the strut moving" and move the hood to a point where its weight aids in the lowering of the hood. This is why some say it is hard to close the hood with the struts installed.
Add to that those who are "Vertically Challenged" and you have the "perfect storm" of hood closing.
I am just shy of 6 feet tall, and I don't have long arms so in order for me to close my hood in most situations I have to grab the hood latch to get the hood moving.
I find this is a small price to pay for the convivence of effortless hood opening and not having to navigate the hood prop.

 

[adrouin64]

I'd like to address the "hard to close" issue.
The struts open and hold the hood a bit more (higher) than using the hood prop and in doing this, the hood is at the maximum strut length and you could say the hood is opened slightly "over center."
When it comes time to close the hood, it is necessary to "get the strut moving" and move the hood to a point where its weight aids in the lowering of the hood. This is why some say it is hard to close the hood with the struts installed.
Add to that those who are "Vertically Challenged" and you have the "perfect storm" of hood closing.
I am just shy of 6 feet tall, and I don't have long arms so in order for me to close my hood in most situations I have to grab the hood latch to get the hood moving.
I find this is a small price to pay for the convivence of effortless hood opening and not having to navigate the hood prop.

This is fair. Can confirm that at 5'7" with a 2" lift and 35s it's slightly harder to REACH the hood LOL. I guess when you're used to having the hood fall on it's own, having to put some effort into closing may be off putting to those who don't know any better.

I'll reiterate that these are very much on par (if not lighter) than a lot of other hood struts both aftermarket and stock that I've felt before. They certainly are not heavy enough to where I would ever think it would damage the hood.

I did reach out to the owner of Redline Tuning about this (not really an issue) to see if maybe there was an early batch that may have been sprung a bit heavier and this is what he said:

"No, nothing has changed on the force of the gas springs since we released this system in July of 2024. We design these system for over 450 different vehicles and valve each system according to the weight of the factory hood."

 

[skytrucker]

Yep! Would’ve happily paid and extra $100 for my truck to have these stock…the only difference now is I gave ford free labour to install them and the brackets aren’t colour matched…

did you remove the prop or just leave it permanently in its clips?

 

[adrouin64]

Yep! Would’ve happily paid and extra $100 for my truck to have these stock…the only difference now is I gave ford free labour to install them and the brackets aren’t colour matched…

did you remove the prop or just leave it permanently in its clips?

I took the prop off, it's only (1) 10 mm bolt to remove it.

 

[Jason B]

Yep! Would’ve happily paid and extra $100 for my truck to have these stock…the only difference now is I gave ford free labour to install them and the brackets aren’t colour matched…

did you remove the prop or just leave it permanently in its clips?

Ford would have charged you $250.

 

[skytrucker]

Ford would have charged you $250.

Ha! I guess my 20 minutes of labour could be worth $150!

 

[fordtrks4ever]

Yep! Would’ve happily paid and extra $100 for my truck to have these stock…the only difference now is I gave ford free labour to install them and the brackets aren’t colour matched…

did you remove the prop or just leave it permanently in its clips?

Did not remove the prop.

 

[NM Mike]

did you remove the prop or just leave it permanently in its clips?

I just finished installing mine a bit ago. I left the prop rod in for now. I may remove it some time in the future.
I didn’t have to adjust hood stops, and I don’t find the hood hard to close. I’m not seeing any negative aspect of installing them.

 

[waffleso_0]

I just finished installing mine a bit ago. I left the prop rod in for now. I may remove it some time in the future.
I didn’t have to adjust hood stops, and I don’t find the hood hard to close. I’m not seeing any negative aspect of installing them.

good to know! Can you link the exact SKU? I see they have a two versions?

 

[NM Mike]

https://www.redlinetuning.com/2024-Ford-Ranger-Hood-QuickLIFT-PLUS-p/21-11047-02.htm

I went with the less expensive black ones. I didn’t see the need for the elite struts.

 

[landiscarrier]

good to know! Can you link the exact SKU? I see they have a two versions?

Redline also sell them through their Amazon store. That’s where I got mine from plus received them in 1 day.

 

[skytrucker]

https://www.redlinetuning.com/2024-Ford-Ranger-Hood-QuickLIFT-PLUS-p/21-11047-02.htm

I went with the less expensive black ones. I didn’t see the need for the elite struts.

Yeah, same. The elite struts are stainless, and carry a longer warranty - that’s the only difference I can see…

agree - I see no down side!

 

[JJT]

I have been checking the Redline Tuning website and I noticed that there are two versions of hood struts: one for the aluminum hood and another for the steel hood, which is the version fitted to European models. I understand that the resistance of the struts varies depending on the hood material and weight. In this case, the stiffer version is intended for the steel hood, so if someone is having difficulty closing it, it may be because they were supplied with the higher-force struts.

 

[Watchdog62]

I’ve put hood struts on pretty much every vehicle I’ve owned, so this was one was obviously going to make its way on the truck too. For around $100, it’s just one of those upgrades that feels like a no-brainer.

I went with the Redline Tuning hood strut kit for the 2024 Ranger

If you watch my video and check the product page you’ll get the full rundown, but here’s what stood out to me:

• Really straightforward install, took maybe 20 minutes (if that)
• Made in America
• Struts are tuned for the truck, so no excessive stress on the aluminum hood
• 4–5 year warranty (depending on the version you get)
• Hood opens about 4.5" higher than the stock prop rod

No more dealing with the prop rod and it just feels cleaner and more modern. Small mod, but makes a big impact.

Guess its hard times at Ford and selling 60k+ trucks My 2019 Larriot had struts, under hood light and a engine cover!

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