I was wondering what upgrades are avaible for the ranger, and what the best upgrades are, I do not have a ranger yet, but will have one soon

 

What kind of upgrades, engine, lift kits, stereo's, gives a little more detail please!!!!

 

mainly engine, suspension not a big lift and sound system

 

with manual trans, hurst shifter. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3216869

 

The bama engine programer is one of the biggest bangs for the buck, will give you a real noticable hp increase. Also under drive pullies is another good upgrade that makes a big difference. A decent catback is a must, doesn't really make more hp, but you gotta have a nice rumble. 4:10 gears will give it a some real pep if it's doesn't allready have them. Also you want the 4.0 V-6 as the 3.0 is a real dog as far as performance in comparison between the two. You can get the bama programer at www.bama chips.com.

 

Well if you don't want to shift for yourself, maybe consider the 4.0L engine, with the 5spd auto OD tranny & a factory tow package, it's a nice combo & improves driveability & handeling.

If you want to tow, then consider the factory class-3 frame mounted hitch, it's nice & well constructed.

If you don't need 4X4, but want to tow, or travel some off road, or live where it snows, also consider the limited slip rear axle for the 4X2.

If you need more cab space & want easy access to it, consider the 4dr extended cab.

If you'll be climbing in & out of the bed, or hauling things, consider a "Line-X" spray in bed liner.

If it's often foggy where you live, then consider fog lamps.

If you'll be doing long highwy runs, then Cruise Control is worth the extra cost imo.

I have a painted to match bug shield on the hood that looks good. Doesn't do much to deflect bugs off the windshield though, just moves their strike zone up some, but it sure stopped the stone strikes on the hood.

Also installed vent visors on the side windows & they sure help keep cabin temps down in summer time when it's hot, or keep the weather out when it rains, so their worth consideration imo. Also had them painted to match too.

I have the sliding rear window too, but don't think much of it, as it's noisey when opened at highway speeds & tends to suck in debris from the bed & a draft blows on the drivers right ear & thats aggrivating.
The only thing I found it was good for, was when it was open & I locked myself out on the boat ramp. Was able to use a fishing rod through it to hit the unlock button & redeem myself!!!! lol

Some Factory & Dealer upgrade thoughts for pondering if your Ranger will be new.

I special orderded mine, so I got this puppy mostly outfitted like I wanted it from the get-go!!!!

 

a trailer can be a good accesory also.

 

With the newer 4x4 ranger lift kits are very expensive. Away around it is to crank up the torsion bars to level the truck. This will allow you to fit up to a 33x12.50 under it. You can run up to a 32" tire without doing anything, they have big wheel openings.

 

Remember when we modify the OEM design, like messing with the front end geometry, or adding larger tires, or adding the wrong performance chip, theirs a piper to pay.

Altering the vehicles suspension & adding larger diameter heavier tires, can seriously affect the handeling, like making it more tippy, have longer stops, a rougher ride, wider turn radius and the wear out rate on parts like the steering linkages, power steering pump & rack, brakes, wheel bearings, shocks & other runnng gear parts & stress on the frame, goes up.

For a few dollars, with the wrong performance chip, we can mess up the engine, tranny & exhaust system, all of which are BIG dollar items to fix!!!!

So we need to completely & carefully think through our definition of "whats available" & what are the "best upgrades", to do for our Ranger!!!!

There is a BIG difference between the definition of whats "best" & what we think is "cool"!!!!

Every available aftermarket Ranger alteration isn't necessarily good for our ride, so we need to think them through & choose carefully.

If the vehicle is still under a warranty, we have to be careful of the aftemarket mods made, so that they don't null the warranty, in case we need it.

OEM factory upgrades have been designed for the vehicle, are safe to do & covered by the warranty.

More upgrade thoughts for pondering.

 

Cranking up the stock torsion bar to lift any truck is a bad idea. By cranking on your torsion bar, you are adding extra stress on the torsion bar that it was not designed for

 

Well, I cranked mine on my 04 and had it that wat all the time I owned it untill I got my 09 without an issue. It is done all the time and is very common for us off roaders as lift kits start 1,500$ for the t-bar suspension. I sugested by experience not hear say.

 

I'm Just saying that from my experiance as an ASE Certified Auto tech that lifting your vehicle with a Factory torsion bar is not the best idea, It can make the bars wear quicker than wanted

 

A small t bar crank is really not going to have any long term affect, a 1.5" crank will give you a level ride and help to transfer some of the weight to the mid section/rear of truck instead of the weight wanting to go to the front b/c the nose is in the weeds. A lift of over 1.5" is where the bars start to tweak out, some folks have gotten 3" of lift with the t bars. Not so good for the bars. Stock tires are 31" tall going to 33" tires is not going to cause a lot of breakage/ pre mature wear, the Rangers are really a little overbuilt. The tires will not tax the motor/tranny too much more than hauling 400 or 500 # around in the bed, the power/fuel econ loss is about the same, and on long trips better mileage will be achieved due to lower cruise rpms. A less agressive a/t style tire is best for mostly street use. But I dont know alot about "street" use. Others results may vary. The 33" tire is the new "trendy" tire. Any smaller, just dont bother.

 

The t-bars have preloads on them from the factory, thats hope they work. A little more isn't gonna hurt nothing. I mean they will will wear out, but they will anyway. Thats how ford made the 2000 2wd trail head edition, they cranked the t-bars to make look like a 4x4. It's done so much, that if there were any real ill effects from it you would know about it from the forums. I had mine cranked for 5 years with no problems. They weren't cranked much, just enough to level.

 

X2 agreed.