My brother is considering getting a lift kit on his 2000 Ford Ranger in the future. He wants a six inch lift kit. Was wandering about how much and what companies sell them?
There are many companies that sell them. Rancho, Superlift, SkyJacker, Pro-Comp, Fabtech, etc. Whatever you do, don’t go with the cheapest solution. I have a 4 inch Dick Cepek lift on my Bronco. The kit I bought had new radius arms instead of drop brackets, so it was on the high end of the price scale (about $1200). There are other things that you’ll want to consider as well. Chances are that your brother is going to want much bigger tires (6 inches is a lot of lift on a Ranger) So he’ll probably want to re-gear to compensate for the tall tires, figure another $1200 if the truck is 4WD, half that if it’s 2WD. Unless he’s a poseur he’ll also want a rear locker, while air or electric lockers are the most desirable, mechanical lockers are an option if you don’t mind some noise when the truck is driven on the street, figure about $400 for a mechanical locker ( I like the Powertrax No-Slip) or $600-$800 for an air/electric locker (on demand) A steering stabilizer will also be needed, figure about $200 for that. Also keep in mind that with these modifications. The trucks fuel mileage will suffer, handling will be less-than-sure-footed, and wear and tear items will not last nearly as long. Overall expect to spend about $2000-$2500 in parts, and another $2000 in labor to it right.
First check with your local DMV. Many states have laws on how much you can lift a vehicle. We have a bunch of trucks in this town I use to live in that had lift kits way beyond the legal limit. Then one day one of those trucks went through a red light and drove right over a honda accord…crushing a 10yo girl inside. The police started cracking down on all these trucks to make them legal. You should have seen these trucks with these super small tires on their truck to get them down to normal heights without spending days and a lot of money removing the lift kit.
Second…what kind of lift kit do you want to put in. If you have a full frame you can put in a body lift kit. This is less expensive and much easier to do. The other lift kit is a suspension lift. To this right it can easily cost $2k or more. And 6" is NOT a simple lift. It may require replacing suspension parts to achieve that height.
Body Lifts are a bad idea and should only be used to level a vehicle (1 inch would be the max). While they are much cheaper, they can result in steering column issues, brake/gas pedal issues bumper height issues, and snapped electrical wires. Also they do little to actualy improve the off-road performance of the vehicle as suspension travel stays the same. It’s for those who want the look of a lifted truck, but none of the ability.
I’ve done a body lift kit before…and I agree with you on all counts. But those problems are not insurmountable. In fact most of them can be addressed pretty easily.
It’s for those who want the look of a lifted truck, but none of the ability.
Couldn’t agree more. It really doesn’t give you much functionality. The only thing it gives you is the ability to add larger tires without them rubbing (that was the reason I installed a lift kit on a friends Datsun Pickup).
Thanks for the information.
Also was wandering what the lift law is in the state of NC.
You’ll have to check with the DMV.