Photo: Ford
Off the factory floor, four-wheel-drive pickup trucks usually don’t come equipped as standard with all the hardware needed for the ultimate off-road experience. Buyers typically have to dig deeper into their pockets to get all the tech they want, when and if it is available.
Until this week, for instance, Ford did not have in its parts catalog an after-market off-road leveling suspension kit for two of its best selling pickups, the Ranger and the F-150. And that was a pity, Ford says, as most of the sales for the two models involve four-wheel drive cars, meaning owners do dream of going into the wild.
To fix this, the Blue Oval announced this week the introduction, for the first time, of an off-road leveling suspension kit for the two models.
The kits include Fox shock absorbers, Ford Performance tuning, 2-inch front lift, new front coil overs, vehicle-specific upper front mounts and locking spring pre-load rings. With these on, there should be no stopping the trucks even in the harshest of environments.
Ford says it tested the vehicles fitted with this hardware in both high-speed and low-speed operation, in Borrego, California, and in Arizona, respectively. And judging by what they found, these kits might be the right investment to make.
In the Ranger, the new setup accounted for 21 percent increase in approach angle and a 10 percent increase in breakover angle, while in the F-150 recorded 22 percent increase in approach angle and 7 percent increase in breakover angle.
“The elevated off-road geometry, paired with Ford Performance tuning, makes this a really unique offering,” said in a statement Eric Cin, the head of Ford’s personalization division.
“The secret sauce to this kit is in the Ford Performance tuning. This suspension and its tuning are designed to improve off-road handling and responsiveness, specifically for Ranger and F-150.”
The new suspension kit will become available for order later this fall. Ford did not announce pricing for it yet.
To fix this, the Blue Oval announced this week the introduction, for the first time, of an off-road leveling suspension kit for the two models.
The kits include Fox shock absorbers, Ford Performance tuning, 2-inch front lift, new front coil overs, vehicle-specific upper front mounts and locking spring pre-load rings. With these on, there should be no stopping the trucks even in the harshest of environments.
Ford says it tested the vehicles fitted with this hardware in both high-speed and low-speed operation, in Borrego, California, and in Arizona, respectively. And judging by what they found, these kits might be the right investment to make.
In the Ranger, the new setup accounted for 21 percent increase in approach angle and a 10 percent increase in breakover angle, while in the F-150 recorded 22 percent increase in approach angle and 7 percent increase in breakover angle.
“The elevated off-road geometry, paired with Ford Performance tuning, makes this a really unique offering,” said in a statement Eric Cin, the head of Ford’s personalization division.
“The secret sauce to this kit is in the Ford Performance tuning. This suspension and its tuning are designed to improve off-road handling and responsiveness, specifically for Ranger and F-150.”
The new suspension kit will become available for order later this fall. Ford did not announce pricing for it yet.
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