NaViG8R

Hey guys, first post here.

I've searched a lot and come up with more questions.

I have a 01 Navigator that I would like to lift so I could fit 33" tall tires on 10" wide wheels. I'm don't personally like the look of narrrow rims with off-road tires, so keep that in mind as I know I could get away wiht little lift if I used stock rims or 8" wide wheels and 33" tall tires, but I like the look of a wide tire on a wide wheel. I know the Navigator shares the same chassis with the expedition and there are a few lift kits out for it, but heres the problem. I have the A-Wheel drive (all wheel driveor Auto- all wheel drive) AND the pesky 4 wheel air ride systems and all the lift kit companies say "You shouldn't lift a vehicle with All Wheel drive or lift the truck with 4 wheel air-ride". Now this is the 4 wheel air ride I'm talking about, not just the rear.

I don't think the Ford "All-Wheel" drive is truely all wheel drive. It seems to be dissengaged till there is rear wheel spin, then it seems like the transfer case locks to allow the front wheels to get power, much like my 96 Explorer was. So all the lift companies (FabTech mainly) say because the front drive shaft is alway spinning, there will be bad vibration if I lift my rig. But I'm thinking not so.... if my thoughts on the Ford AWD is correct, as in not engaged unless there is rear wheel spin. Anyone know for sure how it works? Is it truely All time All wheel drive and the front shaft is always spinning or is it simply all wheel drive when the system detects rear wheel slippage? I've also noticed the Rancho lift system states the AWD models might have drive line vibration and they recommend a special drive shaft. I assume this is for the front.

SO, should I get the FabTech lift and use the drive shaft from Rancho (I can get a great deal on the FabTech and its 6" were the Rancho is 4" I think)?

Moreover...... the damned air ride. What a PAIN its been. I've replaced the front shocks many times now, only to have NEW ones leak and today one BLEW UP. YES BLEW the heck up on me leaving a shock in 3 pieces (the last straw). All the lift kit manufactures say air ride equipt vehicles cannot be lifted. I know if its rear only air ride no problem but the 4 wheels seems to be a problem. I know the trucks be it air ride or not share all the same front suspension parts with the exception of the front shocks. It seems the front shock mounts on the air ride have a much higher shock mounting position, so all I'd need is a longer shock correct? I have NO problem deleting the air ride, infact I'd perfere it as its been a PAIN in the butt.

Anyone with experiance here on lifting an AWD Expedition or NAvigator?? Lastly..... could I get away with a 2.5" torsion lift and spacer in the rear and run some 33" tires on a 10" wide wheel with only minor trimming? I was thinking eliminating the factory runing boards and getting some tubular ones that don't go all the way the the front fender well so I get more space. Bear in mind the Expedition/Navi share F-150 front ends and fenders openings.

Thanks for the help~
~Mike............

NaViG8R

dug a little bit more....

Racho is only a 4" lift, so the drive line angles wouldn't be as extreme as the FabTech 6" would be. I also found replacement drive shafts for the front to offset vibration P/N[31911001] Powertrain 800-798-4585. So I guess the fabTech would be out, as I don't want any vibration. Stil pricey to lift though seeing the rancho lift kits are roughly $1500 then another $390 for the drive shaft not to mention wheels and tires.

Again, could i get away with a 2.5" torsion twist lift and 33's on 10" wide wheels? Maybe a 2" body ontop of that though I'd really prefer not to do a body lift.

~Mike............

tyler17

torsion lifts are legit. they can fit 33's try that first it'll save you money

Ty

I clear 32's easily on no lift and 8 inch wide wheels, so I think 33's on 10 inch wheels with the PERFECT spacing would be possible.

NaViG8R

Little update.

I didn't end up getting a lift kit. I did however, ditch the air ride. I got some coilovers to replace the front shock absorbers/airbags. For the rear I got replacement coil springs and some KYB MONOMAX absorbers.

Now for the lift part. I had to buy lift torsion keys, as I maxed out the stockers and it barely made it stock Expedition height even with the helper coilover in the front. I suppose they use softer torsion bars on the air ride vehicles. For the rear I got 2" lift spacers and I also added some air bag bladders to the inside of the coil springs. This way when I tow, I just add air to level it out. I wanted to utilize the factory leveling system, but it just won’t function the way I wanted, so it’s not auto adjust, which is fine, the only time I need to adjust it is when I'm towing. So now I'm sitting about 3" of lift, plenty of droop travel in the front and I swapped out my 22" (305/40/22) for some more appropriate tires for my driving style and a 4X4 vehicle. I got some Eagle 16X10 wheels and Toyo M/T tires in a 305/70-16 size. Its essentially a 33X12.5X16 tire. I had to ditch the factory running boards, as they rubbed the tires, so I replaced them with stainless nerf's. It looks AWSOME. Very very minor rubbing of the inner fender liner, but all I did was take a heat gun to it and get it soft and re-molded it out of the way. I'll post pics when I get it all leveled out and aligned.

I plan on leaving the air compressor were it is, running a switch to it, and running an air line out to the rear bumper were I'll leave a standard air compressor type fiting mounted to the bumper. This way if I need to air up the truck tires, or my quads/dirtbikes I just plug in an air line and turn the compressor on. I thought that was kinda cool. I can also air up my rear air bladders too .

Thanks guys for the help. BTW, the 22" wheels are Harley Davidson replicas from the F150's, but upsized (22"X10" were the original Harley's are 20"X9") and are now for sale. They'd look great on a Lightning or anything Sport/Hot Rod orientated. LOTS of rubber left on them.

~Mike................

NaViG8R

I just realised I can't post in the for sale/trade untill I hit 25 post So.... heres a pic of the tire

NaViG8R

Rims, Eagle 187 (Mickey Thompson looks-a-likes) but with bead lock looking lip. 16X10 4.5" back spacing.

NaViG8R

Sorry for the low quality, these are off my iPhone.

Heres a pic of the truck after I did the suspension work. I still need to add the rear lift spacer and stainless steps/nerf bars. I also need to cut the tops off the orginal factory side steps and place them back on the truck. I'm talking about the spots on the lower fenders, you see were the doors have grey trim and the fenders lack them? thats because those were part of the factory steps, so I'll trim those off the steps and replace tem back on the truck.

NaViG8R

Next step after I get the rear leveled, nerf's on, and fender lower fender trim back on is I want to paint all the grey trim on the lower parts of the vehicle using black bed liner paint. I think black would look great and the textured finish would be unique, not to mention tough to scratch up. I'd like to get some sort of light bar for the front, but I don't care too much for the "Bull Bars" that are available, so I guess I'll fab something up in stainless.

I probably should have started another thread huh?

Quaestion/comments welcomed!

~Mike............

NaViG8R

Here's a before picture, with the Harley Davidson wheels and a little bit lower then now