help me choose coils

[smallcarguy]

Hi folks, I don't post here much, mostly because the tech section is awesome and I can usually find the information I'm looking for by searching.

This time I'm stumped though. I feel like all the information is here, but I cant seem to put it together.

I'm working on putting a 4BT diesel engine into my 4x4 88 super cab ranger. This is a 750lb motor. Much heavier than what is typically here.

I want 3" to 4" of lift. Being super flexy isnt all that important to me, off road will be light to moderate.

I will be using a TTB dana 35, but I'm mocking it all up on my 28 right now. I have the superlift drop brackets (I've gusseted them for strength)

I think the ranger lift coils will be way too soft with all that motor. I keep going round and round about f150 2" lift coils, or maybe even f250 2" lift coils.

Any thoughts on what to try first?

 

[4x4junkie]

I would probably suggest Skyjacker's Ranger 6" lift TTB coils. With the 300-something extra lbs of motor I would think you would wind up right around 3½" of lift (this assuming you won't also be adding a winch, heavy bumper and/or dual large batteries, as IMO that would be a bit much for the frame hardware to handle (and likely the axle as well), especially being that you have a Supercab which is already the heaviest configuration you can start with.

The Skyjacker coils are well made and shouldn't sag much (if at all) over time, which is something I'd be leery of with other brand coils supporting that much weight (Skyjacker is not the stiffest available).

F-150 coils actually seem like they're a bit softer than RBV coils, though F-250 (2WD) coils should be stiffer. Some mods to the coil buckets will be necessary in order to properly fit those coils, so you'll want to keep in mind the weight they are supporting when you modify the buckets (maybe you can fit the F-250 buckets to your frame instead).

 

[smallcarguy]

I would probably suggest Skyjacker's Ranger 6" lift TTB coils. With the 300-something extra lbs of motor I would think you would wind up right around 3½" of lift

Thanks for the thoughts junkie. That seems like a decent place to start, seems like theyd be easy enough to resell also if for some reason they dont work out.

(Skyjacker is not the stiffest available).

Is it generally believed that these other brands (RC/TC/SL) are stiffer? Or is skyjacker in the middle someplace?

 

[4x4junkie]

Skyjacker is at the low end for stiffness (They seem to measure out around 410 PPI thereabouts for their 6" & 8" coils, though SJ claims they are 440 or something I forget exactly). Stock Supercab coils V6 coils I think are around 440-450PPI if I recall correct.

Rough Country, Tuff Country and Superlift are at the stiffer end (over 500PPI). I've seen some reports of the SL coils losing their height after like a good wheeling trip though, which says to me they don't "pre-set" the coils during manufacture as Skyjacker does (this is where they fully compress the finished coil to where the turns are pressed against each other, then holding it like that for some period of time). This is supposed to reduce or eliminate any yielding of the spring metal in use (which is what leads to sag). RC & TC coils I'm not sure I've seen reports of them sagging, but those brands seem a bit more budget-orientated so I'm not sure I would chance it (a coil that sags over time obviously would cause a change in your frontend alignment due to the nature of the TTB suspension).