Ford Performance suspension for Ford Ranger

A full factory two-inch suspension lift kit has been announced for the Australian designed and engineered Ford Ranger in the US, where it’s now also built and sold.

The first of their kind Ford Performance upgrades are claimed to provide significantly more capability than the standard Ranger 4x4, but are less extreme than those fitted to the Ford Ranger Raptor.

Priced at $US1495 ($A2200) in the US excluding installation, the off-road suspension kit comprises new aluminium Fox shock bodies designed to provide superior resistance to overheating on rough terrain and front coilovers with a more progressive spring rate.

The Ford Performance mods also include a two-inch (51mm) lift up front, levelling the vehicle and resulting in extra ground clearance, a 10 per cent increase in breakover angle and 21 per cent greater approach and departure angles.

Completing the suspension upgrade are locking spring preload rings and new upper front mounts with polyurethane front bushings designed to reduce cabin noise and vibration.

A similar upgrade has also been announced for the Ford F-150 in the US, where Ford said: “The secret sauce to this kit is in the Ford Performance tuning. This suspension and this tuning are designed to improve off-road handling and responsiveness, specifically for Ranger and F-150.”

Ford of North America says the performance kits, which come with a limited Ford Performance warranty and were high-speed off-road tested in California and rock-crawl tested in Arizona, will be available for 2019 Ranger 4x4 variants and 2015-2019 F-150s.

Ford Australia is yet to advise whether we can expect the Ford Performance upgrades to become officially available Down Under, where the Ranger is the top-selling 4x4 utility and the flagship version is the Ranger Raptor, which isn’t sold in the US.