Off road friendly aeromodding... My lil beast

[chillsworld]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Hey, hey—this is the Aerodynamics subforum.

Moon disks!

HAHAHA Just saw this comment, Ill post my non-aero aerodynamic enabling progress right now!

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

I'd rather use plywood instead of coroplast for that. I have seen underbody protections made out of plywood in some off-road racing vehicles.

I'm pretty proficient with plywood, but to get the good stuff it gets thick and heavy! Maybe some super thin or particle that's been glassed? I might be down with that.

On to my "progress", if you can call it that:




This allowed me to remove a 10.5" tall by 30" wide aero brick off my trucks roof. It also allows me to secure the tire to mounting points on the floor, preventing decapitation by spare tire in the event of a wreck. The structure is unfinished, the drawers will receive faces that run the whole width of the back. It will also be stained/sealed when I have time. Once the tire rack is built out back, a platform will be extended forward to rest on top of the seats when down... Can we say year round camping in my SUV?

I also received my Ultragauge in the mail, and while I haven't calibrated the fuel usage yet or distance traveled... It is accurate enough to have fun with. The removal of the tire seems to have gotten me about 1mpg at hwy speeds. Without a hand throttle or Cruise control it's hard to do precise A B A testing. I hope to get the Cruise looked at next week. Then I can start building/testing things for real!

~C

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by chillsworld

Can we say year round camping in my SUV?

Sounds like a good plan

[trooper Tdiesel]

97 was still a year with a manual trans.

id consider a ranger drive train swap engine/trans/gearing and tires wheels.
after the 80s the I-4 was not used in any 4wds, but the I-4 will bolt to a 3.0/4.0L V-6 trans...err...your NOT OE with the 4.0L you have the 5.0L.....

for that matter maybe you could just swap a exploder cab on to a ranger frame with a 3.0L-manual and 4wd.
i know it can be done for the gen1s 91/94 but after that i dont know...?


the 8th diget in the vin is the engine code, X is the code for the push rod 160hp 4.0L
the SOHC 4.0L 205hp is a K when E85 or a E when a regular version
the 5.0L 211hp is a P code. the advantage to it is the turque. as the SOHC 4.0 has a way better hp per liter's of displacement.

the ranger push rod 3.0L in 97 is about 145hp
the I-4 is 112hp

if you want to change gearing, use this chart, in your quest for lower rpms....



the 3.08s are 2wd only if i remember right..all the others should be made for a 4wd..

Model Code Description Capacity Ratio

Ranger 72 Regular 2200 3.08
74 Regular 2200 3.45
82 Regular 2700 3.08
84 Regular 2700 3.45
85 Regular 2750 3.55
86 Regular 2700 3.73
87 Regular 2700 4.10
96 Regular 3200 3.73
F4 Limited Slip 2700 3.45
F5 Limited Slip 2750 3.55
F6 Limited Slip 2700 3.73
F7 Limited Slip 2700 4.10
K6 Limited Slip 3200 4.10

Explorer
43 Open 3200 3.08
41 Open 3200 3.27
42 Open 4.10
46 Open 3.73
45 Open 3200 3.55
D4 Limited Slip 3200 3.73
D2 Limited Slip 4.10
L73 Limited Slip 3.73

[TheEnemy]

If you do the t-case swap put manual locking hubs on the front, to keep the drive line from spinning all of the time.

Cooling: Keep in mind air in---> air out, plan a path for the air to go after it has gone through the radiator. With proper venting you can increase cooling even when you decrease air into the radiator with grill blocks. I vented the hood of my CJ and saw a 10F decrease in engine temps. With an automatic you might seriously consider an aftermarket cooler, I have seen many rigs overheat only because they were using the stock radiator based transmission cooler. The front skid/bash plate you posted will help to provide a low pressure area to suck the hot engine air down as long as there is a place for it to flow from the radiator.

Tires: I have seen many HT tires crack under prolonged abuse from rocky roads, mild AT's are probably your best bet. Though I have seen even HT's go rock crawling and perform well, just not so sure how long they would hold up to it.

Air: Get a good (not walmart) quality air compressor that connects to the battery, air down to 20-30 PSI when on the trails then air back up to road pressure when you are done. The ride will be much smother, and it will cause less erosion to the trail surface.

Underneath: tuck everything up as high as practical/needed, it will help with the break over, keep them from getting hit by the random rock, and get them out of the airflow more. Well placed tubing can provide excellent protection while minimizing weight gain and you can put a lighter skid/belly pan in between the tubes. (depending on how hard you wheel) A compromise on the full belly pan/skid plate is to do it sectional with the front curved up to divert air and to help not catch on obstacles.

Edit: the Vast majority of my being stuck is my center skid plate getting hung up because it protects the transfer case that hangs down way lower than it should.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

With an automatic you might seriously consider an aftermarket cooler, I have seen many rigs overheat only because they were using the stock radiator based transmission cooler.

Another reason to consider a manual transmission, since they're usually more resilient under extreme conditions.

[chillsworld]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

If you do the t-case swap put manual locking hubs on the front, to keep the drive line from spinning all of the time.

Cooling: Keep in mind air in---> air out, plan a path for the air to go after it has gone through the radiator. With proper venting you can increase cooling even when you decrease air into the radiator with grill blocks. I vented the hood of my CJ and saw a 10F decrease in engine temps. With an automatic you might seriously consider an aftermarket cooler, I have seen many rigs overheat only because they were using the stock radiator based transmission cooler. The front skid/bash plate you posted will help to provide a low pressure area to suck the hot engine air down as long as there is a place for it to flow from the radiator.

Tires: I have seen many HT tires crack under prolonged abuse from rocky roads, mild AT's are probably your best bet. Though I have seen even HT's go rock crawling and perform well, just not so sure how long they would hold up to it.

Air: Get a good (not walmart) quality air compressor that connects to the battery, air down to 20-30 PSI when on the trails then air back up to road pressure when you are done. The ride will be much smother, and it will cause less erosion to the trail surface.

Underneath: tuck everything up as high as practical/needed, it will help with the break over, keep them from getting hit by the random rock, and get them out of the airflow more. Well placed tubing can provide excellent protection while minimizing weight gain and you can put a lighter skid/belly pan in between the tubes. (depending on how hard you wheel) A compromise on the full belly pan/skid plate is to do it sectional with the front curved up to divert air and to help not catch on obstacles.

Edit: the Vast majority of my being stuck is my center skid plate getting hung up because it protects the transfer case that hangs down way lower than it should.

Great ideas and insight... I have considered an aftermarket tranny cooler, plenty of people do them with these awd explorers. And I actually started a thread here about radiator ducting and hood venting... So that will definitely be something I'm gonna look at doing. It's great to here that you did it and saw a 10 degree difference! Just a matter of making sure I design any front skidpalte/bumper mods to work with my cooling needs... Exactly as you are touching on with your advice/thoughts.

I have actually been looking into an under the hood compressor. Since I haven't had A/C in like three years, I figure I could mount it in place of the a/c comp. If I start to do legit trails with her, then I need have the ability to air down and ensure I survive the trail and the drive to and from on the hwy!

I am lucky, that the bulk of the explorers dangly bits are tucked up high from the factory... It's one of the reasons I started looking into the aero modding section of this site . I plan on eventually doing a combination of aero belly pan, bash plates, and true skid plates/sliders. Really don't need a full on rock bouncing belly plan under there

As far as tires go... I'll be making a thread or adding to this one with some great insightful tire stuff for offroading. Things that go against the grain of the 4x4 scene, but that have been working all over the world in the overlanding community.


EDIT: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post448180
~C

[chillsworld]

Originally Posted by trooper Tdiesel

97 was still a year with a manual trans.

id consider a ranger drive train swap engine/trans/gearing and tires wheels.
after the 80s the I-4 was not used in any 4wds, but the I-4 will bolt to a 3.0/4.0L V-6 trans...err...your NOT OE with the 4.0L you have the 5.0L.....

for that matter maybe you could just swap a exploder cab on to a ranger frame with a 3.0L-manual and 4wd.
i know it can be done for the gen1s 91/94 but after that i dont know...?


the 8th diget in the vin is the engine code, X is the code for the push rod 160hp 4.0L
the SOHC 4.0L 205hp is a K when E85 or a E when a regular version
the 5.0L 211hp is a P code. the advantage to it is the turque. as the SOHC 4.0 has a way better hp per liter's of displacement.

the ranger push rod 3.0L in 97 is about 145hp
the I-4 is 112hp

if you want to change gearing, use this chart, in your quest for lower rpms....



the 3.08s are 2wd only if i remember right..all the others should be made for a 4wd..

Model Code Description Capacity Ratio

Ranger 72 Regular 2200 3.08
74 Regular 2200 3.45
82 Regular 2700 3.08
84 Regular 2700 3.45
85 Regular 2750 3.55
86 Regular 2700 3.73
87 Regular 2700 4.10
96 Regular 3200 3.73
F4 Limited Slip 2700 3.45
F5 Limited Slip 2750 3.55
F6 Limited Slip 2700 3.73
F7 Limited Slip 2700 4.10
K6 Limited Slip 3200 4.10

Explorer
43 Open 3200 3.08
41 Open 3200 3.27
42 Open 4.10
46 Open 3.73
45 Open 3200 3.55
D4 Limited Slip 3200 3.73
D2 Limited Slip 4.10
L73 Limited Slip 3.73

Thanks, great informtion.. I'm pretty sure I've got the limited slip rear and 3.73 gears, with the heavier tires on there I don't think swapping to 3.43 would be livable , i can only imagine how bad it would be going up hill

As far as swapping the body onto a ranger... I would rather just have the ranger hah

~C

[bradze]

we sorta have similar goals. ever consider looking into a 2010 or so subaru outback? with the right tires theyll have about 9" of ground clearance and can go 95% of the places a jeep wrangler can. ive taken mine to several ORV parks, have much less trouble than others in traditional "trucks" but i still get about 27 mpg(down from 30+mpg cuz no longer aero-friendly) with a toasty butt and a stereo that will make your ears bleed. only downside is lack of towing capacity. the 4cyl is only rated at 2700lbs and the 6 cyl 3000lbs.
a hyundai sante fe still gets good mileage and can tow 5000lbs.




but i just saw you are in georgia, so i guess driving a foreign car would be like waving a flag that says "i hate jesus"

[freebeard]

An LED light bar? Couldn't it work better on the front face of the rack, where it wouldn't block the airflow beneath it?

[bradze]

when i ordered the light bar i had all intentions of mounting it from the top bar of the rack. however i chose mounting it on the bottom for easy installation saving me tons of grief trying to figure out a way to get it where i wanted it. ebay hardware, not the $1k+ stuff you see on all those mallcrawler lifted jeeps. an added and unexpected bonus of putting it on like that is i cut the wind noise in half, i essentially put on another fairing.