[ertjeffrey]

Okay, first post here goes....

I am looking to increase my 2002 Escape's off road performance, so I figured to start with a suspension lift.
However, all I can find is an Old Man Emu 1.75" lift kit, http://www.rocky-road.com/escapesus.html.
Of course, I will also be putting on larger tires, looking at 31s?

Will this make the vehicle at a much higher risk of roll over, or just slightly? I also heard that this is a bad
idea as the Escape has eight CV Joints and it can create alot of issues?

And don't say buy a Wrangler, I already have an Escape and $500 for suspension upgrade isn't bad vs $5,000
for unknown condition and reliability Wrangler.

If it is to much of a head ache I will just go with stock height and forget it!

**I only do moderate trails and light mudding. Nothing crazy like rock crawling!**

 

[Airmapper]

Sounds like one for megascape and SUVord, they are our resident lift experts. I go stock height, and well, I get hung up sometimes, but the Escape will go off road a lot better than most people give it credit for.

oh, and Welcome to the city! :welcome:

By the way, I'd never suggest you get a Wrangler, now a Bronco, you might catch me suggesting those. :thumb:

 

[oskerb]

NO headeache at all, it just takes some time and dedication if your are doing this on your own. The Old man stuff is great and havent seen or heard of anything bad from them. Putting spring and coils are not hard at all just need a couple of simle tools if no air tools are available. spring compressor and jack/jack stands You are not going big on lift you would be getting 2 inch. But that is significant appearance change, but no cause for concern on Rollover... no worries. I have had my E pretty side ways on street and back roads and never a care for rollover. Even in my old 98 Ranger I had a wicked 5 inch lift on it and same thing, I had no concern for rollover and even worse cause that was my baja machine. OH and the CV joints, little to no concern but once again your only going 2 inches if you were to go over 4 then there would be a huge cause of conern.

Good Luck in your lift.

 

[megascape]

Old man is a sweet lift kit. You can also do a lot of mods yourself if you research and ask the right questions. You only have one other option as far as the front struts if you do not go EMU and that is TOP-R for after market struts.
With the old man kit it should come with everything you need. If you go over, I believe 2" you will have to add an extension to the pitman arms or have your tires wear uneven.
Suggestions, before spending the money on the lift, get yourself a skid for the front and a skid to cover the brake and gas lines that run along the driver side undercarriage. Before putting whatever lift you get EMU or TOP-R be sure your brake lines are long enough.
The skids are easy to make or I will gladly make them up for you at a decent price. I will also send you the dimensions if you have the material and equipment to make them up yourself for free.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7605
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4039&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
there is another thread stricktly on lifts but I can't find it right now. i'll have pics up tomorrow of the top-r front struts.

 

[ertjeffrey]

Thanks guys for your replies!

I am going to get the Old Man Emu 1.75" lift kit, however it does not include struts...When I called OME they told me to use the stock struts you can get from Autozone. Not sure I trust basic struts to hold well under off road use, what struts do you guys advice under the $200 price mark for both sides?

Also I would appreciate more information regarding the skid plates please. If to complex i'll just have you make them...

 

[megascape]

alot of guys like the kyb struts. I like the monroe sense a trac in the front because it works off of velocity. KYB might too but I've always used the monroe.
I've been using my oe struts for 3 years and they work just fine. You can order a product called a coil spring stabilizer and it stiffens the front struts up pretty decent.

 

[SUVord]

Thanks guys for your replies!

I am going to get the Old Man Emu 1.75" lift kit, however it does not include struts...When I called OME they told me to use the stock struts you can get from Autozone. Not sure I trust basic struts to hold well under off road use, what struts do you guys advice under the $200 price mark for both sides?

Also I would appreciate more information regarding the skid plates please. If to complex i'll just have you make them...

Stock Ford struts are excellent!!!They work perfect with OME shocks.Any better and you talk megabacks for professional racers.The OME shocks were designed, constructed and tried with the original Ford struts.

 

[justescaped]

Thanks guys for your replies!

I am going to get the Old Man Emu 1.75" lift kit, however it does not include struts...When I called OME they told me to use the stock struts you can get from Autozone. Not sure I trust basic struts to hold well under off road use, what struts do you guys advice under the $200 price mark for both sides?

Also I would appreciate more information regarding the skid plates please. If to complex i'll just have you make them...

I would also be interested in more information on the skid plates as well.

 

[Starbux]

mmm me also. But is the suspension set up the same on my M? Im looking for a decent lift also so I can maybe run 18s with some beefy tires lol

 

[SUVord]

The best quality skid plates I have tried are made by the Israeli company "ASFIR".
As for 18" rims and beefy tires...hm!Wide and very low profile, may be.But certainly not for off-road use.

 

[bchunter]

Just a newb question here, I am looking at putting some Canukmotorsports springs in my 05 Escape (XLT, V6, AWD). Will I have to extend any brake lines or shocks or struts? Or are they just plug and play?

And am I presuming correctly that I will be ale to stick a 31" tire in there at the most with the 1.75" lift?

Thanks guys.

 

[megascape]

I have a set of 1.25 CMS struts for sell right now. They only have about 20,000 miles on them. They fit the OE struts and add about 1 and 3/16 " of lift. I only have the fronts springs and i used them to level out my "E"

 

[bchunter]

You will have to pardon my ignorance, I am new to the modding Escape scene. I have lifted other Ford trucks and wrench and mod motorbikes, but never an Escape.

What is teh difference between the struts and going with a set of four springs? I am presuming there are struts in the front along with springs and shocks and springs in the rear? So if I just get the struts like you have, do I need some springs? Pardon my confusion, lifting an Escape is all new to me.

Thanks for the help.

 

[oskerb]

The struts that are OE will have no extra travel in them however the springs will extend the struts all the way out givng the appreance of a lift. So in this case you would need springs not just struts & shocks

You will have to pardon my ignorance, I am new to the modding Escape scene. I have lifted other Ford trucks and wrench and mod motorbikes, but never an Escape.

What is teh difference between the struts and going with a set of four springs? I am presuming there are struts in the front along with springs and shocks and springs in the rear? So if I just get the struts like you have, do I need some springs? Pardon my confusion, lifting an Escape is all new to me.

Thanks for the help.

 

[megascape]

alot of people like to level the Escape. If you purchase a set of CMS coil springs for the front you will level the "E", if you purchase new coil springs for both front and rear it will remain lower in the front and higher in the rear. If you intend to trailer anything behind the escape I recommend getting all 4 coil springs. As far as the 31" go it will be close. I would take measurements of the wheel wells with your tires turned both left and right, then measure again with each tire on a curb or something that will compress the struts and take the same measurements. I know 30's fit.

 

[bchunter]

Thanks for the help guys. I do trailer a bit with the Escape, so I would put new springs in front and rear. Currently my commuting for work needs dictate the need to drive the Escape, so I am just trying to find a way to make it different from every other Escape I see. I am pleasantly impressed with the way it handles snow and muddy roads, I took it huntin a couple of times last year and commute on snowy roads for 5 months of the year.

One last question. Is there any difference in the quality of the CanukMotorsports springs and the Old Man Emu springs (aside from price and 0.5"'s more in the OME's)?

And just so I have this correct, I can buy the springs and just slap them in there in place of the stock springs, with no need to buy longer shocks or struts and no need to extend brake likes, ect? If so, that is pretty cool and simple. It will be the simplest lift I have ever done :thumb:

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[SUVord]

If just the springs are changed to longer ones and the shocks stay the same, there is a lot of shock travel loss which will affect traction, handling and breaking.it is not a recommended thing to do.Any kind of lift needs shocks wich can handle it.

 

[oskerb]

Quality question is for MEGA. I went with canuck and they are ok. I cant wait to find the next best thing. Yes you can buy the springs and keep the old stuts and NO brake line extension.

Heres my take on things...Suspension travel will be limited and little stiff in everyday driving, You have to think that those springs want nothing more than to hold your vehicle up. Unless offroading, Im not talking about creeping and crawling. I mean having some speed with it. Where your chassis is constanstly wanting to work with gravity and force you to the ground. Other than that it will feel stiffer for everyday driving, not a bad thing as that will reduce pitch and roll. Traction will be fine. On braking I dont find myself pitching to one corner or the other. Where as the old set up I would find myself "diving the front end" or on turns pitching to one corner or the other. :beer:

Let us know on your progress.

 

[SUVord]

I just saw the beer kegs and jumped in.
:beer: to all!

 

[oskerb]

:beer: :beer: