FTE,

I wanted to give a trip report highlighting the upgrades I've made to the Excursion. We are relocating to the Boston area so I had to make the 2400 mile trip, half of it had our 2004 F150 screw in tow. The mods to note are:
38r
bellowed uppipes
fuel system
AIS
RAS
4.10 gears
modded 17*
Gearhead Tunes

In short the Ex did amazing. I knew that elevation made a difference but now I really feel for the guys who live there permanently. I didn't have any EGT issues towing the load but the further east I went the Ex got so much stronger, unbelievable. Here is a picture of the load:




We weighted in at 17900 lbs:



When towing I averaged 14.9 MPG! I couldn't believe it. Again, I have receipts to prove it. 77 gallons and 1148 miles.

I highly recommend Matt at gearhead, I would just touch 1150 EGTs on a long grade in CO and at the top they would fall off. Further East I wouldn't break 1k. Also the RAS is a great piece of equipment. I think it's a must for an Excursion; if you aren't going to put airbags on a truck then I would urge you to consider the RAS setup...

I'm going to miss the guys out there, Neil, Sean and DJ but look forward to meeting new guys in New England (Megawatt, I owe you a call!)

Thanks all.

 

Congrats!


Two nice trucks too

 

Glad you had a safe trip!! I hope Jen and I can make it out your way sometime.

Did you get the 4.10's in your front end?

BTW I bet you could have got 2+ MPG's if you didnt have that deer catcher front bumper

Stay in touch

 

lol, Metal Shop Motorsports hooked me up with that bumper....they did an amateur job. kidding.

Anyways, I thought I'd also add that the truck is on 37s.

 

Glad the trip went well for you Aric. Looks like everything you did to the EX paid off for sure. Now she gets to breathe easy in the thick air down there!

Wish we coud have gotten together more while you were here.

House ever sell?

On a somewhat OT note, I tore off my Turbo this weekend.... Only to find no major issues there. Only a bit of side-to-side play on the shaft. Exhaust turbine is fine. No leaks anywhere. Yet mine boils the EGT's still... frustrating. Especially when i read this and see you towing with 37's and having no problems. Oh well.. maybe next year I'll figure it out.

Say hi to the family, take care & keep in touch!

 

I'm sorry to say but the altitude difference is amazing. When I was in C/S I couldn't use the my #5/#6 tune because temps would shoot up so fast. Now 5 and 6 (hottest) are really of no consequence. Again, loaded at 18k gross and the only thing I would keep an eye on was my trans temp.

Sorry you didn't find any issues Neil. There must be something else...or just put a modded H2E on and be done with it.

 

Welcome to Massachusetts.

a few things,
Laws are strict (good luck getting the ex inspected)
Taxes are out of control
Voting is pointless
Good skiing is at least 2 hours away

Glad to have you!

 

Great. Any suggestions on where to get the Ex inspected? How does that whole process work?

 

you'll just have to try a bunch of places and probably slip $20 or more extra in there. where are you around boston? i live just west of the city in Carlisle

 

I work downtown but we are buying a place out in Grafton. PM me your number, we should meet up for a beer.

 

You're going to love the pike (I-90) especially going past Framingham! You've got a relatively easy trip to Cape Cod if that's in your future.
You're damn close to FOXBORO though!!!!!! Home of the Patriots and a brand new Bass Pro Shop...

I hope you have something else to drive/park in the city. The Ex will only fit in a couple garages, and parking on the street is nearly hopeless...the F150 will be alright...at best...just don't park in a spot you think is a local residents or you will find a bunch of nice words scratched into your paint.

If beer is your thing, there is a Summer Shack that has probably about 50 on tap, and a place called Big City that has over 100 on tap, both are on your way home, but off the pike (tolls.)

Beer is my thing, I'll meet ya there some time, Big City has a bunch of pool tables too, they're going under the knife for a renovation soon though, I just saw a set of plans the other day.

 

Join us my friend....

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/p...sergroupid=104

 

Thanks! I'll be taking the train in since the Ex won't fit in the city...

 

Yeah I'd say that's your best bet...well when we grab some brew I can just grab you at one of the stations...

I bet CO is comparable to New England, but if you haven't gotten under ur vehicles to spray/rust proof I'd start ASAP...they salt the roads a ton up here, your truck will get 5 years worth of rust in 4 months

 

Ug. Any recommendations on what to use? CO doesn't use salt so little to no rust...