Excellent! Keep us posted!

 

Spring upgrade is complete. Picked up Ex today from local dealer who did a nice job installing the V/F springs. It looks like it raised it by about two inches.Note Timbren bump stops. I have since added a VAIR compressor and tank so I may replace them with air bags now that I have on board air. Much smoother ride as my bump stops were on the axle before so I felt everything. Here are a couple of pics:

 

Wow, rep points sent for posting the follow up. Thank you! It looks great, and I really appreciate you posting the pics. We have exactly the same Ex, in exactly the same condition, so I especially appreciate the 2nd photo. How did the rear springs look, especially the forward end, and in comparison to the photos that I sent you the link to. Were they similarly somwhat collapsed or did they look different??

 

Mike, I haven't had a chance to get under car yet as I was in my suit. Will post some more pics when I can.

 

Thanks, I really appreciate that!

 

Here are some more pics of rear.

 

I must ask. Why the F code instead of the modified B code?

Thanks,

Hunter

 

I went on Mike G's recommendation earlier in this thread. I really do not tow anything so F seemed ok to me as they were a direct swap with no blocks. Rides great.

 

If you DO need to tow or haul heavy, FYI, the Modded B's don't require a different block either - you get to re-use the existing blocks and you just add 2 leaves from the stock springs. Truck rides great with modded B's.

 

Hooo boy... let me see if I can answer this without wandering all over the road like a stock Excursion...

The basic answer to this is that it may be a better way to go than the "b" codes... but it may not. I have been looking into this for a while, and still am probably not done researching it, but like the idea of the F's a bit better. Most seem to go with the v and b swap instead, with 1-2 added leafs, and going to the F-350 "tapered" spacer block, which is higher than the stock spacer block, but seems to be needed with the b springs to give you the right height. Without it, it seems like the back is not quite high enough. The problem with the tapered block, from my point of view, is that because it is higher, it will have a tendancy to INCREASE axel wrap, which is something we are trying to eliminate or limit here. Also, in all honesty, I have had, in the past, contact with a poster here who is not active currently, but did the V and F code swap with very good results. I talked with him recently and he is still extremely happy with the ride, and the performance towing a heavy trailer on long trips. Now, with the "F" code springs, as PBG92B just did, it is not necessary to change to a higher spacer block, and also not necessary (I think!) to add any leafs. Also, the height change for the V and F swap should be about 1 1/2" higher in the front, and roughly 3/4" to 1" higher in the rear, as near as I can determine, which levels out the rake a bit. Note here that PBG92B says above that he got about 2" both front and back, so your milage may vary. In terms of raw numbers:
G-code rear springs (original); are a single rate rear spring with a deflection rate of 410 lbs/In., and a capacity rating of 2275 lbs per spring, for a total capacity of 4550 lbs.
B-code rear springs are a variable rate spring, with a deflection rate of 320/670 LBS/In, and a capacity rating of 2998 lbs per spring, for a total capacity of 5996 lbs.
F-code rear springs are also a variabl rate spring, with a deflection rate of 334/776 LBS/IN, and a capacity rating of 2695 LBS per spring, for a total capacity of 5390 LBS.

OK, so this is part 1. Part two, my next post gives a little more information, and I will try to post a photo link to what concerns me here still.

 

OK... More! For the record, the gentleman that I mentioned above, that did this in about 2007, also went with Rancho shocks, which he likes for the smoother road ride. When he went up to a heavier trailer a couple of years ago (9000-10,000 lbs if I remember), he also added an RAS system, which added another roughly 3/4" to the rear, giving you back basically the original factory rake. Now, what still concerns me here is in the photos I will link: The best amateur photography lives on Webshots
Look at the sixth photo, the seventh photo, and the tenth photo. While he reports the performance to be wonderful, which I have no doubt from talking to him personally that it is, the spring packs, while the vehicle is unloaded, are slightly collapsed, almost creating a W shape in the spring, and the forward end of the bottom leaf is almost fully contacted by the rest of the spring pack. From the photos above it looks as if PBG92B probably got similar results, but I cannot tell for sure. Note though, in the other photo's (that I posted) that the rear end of the spring pack is not collapsed the same as the front. Interestingly, the RAS system probably kind of cured this, and may then be kind of desireable and almost necessary if doing this swap.... Maybe. Anyway, from what I have read, the RAS system is pretty cool anyway. I guess my question then, is "is this partial collapse and 'W' shape a concern? The original person that I have spoken with has had it in place since about 2007 and nothing has broken yet.
Sorry for the long posts and verbal diarrhea... I'd love to hear others thoughts on this.

Added a couple of sentences for clarity

 

No worries for the long post. I was getting pretty close to ordering the V and B's, but I want to make sure I am doing to the right thing. This truck will be my daily driver, but it will also be doing about 4000 miles a year pulling my travel trailer. My travel trailer is a 35 foot Avion that will weigh in around 9000 pounds with a 1000 pound tongue weight. I plan on loading the Ex up with two adults, two kids, a cooler, snacks, and a Great Dane. I also have a car trailer that I pull several times of year that is loaded with firewood and my Kubota tractor. I also tow a 10,000 pound dump trailer several times a year with rock, dirt, mulch, whatever the wife wants.

I am coming from a 3500 dually, and I was VERY disappointed with my Excursion first towing attempt. Maybe not disappointed, but scared. Scared that I might have made a mistake in getting rid of the dually.

I have already installed a Hellwig rear sway bar and a RAS and tightened my steering gear box. With the mods I have already done it actually feels that wandering has gotten worse than before the mods.

I am now worried that the B codes or F codes and the RAS would be too much or they would be counter productive to one another.

Of course I still want this thing to fit in my garage, so I don't want it to get crazy on the lift.

Thanks again for all the reading never too long of a post if its good information.

 

I did the V/Modded B and can report the following:
Apparently I did have a little steering wander and the V/modded B cured it, with no rear sway bar and no RAS. I can take my hands off the wheel on a flat stretch of highway at 65 (concrete pad highway) for a decent stretch 1/10 - 2-10...longer if i dared) and the truck is arrow straight.

I'm pulling about 8000-8500 lbs with about 750 or so in tongue weight, but I also have about 200lbs in gear and storage box and a sub box/amps/inverter in the back, so when towing I have about 950 to 1000 extra on that rear axle.

I'm curious - you said you did the steering box...what tire pressure do you run and are you on stock tires?

 

From a physics point, I'm pretty sure that's correct, regarding the bigger block. But that doesn't translate to being true when doing this mod, probably because the B codes are so much better than the OEM springs.

I do think this is where the modded B's are also a better option, when addressing axle wrap issues.

Please also remember, it's not JUST the axle wrap that causes the wander in these rigs. It's the axle wrap along with the front spring deflection along the spring axis that causes the wander.

That's why some guys have been happy with just replacing the front springs with V codes.

Where did you get this info?

I was under the impression F codes had a higher spring rating than B's.

Stewart

 

I'm curious - you said you did the steering box...what tire pressure do you run and are you on stock tires?[/QUOTE]

Currently I am running 62 pounds all the way around on stock size E rated tires. I would like to bump up the air pressure some, but at the time I was unsure what kind of pressures the stock aluminum rims could take. When I bought the truck they were at 45 pounds

I recently bought a 4 inch magnaflow exhaust; however, the vendor (unnamed for now) sent me an exhaust for a F250-F350, and I am still waiting to get the wrong exhaust picked up and the right one sent to me. When I put the truck in the air for the exhaust I was going to adjust the RAS to higher setting and bump up the air pressures to see if it towing performance improves.

If not, I am going to do a spring swap. If its still not acceptable, I am going to start saving for a ProPride or a Hensley.

Hunter