Hi Folks,
Just got a Diesel Excursion, & I have a few questions.

Has anyone had any luck improving the ride / handling by adding dual shocks to each wheel, while keeping the stock springs?

I really don't need or want to lift the truck any more, just want to improve the ride & steering...especially over bumps. I'd be happy with the stock height suspension that actually works

BTW, Great Site. I've already found some answers & ideas here!

 

Welcome to the club! I do not think you will find many, if any, that say dual shocks improved their ride.

The stock springs are well documented to be pretty much worthless. Take a good look at all of your bushings, they are probably worn out and ready for replacement. If the shocks are worn out, replace them with quality ones. Personally, I run Bilstein shocks.

There is a ton of info on suspension and steering up top in the tech sticky thread. We get these questions a lot and it can be tiresome to answer the same ones over and over. All of the knowledge is in the sticky. You can use the search function within this sub-forum to look at other threads not included in the tech folder.

Beyond all that, post up some pics of your rig! We like pics!

 

Looks like I might just have to go with the V's in front & B's in back.

I wanted to avoid lifting the truck any more, but I think I remember the previous owner said his son added 1 inch of lift to it, so maybe I should remove the lift & go with the new springs?

I'll have to wade through all that info before I do anything. I don't want to spend $$ the wrong way, just to have to remove my mods & spend $$ again to try something else.

I read a post that said something like "You didn't just buy a truck...you bought a hobby". I think I resemble that remark. TGOT

A pic:

 

Nice ride!

 

Shocks dampen the spring, they dont control the ride, you can install better sway bars and get good shocks, but your always going to be a leaf spring truck. It wont ride as nice as coil sprung or independant suspensions, especially since you have the weight of the diesel up front. If you want to sell it let me know, I'm in the market for a 7.3 powered excursion.

 

That is a sweet looking rig!

 

That's sexy !!

 

Interested in how the PO lifted it just 1" up front... I can see bigger blocks in the rear - maybe mini packs up front?

Pending how it was lifted (if at all) you could just remove the lift up front and swap V's in. Add the Roadmaster Active Suspension (RAS) to the rear, and you should be happy.

David's right - it's leaf sprung AND solid axle on the front, it's not going ride as nicely as coils nor IFS. The V's will help out up front nicely, especially with the weight of the 7.3 up there. Stock springs are pitiful for 80% of us on here. The RAS will help 'stiffen' the rear up a bit without making it harsh.

 

Kongerup - Thanks!

David7.3 - Thanks for the info & the offer, but mine is a BulletProofed & Studded 6.0.

Immortl_Ben - Thanks!

IMASAP - Thanks (Blush, Blush)!

Krazee Matt - You're right. I need to contact the P.O. & see what they did, & how. I have a bit of steering wander to address, so I don't know if replacing the stock spring bushings is enough when addressing the springs, or if I should just go with the V's & B's.



Can you guys believe my 3 kids would rather ride in "The Beast" (our 6.0 Diesel Excursion) instead of "Beauty" (our new Expedition Limited EL with all the bells & whistles)?

I hope Beauty & The Beast serve us well for a long, long time.

 

Woah there, do you SEE an underscore in my name?! WTF! Just kidding, hah

Steering wander is very common on these rigs - mostly due to the pathetic rear springs wrapping and causing the *** end to mosey around instead of tracking straight. The RAS will combat the wrap and keep things working properly. However, give the front end a solid once over and make sure there's no other issues and worn components.

 

nice excursion, i would say might be the nicest one on fte!

 

Don't let Michael see you saying that

 

Krazee Matt - LOL! Fixed and Noted. I'll do as advised.

Skip1970 - Big Thank You!

 

My rig currently has some wander, wallow, rocks a bit, & the front suspension bottoms out rather easily. It seems to have front & rear sway bars.

I haven't found the weight of my boat (22 foot bay boat), but I'm gonna find a place to weigh it & update this post.

I saw my boat trailer title info, & apparently my boat trailer weight is 660 pounds, & the trailer GVWR is listed as 4250 pounds. I'd imagine my boats taken on a bit of extra weight due to foam absorbing water over the years.

My Excursion will be a second vehicle / around town family hauler most of the time (family of 5).

When it does tow I doubt it will ever see over 7000 pounds, 60 miles round trip. I'd like to find a balance between ability to tow my stuff safely (& comfortably), & provide a safe & comfortable ride when not towing.

I found lots of posts about V & B spring swaps, but I also found info about front U springs, & rear F code springs.

Here is the spring info:

Stock Front Excursion Springs = 1980lbs (43-804)

U (43-812) 2030lbs
V (43-814) 2230lbs or
X (43-818) 2630lbs


Stock Rear Excursion Springs = 2275lbs (43-1541)(43-1331)(43-1325)
B (43-1261) 3000lbs
F (43-1571) 3000lbs

I wonder which would be best for me? Maybe the softer U's would be the perfect replacement for my tired stock front leafs, for my needs?

Then there are shocks, dual shocks, front air bags, rear air bags, RAS rear suspension addition, front & rear Hellwigs, unobtainable LANDYOT rear suspension upgrades, bushing kits……I need another cold one.

TGOT

 

TGOT, The individual spring ratings you have listed conflict with the info I have gathered over time, the amount of change between various codes are the same but the set ratings are different. Maybe Rob Ross who has done a lot of spring research here lately can set us straight as to which are accurate?
The info I have shows the stock PSD front
D codes as 4700lbs vs your info at 3960lbs
U codes at 4800lbs vs your info at 4060lbs
V codes at 5200lbs vs your info at 4460lbs
X codes at 6000lbs vs your info at 5260lbs
(Don't forget the W codes at 5600lbs)
Again the numbers step up at the same intervals so using the numbers you have listed as comparisons will be the same difference as mine.
Have a good look at your front suspension to figure out that supposed 1" lift, with that 1" removed and V codes swapped in you are only looking at about a +1/2" ride height increase over where it's at now.

Nice looking buggy you got there!