Want to tune up my new-to-me 05 2WD Ex for safe and sure towing of my 7,500lb TT.

Been doing a bit of reading here and other boards and doing the good old internet research and I like the sound of the Roadmaster Active Suspension system for the reduced sway and sag.

Don't know if I need to add a anti-sway bar as well? (my 2WD did not come equipped with one)

The RAS does not do anything for the front, don't know if that's a concern?

Also planning to add Bilstein shocks - original shocks still there, 47,000 miles.

I have a weight distributing hitch and never had any noticeable sway problems when pulling with my previous TV (Dodge 3/4 short box). Think the Dodge was rated to 14,000 lbs, the Ex is of course rated 11,000 lb.

Curious about other owners experiences and opinions.

 

I think I'm the first to run the RAS w/o an anti-sway. I was in the same boat as a few months ago and opted for the RAS for a couple of reasons - the biggest being the fact the RAS 'beefs-up' the soft, stock rear springs. IMHO it provided more than anti-sway and improved the ride both towing and empty. I have no regrets in my decision.

That being said, since I did not have a rear anti-sway before, I cannot attest to the benefits there. I plan on, sometime in the future, getting a rear anti-sway (and maybe a front anti-sway) - not that I'm unhappy with my current set-up, but simply because 'it can't hurt' and it's inexpensive.

As far as the Bilsteins - several folks have reported great improvements with upgraded shocks and that's next on my list. I'm trying to decide between the Rancho 9000's, with adjustable damping, or the Bilsteins.

 

You 'should' have a FRONT sway bar already...I believe all Ex's got the front bar from the factory...take a look...

What is your tongue weight on your TT? When I towed my 7500# TT with 900# tongue I did so with nothing more than a rear Hellwig sway bar, OEM shocks and a 1200# WD hitch with Dual Cam sway...I towed that setup over 7000 miles thru the Black Hills, Big Horns and Rockies...it was very stable.

It wasn't until I stepped up to my current 9000# TT with 1100-1200#'s of tongue weight that I realized I needed some more rear spring and went RAS...but I also am up against the GVWR on the Ex...

I think for a TT in the 900-1000# tongue weight department...the Hellwig alone will do just fine with a properly set up WD hitch.

Get over 1000#'s and approach the GVWR of the Ex...and I believe you will find a need for more rear spring capacity...and the RAS is a very effective means of adding both spring capacity AND help resist the spring wrapping that our Ex's are prone to.

Mark indeed is one of the first to run RAS alone...and he has had good results...if you had to choose just one mod...it is a hard choice if you are in the 900# tongue range and not near GVWR on the Ex...but much more tongue weight or at GVWR on the Ex...go RAS first and see how she tows...and then if you need it...get the Hellwig.

I also added Billsteins from shockwarehouse.com (a site supporter...enter the code 'fordtrucks' at checkout for a 5% discount)...but the Rancho 9000XL's get high reviews here too...my Ex is primarily a snow and tow vehicle...so adjustability wasn't a factor...but those that use their Ex's for everyday driving I could see the need for a softer ride...

Good luck on your decisions...

BTW...now matter what way you decide to go...you must ensure your WD hitch is properly setup thru scale verification...too many simply ignore that simple step and fight needless sway conditions...

joe

 

Yeah - what Joe said. Except my 01 doesn't have a front anti-sway... I think they started adding those in later models.

And one more 'simple' thing is tire pressure, for both the TV and TT - you'd be surprised how much that play in to stability.

 

Well...thanks Mark...I learned my sumptin' for today!...I didn't realize that about the front sway bars...so thanks!

BTW...next time I see you...you can buy me a beer...doctor cleared me to drink alcohol!!! WOOHOO!!!

And Mark is spot on about the tire pressure...I've had my trials with that...most simply don't realize how big of a **** that is for towing stability...good point.

joe.

 

Yepee... Joe can get drunk again!! Dang, too bad you didn't get the info 2 weeks ago.

 

being a 2005 with low miles, you might not need to do anything. I'd beef up the air pressure and try it first. i'm not trying to speak for everybody, but i didn't really have any problems until my rear springs started wearing down. I ran the RAS for about 2mos. before I added the rear sway bar. The RAS alone made a huge different in everyday driving, but wasn't quite enough for towing. The addition of the rear sway bar ended up also making a big difference for towing.

One thing that I think will make a huge difference for me is new tires. I just put the new ones on, but haven't towed yet. There is a HUGE difference in how much flex there was in my old tire's sidewalls and the new ones. After I towed with the sway bar, I felt the trailer sway and the wandering were gone although it felt like i was driving on flat tires.

 

All Excursions came with a front stabilizer bar.

 

I stand corrected, mine does have a front anti-sway... I feel so ashamed

I apologize Joe

 

Okay you...you...now I have to learn sumptin else today...and time is running OUT!!!

I thought all the Ex's came factory equipped with the front one...but you had me second guessing myself...why I oughta!!!

 

Thanks everyone for the input!

I've had the Ex for two weeks now and tried one trip with the trailer - about 400 miles return. Not really long enough to be real sure of the issues but I want peace of mind before my September two week trip.

Don't really know the tongue weight (looking for that post where you can weigh with the bathroom scale), been working off what the trailer place said - around 750 lb, plus the percentage of the weight from loading the trailer up so have been using 850 lb as my guideline.

Have had the same 1,000 lb WD hitch all along and have never had any trailer "sway" problems to worry me with my Dodge (forgive me for the word) or last week with the Ex. I know that proportionate tongue weight is important to sway control too.

For my one trip so far I filled the tires to 55 lb cold (Michelins) which is the max on the sidewall, cinched up the WD torsion bars to get the truck to drop as evenly as a I could front and back which was right around 1" more back than front, and had the trailer sitting level.

The truck drops a long ways with the tongue weight dropped on the hitch and without the torsion bars. Was not smart enough at the time to look under to see if I was down on the rubber stoppers. And that was with nothing in the back of the Ex. This as much as handling is what had me thinking about the RAS.

The trailer pulled great except in two spots on the highway - one where there was kind of a dip in the road and and one where the RR tracks were lower than the highway each side (almost a gully) that caught me by surprise so I could not slow enough. The truck dropped in the dip and gully and the weight came down on the tail end when the trailer went through and it was all a little slushier than I was comfortable with. One other section of wavy pavement had the truck wallowing and bouncing a bit and made me wish for better shocks.

Again my short experience so far was not as terrible as some writers say their towing experience was, I just want to be reasonably in control as much as I can (without going back to the lumber wagon Dodge ride the rest of the time).

 

I just towed my 7500 # TT with my '05. I agree with the above threads. On the way to the campground, the 150 miles were a little scary. Come to find out that the tire pressure was not what I thought it was (difference in sun vs. no sun when filling). When I loaded the load E's to 78 #'s rear and 75#'s front, it towed like an absolute dream. All I added was the Hellwig rear anti sway bar. Now I am in total depression wishing I had more vacation time to take this puppy on a long trip and go somewhere that nobody knows my name!

 

55psi cold? Are they E rated tires? If not, that would be my starting point. Also, it might not hurt to play around with your hitch adjustment. it is a bit of a pain, but you might try the next link down on the hitch to put some more of the load on the front. if the trailer is no longer level, then you may need to drop the height of the ball too. The RAS will go a long way to improving the load capacity on the rear and will not adversly affect the ride quality. It would be my first upgrade after tires & wd adjustment.

 

So I went to doublecheck. Tires are Load Range C so 6 ply, Michelin LTX A/T LT265/75 R 16.

Says max load of 2,470 lb single.

Not E rated 10 ply so possibly part of my wallowing issue? Still in very good condition so was hoping to use them a while yet.

 

i don't think the letter rating matters as much as the "2470". being a 6 ply @2470 it seems closer to what most tires would be labeled a D rating. I thought I read on here somewhere that some X's came with D's stock, but later all were made with E's. i'm definately not an expert on the subject, but I would suspect them myself. mine are E's at 3415 lbs.