Notices
Excursion - King of SUVs 2000 - 2005 Ford Excursion
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

switching from E to D

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 2, 2011 | 07:40 PM
  #1  
EXCURSIONATOR1's Avatar
EXCURSIONATOR1
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 364
Likes: 0
From: mt.prospect
switching from E to D

I need to smooth out the ride on my X or its got to go. My wife compares it to her brother 1979 bronco. She hate driving it. Would sswitching the front tifres to d help smooth out the small bumps?right now I'm. Running bfg rugged trails e rated. I don't tow anything heavy
 
Reply
Old Aug 2, 2011 | 07:48 PM
  #2  
Curt's05's Avatar
Curt's05
Wiser by FTE
15 Year Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,837
Likes: 48
Club FTE Silver Member

I wouldn't do that, try lowering your tire pressure, on the drivers door is a good chart to use. Then change your shocks/springs if you can afford to do it. That made a huge difference to mine.
 
Reply
Old Aug 2, 2011 | 08:06 PM
  #3  
njneer1's Avatar
njneer1
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,540
Likes: 1
From: Southwest VA
Club FTE Silver Member

Originally Posted by Curt's05
I wouldn't do that, try lowering your tire pressure, on the drivers door is a good chart to use. Then change your shocks/springs if you can afford to do it. That made a huge difference to mine.
Good advice....might not be your tires .......are your springs shot ...you could be riding on tje bumpstops.....which equals solid
 
Reply
Old Aug 2, 2011 | 08:50 PM
  #4  
gmcbride's Avatar
gmcbride
Senior User
20 Year Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
From: Gig Harbor, WA
Club FTE Gold Member
I always air my BFG's down from 80 to 65-70 when not towing. Makes a huge difference in ride quality.
 
Reply
Old Aug 2, 2011 | 09:12 PM
  #5  
airjeff's Avatar
airjeff
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 450
Likes: 1
It all depends on what she is going to be happy with. You'll never change the fact that it is a truck and rides like one. If she wants a Denali, it will be hard to make her happy.

That said, mine has a much better ride after swapping out the springs. If you are really concerned about the ride and want to swap the springs I'd go with U codes up front and B's in the rear and put the F350 sway bar on to get ride of some body roll. The U-codes are one step softer than the common V-codes so ride would be a little bit softer.(I put V's on mine) What engine do you have? You might be able to go one step softer with a gasser, but I'm not sure. The last piece would be to get some Adjustable Rancho's or CUSTOM valved bilstein's. I've read those make a difference too, but since the stockers work, I've been putting money into other things.

I don't think I'd swap tires, what pressure do you run your's at and are they stock size? I'd probably air them down some.
 
Reply
Old Aug 2, 2011 | 10:25 PM
  #6  
EXCURSIONATOR1's Avatar
EXCURSIONATOR1
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 364
Likes: 0
From: mt.prospect
I have the v8 gasser with stock tire size. It has 2 inchs of travel bfrom the bump stops. I tried airing down the tires from 60 to 50 tonight and it made a huge difference. Just the fronts. I wish I convert it over to coilover shocks
 
Reply
Old Aug 3, 2011 | 07:34 AM
  #7  
LivingLarge's Avatar
LivingLarge
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 26,410
Likes: 6
From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
If your not towing there is nothing wrong with D... I ran a Firestone D rated tire for years and I didn't feel every penny I ran over on the road. I now run my bfg at's at 60lbs. Not to bad but not as soft as before.
 
Reply
Old Aug 3, 2011 | 08:11 AM
  #8  
perryg114's Avatar
perryg114
More Turbo
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 669
Likes: 7
From: Tennessee
Unless you have a Diesel you probably don't need to run much over 50 psi towing or not. The rear tires are taking the load when towing anyway. The high frequency stuff is all tires. Only the big hits are going to make that suspension move. I usually look at how the tires are wearing. If they are wearing in the center then you have too much air in them reguardless of what the manual or the sticker on the door says. Also the lower the weight rating on the tire the more the tendency for the tire to wear in the center. The weaker cords let the tire expand more in the center. All terrain tires are famous for this.

Perry
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

 Brett Foote
story-2

Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

 Brett Foote
story-6

2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

 Brett Foote
story-9

5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

 Joe Kucinski
Old Aug 3, 2011 | 11:20 AM
  #9  
jdadamsjr's Avatar
jdadamsjr
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 11,314
Likes: 4
In my humble experience when I went to D's the truck was ALL OVER the road...

White knuckle driving because of too much flex in the sidewalls (my guess)

I do lower the psi to around 50 psi and have put on rancho adjustables set at 1....
that helps a lot on our 2005 6.0 with 139K

oh, on edit - I did go back to discount and made them switch out the D's back to E's - let them know I didn't "appreciate" their bad advice
 
Reply
Old Aug 3, 2011 | 12:41 PM
  #10  
BigPigDaddy's Avatar
BigPigDaddy
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,624
Likes: 7
From: OR and UT
Originally Posted by jdadamsjr
In my humble experience when I went to D's the truck was ALL OVER the road...

White knuckle driving because of too much flex in the sidewalls (my guess)
That is the problem with a heavy, high COG vehicle like the X (or my F250 SD). The 8 ply tires generally aren't as stiff in the sidewall, which allows the vehicle weight to push the wheel around in the tire, so to speak. I'd rather run a 10 ply with lower pressure than run an 8 ply at higher pressure.

OP, I think you'll be fine running at the lower tire pressure since you aren't towing. You might check into a different 10 ply tire. I have two different brands of 10 ply tires and I can tell you that one brand gives a much harsher ride at the same pressure.
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
forace2016
1999 - 2016 Super Duty
5
Nov 30, 2018 08:58 PM
Kingkong0192
1994.5 - 1997 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel
20
Oct 26, 2018 08:53 AM
BigLouEx
Excursion - King of SUVs
6
Mar 11, 2011 08:28 PM
geleonardjr
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
5
Apr 2, 2007 03:50 PM
jobguy
6.0L Power Stroke Diesel
7
Oct 29, 2003 09:13 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:46 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE
story-1
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

And it might be even better than that.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-18 19:26:42


VIEW MORE
story-2
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

Slideshow: Does lowering an F-150 Lobo RUIN the ride quality?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-18 19:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-3
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Slideshow: Ford's bizarre fishing-themed Explorer concept has resurfaced after spending decades largely forgotten.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:07:46


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Slideshow: The 10 best Ford truck engines we miss the most.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 13:09:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Slideshow: first look at the 810 hp 2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road!

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-12 12:50:07


VIEW MORE
story-6
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Everything You Need to Know about the 2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-07 17:51:06


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

Slideshow: 10 most surprising Ford truck options/features in 2026.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:17:22


VIEW MORE
story-8
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

Slideshow: Here are the top 10 Fords coming to Mecum Indy 2026.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:49:49


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 worst Ford truck wheels of all time

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 16:49:01


VIEW MORE