I asked the guy who will do the modifications to take pictures BEFORE and AFTER - will post them as soon as available

 

That will be cool to see

 

X10 - I wouldn't worry too much about the extra oil cooler and transmission pan/cooler. I have the same vehicle and tow a 6800lb airstream and don't have an issue at all with the temps. I'd LOVE to hear how the new gears work out as I have the stock 373's and - again - no issues towing but am interested in higher gearing. I also looked at the Banks set-up you mentioned and when I decide to start robbing banks (pun intended) I'll have one put on - gives it another 75 foot-pounds (pound-feet?) of torque; with those gears you'll be a pulling monster!!!! Having said all that - I've done a LOT of work on the front-end as far as curing the wander problem. Ensure you have all those issues worked out before you get it delivered.

 

That is a great thought. Might be a good idea to have the dealer check ball joints, sway bar bushings, anything else someone can suggest?

 

Don't forget the steering gear.....good time to get a Redhead gear.....hard to get in Germany I am sure

 

fordboy67,
You have Mike's 5star tuner? I read many good things about it and was tempted to also get one, but I have decided to go for the Banks Ottomind programmer as I will also get a Banks cool air intake, Banks headers and Banks y-pipe. In the future, I might want to try the 5star but how difficult is it to install? Do you think I could simply order it and have it installed here? Or does the installation require specialist expertise...

 

JimPat,
I'll let you know how the 4.56 work out. Actually, I am not towing at all. I just want to have better acceleration at start-up.
On the wandering problem, could you please elaborate? What exactly are the issues and what did you do about them? Thanks!

 

Scott,
I see you also have a 4x4, 4" lift and 35" tires. My X is also a 4x4 and will get a 4" ProComp suspension lift. I am planning to put 35"x12.5"/R20 (=315x60x20) Nitto Trail Grapplers but am a bit worried about rubbing issues (leafs, fender, undercarriage, etc.). Some say the 35"x12.5" will fit the 4" lift with a minor rubbing issue at full turn. Could you confirm that? What is your advice? Thanks a lot!!

PS: I sent you a couple of messages on Youtube some weeks ago and you recommended me to sign up to this forum - so, here I am!! Thank you for this great advice!

 

Well, there are some Xs around in Germany BUT this car was never produced here nor offered by Ford dealers. So, all Xs you see here were imported by private individuals or used-car dealers. This means, spare parts will need to be imported from the US, so a very careful inspection needs to be done prior to shipment.

 

Redhead gear is a hand-built steering box from some cat in Washington State. I ordered one and put it in and it makes steering seem like a dream. As far as wandering - there are a myriad of threads here about that but suffice to say that the Excursion eats ball joints; needs a positive castor adjustment; the stock tie-rod connecting links (?- having a brain cramp) have a tendency to have the bushings rot out; etc. I have 78K miles on mine and had a terrible wander problem. I did the brakes/rotors all around; replaced the connecting links; replaced the steering box with the red-head; replaced all the shocks with Rancho 9000's; replaced the ball joints; and finally replaced the front springs and had the rear springs re-arched with an additional leaf put in; had all the tires "road-force" balanced. Thing drives like a dream now. I actually looked into the Banks set-up you are doing but I've put enough money into the Beast for this year maybe next year if you have great reviews.

 

JimPat,
thanks, this is very helpful. I will do some search about wandering here at FTE. I will send your list of issues to the Ford dealer who has the car now to check this stuff before shipment.
I will definitely let you know my experience with the Banks kit. I must say, though, that my expectations are not THAT high as the Banks kit generates only some 56 hp more. Not enough I guess to significantly improve acceleration from start-up as the X is a very heavy vehicle. I think the X in stock version takes about 10.4 seconds for 0-60 mph and with the Banks kit about 8.5 seconds. This is not bad but I would love 6.0-6.5 seconds (I'd love to see the look on the faces of all those Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5 drivers...). Unfortunately, such acceleration requires far more than an additional 56 hp only, probably 150 hp or even more. So, how can you get there? I think the answer is: only through performance tuning such as boring, stroking, increasing the size of the valves, etc. But this requires then to strengthen the drive train to be able to digest the large increase in power... So, a very, very costly endeavor.

 

There's always nitrous !!......go baby go....you have the same drive train as a diesel......it can stand the extra torque !

 

Xv10,

I have a 2003 Ex V10 4x4, with 315/75/r16's (34.4 inches) stock height, and the only rubbing is against the wheel well liner, no bumper rub or leaf spring rub. With a 4inch lift you might have a tiny bit at full turn, but i seriously doubt it would be anything but tiny annoyance.

 

mustangz_04,
Thanks, this is very useful to know! Do I understand you correctly that your X is NOT lifted and yet the only "issue" you have with your 34.4" x 12.4" tires is some rubbing against the wheel well liner?

 

njneer1,
thanks! i'll see how my X performs when I finally got it shipped over here. all the mods it'll get do already cost me a fortune... so, I guess I'll need to wait a bit before doing more...