OK I need some advice. I've looked through a lot of threads but none seem to apply to a lifted Excursion. I can find lifted heavy duty's or stock Excursions but since there is the weight difference I'm hoping someone will chime in here.
I have a 2005 Excursion with a 6" lift and Terra Grappler 325-60-20's. I have no idea what shocks are on there now but the stabilizer appears to be a stock unit. I have noticed extra play lately, in the steering and suspension, over bad roads and even some tire wear indicative of worn shocks. So I want to replace both the shocks and put a dual stabilizer on it to help with the large tires. What are people using that works well. I don't want to break the bank as this truck sees very little off road and no off road at higher speeds but I do end up driving on torn up roads and the occasional wash board dirt road. So all suggestions would be appreciated. I know there was a thread about a newer shock that worked well and was affordable but I have yet to find it again using the search engine.
I really need to start remembering to subscribe to some of these useful threads.

 

OK I guess no one has added a set of shocks and dual stabilizer to their lifted Excursion or no one cares to post their input.

 

Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Search Forums Try searching "lifted, shocks" and list by posts instead of threads. Only 225 posts specific to your question. Good luck.

 

If you are "noticing play" it is not your shocks or steering stabilizer. If you are running that big of a lift I'm guessing you have bigger than stock tires. I'd suspect worn out ball joints, wheel bearings, tie rod ends, etc. You should also read up on adjusting the factory steering box to remove play at the box.

The steering "stabilizer" is simply a tube filled with oil that has a piston with holes in it that moves through the oil, dampening sudden steering inputs/shocks due to road imperfections. You could remove it entirely and it wouldn't feel like you had additional play... you would just feel more feedback and feel the wheel jerk more when you hit ruts, expansion joints, and pot holes.

The shocks are similar devices, sometimes charged with gas to prevent aeration, that mount vertically to control the natural oscillation of the springs, and essential deaden their movement, which otherwise would continue unchecked after hitting a bump. You check to see what kind of shape yours are in by jumping on the rear bumper then jumping off. If the back of your truck continues to bounce more than once after you hop off, you probably need new shocks. I don't feel like that is likely to increase the amount of "play" you feel at the wheel either. Just how long you keep bouncing after you hit bumps.

So I'm not saying the shocks and steering dampeners aren't in need of replacing, but you may want to take a larger look at your suspension and steering systems to eliminate what you are feeling.

also worth mentioning that the leaf sprung super duties feel like they have some play even when everything is within factory spec. I don't know what you drove before but if you are making the step up from an IRS vehicle, you probably won't ever have the same level of tightness with the superduty that you had before... a steering box with a pitman arm and draglink just isn't as precise feeling behind the wheel as a rack and pinion.

 

Hasteranger I probably misused the word play. I don't have play in the front and on smooth roads the truck rides fine. however they recently redid my road and there are a lot of imperfections you hit while driving and it bumps the steering left and right. It's not drastic enough to be hazardous but it has become annoying. The same on the washboard roads.

 

Trdltly thanks for the suggestion. I could do that search, actually have, and it brought up 250+ posts on shocks and lifts.The only problem is I don't have hours to read through them and find what I'm looking for. After reading through about 30-40 mins of them I decided to make a thread on exactly what I needed information on. There are plenty of posts about buying X or Y shock but not how they worked after installation. I was hoping for some reviews from actual purchasers so I could make an informed decision.

 

I'd try to tighten the steering box and see if that helps. Then try an upgraded steering stablizer or 2.

 

If you have read through some searches you will quickly become familiar with what options are out there; if you want to learn more about once specifically, narrow your search. i'm confident you will be able to find reviews of just about every shock and steering stabilizer available for the excursion pretty quickly... its a very commonly discussed subject. A steering stabilizer will pretty much only help with vibration that shakes your wheel. any other play that occurs between the tires and the steering wheel (Ie that you can't correct for by correcting the wheel, or that feels like there is slack or deadness when you turn the wheel) will have to fixed, by tightening the boxes or checked tie rods/ball joints.