That's a great looking X, I have the same one only in all black . Sounds like you got a great deal on it , welcome to the X world

 

Very nice, congratulations!

 

That's a good looking ride. I have the same one in brown but it doesn't look as good as yours.

 

Just saw this thread, nice looking truck. I would say you'll be VERY happy with the reliability of the V10 truck.

 

Thank you to all!

I appreciate the kind words.

I believe my first mod would be buying a combo SPD Y pipe and a five star tune package.

Ill ask if there is any objections to this plan?

 

Adam at least now you got somthing to "Bragg" about!

 

You did mention headers earlier, so if they are still in your plans many of them come with a good Y pipe, so the SPD would be redundant.
When you order the custom tunes from 5Star they will have you fill out a calibration request form which includes all of you other mods. I would (and did ) include any future planned mods like larger tire and headers on that list, that way any tweaks to the tunes for them will be there without any need need for updating later.
I LOVE my 5 Star tunes, I haven't run without them in 6 years except for a short experiment for another member and that reminded me just how awful the stock tune is in comparison! You will be amazed at how much better the trans performs, the shift strategy is completely different than stock.
I have their 87 Octane Economy, 87 Tow, 87 Performance, 89 Tow and 89 Performance. In real life I'm a hyper-miler in my little Geo Metro so I always have an eye towards improving my MPGs, this carries over to the EX when I'm towing our 11K TT. I found that the Tow tunes downshift too early (for me) when climbing a grade, which is what you want if you want to maintain full speed on the climb. For me I'd rather bleed off a little speed if that means being able to stay in OD without lugging the engine. The Performance tunes allow me to do that, they hold OD at higher throttle openings on grades and have worked out very well for me and my style of driving. Others have found that they prefer the Tow tunes for their towing chores, it's just something to try and evaluate.

 

Awesome information, thank you very much!

In your opinion which would you buy for the following:

1. Header Brand
2. What code of springs? I'm looking to level the excursion out and add to the towing capacity. I also have to consider price and cost to install. I want enough lift to fit 35s or 34s. I"ve read a lot on the X Codes/B codes, but i'm more confused than ever. I also read a lot saying X's/modded F's would get me level as well. I need a one stop shop for price/parts.

3. The gearing for 4.88...I'm assuming Yukon. Do you just buy the kit and do you need to buy it for front and rear differentials?

Thank you!

 

I have been very fortunate and pretty lucky with most of my Ex mods, stumbled upon some great deals to keep my costs way down. I'll detail the deal below along with some advice.


1. I went with Banks stainless headers, they are a long tube design (better performance across the RPM range but optimized for higher revs). They are absolutely top shelf quality and the price reflects that at about $1200 list. I found a set on a Black Friday sale for less than $900 and haven't seen anything close since. If you do decide on them call Banks directly with the best deal you have found, and see what they will offer. back when I was shopping they offered 20% off list and free shipping at that time. Thorley also sometimes has V-10 long tube headers available, they build them in batches.
Another option would be the Gibson shortie headers, which are tuned to the typical mid-range RPMs. hey do not come with their own Y pipe like the above long tube headers though but they are much less expensive. Member @sddesigns Steve just recently installed a set of the Gibsons onhis V-10 EX and seems very happy with the upgrade.


2. To get enough room to easily clear 34/35"s I think you would want the 3" or so that a set of ATS X/C springs will provide. There are now several members here who have gone with ATS springs and are thrilled with the results. Their forum rep @ATS Junior can hook you up with exactly what you need for your EX.
https://www.autoandtrucksprings.com/
You also have the option to hunt down good used springs which may be cheaper and more of an adventure. Again, I got super lucky with my X/B codes as a coworker gifted them to me, he had removed them at 20k miles from his pickup a few years prior and just wanted to get them out of his way in his garage. I bought new U bolts for about $69, so that was a pretty cheap spring swap for me.


3. Yes, a 4X4 rig will need both front and rear gears changed to maintain 4X4 function.
4.88s are an excellent choice for the V-10 with 35" tires as they provide an effective ratio of 4.30-ish. That is the gear sweet spot for the rev happy V-10, especially if it will be seeing heavy towing work. My EX sees most of it's miles with the 11,300lb TT in tow and it handles that load pretty well here in the East. My gear swap was another sweet deal, 2 complete axles housings (lug nuts to lug nuts with full brake assemblies) already setup with 4.88 gears and a rear locker for $1200. I had shopped around my area and it was going to cost me $2,000/2,400 to have a shop do both of my gear sets.
I've never done the setup on a set of gears, but I know that it is something that you want done right the first time. @pirate4x4_camo is very deeply invested in the offroad performance world and has as much or more knowledge on what makes a good set of gears better than others than anyone else here. Hopefully he can jump in and recommend the best gear vendor here.

 

Thank you, very awesome information.

I guess i've got to start prioritizing what it is I want to do first and go from there.

I'm going to start w/everything that is not done preveantative maintenance wise and go from there.

I took it on 300 mil road trip and it did great.

If anyone knows what would cause a steering wheel shimmy at 55-65 please let me know.

I'm not sure if it's just tires need balanced or a tire rod/ball joint/bearing etc...Guess i'll look into that.

I'm saving the above info for when I get time to upgrade!

Any of these above offer a military discount by chance? I try to save $$$ where I can.

Thank you,