I want to change the shocks on my 4x2 X to improve the ride and to replace the stock ones. Rancho shocks seem to be the best option when it comes to this sort of thing, so I think I might go with some of those. Any other suggestions or ideas? Anyone with input on this matter is more than welcomed to post. Thanks in advance.

 

maybe one day i could own a excursion when im rich and old..

 

Disregarding the rich and old comment from the lurker here :-)

This rich and younger guy has heard that Ranchos and Bilstein's are the replacement shock of choice... do some searches on this and the other diesel forums - there are two or three LONG threads going on right now about which is BEST... but they are both MUCH better than stock...

And although I've not changed either my '02 4x2 shocks or the '03 4x4 Ex's shocks, I did find that the addition of a helwig rear sway bar on my '02 4x2 Ex REALLY helped the handing.

 

I agree that the Hellwig sway bar is a big improvement for little investment (about $150 or so from J.C.Whitney). I really felt a reduction in roll stiffness just going in and out of parking lots after installing mine.

Shock absorbers? I wish I hadn't wasted the $400 I spent on Rancho RSX9000 units. Don't get me wrong here ... the shock absorbers work fine, but they did little to improve the ride quality. If I had installed another remedy first, I would've just left the original shocks on the truck.

 

I know we have discussed this Hellwig bar before but I could not find one for the Excursion in the JCWhitney website. Can you guys give me the specific model number? Was it simple to install?Thanks

 

I couldn't find it on their website either, so I used an older invention that many Americans still use to this day ... I telephoned them.

And installation was simple ... was a complete bolt-in job ... took about an hour.

 

Darn that Land Yot - he's right again !!!!

I had to call them too...
it's readily available to them , they just don't llist it in their catalogs or website...
And while you're on the phone with them you can always ask for free shipping and discounts...
I did and got a 15% discount and free third day delivery...

 

Well, from the sound of things, I should just stick with my stock suspension and just get a sway bar. How does a sway bar work anyhow? From the sound of things, it seems you just strap sometihng on and better handling automatically happens.

 

Well, it's not the magic elixer,
but what it does is just what the real name for it says -"Anti-sway bar"

It basically ties the two ends of the rear axle together with a bar that resists twisting....

It will keep your vehicle in more of a flat plane when doing quick lane changes or while hitting the on and off ramps at speed...

Someone said one particular on ramp he used to always have to take at about 30 could now safely be taken at 50....

If you go around a left turn and the left rear of your vehicle seems to want to lift UP and (with enough speed) turn over, the sway bar will limit that roll and keep the vehicle flater...

Here in the back woods two lane roads in Texas the right side of the road is typically beat up from the heavy trucks and there is a lot of dips... the sway bar stopped a lot of the 'dipping' as I the right tire dropped into those low spots...

 

An anti-sway bar is really nothing more than a side-to-side spring, and accomplishes its task through the torque transmitted to the transverse portion of the bar. The longitudinal portions are there only for connection purposes ... and of course, their length makes a difference on how much torque is applied to the transverse portion. The longer the longitudinal portions, the more leverage, or torque, can be applied. Bar diameter is another means of controlling the amount of torque, or how "stiff" a given sway bar design might be. Stiffer bars that resist rolling to a greater degree are larger in diameter.

For the most part, the sway bar attempts to keep the solid rear axle parallel to the floorboard. But it does this by doing the opposite because the axle remains parallel to the road surface, so the bar's output is to keep the floorboard parallel to the ground.

Confused? You should be. Especially when one considers that some of the best performing road cars use independent suspension on all four corners, and then the sway bar counteracts that very independence!

There are many good books on suspension theories ... and there is a wide variety of suspension designs.

I've given some thought to the Excursion's wandering that some complain about. I believe a good portion of that is due to the very weak leaf springs on the rear (the weakest of all the SuperDuty vehicles), and more thought to how the front panhard bar is oriented.

While I've corrected the rear suspension's problem by fabricating a pair of bars that keep the axle in a controlled arc, I've since started looking at the panhard bar up front. Its mounting points are not equal distance from the ground, and any suspension compression will cause the front axle to shift sideways a small amount. You'll always have a little sideways-shift when using a panhard bar, but its effect can be minimized by having the mounting points equi-distance from the ground (the left side mount is on the frame & the right side is on the axle).

There's also ways around that problem, but I've long gotten off track here. Buy the Hellwig anti-sway bar, or Ford's F350 bar, install it, and enjoy the improvement. Like I said before, it's a big improvement for a little investment.

 

I recently received a set of RS9000X's and I love them but I go off-road a lot of the time. I also have huge tires 40X17X15 Hawgs. My dad also has them and he tows a trailor With greatly improved confidence. They can be super stiff in fact bone jarring or slightly softer than stock definately a must for trailor towers and avid off-roaders!!! But as stated above not a great improvement in overall ride Quality.

 

Bilsteins are the way to go for ride improvement. Less expensive as well. Duals in front will reduce sway problems considerably.

 

Just ordered my Hellwig anti-sway bar. In order to get the 15% discount you need to have a cataloug (sp?) and use the number on it for the discount. So order your cataloug first before you call. Now if I could only get the front end to quit wandering I'll be happy. Thanks for all your help guys!!!

 

Don't the newer 03 Ex's come with a sway bar from Ford? You 03 Ex owner's may want to check and see if you already have one before you order a new one.

 

While some of the '03's have a rear sway bar (Mine does),
I don't believe it's as good as the Helwig unit...
I know the stock one on my 4x4 is smaller than the Hellwig...