Spring upgrades
Thread Starter
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 45
Likes: 29
lets start with your current ride height.
measure from the center of the hub straight up to the bottom of the fender arch.
stock spec is 23” front and 24” rear. 1/2 inch or so of sag is normal. much more the 3/4” is cause for replacement. the front springs when brand new sit flat to just negotiate arch, it is designed that way.
first thing that happens when the shocks get worn on the Ex is they blow the bump stop off and body roll becomes noticeable. if your hub to fender measurement is in spec and your tires are stock size try a set of KYB MonoMax shocks and a new set of bump stops. it will be night and day improvement.
if your springs are 3/4” + sag and you want to stay stock ride height there is no better quality spring then the ones from motorcraft. there are many imported aftermarket springs from India,Pakastain and Mexico but none are an “upgrade” in quality over the Fords ( made in mexico)
if you are wanting to change ride height or increase wheel travel then more info needed on your goals and what it is that you are wanting to build and your budget.
measure from the center of the hub straight up to the bottom of the fender arch.
stock spec is 23” front and 24” rear. 1/2 inch or so of sag is normal. much more the 3/4” is cause for replacement. the front springs when brand new sit flat to just negotiate arch, it is designed that way.
first thing that happens when the shocks get worn on the Ex is they blow the bump stop off and body roll becomes noticeable. if your hub to fender measurement is in spec and your tires are stock size try a set of KYB MonoMax shocks and a new set of bump stops. it will be night and day improvement.
if your springs are 3/4” + sag and you want to stay stock ride height there is no better quality spring then the ones from motorcraft. there are many imported aftermarket springs from India,Pakastain and Mexico but none are an “upgrade” in quality over the Fords ( made in mexico)
if you are wanting to change ride height or increase wheel travel then more info needed on your goals and what it is that you are wanting to build and your budget.
Rear is 24” front is 22” currently
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,259
Likes: 346
From: Northern California
there ya go.
your front springs have lived their useful life and it is time to replace them.
My opinion is there is not a better quality stock spring then the ones sold by motorcraft,
you can however choose to change the stock suspension ride height as many people do but it is not necessary just because the front springs have worn out. all springs as in every spring every made for anything from the excursion leaf spring, a wrist watch or the space shuttles door springs wear out and sag. it is just basic physics. the process is know as plastic deforestation.
The Excursions spring design does wear out a bit faster due to the fact it cycles from a positive to negotiate arch but if you use a quality spring that has under gone a process called “bulldozing” or “bulldogging” then it minimizes this effect. not all spring mfgs do this process but ford motorcraft does.
anyhow, you need to decide what you want your ride height to be stock or do you want to reengineer your suspension geometry and raise the ride height ?
personally I like to keep them as low as possible for the chosen tire size you intend to run.
fwiw, have built many excursion with up to 12” of lift. my current Ex is +4 and has 40” tires.
pick a tire size and built the rest of the vehicle around that.
your front springs have lived their useful life and it is time to replace them.
My opinion is there is not a better quality stock spring then the ones sold by motorcraft,
you can however choose to change the stock suspension ride height as many people do but it is not necessary just because the front springs have worn out. all springs as in every spring every made for anything from the excursion leaf spring, a wrist watch or the space shuttles door springs wear out and sag. it is just basic physics. the process is know as plastic deforestation.
The Excursions spring design does wear out a bit faster due to the fact it cycles from a positive to negotiate arch but if you use a quality spring that has under gone a process called “bulldozing” or “bulldogging” then it minimizes this effect. not all spring mfgs do this process but ford motorcraft does.
anyhow, you need to decide what you want your ride height to be stock or do you want to reengineer your suspension geometry and raise the ride height ?
personally I like to keep them as low as possible for the chosen tire size you intend to run.
fwiw, have built many excursion with up to 12” of lift. my current Ex is +4 and has 40” tires.
pick a tire size and built the rest of the vehicle around that.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,081
Likes: 1
From: Montana
there ya go.
your front springs have lived their useful life and it is time to replace them.
My opinion is there is not a better quality stock spring then the ones sold by motorcraft,
you can however choose to change the stock suspension ride height as many people do but it is not necessary just because the front springs have worn out. all springs as in every spring every made for anything from the excursion leaf spring, a wrist watch or the space shuttles door springs wear out and sag. it is just basic physics. the process is know as plastic deforestation.
The Excursions spring design does wear out a bit faster due to the fact it cycles from a positive to negotiate arch but if you use a quality spring that has under gone a process called “bulldozing” or “bulldogging” then it minimizes this effect. not all spring mfgs do this process but ford motorcraft does.
anyhow, you need to decide what you want your ride height to be stock or do you want to reengineer your suspension geometry and raise the ride height ?
personally I like to keep them as low as possible for the chosen tire size you intend to run.
fwiw, have built many excursion with up to 12” of lift. my current Ex is +4 and has 40” tires.
pick a tire size and built the rest of the vehicle around that.
your front springs have lived their useful life and it is time to replace them.
My opinion is there is not a better quality stock spring then the ones sold by motorcraft,
you can however choose to change the stock suspension ride height as many people do but it is not necessary just because the front springs have worn out. all springs as in every spring every made for anything from the excursion leaf spring, a wrist watch or the space shuttles door springs wear out and sag. it is just basic physics. the process is know as plastic deforestation.
The Excursions spring design does wear out a bit faster due to the fact it cycles from a positive to negotiate arch but if you use a quality spring that has under gone a process called “bulldozing” or “bulldogging” then it minimizes this effect. not all spring mfgs do this process but ford motorcraft does.
anyhow, you need to decide what you want your ride height to be stock or do you want to reengineer your suspension geometry and raise the ride height ?
personally I like to keep them as low as possible for the chosen tire size you intend to run.
fwiw, have built many excursion with up to 12” of lift. my current Ex is +4 and has 40” tires.
pick a tire size and built the rest of the vehicle around that.
Thread Starter
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 45
Likes: 29
So I got the springs from my buddy. They are 3 leaf Rough Country. I went ahead and installed them. Along with new sway bar bushings and end links. Raised the front end 2 inches, it now sits exactly level. I like the way the front sits now. Tomorrow I will be installing a set of Dayton C springs I picked up from a local spring shop. Will the rear springs alone give me a couple inches of rake or should I also install a set of F350 blocks while I’m at it? Front looks like I can run a 285 or a 305 which is pretty much where I want to be.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,259
Likes: 346
From: Northern California
check out my post #146 on this thread
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...surents-5.html
it list many different ride heights using various springs.
most people do what is referred to as a Mod/c when using the rear F250 springs.
a common Mod/c will take the f250 main spring pack but ditch the very bottom “over load” spring and then add the bottom 2 leafs from the excursion.
some people use the bottom overload spring but I feel it make to high of a spring rate for any off the shelf shock to adequately control. do as you think is best.
many mod/c spring setups result in a 27” ride height. Center of hub to bottom of fender arch.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...surents-5.html
it list many different ride heights using various springs.
most people do what is referred to as a Mod/c when using the rear F250 springs.
a common Mod/c will take the f250 main spring pack but ditch the very bottom “over load” spring and then add the bottom 2 leafs from the excursion.
some people use the bottom overload spring but I feel it make to high of a spring rate for any off the shelf shock to adequately control. do as you think is best.
many mod/c spring setups result in a 27” ride height. Center of hub to bottom of fender arch.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,259
Likes: 346
From: Northern California
start a new thread when you are ready to tackle your suspension overhaul/ modification, we can walk you through it. if you take anything away from this thread it should be start by deciding what tire size you would like to run.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,081
Likes: 1
From: Montana
I at the stage where I need tires and currently have 305-70-16 with some rub at full turn.
stock rims dont seem to be great when you go bigger tires because they are more narrow. need to make sure everything is tight and good before I pull triggers on rims, ties or lift if I go there. like a little bigger tire for my needs and I already have 4.30 gears. just doing some more research before I post or hijack a thread.
Thread Starter
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 45
Likes: 29
I’m at about 24.5 on the front and 28 at the rear. Ended up with a bit more take than I was hoping for, but I took her for a ride and seems like a whole new beast. So far I’m really liking the stiffer suspension.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,259
Likes: 346
From: Northern California
why do you need the front at 26.5 ?
going on the fact the higher the Center of Gravity the worse the handling gets and the more engineering needed to addresses steering snd alignment issues.
if the front is clearing your tires of choice now why not lower the rear ?
removing leafs or blocks out of the back to lower ride height is much less work then correcting steering and handling issues in the front. ( fwiw, not talking about physical work of doing the job but engineering to get the vehicle working correctly)
at 28” ( actually 27 works ) rear you can run 37”-40” tires which fill the wheel well nicely, the current gap looks dumb.
( assuming those are just temporary roller tires )
post a pic of the rear spring pack you engineered so we can understand your design.
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