I dunno how old this thread is but Alan if you were to sell your centurion how much would it go for? Please e-mail me @ JCFord36(No Email Addresses In Posts!) I am very interested!!!

 

I bought my excursion about 4 months ago (2001 4x4 v-10) and I was alittle worried about the handeling when I bought it but I was wrong it has great handeling. my friend and my family went on a vacation to South Dakota and Wyoming I was doing a constant 80-85 and handled like a dream I got great gas mileage(16mpg) I also was towing a 7,000LBS tralier. In the mountins it had no trouble at all it wasn't even breathing hard. It is like a sports car suv. Even with the trailer it turned fine and braked fine. My friend has a 2001 4x4 2500 Suburban with 6 liters. He was only towing 4,000LBS tralier and was going pretty good with the flat land through winsconsin minesota and the begining of south dakota but as soon as he got in the mountains he couldn't even keep up with the Excursion (Being a chevy shouldn't surprise anyone) he had to keep the thing in Straight Drive the whole time while i kept mine in overdrive except for a couple of times. His suburban also burned alot of oil he was very disapointed with his suburban. He said he wished he would have bought and excursion. I'm overall very very happy with the truck i also could hold alot more in my excursion so my family was alot more comfortable than his they were cramed in there. When we parked the trailers we went offroading allittle and his 4x4 wouldn't work and almost got stuck a few times. So If u'r gonna go with the King of SUV's Go with the excursion
Nick,IL

 

Well here it is, I've been driving my 2001 excursion limited, black, 6.8L V-10, 3:73 LS, for 12000 miles. These are the facts. I love the truck, it works like a locomotive. I bought it to tow a 7500 pound boat and it does a great job doing it. It carries the 750 pound tounge weight with no problem, runs in overdrive most of the time and gets 12 to 13 mpg while towing, it is in charge of the load. But, you can't have everything. This truck rides like a 1.5 ton dump truck, it is not a soccer mom car. the hard ride causes me to continuously chase rattles, If you go into a parking lot on an angle, passengers can be pitched from the seats if not belted. This is a far cry from what most expect from a family car. It is a truck, it works like a truck and it acts and handles like a truck. It is not for everyone, but if you need a great tow truck with a lot of room in it, this is it. As far as general fuel consumption goes, I've been reading all the input on the net, this what I see on a regular basis. I get 17 highway and 14 city unloaded and as I said above 12 or 13 towing. I have never been able to burn more than 12 mpg. there are a number of small SUV's that consume more fuel than the excursion.

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 21-Aug-01 AT 08:09 AM (EST)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 21-Aug-01 AT 08:02 AM (EST)[/font]

The last two posts about mileage with the V10 while towing are hard to believe. At 25k miles fully loaded and not towing the best I can get is 14.5 - 15 mpg. (4WD, 3.73LS) This is at 75 mph in flat to hilly terrain. In pure city driving 10 - 12 miles to work with stop lights and no freeway the mileage is 10.5 - 11.
On the other hand I have much improved handling and ride with a few simple modifications. Edelbrock IAS shocks, Pro-comp steering stabilzer, BFG A/T tires and Timbren load boosters to replace the front bumps stops. No wander or sway, no shimmmy in steering wheel, decreased jolts over large bumps, great tracking over rough roads, smooth controlled ride over gravel and dirt roads.

 

The fuel milage I stated above are real numbers. I drive light footed and let the truck do its job. When I drive over 70 mph, loaded or unloaded, the fuel economy goes in the toilet. Thanks for the suspension component info. I need to do something, the new england roads are rattling this truck apart. I'm going to start with shock and steering stabilizer. Thanks again.
What do you run for tire pressure?

 

Mrfix,

I run 45psi in front and 55psi in rear. Is your Excursion 4wd?
I know the 2wd versions get up to 1-2 mpg better. I'm pretty easy on the gas pedal myself, but once in awhile ya gotta step on it. The roads aren't much better in Michigan. With those mods to the suspension you limit some suspension travel and eliminate most of the hard hits found on roads in cold climates that create potholes and frost heaving. The problem with the front leafs on the 4wd Ex. is decreased spring rates and travel compared to the SuperDuty. Ford planned for a smooth ride but it does the opposite over most roads. My next change planned is to change over to the springs used on F-450/550.

 

My truck is a 4wd limited. There is more to the story, this is the second V-10 in this truck. The 1st one lasted 3000 miles, there were no oil returns in the right cylinder head. the 1st. motor had severe exhaust flutter, hard preignition and got 10 to 12 mpg unloaded. After much discussion with ford and the dealer I let them replace the engine, they gave me a 5 year, 75000 mile warrenty on the truck and the best running engine I have ever owned. It's quiet, no exhaust flutter, I can't get it to ping and it gets great fuel economy for a V-10. They made me happy. I don't know what the deal is with the fuel economy but I keep fuel records and calculate after every fill up, the numbers have been consistant for the last 8000 miles. Bottom line is, the truck runs great, works hard, gets great fuel economy and rides like crap, it's shaking itself apart. I'm working on the ride but I don't want to throw money where it won't do me any good. I read all of the posts and am leaning towards the Rancho RS9000 adjustable shocks. and an after market steering stabilizer.

 

I guess if you combined the ride of my truck and your gas mileage you'd have the perfect Excursion. The v-10 in my truck is quiet without any flutter. The one thing I find strange is the odor from the exhaust. It's hard to describe but it reeks, especially on short trips. If I wanted a stinkin truck I would of bought a diesel. Your city mileage still astounds me, its is good as all the PSD guys describe their fuel mileage. You must not have too much stop and go which really kills the mileage. Thanks for your feedback.

 

As far as the suspension goes you guys should check out http://forums.ford-diesel.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi yes it is a diesel site but they have several forums that help greatly. They have a PWR stroke EX. forum that is great. The V-10 only weighs a few hundred less than the Diesel so all of the susspwension mods are great. I have put on the Rancho RS9000's, Rancho stabilizer, and the biggest improvement so far was the Helwig rear sway bar. Next will be the so called "X Springs". The springs on the EX. are only rated at 3400lbs (from what I can remember) and the X springs are rated at 6000lbs. It equates to about 1.75 in. of lift in the front after they settle in. Most people who do this upgrade add 1 in. blocks to the rear springs.

BTW Do you guys know that if you leave your crossbars on for you roof rack that they collect dirt underneath and scratch the paint? Take one off one day and you will end up taking the other one off and storing them.

2001 4X4 Limeted V10

 

Thanks for the roof rack info, my paint is scratched. That rack is kinda usless anyway, I'm too short to get anything up there.

 

I have a 2000 XLT V-10 4.3LS 4x4. It has 24,000 miles on it. I was getting 10mpg around town and 11 -11.5 on the road going 70-75mph. It tows a TT that weighs approx. 5,500 lbs and a boat that weighs about 4,500. Can't even tell they are back there when towing. I also have a restored 79 Bronco and a 98F150 SC 5.4. The Excursion by far is the most fun and most comfortable vehicle. The family loves it. I has been in the snow in Colorado mountains, hills of southern okla and Missouri, heat of western Ks and worked great. Had the rear end replaced due a pinion gear. I put in a K&N air filter, made my own custom air induction system and added a performance exhaust single out system. I now get 11.5 intown and 12 -13.5 on the road at 70mph. I love the vehicle. I will be adding 285 75 16 Yokohama Geolanders and will take off those cross bars on the racks. I noticed the scratches during my last wax job. Thanks for the info. Hope this helps. Richard

 

How odd. Everything I've read says the Excursions were/are built on the F350 Super Duty Chassis. Guess I might have read wrong. No matter, I'm so in love with this truck!

Super towing, super power, and thanks to the chip, even more POWER!! An better than stock gas mileage to boot.
I would have never been able to afford to feed a truck this big and comfortable without the PSD being available!!

I've only just turned my 1st 1,000 miles, and now the city mileage is pushing past 15 easy, and highway mileage is a consistent 21.

TurboDave & Kathy Huinker, dhuinker@san.rr.com
TurboD Racing, Turbo Buick Web Ring
San Diego CA http://home.san.rr.com/buickv6/
86 GN 11.8@116.9 (MM/MAF Xlator/Extender,MM BstC Boost Command,THDP,PTE44,CAS V2FM,MSD50's,9.5"vigilante 3500)
87 GN 12.95@105.50(Stock)
84 L69 Z28
01 Excursion LTD TTS"race" 7.3L PSD Turbo 4X2

 

Hi XR7,
I was reading your post on mileage and the suspension components you installed. I was considering a steering stablizer for my 2000 'X' 4x4 to help with the wandering at high speed. Was the steering stabilizer a big factor in helping yours track straight?

JACIII
2000 X V10 4x4 Limited

 

Hey all,

My v10 4x4 X was wallowing in the road like a pig. It was hard to initiate a correction and then the front end took off ahead of the steering wheel requiring counter correction. It was wearing me out.


I decided to try an alignment. I reported a lack of 'return to center' feel to the tech as the reason for suspecting the alignment. He found a SLIGHT toe error (.01deg out of spec.). All the toe readings were on the positive side of the spec range and he moved them to the negative side.

Makes sense. I won't say the truck no longer requires input, but correction is minimal now and it is difficult to OVER correct. The wheel just sits in the middle of travel - anything bumps her off course and a little pressure to the other side and she's back true. Two finger highway drivin'! Just like that ol' '75 Merc I once had!

--------------------spec---------------------Left-------Rt
camber*******-0.8 to 1.3**************-0.1********0.0
caster*******1.5 to 5.5****************3.3********3.3
toe**********-0.11 to 0.14************-0.03******-0.04


***********************FRONT

-------------------------spec-------------Actual
Cross Camber***-1.0 to 1.0********-0.1
Cross Caster***-1.0 to 1.0*********0.0
Total Toe******-0.22 to 0.28******-0.07


Your obedient servant,

JACIII
2000 X 4x4 Ltd V10