Wandering X
New User
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: fort worth, TX
I hated the mushy, wandering, whiteknuckle, sloppy swaying handling when I first got my used 2001 X 4x4...but soon did all the things that have been recommended online. Now I drive with 2 fingers holding the steering wheel in place.
1. Bilstien shocks ( factory version is way too light duty for the 8000# beast) get them at Eshocks.com for $65 each, lifetime warrantee and rebuildable German shocks.
2 .Helwig rear sway bar from JC Whitney for about $178. very heavy duty.
( the above 2 things are very noticeable as soon as you do them)
3. get online on supermotors.com Excursion club and look up a guy with the handle "LANDYOT". he manufactures a device called "radius rods" and will custom make a pair for your exact model X for around $350. I ordered a pair and after a few weeks wait they landed on my front door step. I haven't been able to pin my home-from-college" son down long enough to install them yet but they are a very high-quality, precision fabrication, and Ford should have installed them on the rear suspensions from the factory for a straight arrow highway tracking over bumps and dips. Many that have them swear by them.
The above improvements along with the 80 HP Microchips programmer installed, no muffler staight pipe and Tymar intake and I've got a high-powered, comfy road hog, powerstroke 4x4. I put about 900 miles a week on it up and down the highways around DFW Texas. just draggin my 290 # butt around, no towing.
(oh don't forget the 203 degree thermostat,...see dieselsite.com for this)
Wanting to do the sound insulation upgrade next, using the "B-quiet" material...much cheaper and better acoustically than Dynomat.
FYI
1. Bilstien shocks ( factory version is way too light duty for the 8000# beast) get them at Eshocks.com for $65 each, lifetime warrantee and rebuildable German shocks.
2 .Helwig rear sway bar from JC Whitney for about $178. very heavy duty.
( the above 2 things are very noticeable as soon as you do them)
3. get online on supermotors.com Excursion club and look up a guy with the handle "LANDYOT". he manufactures a device called "radius rods" and will custom make a pair for your exact model X for around $350. I ordered a pair and after a few weeks wait they landed on my front door step. I haven't been able to pin my home-from-college" son down long enough to install them yet but they are a very high-quality, precision fabrication, and Ford should have installed them on the rear suspensions from the factory for a straight arrow highway tracking over bumps and dips. Many that have them swear by them.
The above improvements along with the 80 HP Microchips programmer installed, no muffler staight pipe and Tymar intake and I've got a high-powered, comfy road hog, powerstroke 4x4. I put about 900 miles a week on it up and down the highways around DFW Texas. just draggin my 290 # butt around, no towing.
(oh don't forget the 203 degree thermostat,...see dieselsite.com for this)
Wanting to do the sound insulation upgrade next, using the "B-quiet" material...much cheaper and better acoustically than Dynomat.
FYI
