Well, I had a couple buddies lend me a hand lifting the Excursion this weekend. I went with Donahoe Racing's 7" lift. It consists 8" springs for the rear(replaces the stock 2" block) and 6" springs up front. This is an extremely nice kit, and did not require any driveshaft mods that I can see. The biggest pain is getting the two little POS AC condenser screms back in. As with most Superduties, you have to remove the front bumper(6 easy bolts) to get to the front spring bolts. Well, you also have to unscrew the two lower A/C condensor mounting brackets and the screws never want to go back into the little clips when you reassemble everything. Anyway, this kit is designed to easily clear 37" tires. I went with 37x12.5x16 Irok Radials on 16x8 Xtreme Alloy 6089s.

Before:


After:




It pretty much dwarfs my burb now too.


The wheels are 16x8 Xtreme Alloy 6089s mounted on 37x12.5x16 Irok radials.

 

sweet setup man. I hadn't heard of donahoe b4. how do they compare to skyjacker?

 

No comparison. Donahoe is a tuned lift designed specifically for the weight of the vehicle. Skyjacker just builds springs and slaps them on whatever will give 6" of lift. Donahoe is more expensive, but I can honestly say that this kit rides just as good if not better than stock. Worth it in my honest opinion.

Deaver springs(part of the Donahoe kit) are considered to be a top of the line spring builder. They are very well known in the desert racing series where handling, wheel travel, and extreme conditions apply. Same technology goes into these springs. They weigh each corner of the rig and set up the spring rates exactly where they need to be. I have run Deavers on my 72' Bronco, and they ride like a cadillac on the road.

Skyjacker, Procomp, Trailmaster, and Superlift use much thicker, stiffer springs and they ride very harshly.

 

Very nice! The lift height and tire size complement each other perfectly. I strongly believe the Excursion is a truck that BELONGS up in the air!

 

man if you'd have lowered that truck I would have one thing to tell you.......

 

Donahoe uses springs from Deaver that are specifically designed to be used on Super Duties. Each corner is weighed and then the spring rate is designed specifically within that weight range. Deaver and Donahoe are both very well known for their desert racing roots and building products that excel under extreme conditions. That same technology goes into these springs.

Skyjacker for instance throws a spring in the kit and doesn't care how it rides as long as it nets say 6" of lift. I've been in the 4wd biz for a while now, and most of the "off the shelf" kits like Superlift, skyjacker, trailmaster, and Pro Comp use springs that are designed for lift, but aren't designed to ride well. The suburban in the pics is a 90' 4x4. Its got Superlift springs on it and rides like a brick *****house. Also, it has 6" lift blocks in the rear which promotes severe spring and axle wrap. I bought the burb with the lift already on it, and have been meaning to swap it out pretty soon for a specialty built spring package.

Check out www.donahoeracing.com for more info.

 

And, just so you guys can see how this kit flexes:

 

Ahh, brings back memories of my first Ex, a 00 Limited Powerstroke. The tires killed my fuel mileage, prompting me to trade it in. BIG MISTAKE! I soon grew to miss my Ex. I sold the tiny truck and bought another 00 Limited Powerstroke on ebay. Although it's a 2wd, I am very happy to be back in the best SUV ever made. You did a very good job.

 

what size kit and tires are on that SD? looks sweet, i didn't think that a leaf spring SD would flex that much.

 

9" Donahoe kit with 42" TSLs.

 

Your Ex looks very good. Just wondering what for a lift you have on the 'burban cause it is dwarfed by the Ex.

 

I'm wondering how much the 7" lift is to raise your garage?

 

The burb has a 6" Superlift and 35s on it.

 

dont forget to re-torque the bolts, looks clean

 

I just ordered 36/13.50/16 for my X. How do you like the tires so far? Loud? Do they grab ruts in the road? Looks real good!!