looking into buying an x 4wd 7.3
i am tucson, az by the way, if someone has one for sale in az

i am need a big vehicle to carry a lot of light stuff, so i am going to build this for hwy driving, etc
it will not ever haul anything, have a dually for that

i drove an 05 2wd yesterday and it rode awful, every bit as bad as my 01 4wd dually that is built to haul, so i am wondering what are the possibilities of changing some suspension stuff out and getting one of these to ride more like a car, i want to be able to take trips in this comfortably

i have read a few things about these having bad stock suspensions , so they are bad in what way? too tight or too soft

any suggestions on if i can make this ride good or not would be great

thanks for your time

 

my stock '05 rides pretty smooth...from what I've read around here with a high quality aftermarket suspention lift is the way to go, namely Donahoe Racing (DR) that's what I'll be lifting my truck with...If you want zero lift try at least Bilstein shocks---most will recomend those. good luck


oh and you have to add a Helwig rear anti-sway bar.....the best mod for the money I have done yet!

 

The 2WD rode bad?!? My 05 2WD, while not a Cadillac, rides smooth for a truck. I had to add a leaf in the back to help control the thing better but now it rides quite nicely on those long stretches.

If you want that kind of a smooth ride you may want to look elsewhere. Maybe a nice conversion van or something. 3/4 ton truck aren't really made for smooth riding like a 1/2 van or SUV would be.

You can play with the tire pressures a bit to help smooth the ride but I guess I (we) need to know what exactly it was about the 05 that you didn't like.

 

I have a 2002 v10 4x4 excursion. I hate the way it rides. I love the ex. I would like some suggestions to soft the suspension. I did install ranchos 9000 schoks. Didn't make difference.

 

this 05 had 105000 miles, i do not know if it was stock or not, or possibly worn out

it rode rough, bumpy, jarring

i have an 01 crew cab dually 4wd with air bags and i think it is a little lifted, i run rv michelins on it and it rides rough too, but it does smooth out a lot loaded, i do not want a hwy truck that rides that rough, i am totally willng to put a grand or 2 into the suspension to make it ride smooth, i just don't want to waste my money doing something that won't work

will definitely do the sway bar and possibly bilstiens, but i put bilstiens on my dually and it did not make it ride smoother at all, so just want to hear what some other people have done

interesting to me that people say lifting them makes them smoother, but that is what i am reading here

 

Not fair to all Excursions to judge them based on driving one with 105K miles on it. Who knows the condition/brand of the shocks are the condition of the springs and other suspension components.

Bilstiens are not the best shock for a smooth ride. They have aggressive dampening rates and are best suited for off-road & large loads. Ranchos are nice as you can adjust the dampening.If one setting doesn't give you the compliance you're looking for you have 8 more settings. I had the 5 position adjustable ones on my 00 Excursion. I would have one setting for those long, insterstate road trips and another for off-road and one for all around.

Your best bet for highway driving really is a 2WD. You have to watch the alignment with the twin I beam front suspension but is a lot more compliant (for a truck) than the 4x4's monobeam and its limited travel.

If you do go the 2WD route I would suggest getting an add-a-leaf rather than a anti-sway bar. It is a much better improvement for the rear suspension as the stronger spring pack not only helps with axle wrap issues but also rear steering and sway. Having had a Helwig on my 2000 4x4 I kinda like to think that my opinions come with experience to back them up.

 

good point Monsta...the adjustable would give him more options.....I think it's the 105k miles thats causing the bad ride with worn out everything...

 

Oops..."are" should say "or". Fat fingers.

Who knows the condition/brand of the shocks or the condition of the springs and other suspension components.

 

ok, good to know about the bilstiens,

i wish i could do 2wd but i cannot, my road is pretty bad getting into my house and i have to drive a few dirt roads for my work, need 4wd

someone told me use a really soft spring? is this thing coil on front and leaf on rear?

i am definitely going to drive several of them, that 05 was probably worn out

 

If you're going 4WD then my advice is different. You'll want to lift it at least 3". A springer spring pack in the rear will still solve many problems inherent in its design. So do an add-a-leaf. You can do a sway bar. It helps more with a 4x4 due to the increased ride height.