My '01 X is stock and I'll be using it to tow about 7500#. Everyone keeps telling me the rear suspension is soft. I'm thinking about upgrading shocks to Bilstein and adding a Hellwig anti-sway bar in the rear. Will this be enough?

 

ramblemutt,

My experiences with our previous 27' 7500# TT was YES...but...what WD hitch are you using and what is your tongue weight?

I found thru towing 7000 miles thru the Black Hills, Big Horns and Rockies with my 1200# DC hitch and Hellwig...that the Ex handled that weight very nicely with the DC hitch with a 900# tongue.

So as long as you have an Equal-i-zer BRAND hitch or Dual Cam (DC) hitch with the WD properly adjusted...the Hellwig and Bilsteins will be just fine in my experiences.

Tires...I should throw in that I have E range tires on the Ex...make sure you do to as some early Ex's came with D range tires. I found with that TT I kept my tires aired to 63ish rear and 55 front and it did an awesome job.

I'm not sure if you saw my post on JCWhitney coupon code...but you can get the Hellwig for 20% off thru July 21...the post is in this forum...

It wasn't until I went to my 9000# TT with 1100-1200#'s of tongue weight that I found I needed a little more spring in the rear of the Ex...but for your TT you should be fine UNLESS your tongue is super heavy and in the 1100# range like mine which is possible even on a 7500# TT...so verify that.

BTW...it is SMART to do shocks at the same time as the Hellwig if you can swing it...because you have to unbolt the rear shocks anyway to install the Hellwig...so you have one step done!

Hope that helps...

Let me know if it doesn't or something is confusing.

Joe.

 

I agree with the above, but I can attest to a 2000 X's towing ability with the rear swaybar, Rancho 9000X's set to "8" and load-range E tires towing an 8000lb load while otherwise stock.

 

Thanks Joe & Bob...still trying to make a decision here. I have the EQ 1200# hitch w/bars and my TW is 1100# ( I have a Sherline scale). Just about everything is in front of the axles on my TT. I have E load range tires...actually they are 245s rather than the 265s as they are a carryover from my old Suburban...they were new so I hung onto them when I got rid of the Suburban. I plan on 70-80 psi with these tires, and they should be fine.

My diesel shop guy is trying to sell me on airbags. If I go the airbag route, I suppose I will still need anti-sway bar (or not?). I'm trying, like everyone else, to keep things as simple and inexpensive as possible to do the job. Haven't had to confront this problem with the Suburban....it was like a rock in the rear, and though the heavy TW caused more sag than I would have liked, it did not affect the towing. I live in the mountains of Utah and I can't go very far without having to deal with mountain passes, etc. I've been towing with the EQ hitch for 7 years or so.

With this info, any additional input that will help me make a decision will be greatly appreciated. I'm an old retired guy with limited funds and don't want to spend $$$$ on something that doesn't work.

 

ramblemutt,

With that much tongue weight you may well want to do something.

If I were on limited funds...I would go to JCWhitney and order the Roadmaster Active Suspension (RAS). Use coupon code BECAGY8 to get an Extra 20% OFF any purchase of $150 or more! (Maximun Discount: $100) this code will work until July 21st (TOMORROW). I do NOT work for JCWhitney...I simply get coupon codes emailed to me since I am a JCWhitney customer...so I thought I'd share.

There was an Ebay seller selling the RAS for Excursions for $120 delivered to your door...perhaps someone can provide that seller's information...I could not find it.

You want RAS model 2451 / MK II - XXF for Excursions. A fellow FTE'r purchased the RAS from JCWhitney a while ago...

Air bags are nice...don't get me wrong...but I'm sold on the RAS. It is a PASSIVE system...meaning once you set it...you forget it. It helps to stiffen the rear springs and seems to reduce that infamous axle wrapping...at least my Ex is rock solid in 10,000 miles of towing since last summer when I installed the RAS...in some pretty dicey weather too!...so I am a believer in the RAS for added rear spring capacity and a way to 'tame' an ill handling Ex...there are many ways to slice the problem. Air bags will run you about $220 or so. They can be easily installed by yourself...not very hard at all...

The RAS is a little more difficult but not very hard either.

A set of Bilsteins from Shock warehouse using code fordtrucks at check out will get you a 5% discount (a site sponsor)...again the Bilsteins are an easy bolt on mod.

With those two items...you should be good...

Now...I'm not quite sure what you may find though with those 245 tires...you may experience some side wall flex...an Excursion is about 1000#'s MORE on the hoof than a Burb to begin with...so...

WD setups with Air bags are tricky. WD setups with RAS are simple...

No matter which way you go...you need to make sure your Equal-i-zer is dialed in properly...and that means a quick trip to the scales to verify all your weights and balance...when you are ready for that if you have any questions let me know...3 weights is all you need to verify you are set...

I'd go RAS and Bilsteins...RAS from JCWhitney should set you back about $200 and Bilsteins from Shock Warehouse ~$260-280 for all four.

Of course you could simply go with the Hellwig and Shocks and give it a tow...how LONG is your TT?...tongue weight is only PART of the issue...the longer the TT...the more pronounced the issue can be...so if your TT is in the 28' range...you may not experience what I felt with my 31' (35' hitch to bumper) TT...just a thought...as I said in my first post...I towed 7000 miles with nothing more than a Hellwig for my 7500# 27' (30' ball to bumper) TT and was VERY HAPPY...that may be your most inexpensive solution...and you can get the Hellwig from JCWhitney as well...

Hope this helps...sorry to ramble a little (sorry couldn't resist the pun! )

joe.

 

I tend to agree with X_Hemi_Guy, except I don't know anything about the RAS. I basically have about everything that can be done to the rear (and front) suspension.

I have radius rods, air bags, Rancho 9000 shocks, AND the Hellwig rear sway bar. I also replaced all front end joints (ball joints, tie rod ends, drop links) at about 65000 miles.

This guy is a wonderful towing machine now. Unless someone (GM?) comes out with a new diesel Suburban or similar, I cannot imagine getting rid of it.

I guess what I am saying is that the effort has been worth it. You CAN make the Excursion a great driving tow machine.

 

I just got back from my first tow with this beast. All I have done is added the Hellwig. On the drive over, my tires were obviously the problem, as I aired them up to 78 rear and 75 front (cold) for drive back and had no problem. It was a dream. I had aired up the tires to the same pressure while warm (sat in sun) and it had quite a bit of sway. My trailer is 25' and GVWR of 7600 #'s. I was a little worried with the tow over, but was more than pleased after the tires were at the right pressure. My trip was about 150 miles, with decent grades and quite a few curves, as well as traffic through Oakland. You might not need to spend much more than the Hellwig, and pressure up the load e tires! Good luck.