put the FX4 shocks from the SD on an X? I have the originals on my 03 but I am cosidering replacing them.

Will the FX4 option match up with the mounting points?

Will the ride be even worse? Let me know please...

 

Joe,

What is the intended usage of the Ex? I notice you have a TT listed in your sig...so I assume you tow...

I primarily use my Ex as a Snow and Tow vehicle.

I tow a 9000# travel trailer. I've found that the Bilsteins are a great shock for my application. Others have gone with the Rancho 9000XL's which are adjustable from soft ride to stiff ride...I didn't need the manually adjustability since I rarely drive my Ex unloaded...

Just curious as to why you are wondering about the FX4 shocks since the Ranchos and Bilsteins work out very well on our Ex's for most of the 'common' applications.

BTW...since you camp...check out the sticky post at the top of our forum on our Second Annual Excursion Diversion Rally in Gatlinburg in July!

Welcome to FTE too!

Joe.

 

mostly we use it as the family truck. i would like to tow more but my tundra tows it better. i love the space inside. dispite a very few mods, i want to stay as ford stock as possible. i enjoyed the ride of the fx4 trucks and just wondered. i am open to suggestions also.

would love to come to gatlinburg BUT wife already booked vaca with her inlaws, their parents and sis in law & fam. whew! thats a lot of people - not staynig with us tho.

my big thing is keeping the truck as family friendly as possible. smooth & quiet.

Any additional thoughts?

 

I have the Bilsteins on my Ex and can say it's rides great towing or not and feel you can't go wrong with the Bilsteins. So it will still be family friendly, smooth and quiet, just my .02 cents.

 

Rancho 9000XL's may be just the ticket...they'll allow you to 'tune' the ride to your liking...they're not cheap though...about $100 each...very easy to install yourself and save on labor...about an hour for all 4 shocks...although like cbradford...I don't think my Bilsteins make for a rough ride at all...very comfortable...

I'm sure someone can comment on if the FX4's will fit as they may be a cheaper way to go.

Rancho's are/were stock on many Ford Trucks too FWIW...

The tundra pulls better than your Ex...I'll have to respectfully disagree ...

I've taken our 9000# TT thru parts of this country most only dream of and up and over a max altitude of 11,200' in the Rockies at 55mph with my little ole V10 Ex...although I do have 4.30's in mine...not sure what you have in yours. The room in the Ex when we take our 2 week trips cannot be compared to in ANY vehicle out there...only mods I've done to my Ex are the RAS and Hellwig and shocks...she is an incredibly stable and comfortable TV.

Understood on Gatlinburg...good luck with all those in-laws...perhaps YOU should come by yourself to Gatlingurg!

Joe.

 

thanks for your thoughts. I need to hear which work better & I appreciate your experience. Whe you guys tow, does therear of the Ex drop much? My tonugue weight is 1050, as listed on the trailer placard. Should i put the add a leaf on?

 

Gatlinburg woudl be fun...

I respect your rspectful disagreement. Remember, I have both in my driveway and experience them both.

My Ex has the 3.73's. I have a hill here on the way to gettysburg, PA that I take the tundra up & over with the TT. I can climb at 65, still have pedal and am in 5th gear. The Ex was in 2nd gear, max 35 mph and struggling. What a difference!

Remeber, I have 381 horsepower, 401 ftlbs and 6 speeds with a 4.30 rear. MORE Power, torque, multiplication factors with additional gears and biggger rear. Just on paper, it screams better towing.

I LOVE my EX, as a matter of fact, I just got it over the summer. But the reality of the situsation is that the Jap engineering with 4 more years of technology as well as millions upon millions of $$ for R&D have produced a more formidable tool.

We should not kid ourselves as doemstic vehicle lovers and American consumers.

Maybe if I change the rear to 4.30's, that will help. But I am still saddled with less power, less torque and few gears in the trans.

I dont mean to be ajerk about it but again, I own them both and can tell the difference when I drive them. Its not just "buyers pride".

Even Car & Driver said "Who needs a diesel with this V* in the market".

My experience AND knowledge.

 

My tongue weight is 1100-1200#'s (depending on fresh water in the tank or not)...YES the rear of the Ex will drop...that is why I installed the RAS when I went to this heavier tongue'd TT.

The RAS can be had from $100 to $240 depending on where you find it and it is a pretty easy self install...I'd do the shocks FIRST due to the fact that the RAS will lift the rear of the Ex by about 1" or so which can complicate installation of shocks somewhat that are 'banded' from the factory...I know...I fought it...

If you have never weighed your TT and gotten an actual tongue...you may be surprised like I was that my tongue actually came in at 1450#'s which is well over the 'listed' tongue and BTW well OVER the rating on the Ex's receiver...I shifted cargo inside the TT to get the tongue to the numbers I list above...

And I agree that 6 speeds is what is helping you out greatly on the Tundra...what does the HP/Trq curve look like on that motor?...where does it actually make those peak numbers?...The Ex is pretty flat which makes for a good tow motor...your 3.73's are what is handicapping you...RPM's is KEY to successful pulling with the V10...and the 4R100 only complicates successful hill climbs...you MUST and I repeat MUST approach a hill at 3200RPM's...which with 3.73's means 3rd gear and WAY TOO FAST for my liking...with 4.30's it is 70mph (still faster than I like)...but I pulled Jellico Pass last summer (border of KY and Tenn) at 70mph in 3rd with my trailer in tow...

Here's a write up I did over on RV.net on my Ex when I had 3.73's and I visited the Rockies in 2006. I've crappie_fisherman over there.

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: observations for those with 3.73's and V10 while towing

But I totally agree with you that if you miss a hill with gear selection and RPM's...you can not recover very easily...having more gears to choose from really makes driving much easier on the driver...the V10 towing significant weight really takes much more driver awareness...it can be tiring sometimes staying on top of the situations around and the upcoming hills...if I get distracted for a second I'm in 2nd gear at 50-60mph but at 3500-4000RPMs and you can NOT shift to 3rd and continue to pull...you've got one chance at it before you approach the hill...somewhat unforgiving in my experiences with more 8000' climbs than I can recount.

Joe.

 

Thanks for your reply. The Mountain that I try to conquer with the X starts on level road leaving a town with a 35mph speed limit. SUCKS!! There is NO way that I can get to the RPMs you are suggesting in that case.

You mention that driver awareness is key. I already have that going on, helping keep this front end from wandering all over the road. Really tho, not as much with the trailer but if the rear end of mine was higher, the front will not wander as much either.

I am unfamiliar with the RAS. I will look it up here shortly.

Again, I love the X but the Tundra is so much more flexible for towing. Without having to spend another $2000 ish for the 4.30's and lose fuel econ.

I wonder if I could switch to the Torqshift 5 speed trans with the 4.30's? Wow, I dont know what I'll need to have for dinner to crap out all that cash but it sure sounds like a good idea, huh?

 

You may get better fuel economy when towing with the 4.30's due to the engine not having to work as hard and trany will last longer due to less down shifts.

 

I tow once per moonth for 8 months per yr. What sort of mpg's can I expect with the 4.30's. I get somewhere in the 10's around town. 14's in summer & mid 12's on highway in winter.

I amnot a jackrabbit when taking off, at least in the X...

 

I get 10 to 11 towing, 13 to 14 highway and 10 around town not towing, as I do not tow around town or very little, BTW I see your in Pa also, I'm in Bethlehem Pa.

 

PA'er, huh? Great. Always wanted to bring the kids up there to see the Christmas lights. Havent yet tho. Used to liv ein Philly area. Before that, Pittsburg, now Souht central PA - 1 hour or so south of Harrisburg.

I really need to check on costs for everything Id like to do. Now, iv\m seeing this RAS that catches my eye. Nobody local to sell/install tho. It maybe easy to do, but if something goes wrong, Id rather call the guy who did it rather than explain to my wife what I broke...

in your opinion,should i try to find used gears or just go ahead and get new for the 4.30's?

 

I think you would be very surprised with the differance the 4.30's would make, I don't think the parts are that much, the labor will run you around $1500 at a good Drive Train shop.

 

BTW I think X_Hemi_Guy had the gears change in his Ex, maybe he will chime in.