I just bought my wife an '05 Ex Lmtd 4x4 6.0 with 71k miles. I drive an '02 F250 c/c 4x4 7.3 with 106k. I wasn't aware of the extent of problems Ford has with the EGR system, head bolts, wandering rear, and others. I've modded my 7.3 with intake, exhaust, and edge tuner, and it runs like a beast now. I've never driven a 6.0 so I dont know how it compares to the 7.3, and/or my modded 7.3, so I dont know if I'll want/need any mods. I have seen that exhaust doesn't seem to hurt with the head bolt issue, but I dont want to put reliability on the line for more h.p. Not in the family truck with my wife and two young kids. I do want to make the truck easy to drive, and handle good. What do you guys recommend for a daily driver...?
Hellwig Anti-Sway Bar?
Exhaust(Banks?)
Stiffer Shocks?
Anything else that I might need to do...? thanks

 

Here's a few:

Excursion must do's

 

Hey Scott,

Am I to understand you don't have a stock rear anti-sway bar? I thought by 2005 all had them. I don't think the Hellwig is an upgrade to a stock bar, it is just for the rig's that didn't have one. And the mounting of the Hellwig bar makes the rear shock replacement more difficult.

Exhaust; free flowing exhaust is never a bad thing. I looked at the Banks and didn't want to cut the converter (necessary for the install) so I shopped elsewhere. Many here like MBRP and I do too. I went with the SS 304 kit and later purchased the cat delete and muff delete. I'm looking forward to trying different combos.

Shocks, everyone will tell you to replace the OEM shocks. And they are correct. Any aftermarket shock will be an improvement. Mine came with my Icon kit. They have Icon stickers. They look like Bilsteins. They work well.

Other mods? Your choice. I did an all spring 5" Icon kit to improve the ride. It worked. I have other mods that were based on my particular needs or desires. I have a tuner that I had to pull to make the dealer happy. I will be putting it back on to make me happy. I am not a crazy power kind of guy, just improving the efficiency. I don't expect to lift the heads off the block with boost so I don't expect to need studs.

They only have to pull the body to do it...

 

Thanks for the info...I wasn't aware that the 2005's came with the sway bar. That's good to know I dont need to get one. I've had good luck with Bilsteins in the past, but dont want to affect the ride quality. Any word on whether the bil's are too stiff? I appreciate all the help...!

 

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What is "too stiff" ? Some guys think a stiff ride is a GOOD thing. Others dont see the point in it. Depends on what YOU like.

What you SHOULD be concerned with, is "RE-BOUND". The purpose of a shock absorber is not to CHANGE the ride, but to CONTROL it. Shock absorbers SHOULD have NO effect on ride, only on stopping "bounce" from "re-bound", meaning, energy that came INTO a spring is "dampened out" instead of causing the vehicle's suspension to "bounce".

As I noted earlier, many after-market shock absorber makers are well aware that some people think a stiff ride means good shocks. So most after-market shocks WILL give you a stiffer ride, meaning they are designed to provide more resistance to INCOMING shocks to the suspension, as well as dampening "re-bound".

It is YOUR vehicle and YOU know what would please YOU. Personally, I happen to like a softer ride. The "stock" original shocks on my EX do their job, even when my tounge loads are high. We have plenty of bad, rough roads here in Arizona, and in California where I take my car trailer for car shows. The stock shocks are superb in halting "re-bound". Presently have a hair under 30,000 mi. on it.

What I do NOT know, is how much longer the stock shocks will do the job they were designed for.

 

My 05 came with an OEM sway bar. I replaced my OEM shocks with the Bilsteins and don't think they affect ride quality but did improve stability.

 

Uhhh...you contradict yourself in the same post.

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Scottwoo....since your wife is driving it, why don't you let her drive it for awhile and then see what SHE wants improved. My guess is that if the truck's components are in good condition she's not have any concerns.

 

[quote=Monsta;7612593]Uhhh...you contradict yourself in the same post. quote]


Nope - I know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Well, I THINK I do. Only thing that troubles me, is the question that has bothered me for years...which is " IF I AM SO DAMN SMART..HOW COME I AINT RICH..."?

Seriously, Monst, you didn't see the entire post I did before that one. There is no contradiction. So I rpeat - STOCK shocks give a "smoother" ride because the vehicle manufacturer knows what it takes to sell vehicles, and thus orders oem shock absorbers to meet what they think will do that. That means they have relatively little resistance to INCOMING road-shocks; their primary function is to dampen the OUTGOING energy "stored" in the spring, or "re-bound".

Again, nothing contradicatory about AFTER MARKET shock suppliers recognizing many people THINK it is good to have the shock-absorber working both ways. So the INCOMING energy is dampened too - which gives a "stiffer" ride.

I have NO idea how long the OEM shocks on my '05 EX will last. But for now, I can tell you that on long amplitude bumps, like we have on the Interstates we travel on, even with the heavy tounge loads of either my boat trailer or "toy" trailer, the re-bound dampening is top-notch.

Now...if only I had a diesel so I could leave it idling when I buy gas or go into the mini-mart.......

 

Great info you guys...I agree with you Monsta, the wifey should drive it and recommend me to put a microwave in it or something like that...lol. I want it to be safe, handle well, and try to control the body roll as much as possible. I got the Limited, so I need to see if it came with a sway bar or not...it is enroute from Scottsdale, AZ so I'll check when it gets here. If not, Hellwig it is. As for the shocks, I have an 8" Superlift on my c/c f250 now with dual resorvoir bil's up front and singles in the back. And I know for a fact that the ride sucks...and it's not the bil's fault just the 12 pack of springs!!! That's why I'm so gunshy to change the smooth ride. Thanks again for your help and opinions, it's much appreciated.

 

Just got the Ex in today and all I can say is WOW. I've looked it over head to toe and it seems the guy who owned it before me did a lot of mods. Here's what I found:
Sway bars front and rear
Stock shocks
Air lift air springs auto ride
Pioneer Avic Z1 radio/navi
Rear DVD-stock
Magnaflow ex
Airaid intake

Truck runs and steers great, no wandering no tracking...
I have found a couple of problems, does anyone have any suggestions??
-Dont know if the air lift auto ride works...any way to test compressor/sensor?? The rear is sagging, and I've never heard the compressor come on yet...?
-cant get the rear DVD to come on, push power on the tv, and it comes on for a few seconds and shuts back off...the Pioneer DVD player has a auto "door" of some type keeping from putting a DVD in, so I cant get a DVD in to play...?
Any body have any ideas on the above?? thanks

 

I'd say, let the wife drive it for a while. If she thinks its rough, get new shocks. I don't have any of those other things so I can't comment on them. Good luck!

 

If there's still a question of which shocks to use, I had Ranchos on my '01 Limited and now have Bilsteins on my '05 EB. IMHO I prefer the Ranchos 'cause the Bilsteins made the ride too stiff ... too skittish. I'm going back for another set of adjustable Ranchos.

FWIW, I am aware that the Bilsteins can be re-valved. Me? I'd just as soon as have something usable right out of the box versus having to modify it further.

 

I'm going to stick with what I've got now with the stock shocks. Anybody have any suggestions on the air ride or the DVD player? thanks

 

So the Air Ride is suppose to automatically level the truck, right? And you're saying it is not level right now? Is there a override that allows you to manually flip a switch to fill the bags?

Sorry, I know nothing about the DVD player and can't offer any assistance with that.

 

Yea, the rear sags a little much for me. And the auto air ride has a magnet system to pump up the rear bags when it senses a move in the magnet. No override or manual switch, I just need to move the magnet manually to see if the compressor kicks on. I have to play with it a little more.