BUMP---

Hey guys, just picked up a 2001 V10 2wd Ex XLT with 160K on the clock. I have changed the plugs, coil packs, circut board medic's fixed my LIE O' METER for me, I have "tightened" the steering box as indicated on other threads but....


I am running 265/75/16's and this is a tow vehicle for a 6500 Dry weight bumper pull campers. My front measurements from the middle of the wheel hub to the bottom of the finder is 26" and 25" front and rear respectively.

I do not need a lift and honestly with the way these things handle would like to be a close to stock height as quick as possible. I would really appreciate some help with parts to archive this goal...

I would even consider replacing the front suspension linkage as well if anyone has had any good luck with any particular brand. I am looking for spring and shocks suggestions for the front and leaf spring and shock suggestions for the back.

Thanks in Advance,

Travis from Tulsa

 

 

Arise again! My 01 Ex PSD now has 251k miles and the suspension seems to be more jiggly than it was before. I attribute some (maybe all?) to the tires I put on this spring - Sumitomo Encounter HT Load E. These tires have a very squishy sidewall, not at all like the Michelin LTX2 I had on previously. In fact, they are so squishy I'm amazed they call it a Load E tire. Regardless, I'm stuck with them for a while I guess. Luckily I have the adjustable Rancho shocks and I've been able to tame the bounciness when towing. Those Ranchos are new also this spring, replacing a 100k set I put on when I bought the truck.

So with all that in mind, I have been looking for folks talking about upgrading suspension bushings that have to be getting worn out after 250+k miles But honestly, there's not much on here about swapping bushings. Is this not a beneficial thing to do in these older trucks? I have a shop here that will do the work if I can get them the parts, but before I do it I want to check here if anyone has done it and found it was worth it. Anybody? Thx

 

 

Hello everyone I am a new owner of a 2002 Excursion 7.3 RWD. I am looking to swap my springs front and back with the F-350 springs as referenced in the original post.

My questions to you all are the following:

1. When ordering Bilstein shocks from a vendor do I buy the the ones recommended for a RWD F350 or should I but the ones recommended for an Excursion RWD? I want to make sure I get the right Bilstein shocks since the new springs are said to raise the height of the Excursion in the rear by 3" to 3.5" and about 1" in the front.

2. Do any of you know what the difference in weight carrying capacity is from stock with this new spring set up? In other words, will the GVWR or the total tow capacity go up?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

I called Junior at ATS who recommended that I go with the Ford Z codes for up front. Anytime someone tells me to go somewhere else to purchase a product that they think will work better than their own, I listen. The standard 2 wd Bilstein 4600s up front fit great. The new springs gave me 1" more height in the front. I had to get an alignment, so I used Moog 4 degree adjustable caster bushings which gave me 5+ degrees.

For the rear, Junior suggested using their "B code" springs along with my already owned Road-Master Active Suspension (RAS). This put me at about 3" higher in the rear than with the old springs. To even out the rake, I just adjusted the RAS and was able to get the difference between the front and rear to almost 2" which is perfect for my taste. Since I'm a good bit higher in the rear, I decided to try the Bilstein 4600s made for the 4 wheel drives. The shock is 1" longer and, to me, is a better fit. The 4 wheel drive front shock for the Ex are configured differently, so not a direct bolt on. In my opinion, 1" difference in the front is not an issue.

I did a lot of other improvements to the suspension to make the Ex more stable. If you're interested, please give me a PM and I'll lay out the details. The Ex handles better than it ever has. Last year I was helping set up cones at a local autocross event and one of the organizers asked a few us if we thought the course was too tight. I hopped in the EX figuring if this will fit, anything will. I drove the course as quick as I could and was able to actually power oversteer in the corners. Not a cone touched.

As far as hauling more weight, I will state it this way: Don't go over GVWR. I'm looking strictly from a legal prospective. Others may chime in with other facts. If you get in an accident and hurt someone while exceeding the GVWR, be prepared to pay way more than a brand new F-350. I did all of my suspension mods for one purpose and that was to build as stable a platform as possible for towing. There is a video out there, you can google it, where an Ex towing a TT is passing a semi. The Ex starts wagging its tail (tail being the TT). With each "wag" both the Ex and TT get more and more out of control until they both flip over. All caught on the semi's video camera.

Hope this helps.