Hi all - new member after having just picked up a 2002 4x4 with the V10 and 3.73 gears this past weekend.

I haven't had it emission tested, gotten tags, or even added it to our insurance yet but am already planning the first upgrades.

Primary use will be to tow a small (5K lb) travel trailer. Trailer may grow once we have a reliable strong puller in the stable. It may also make the occasional shopping run to Home Depot. Maybe a daily driver when the car is in the shop. Other than that, it will be a driveway queen. Probably will put 3-5K miles on it annually. Towing our trailer SAFELY is my main concern.

First thing is trying to tackle the 'mushy' (wandering) steering/ride. My ride home after purchase was like driving a bumper car from the local fair. Steering had a lot of play, every bump or pothole cause the EX to decide to go a different direction than where it was going previous, etc. I do not feel comfortable loading the family in it until I can tackle how it is riding, tracking, handling, whatever. It was a little white knuckled above 60mph without a trailer on the back.

I have read tons (and tons) of threads on here and other sites. I tried to do my homework and not beat the dead horse yet again. However, it seems like I am needing a sanity check and relying on the experience that I know is here.

Planning on upgrading the suspension and need some help verifying a few things.

V/B spring upgrades are a must. Not sure about shocks and sway bars yet but trying to collect the right info just in case they are indeed needed. Will start with the spring upgrades and go from there.

V/B springs:

• Front V spring part number:
• either 2C3Z-5310-HA (OEM) or 43-814 (aftermarket)

• Rear B spring part numbers:
• either 3C3Z-5560-CB (OEM) or 43-1261 (aftermarket)

Question: is there any real difference between going with the OEM spring or an aftermarket one?
Seems there is a pretty big difference in price between a OEM SKU and the equivalent aftermarket SKU?

I'm pretty sure that I read that V/B codes are specific to Ford (OEM) only and that aftermarket uses different part numbers but essentially the springs are the same. Is that right?

Shocks:

• Front Bilstein 33-028187
• Rear Bilstein 24-185479

Hellwig Sway Bars:

• Front: ?
• Rear: ?

Can anyone help with the Hellwig part numbers?

Also, are these the correct part numbers for the springs and shocks?

What else am I missing? A gear change will probably happen if we upgrade the trailer but I think I will be OK with the current trailer and short trip distances.

Thanks in advance. Happy to be a proud EX owner. Looking forward to learning tons here.

 

First things I do is:

Check shocks and steering stabilzer.
Replace all fuses with new.
Put new gear lube in front and rear.
Put new plugs and coils on.
Fix any broken exhaust studs
Flush transmission and new filter
Flush power steering
New brake fluid, check brakes.
Flush antifreeze
New fluid in transfer case
Check bushings in front sway bar
Change out fuel filter
Make sure rear hatch locks and unlocks
Put new/refurbished injectors in
Check injector and coil clips and replace any broken ones.
Put a new air filter
Clean MAF.
Check vacuum 4x4 system
Check ball joints
Check wheel bearings

Than do upgrades

 

Where are you located?

 

North of ATL

 

Nothing wrong with the aftermarket springs. ATS can set you up with a bolt in set of springs.

 

Before you go and modify anything I'd suggest getting a handle on the wander issue. Throwing parts at it while changing suspension setup can be a frustrating and expensive endeavor.

As mentioned a through check of the steering and suspension is in order.

New springs will obviously change your ride height but will not do anything for worn out steering.

As far as your current springs, measure from the center of the wheel hub to the bottom of the fender arch at all 4 corners and post up the info. While you are at it, inspect all 4 tires and confirm they are the same size and general wear pattern. Confirm and post up all 4 tire pressures. If you are lucky your wander will be an easy fix, some take more effort.

 

Thanks.

Everything that I have read (here and elsewhere) has told me that springs rather than steering changes have made the greatest impact on 'wandering' steering for most.


I have read countless threads where people have changed a ton of 'steering' related stuff out with little to minor improvements, but spring changes addressed the problems almost immediately.


Am I mistaken on that?

 

Not really, but loose steering is loose steering. Just make sure it's all tight first. After that, caster makes the vehicle track straight, simple as that.

 

Wander, and or as you described hitting a bump and bouncing around, could be shocks, steering stabilizer, ball joints, wheel bearing, bad alignment, worn steering shaft, bad steering sector, bad tie rods, broken leaf springs, loose lug nuts etc.

Check everything out before you put new springs on.

 

YES what seijirou said !!!!!!!

 

The greatest impact on wander for straight axle suspension vehicles is actually increasing positive castor, but before we get to that step you need to make sure all of the worn items in your suspension and steering are replaced.

Your springs may be sagged and this will decrease the amount of travel your suspension has and this alone is reason to replace them however because of the geometry of the leaf spring front suspension a sagged front spring also reduces positive camber. So before we send you off to get new new springs or have an alignment done a quick check is the wheel center to fender arch measurement. It is a indicator.

 

Definitely check over the usual chassis parts (sway bar links and bushings, ball joints, etc), but the spring swap does make a huge improvement in the way the Excursions drive and handle. Also consider using U code front springs, the V code springs are for diesels, and the 7.3/6.0 weighs several hundred more pounds than the V10. I've got the same setup as you, V10 4x4 and the U code front springs and modded B code rear setup is great on ours. V codes may ride a little harsh with the lighter V10. Also consider adding a rear swaybar, especially if you'll be towing.

 

I guess harsh is in the eye of the driver. I use X code front springs and find them perfect.

OP: You have some good advice above concerning the condition of your suspension. Get all the joints, tie rods/steering and bearings sorted out first, then see if you like it more. If you are like me, you will still want that next step, but you then have a solid truck to work with.

I did not have any out of control wondering or sway I was trying to eliminate when I installed my X fronts and Modded C code rears. I was after stiffer springs, and I got them. It was the best mod I have done to this vehicle. Changed the character and feel of the truck to what it should have been from the factory. It handles weight and trailering so much better and soaks up bumps without smashing my front bumpstops and shocks into oblivion. It doesn't hurt that it gained a few inches of altitude either.

There were some "gotchas" that came up. I needed new shocks to match the height of the new springs. My old ones were not that old and still good and may have worked, but if going to the effort of springs, might as well put shocks on that are correct for the height. I also ended up needing a longer trac bar. The factory one was used for a while but it pulled the front axle out of center and the springs began to squeak in the pockets as they were rubbing against them on the sides. I could tell on my daily trek to work over speed bumps that the truck did not feel quite right side to side. A new zone bar fixed it, but not until I cut some of the threads off to make it shorter for install. The axle is now centered and the springs worked themselves back to center in the pockets, and it feels normal over speed bumps. FWIW, I also did a Helwig rear sway bar with the springs and set it to the medium setting, then ended up on the stiffest setting. I like what it does. But then again, ride quality is subjective so this is all IMHO.

I am sure a caster adjustment can cure the wondering if that is your goal (provided the above mentioned parts are in good shape first), but if you decide you want to change your springs, I am glad we have some proven choices. I wouldn't hesitate to give ATS a call and talk with them about your needs.

 

I'm with Milmacine here that harsh may be a personal call, I run X codes WITH an addition leaf added on my V-10 EX and the ride is firm but not what I would call harsh at all. And they gave me the room to run my 35" tires!

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I guess I should have been a little more clear in my initial post. It's not that I am skipping over all the normal inspection type items and going straight to the spring upgrades. I have a LONG list of things being checked as we speak. The spring upgrade just happened to be one of the first things I thought about doing AFTER getting the truck squared away.

Thanks to all who posted above as you gave me a few things to add to my initial list that I had either forgotten to include or just didn't think about.

The initial inspection/check/flush/replace list is being worked on.

I didn't want to convey that those things were not being done. They are.

Here's my dilemma. Truck still has the LT265/75R16s on it. They still have tread but are OLD and need to be replaced. I was considering going to 285s. I have read that helps.

The truck has 175K miles on it. I'm pretty sure the springs are still original. I haven't had them checked yet, but am guessing that they have some slump or droop to them based on age/mileage that perhaps is contributing to the all around spongy ride (not mushy steering). I have also read that the original ones only lasted around 100K miles. So, I was assuming that they would need to changed as well and hence, the reason for this post.

The MAIN reason we picked up the EX was for towing a TT (current trailer is only around 5000lbs (empty) but that was due to limited on the tow vehicle. Now with the EX, we may upgrade to a different trailer in the 6500lb (empty) range - nothing HUGE or overly heavy however). It may see 3000-5000 miles per year, mostly with a trailer attached. Perhaps a few local runs to Home Depot, etc but other than that, it will probably be a driveway queen with limited use.

Assuming they do, I have also read (told you that I have been reading and reading and reading, mostly on here) that a spring replacement will add anywhere from 1 1/2" to 2" in height.

I want to do this right. I would prefer to do the springs and tires together if they both indeed need to be done.

What I don't want to do change the tires (first), either staying with a new set of the 265s or even going to 285s and then do springs and wind up with wheels/tires that look teeny weeny after a spring upgrade.


Anyway, I appreciate the help. I want to get this right. I came here because I have found this site, and more specifically, the members of this sight extremely knowledgeable. I know I need help and I have already learned that the vast knowledge base of the members here is second to none.


QUESTION: if the springs are indeed replaced either before or at the same time new tires go under it, are 285s sufficient or is there another tire size better suited (for towing) after spring replacement? Do 285s look small?