I just got a 99 Expedetion, and I may be going through pickup truck withdrawl, cuz my wife made me give up a 99 ext cab F150 with the 5.4 for this 99 Exp with 4.6.

I drive my other car on a regular basis, she was using the truck as a grocery getter/and when we went on trips outta town, ect.

Anyway, I don't think the ride is as good as my truck ride was. Seems to pick up more of the bumps in the road... are there an issues with the ride? or any "wear" suspension part I should look at? I made the dealer put it on the rack when I bought it so I could feel good about not seeing any damage or anything.

A guy at the office here says their were issues with the ride quality on the 99s...but he has been known to talk outta his rear just to get envovled in a conversarion...

any comments???

 

sizemoremk,

How many miles are on your Expy and does it have air suspension rather than shocks? I just replaced the shocks on mine not long ago and it really firmed up the ride but in a good way. The old shocks would take one bump very smoothly but had no recovery if you hit two or more in a row. New tires made a huge difference too. The younger the sidewall, the better they ride. I wouldn't ecourage you to change the tires if there's not reason too, just passing along an observation......

 

Its got 73K,
new tires.
6.4 liter,
no air ride or leveling stuff or anything like that, that I know of anyways.

It may just plain not ride as smooth as an f150...

 

6.4 liter?
Was that a wishful slip up?

 

If the shocks are original, I'd say they have outlived their usefulness. I replaced my shocks at around 71k and mine were just crap at that point. I'd say the stock shocks are good up until about 60k then it's time to replace them. And that may be giving them more credit than they're due. Someone else may chime in here and lend their 2 cents however....

 

LOL, that must have bneen one of those freudian slips or something!

I am dissastisfied with the power difference in the 5.4 f150 and the 4.6 Expy, but the wife wanted it and needs to be kept happy, so I can support my gun addiction!

She says she can't tell the difference in ride, but I am real particular about my ride quality and alignments etx etc....

What shocks do ya'll reccomend, and about what would it cost to get em changed out?

 

Well, as far as shocks go you'll get a lot of opinions. If you do any towing that can affect your decission as well. The thing I noticed most about new shocks was the reduction in body roll. Huge difference. Now it will ride more firmly with new shocks but you will have a better feel for the road too.

Tenneco owns both Rancho and Monroe. The Monroe Reflex's and the Rancho RSX are very similar shocks and work well for general purpose driving. They would not necessarily be good off road nor would they handle lots of heavy towing. The Rancho 9000 series are adjustable and would be better in that capacity. Bilstein's I don't know much about but suspect they would be a firm shock more for off-road use. Maybe someone else could help me out with that opinion. Edlebrocks I hear are very good too but those are more expensive than either the RSX or Reflex. The Edlebrocks would be great for general purpose driving as well.

If you do a search over in the drivetrain-->suspension forum for shocks I think you'll see some pretty good discussions on the issue.

You could spend as little as $125 for cheap Monroe Magnums or as much as $350 (or more) for the Rancho 9000's or the Edlbrocks.

Trying to figure how what to buy is kind a PITA because once you spend the money, your kind of stuck with the decision for a while. If you get decent shocks though, it will defintely be a noticable improvement at least to you, my wife wouldn't be able to tell one way or the other. Good Luck!!

 

the Expy also has a shorter wheelbase at 119" vs 138"? for your old truck . . . BTW, sorry to hear about your having to step down to a 4.6L

 

Well I got uneasy about some things that went on during the deal, so I carried it back and got me one in immaculate shape, leather, and a 5.4! it was just under 1500 more.

I feel a whole lot better about the deal.

A question for ya'll:

Is it possible to have bent the frame while ratcheting a vehicle to the transport? Originally I bought it (it was late, and I hadn't given them the check yet), but the more I thought about it, the higher the BS flag flew, and I may have been parinoid, but it didn't seem to ride "right" So I said i was going to wait until they finished the work before I gave them the check, then they kinda backed off how much they were going to "guarantee" this Expy, and then we got interested in a different one that wasn't on the lot the other day.

The first one was going to be $12K (plus a few more $$$ added intot he deal for a little body work on a rear door) and the second one we got down to almost $14K

I feel alot better, and I'm pretty confident about this one, it seems to have been garage kept, and rode better, or maybe I was just paranoid abot the first one.

I didin't call them liars, but I let them know I would be checking with a body shop before they got a check.. thats when they started trying to get me to look at the new one that they just got in.

Seems a little shaddy from a Ford Dealer, but I have had a bad experience or two with dealers, so I may just be too paranoid about em.

but anyways, it's all good now, but I would like to hear if anyone can confirm wether or not a frame can be bent from being ratcheted too tight on a transport....I would think the tires would pop first or something...or the cable snap....




Thanks guys!

 

Now, I gotta tell you, when I traded my 1999 SCab Flareside on my 00 Expy, I didn't notice a big difference in ride. Now, I was disappointed that the Expy rode no smoother than my SCab, but I knew I was still driving a truck..... A truck with a 20" shorter wheelbase at that.

Life was good until 8-months later when we purchased a 2001 SuperCrew for my wife (I love her man)...

Anyhoo, it was nice & tight and I thought it rode 100% better than my Expy- but, I also thought it rode like that because it was "Smack" brand new. I thought it would "Loosen" up as it got broken in.

Well, 24 months and 21,000 miles later, that SuperCrew STILL rides better than my Expedition and the steering is waaaaaaay better. My wife doesn't even want to drive my Expedition because it feels too loose. Admittedly, after driving the SuperCrew, my 2000 does feel a little light on it's feet.

My Expy rides better (Believe it or not) on the 20" (275/55/20)rims than it did on the stock 17's (275/60/17) , or my aftermarket 16's, with an even thicker sidewall. (295/65/16's).

Bottom line, the 1997 - 2003 trucks ride better than the 1997 - 2002 Expy's. Now, the 2003 Expy rides better than my wife's 01, then again- it should. There is no excuse for the pick-up to ride better than the SUV.. Ford should've never let that happen....

 

heh, Bighersh, I have the same problem. MY wife got an 02 S-Crew and I have drive a 99 Expi. Hers rides a whole lot better than mine. The longer wheel base is part of it, but even cornering it's a lot more stable. It'll take a 35mph corner 10mph fater than the Expi and still feels good. The Expi feels like it's gonna flip off the road at 40mph.

 

ok i was ignorant when i first wrote this stuff

 

ok, maybe should read better,, but here is a question,, if the compressor ever goes out, can i just replace the bags with shocks? and not have to mess with it?