I've read many, many posts of people changing the springs such as putting V's up front and B's in the rear, or U's up front with 4" blocks, etc. Everyone seems to be real happy with the ride it gives stating the factory springs are too soft. Has anyone done a spring change and a donahoe hanger kit? The Donahoe spring kit supposedly rides rougher and doesn't tow as well as factory springs. Seems to be a lot of different routes to be able to go and I just wanted to explore all avenues.
Thanks
Jared
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2002 Excursion Limited 7.3L PSD, Auto, 4x4, 265/75/16 Revos, Blue Gold, AFE Stage II with ProGuard7, MBRP 4" stainless, DP tuner (hi idle, stock, 40, 60, 80, 120).
1999 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, totaled.
2000 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, not totaled.
where did you get the info that Donahoe racing springs ride rougher? it rides smoother then stock and tows far better
27' foot CC towed at 105 mph with donhoe springs
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2002 Excursion LTD(PCM:NQW5)Pheltech Tru-Cowl Induction Hood BTS transmission ITP fuel system, 38/15.5/20 Toyo's on Weld 12" wide wheels,15k warn and warn 9.5k rear 4:56's ARB air lockers front and rear. Trail ready front bumper,Road Armor rear bumper light force driving lights, PIAA backup lights,Dakota digital gages, F5 DP tuner chip,Hypermax stage 2 injectors,4" exhaust, 11" Edge lift, King shocks, edge crossover steering, ORU ram assist steering
Fabtech ladder bars,TN turbo, Dynatrac conversion kit. Alpine F1, Zapco amps. two dc1100.1, three dc1000.4, 1 dc750.2, driving seas reference series front stage and Zapco competition rear fill and 2 Jl audio 13w7 subs
AP Racing big brakes, Amp Research running boards
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where did you get the info that Donahoe racing springs ride rougher? it rides smoother then stock and tows far better
27' foot CC towed at 105 mph with donhoe springs
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You have the 5" kit with the replacement springs? I got it from another thread here where phone calls were made to Donahoe and thats what Donahoe stated.
I'm not downing them. I'm just looking for info. I'm all ears.....
Jared
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2002 Excursion Limited 7.3L PSD, Auto, 4x4, 265/75/16 Revos, Blue Gold, AFE Stage II with ProGuard7, MBRP 4" stainless, DP tuner (hi idle, stock, 40, 60, 80, 120).
1999 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, totaled.
2000 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, not totaled.
First hand experence here...DR hangers will give a better ride with DR or Bilstein shocks. Their all lift springs will ride better than stock( more compression travel) or better than any other aftermarket spring but not better than their hanger lift [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] How high do you want to go? Towing it all depends..... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
Cary
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95 f250 4x4 xlt Excab Lb. white, BTS Trans, 4.10ls, Dana 60, ORU RS kit DR 4"front 5" reas springs!, Bilsteins, Centerline 18x9", 37" Toyo MT's,H2e, Tapercore IC,3" Billet intakes, Tymar 4" exhaust,intake and HX mod,Beans 2's, Stealth and Fuel system and DI studs, JS's IDM mod, TW 4 pos chip,TSM Rear Disks, 198k miles.
2004 EB 4x4 6.0 X born 05/18/04
white, LS,premier group, tow package, dvd. centerline 18x9" w/ 35" Toyo MT's, Edge 4.5" Lift, V's & custom B codes 37k miles 3rd turbo 6 5150 Specialy valved Bilsteins!
1976 EB Exploration daily driver
1971 EB Hard Core Crawler
2006 Yamaha FJR1300
2005 Suzuki King Quad
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where did you get the info that Donahoe racing springs ride rougher? it rides smoother then stock and tows far better
27' foot CC towed at 105 mph with donhoe springs
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Now why would you want to tow a boat that fast down the highway??
Brent
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01 Excursion 4X4 - DIY Injectors, Garrett GT38R, DI Regulated Fuel Return, HX CrossOver, AFE stage II, Diamo 17 Karat 18x10.5 w/ 325x60x18, 4" straight pipe exhaust, DI 6 position chip, X and F Springs with F350 Rear Blocks and .....................
01 Excursion 4X4 - RIP 2/22/2008
All work has been done by Diesel Innovations!!!!! Thanks to MR POWERSRTOKE RACER for all the help.
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Now why would you want to tow a boat that fast down the highway??
Brent
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my brother inlaw was driving and he was in a hurry to go fishing
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2002 Excursion LTD(PCM:NQW5)Pheltech Tru-Cowl Induction Hood BTS transmission ITP fuel system, 38/15.5/20 Toyo's on Weld 12" wide wheels,15k warn and warn 9.5k rear 4:56's ARB air lockers front and rear. Trail ready front bumper,Road Armor rear bumper light force driving lights, PIAA backup lights,Dakota digital gages, F5 DP tuner chip,Hypermax stage 2 injectors,4" exhaust, 11" Edge lift, King shocks, edge crossover steering, ORU ram assist steering
Fabtech ladder bars,TN turbo, Dynatrac conversion kit. Alpine F1, Zapco amps. two dc1100.1, three dc1000.4, 1 dc750.2, driving seas reference series front stage and Zapco competition rear fill and 2 Jl audio 13w7 subs
AP Racing big brakes, Amp Research running boards
I have the 5" spring kit. It rides good in my opinion. I tow a 22 foot travel trailer no problem. I know DR will say it affects towinging capacity. BUT, remember these are springs I bet they use on the F250 and 350. They would not tell me the capacity/spring rate. Remember your stock springs are already rated lower than the F250 springs think. Your hitch (500 tongue, 1000 wd tongue)is much more a limiting factor than the new springs. This does not leave you with a huge trailer. Say 10,000 lbs max. Others tow much more but I don't. The 5" is is a better lift in my opinion. No blocks.
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2000 4x4 PSD Limited Excursion The Beast
DPTuner 40Tow, 60Tow, 80Econo, BTS Valve Body, AIS Intake, AIH Delete, MBRP Stainless 3.5" DP and 4" Exhaust, 5" All spring Edge lift, Rize Traction Bars, CV joint driveshaft, 315 BFG ATs on Alcoa wheels, Warn Transformer with multi mount winch power front and back, 1000 watt power inverter, VCR, 4.10 gears and ARB Lockers Front and Back
I have the DR 3" hanger kit in front of my 05 PSD X with U-codes, Helwig, and DR shocks. In back I've got B-codes, 5" blocks, a Helwig, and DR shocks. Tires are 33" BFG's. Truck sits perfectly level, rides much better than stock, and tows my 42-foot Fountain boat (12-13K) with no problem, though it does squat a bit with the trailer hooked up. Hope this helps.
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2005 Black PSD 4X4 Limited Ex with every option on the page, 4-ich DR lift, B-codes front, U-codes rear, Helwigs front and back, Highangle Driveline drivesaft, MBRP turbo back exhaust with muffler only, SCT Xcalibrator 2, American Racing Mohave teflon 16X8 rims with 295/75/16 BFG AT's, Alpine 3553 head unit with XM and iPod hookup, two Eclipse amps in the back doors, Diamond audio speakers with 12" subs where the 3rd row seat used to be, Viper security system, upgraded headlight harness, Dynamat on the firewall, under front seats, and in the doors.
Ok. Here is a direct email from Donahoe. I like the thought about not having blocks, etc. but wanted to hear from them.
<font color="blue"> Our springs will decrease the towing capacity of your truck. Usually it will drop the capacity to about a ½ ton truck. What I normally suggest for our Super Duty/Excursion customers, especially if they tow quite a bit, I recommend an auxiliary air bag set up. This will get your towing capacity up and you will still get a great ride quality because of our springs. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks.
</font>
Maybe I'll go with the 5" and bags then. Anyone know why they don't use hangers in the rear? Kinda strange that in front the springs are against the axle and away from the frame but in the back it is just the opposite.
Jared
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2002 Excursion Limited 7.3L PSD, Auto, 4x4, 265/75/16 Revos, Blue Gold, AFE Stage II with ProGuard7, MBRP 4" stainless, DP tuner (hi idle, stock, 40, 60, 80, 120).
1999 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, totaled.
2000 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, not totaled.
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I have the DR 3" hanger kit in front of my 05 PSD X with U-codes, Helwig, and DR shocks. In back I've got B-codes, 5" blocks, a Helwig, and DR shocks. Tires are 33" BFG's. Truck sits perfectly level, rides much better than stock, and tows my 42-foot Fountain boat (12-13K) with no problem, though it does squat a bit with the trailer hooked up. Hope this helps.
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Are 33's the largest you can go? Can you fit 35's?
Jared
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2002 Excursion Limited 7.3L PSD, Auto, 4x4, 265/75/16 Revos, Blue Gold, AFE Stage II with ProGuard7, MBRP 4" stainless, DP tuner (hi idle, stock, 40, 60, 80, 120).
1999 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, totaled.
2000 BMW 540i, 6 speed, sport package, not totaled.
I just bought my completely stock 2003 X, DDGG spring 6.0. As part of the deal I had them swap my Weld Helos and 35-12.5-17s from my old 2001 V code equipted X. I totally expected painfull rubbing on the way home from the dealer but I had VERY little during driving.
That being said my new truck and my old 01 with V codes did rub at full lock, tire shoulder on leaf spring. This could be due to the tall shoulder on the Dick Cepek FCII tires and may not be an issue with other tires. I can get the box to turn full lock, however it vibrates badly when turning that tight. I am however CONVINCED the issue of tire size and rubbing is with rim width and offset.
Now as far as a rough ride nothing is rougher than bouncing off the bumpstops at anything more than a small dip in the road. I immediately upgraded my 03 X to V codes as well and am VERY happy with the ride. IMHO it rides perfect and it fits in every parking garage I have run into here in Colorado. It lifts the front 1-1.5 inches and gives the truck a very slight rake (.5-1") front to rear. A couple trucks ago I had an F250 and went with the DR 3" hangers. I liked them alot as I got 3" of solid lift with no change in spring rate. I would do that again if I wanted a lifted truck. The only challenge would be picking a good rear spring. I have looked at several hanger kits and NO ONE makes a spring hanger as stout as DR. I honestly don't even think the factory hangers are as well built as DRs.
That brings up another challenge as I thought anything approaching 3" of lift in the rear of an X may require a new rear driveshaft to avoid vibration?
On the shock note I have run Bils, Procomp 3000 and the ProComp MX6. My Bils were very nice ride on my F250 and were indestructable. My 3000s were cheapy good ride short term fix for Bilstein funding and my MX6 were for tuneable ride. I think my MX6 rode better initially but I did blow one rear out in only on-road driving and I am pretty sure my other side was leaking. I think the ride was a little better on the MX6 truck over the F250 because I could set my front at 3(medium) and my rear at 4(little harder) but its not totally fair to compare the F250 CC/SB to the X. All said I will probably put Bils back on my X when the time comes.
Dennis
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2003 Excursion Limited-Clean canvas to start my work. V codes, Dukes of Hazzard horn, 35-12.5-17 Dick Cepek FCII on Weld Helos.
*Sold* 2001 Excursion Limited - August build date, no PMR here, Edge Evo, 4in DP back exhaust, Autometer Pyro/Boost/Tranny temp, Boost tube, AFE Stage 2, AIH delete, Sonnax/Tricumulator, V Code Front Springs, MX6 Shocks, DVD/VHS/N-64/TV on 2 LCDs.
To address a couple of things brought up in previous posts:
Yes, I could have run 35" tires with the DR 3" kit but I tow a heavy boat and didn't want to change my gear ratio or throw off my speedo that much. Also, the 295/75/16 BFG T/A is rated higher for towing than the 35", and the truck needed to fit in my garage.
I had a slight driveshaft vibration problem at about 90 mph before the lift (which I understand is not uncommon for Ex's) and it was worse after the lift. A new balanced drive shaft from High Angle Driveline took care of 80% of it.
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2005 Black PSD 4X4 Limited Ex with every option on the page, 4-ich DR lift, B-codes front, U-codes rear, Helwigs front and back, Highangle Driveline drivesaft, MBRP turbo back exhaust with muffler only, SCT Xcalibrator 2, American Racing Mohave teflon 16X8 rims with 295/75/16 BFG AT's, Alpine 3553 head unit with XM and iPod hookup, two Eclipse amps in the back doors, Diamond audio speakers with 12" subs where the 3rd row seat used to be, Viper security system, upgraded headlight harness, Dynamat on the firewall, under front seats, and in the doors.
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I have the DR 3" hanger kit in front of my 05 PSD X with U-codes, Helwig, and DR shocks. In back I've got B-codes, 5" blocks, a Helwig, and DR shocks. Tires are 33" BFG's. Truck sits perfectly level, rides much better than stock, and tows my 42-foot Fountain boat (12-13K) with no problem, though it does squat a bit with the trailer hooked up. Hope this helps.
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Prior to using the 3" hangers, did you run just the U codes?
The set up you have is what I would like to have as far as springs, and hanger kit. I am leary of the blocks, I don't want to have to worry about axle wrap.
Does it wander like many complain of with the flex the 5" blocks introduce?
You say it rides better, does it ride a little softer, or quite a bit?
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