Gear Vendors overdrive?

[AJ'sDad]

Has anyone put a Gear Vendors (or any other brand)overdrive in an Excursion yet?

Curious as to how it affected the mileage.

[AJ'sDad]

It's been 4 months since I posted this, just wondering if anyone has done this yet.

[Fast Forward]

AJ:
I take it you are wanting a GV to overdrive your X to reduce rpm at higher road speeds?

If you have a PSD you should have a 3.73 rear end. In my opinion you would be overgearing your truck by adding a GV.

I have a GV in my F350 4x4 CC DRW with a 4.10 rear end. The GV drops the revs by around 600 in 'double' overdrive. It's just about perfect for freeway driving. I'm running 82 mph at 2000 rpm with the GV engaged.

I can't remember exactly what my wife's X is doing at 70 or 80, but I think you will find that if you go for the 600 drop in rpm's you will be unhappy with throttle response and you will be hunting gears.

However, I will tell you that I was directed to the GV, even though it cost more than the competition out there at the time, but I've never had a moments problem with it and it runs as smooth today as it did when it as first installed. Ease the throttle when you engage it and rev or drive into it when disengaging and it's smoother than silk.

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99.5 4x4 PSD Lariat CC DRW LWB Auto 4.10LS Hypermax/Gauges GV OD
'00 PSD Excursion 4x4 3.73LS ordered 11/25 collected 3/29

[ptemplin]

What about an overdrive unit in an X with a chip and/or other miscellaneous power upgrades? I've got a possible job in Austin, and with a 70 mile trip on I-35 running either 80mph or 20 (traffic and/or wreck)I'd rather not burn out a PSD.

[Fast Forward]

ptemplin:
I going to go back on my previous post!
I just installed a Hypertech 3 in the X and drove 250 miles between 70 and 80. My new thinking is that the GV is worthwhile if you can maintain 75 - 80. That would mean you would be turning 1400 - 1600 rpms and that's the sweet spot.

One of the main reasons I really like the GV in my F350 is the reduced NVH which you don't get so much of in the X due to the 'hush' kit Ford installed.

Sounds like you might be a candidate!

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99.5 4x4 PSD Lariat CC DRW LWB Auto 4.10LS Hypermax/Gauges GV OD
'00 PSD Excursion 4x4 3.73LS with Hypertech 3
'01 Ford Escape XLT 4x4 on order

[AJ'sDad]

That was my reasoning too. The turnpikes in Oklahoma are all 75 mph and I usually travel with the flow of traffic which is about 79-ish. I think with a chip such as the Western Diesel, which is reputed to make its power around 1500 rpm and up, this would be a great road trip setup.

[AJ'sDad]

I'm pulling this post back up because I'm still interested in putting a GV in my X. I have the power to run it, but I'm more concerned that there is enough space to mount it.

Anyone?

[DRAY]

I'm considering going to 3.08 gears and side stepping the mileage hit from another set of gears or larger tires. See posts from Dave Whitmer.

[Bruce1954]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm pulling this post back up because I'm still interested in putting a GV in my X. I have the power to run it, but I'm more concerned that there is enough space to mount it.

Anyone?

[/ QUOTE ]

So am I I just ran 2500 miles in the last 9 days hit the pumps 4 days in a row last week, one was just a top off.

I talked to the folks at GV a while back, they predicted a 10% increase when running empty and fast.

Bruce

[DOC4444]

I had a GV unit for a Suburban that never got installed. I was going to get an adapter for the Ex which replaced the Sub, but several people felt that the 7.3 does not take kindly to putting out a lot of torque under 2000 rpm, though it obviously can. I was advised not to really lean on it, particularly when pulling my 10K trailer, unless the revs were up to at least 2000. Longevity cut in half would supposedly result.

Also, the 7.3 does not seem to have the huge increase in fuel mileage that a GM 6.5 TD does if you drop the revs from 2800 down to 1800, everything else being equal. A 6.5 TD picks up 6-7 MPG. With the 3.73 gears in the Ex, I only spend a little time above 2400 RPM.

The GV just didn't seem worth the cost and trouble of installation on the Ex, so I sold it. It would have been nice to have the extra "split" gears, though.

DOC

[AJ'sDad]

Has anyone ever seen one mounted in an X? I'm curious about driveshaft length and angle.

[thefermanator]

I know I TRIED a gearvendor in my SUBURBAN with HORRIBLE results. Nothing against there product, driven many vehicles with them and loved them. But the driveline length of my SUBURBAN with the GV installed created an unresolveable driveline vibration at 45 and up. I would also think twice regarding the fuel savings aspect as I only picked up about 1MPG(at best) in the milage department when I had it in. I would want to see one installed in another vehicle and verify that it will work smoothly before shelling out 3K+(GV plus driveshaft and install gets pricey). I know I only found 1 other person with one in a diesel SUBURBAN 4X4 and he had the same vibration I had.

[Btravelen]

I've got a GV out in the garage complete with a shortened driveshaft that I took off my '00 2wd Exc. V10. I bought it because the 3.73 required 3rd gear while towing and that resulted in too high RPM's with our 10K trailer at +/-70mph. 3rd-over was just right for towing.

I was real happy with the unit as installed on the Exc. Double OD while unloaded was nice. I indended to use it on the torqueshift, but found out that it's not as useful on the 5 speed due to the shift strategy.

I'm surprised the 'vibration' on the Suburban install was not able to be resolved. There are all kinds of tricks to adjust driveline angle.

[DOC4444]

Am I correct that you have a different GV unit than would be used on a 4WD EX?

I believe the vibration problems on those Suburbans may be due to a "remote mount" installation. GV does not have a unit that bolts directly to the most common tranfer case fitted to 3/4 diesel Suburbans ('99 and earlier, of course, we had one).

DOC

[clamgulch]

The excursion 4x4 has a relatively short drive shaft making it prone to vibration. With a 4" lift and NO GV, I had a serious case of "bad vibes" that I spent 2 months trying to resolve. No luck until I had a double cardan (CV) joint installed at the front end of the rear driveline. The driveline builders in my area all talk to each other and concluded that a lifted excursion WILL have vibration. Thus, my drive shaft is balanced to as close to perfect as the machinery will measure and it is straight and concentric to within .002 from end to end. That makes it pleasantly tolerable but not perfect.

All that said, I think with a 4x4 excursion the GV unit is going to cause problems just like the suburban had with it's short driveshaft- especially if the suspension is lifted at all. There is just too small of an envelope to fit the driveline angle into and my concern for y'all is the hair pulling frustration that is apt to ensue as a result. I'm not knocking the GV unit at all, but I think it's the wrong answer for the Excursion. Spitting gears while towing would be a really nice option, but I think it's far better in the long run to just run the right size gear ratio/tire combination for what the vehicle is used for. Also remember that double overdrive is really hard on the 4R100 @ $3,800 plus shipping, oil and a bigger cooler when you toast it from too much torque load on it.

I'm not trying to be a nay-sayer, but that is really an expensive trial and error program that you'll probably NEVER recoup the costs on (over $4,000 installed with a new driveline?), IF it works- and that's a lot of money to be out if it doesn't.