exsport
Member
I beleive it is a good platform for all but the most radical off-road enthusiasts. Definitely performs well on trails, washboards, and even in about 12" of mud (it has been raining here a lot, took my favorite shortcut the other day and found myself plowing through the worst gumbo clay mud bog). It was so fun I had to go through it again on my way back home. I had mud all over the windsheid and even splatters on the roof. My truck was caked with mud and my wife said "what the F*@#?! did you do to my 'car' A$$-H@!#?"
The Expedition is an '04 xlt sport 4x4 w/3.73LS and is still completely stock right down to the Continnental Contitrac TR's (we only have about 14,000 miles on the vehicle). I see no need to replace them until they wear out, or maybe a little sooner than that
I would like to get 25,000 out of them. Then I'm getting new wheels (probably Weld: Cheyenne or Velociti), and BF Goodrich AT TA/KO's).
Anyway, the truck did great in the mud. The first time through was in A4WD, and the second time I tried 4HI. Both worked great. There are a few twists and turns... and I found that the truck was perhaps easier to steer (less side-slip) in A4WD, but on the other hand forward pulling traction was maybe slightly better in 4HI. With a lift (maybe 6" or so) and some real all-terrain tires (maybe 35" mud-terrain tires for the muck I encountered) I think this truck should be able to get you through some serious mud and muck. The Expedition is much lighter than my Excursion, and would be able to benefit from tire floatation in the mud and muck... But the Excursion might do well with some giant "cookie-cutter" (tall and skinny with a more vertical sidewall rather than the wide floatation tires with rounded sidewalls) tires to cut down to firm ground under the deep muck.... Two different schools of thought...
Back to your post DF (DAMN FORD)... I have seen a few lift kits for the '03 and + Expeditions, ranging from 2" to 6". The Daystar 2" lift kit seems to be most popular and is quite reasonably priced. This will easily allow for clearance of 33" tires. Might as well put some Bilstein (or the Sach's from the NBX) shocks in there at the same time (maybe a steering stabilizer) and I think this truck would be set up very nicely for both on and off road.
I agree it might be difficult=expensive to lft this truck any more than 6" due to the fact that the axles travel through (yes, through) the frame rails!! ...and body lifts are worthless... so it might take some creative thinking to get this rig "reeallly" high off the ground. I will again assert that this kind of giant lift is completely unnecessary and will probably do more to compromise vehicle performance in multiple ways. This should be left to redneck monster truckers, high school boys, and the "little men" of the world... UNLESS it is just because you like it that way and you are comfortable with your "stature (=size)" and prowess and don't care if some people think that only a "little man" would need such a thing. (BTW- I am, of course, only joking, and hope not to offend...) LMAO!!
And again I agree with you, DF, on the Limited Slip (LS) vs. Advance-Trac option. The LS works great, but the Advance Trac...
now that is a soccer-mom option, and to honest most of them probably need it! (no offense to any gender) There are just as many geeky little corporate mama's boys out there who would probably call their soccer-mom wife to come change their flat tire rather than get grease on their hands or their nice suit. Advance Trac is for all of those people who do not know how to drive or for whatever reason can not manage to use the accelerator/brakes/steering of the vehicle in a responsible intelligent manner. Many people are bad drivers and this feature does help to keep the rest of us safe from them. My friend has the Advance Trac which really just limits power and is more like a "crazy-smart" ABS system.. Sometimes when he accelerates hard (e.g. entrance ramp to freeway, etc...) the the truck will refuse to downshift and/or accelerate quickly with the Advance Trac turned on... The Advance Trac does NOT allow power to both rear wheels!!! In 4HI you would really be in 3HI 3-wheel drive. this feature should be used on 2 wheel drive cars for incompetent drivers on slippery city streets.
Good Points DF!
The Expedition is an '04 xlt sport 4x4 w/3.73LS and is still completely stock right down to the Continnental Contitrac TR's (we only have about 14,000 miles on the vehicle). I see no need to replace them until they wear out, or maybe a little sooner than that
I would like to get 25,000 out of them. Then I'm getting new wheels (probably Weld: Cheyenne or Velociti), and BF Goodrich AT TA/KO's).Anyway, the truck did great in the mud. The first time through was in A4WD, and the second time I tried 4HI. Both worked great. There are a few twists and turns... and I found that the truck was perhaps easier to steer (less side-slip) in A4WD, but on the other hand forward pulling traction was maybe slightly better in 4HI. With a lift (maybe 6" or so) and some real all-terrain tires (maybe 35" mud-terrain tires for the muck I encountered) I think this truck should be able to get you through some serious mud and muck. The Expedition is much lighter than my Excursion, and would be able to benefit from tire floatation in the mud and muck... But the Excursion might do well with some giant "cookie-cutter" (tall and skinny with a more vertical sidewall rather than the wide floatation tires with rounded sidewalls) tires to cut down to firm ground under the deep muck.... Two different schools of thought...
Back to your post DF (DAMN FORD)... I have seen a few lift kits for the '03 and + Expeditions, ranging from 2" to 6". The Daystar 2" lift kit seems to be most popular and is quite reasonably priced. This will easily allow for clearance of 33" tires. Might as well put some Bilstein (or the Sach's from the NBX) shocks in there at the same time (maybe a steering stabilizer) and I think this truck would be set up very nicely for both on and off road.
I agree it might be difficult=expensive to lft this truck any more than 6" due to the fact that the axles travel through (yes, through) the frame rails!! ...and body lifts are worthless... so it might take some creative thinking to get this rig "reeallly" high off the ground. I will again assert that this kind of giant lift is completely unnecessary and will probably do more to compromise vehicle performance in multiple ways. This should be left to redneck monster truckers, high school boys, and the "little men" of the world... UNLESS it is just because you like it that way and you are comfortable with your "stature (=size)" and prowess and don't care if some people think that only a "little man" would need such a thing. (BTW- I am, of course, only joking, and hope not to offend...) LMAO!!
And again I agree with you, DF, on the Limited Slip (LS) vs. Advance-Trac option. The LS works great, but the Advance Trac...
now that is a soccer-mom option, and to honest most of them probably need it! (no offense to any gender) There are just as many geeky little corporate mama's boys out there who would probably call their soccer-mom wife to come change their flat tire rather than get grease on their hands or their nice suit. Advance Trac is for all of those people who do not know how to drive or for whatever reason can not manage to use the accelerator/brakes/steering of the vehicle in a responsible intelligent manner. Many people are bad drivers and this feature does help to keep the rest of us safe from them. My friend has the Advance Trac which really just limits power and is more like a "crazy-smart" ABS system.. Sometimes when he accelerates hard (e.g. entrance ramp to freeway, etc...) the the truck will refuse to downshift and/or accelerate quickly with the Advance Trac turned on... The Advance Trac does NOT allow power to both rear wheels!!! In 4HI you would really be in 3HI 3-wheel drive. this feature should be used on 2 wheel drive cars for incompetent drivers on slippery city streets.
Good Points DF!
