bigskypylot
Explorer
Chris, not sure if I missed it, but are you planning on doing any work/mods to the engine such as tune or bigger turbo etc? What gears are currently in there and are you doing lockers?
ExPo's 2000 7.3 Excursion Build
- Thread starter Chris Cordes
- Start date
Chris Cordes
Expedition Leader
You won't regret it. I love the ARB on the front and after hitting a deer with one on my previous truck I can say they do their job well. I wouldnt be surprised if this thing could fit all kinds of lights. Its big
A tune to pull some extra mpg out of it and thats it for now. If I actually manage to save up some money ill do different gears and lockers, but my ex has the limited slip with 3.73s already so 35s are just fine for now.
bigskypylot
Explorer
You won't regret it. I love the ARB on the front and after hitting a deer with one on my previous truck I can say they do their job well. I wouldnt be surprised if this thing could fit all kinds of lights. Its big
A tune to pull some extra mpg out of it and thats it for now. If I actually manage to save up some money ill do different gears and lockers, but my ex has the limited slip with 3.73s already so 35s are just fine for now.
The 3.73 are a good middle ground. What are you getting for mpgs now? That whole discretionary income is a sonuvagun lol
Stackdeezy
New member
You won't regret it. I love the ARB on the front and after hitting a deer with one on my previous truck I can say they do their job well. I wouldnt be surprised if this thing could fit all kinds of lights. Its big
All I can think of
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Chris Cordes
Expedition Leader
I can get anywhere from 16-20 depending on conditions so its still equal to or better than my 4Runner
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:smiley_drive:
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mountainsports2002
Observer
That is in extreme bad taste, have some class and think over what you post.
screwball48
Explorer
Chris I have to admit that when I saw you had purchased the snorkel I got excited. Looks really good on the truck. Any progress on your interior upgrades?
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bigskypylot
Explorer
I can get anywhere from 16-20 depending on conditions so its still equal to or better than my 4Runner
:smiley_drive:
Yeah, I am currently on 285/75R/16s with 3.36, would like to go to 4.10s and 35s. Right now with the RTT on, I get between 10 and 15. The winter blend doesn't help matters.
Just to give you an idea of what a different setup Excursion gets mileage-wise, my 2005 6.0 diesel with 4.56 gears, 6" lift and 37" tires averages around 14 mpg combined city and freeway. In stop and go city driving it is atrocious....if I can stay below 65 mph on the highway it gets around 17 to 18 mpg. As soon as I go above 65 mph, it plummets back to reality zone. I figure the lift cost me about 2 mpg at highway speeds and the lower gearing is at least another 2 mpg. And I don't even have a roof rack or RTT which would make freeway mph even worse.
I also have an Aussie aluminum bullbar (Ute Ltd) that I'm sure isn't helping aerodynamics at freeway speeds.
Chris Cordes
Expedition Leader
Thanks! Not yet. I think Im going to finish the exterior and sleep using the interior as is for a month or two until i finalize a plan. it still has tie downs and the fridge slide mounted so I can live without the cargo rack for now. Truthfully Im just making sure I dont run out of travel funds spending all the cash on this truck
Yeah that sounds right. Im running 3.73s so depending on speed etc ill be a smidge better
no its supposed to be here this week or next week. They build to order so im suffering lol.Yeah 60-65 theyre happy. Anything more and you can practically watch the gas gauge drop. How are the 37s with the 4.56s? Ive been feeling more like ill stay with 35s but im still curious
When I first put the 4.56's in, I was expecting to tow a lot with the truck and run 35" tires to keep the 6.0 and transmission happy at the expense of fuel economy and increased highway RPMs. Then things changed and I ended up with an F350 as our company tow vehicle. So I put 37" tires on the Excursion and now I'm actually considering going to 40" tires since the truck is running a little higher RPM's than what I'd like for long road trips.
Having said that, with 35" tires the truck feels sporty and nimble. Going to 37" tires really does change the feel of the truck, stopping distances are longer, steering a little more sluggish, etc. Plus everything is going to wear faster like bearings, tie rod ends and brakes. I'm sure if I go to 40's this will only get worse and in the very least I'd be doing some sort of a brake upgrade to help bring the beast down from speeds if somebody cuts me off or an emergency stop is needed.
For an overlanding vehicle, it makes more sense to stay with 35" tires and add good traction aids to the diffs. Way cheaper and probably more reliable in the long run. If you stay with 35's, I don't see any advantage going to anything deeper than 4.10's. If you do add bigger tires and stay with the stock gearing, your transmission will then become the weak point IMO.....lots of weight to move without a lot of gears to split up the energy. A 7.3 Powerstroke with a Torqshift would probably be the ultimate overlanding combination as the Torqshifts have proven to be pretty damn tough and reliable.
Having said that, with 35" tires the truck feels sporty and nimble. Going to 37" tires really does change the feel of the truck, stopping distances are longer, steering a little more sluggish, etc. Plus everything is going to wear faster like bearings, tie rod ends and brakes. I'm sure if I go to 40's this will only get worse and in the very least I'd be doing some sort of a brake upgrade to help bring the beast down from speeds if somebody cuts me off or an emergency stop is needed.
For an overlanding vehicle, it makes more sense to stay with 35" tires and add good traction aids to the diffs. Way cheaper and probably more reliable in the long run. If you stay with 35's, I don't see any advantage going to anything deeper than 4.10's. If you do add bigger tires and stay with the stock gearing, your transmission will then become the weak point IMO.....lots of weight to move without a lot of gears to split up the energy. A 7.3 Powerstroke with a Torqshift would probably be the ultimate overlanding combination as the Torqshifts have proven to be pretty damn tough and reliable.
F350joe
Well-known member
http://www.dieselsite.com/highpressureoilcrossoverline.aspx
Do this cheap and easy mod, it really smooths out the idle.
When I got my 7.3 it already had a gearvendor installed. I really don't know much about this system but it is pretty cool. So far at least. When I am cruising down the hwy at 75 I simply hit the floor button and it drops the rpm to about 1600. Over 2000rpm and you will be sucking fuel and lot faster. Combine that with the fuel sipping setting on my Hydro tuner and my milage is much better bombing down the freeway. The Hydro tuner comes with more than a dozen tunes which make life driving the big loud diesel much more manageable. It is only a few hundred bucks but the fuel savings alone pay for it. You also get whisper mode for the drive through, high idle for running a compressor or winch, tow settings and economy.
Love the build and would have went with an Ex but couldn't find the right one. Beware of the 7.3, there is a whole world of aftermarket refinements that can become addictive. The nice thing about the 2000 year are the forged rods, you can add a lot of horsepower relatively easily and safely.
The dealer can adjust your tire size up to 35" for your speedo.
I have heard mixed reviews on a snorkle for the 7.3. Some say it runs better with it. Would be curious to see what your experience is?
Do this cheap and easy mod, it really smooths out the idle.
When I got my 7.3 it already had a gearvendor installed. I really don't know much about this system but it is pretty cool. So far at least. When I am cruising down the hwy at 75 I simply hit the floor button and it drops the rpm to about 1600. Over 2000rpm and you will be sucking fuel and lot faster. Combine that with the fuel sipping setting on my Hydro tuner and my milage is much better bombing down the freeway. The Hydro tuner comes with more than a dozen tunes which make life driving the big loud diesel much more manageable. It is only a few hundred bucks but the fuel savings alone pay for it. You also get whisper mode for the drive through, high idle for running a compressor or winch, tow settings and economy.
Love the build and would have went with an Ex but couldn't find the right one. Beware of the 7.3, there is a whole world of aftermarket refinements that can become addictive. The nice thing about the 2000 year are the forged rods, you can add a lot of horsepower relatively easily and safely.
The dealer can adjust your tire size up to 35" for your speedo.
I have heard mixed reviews on a snorkle for the 7.3. Some say it runs better with it. Would be curious to see what your experience is?
Stackdeezy
New member
Where's that snorkel from?? I must have missed that part.
Do they make it for both sides??
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Do they make it for both sides??
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Teh_VIking
New member
Which setting do you use on the freeway? I use the 100 performance and keep it under 2k which is about 71 for me with my almost 37inch Falkens and 3.73. I get around 17.5 on long freeway cruises. Truck is close to 9klbs. We also have a 01 Excursion in the family with 35's and stock gears, no chip and we can barely squeeze 15 on the freeway. Will be switching to 37x13.50 for the width cause these pigs are so front heavy.
Love the build so far Chris its looking great. Super clean. Cant wait for some more pics. I Have been using my 7.3 for 10 years for trips / towing and it has never let me down. Planning a 5k mile road trip this summer.