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HOOAH

Member
Joined
September 2, 2016
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Location
Asheville, NC, USA
City, State
Candler
Year, Model & Trim Level
2006 Ford Explorer
Hello everybody, my name is HOOAH and I am the new owner of a 2006 Ford Explorer XLS 4.0 V6 4wd, with 103k. This is my first Ford vehicle and I hope it serves me well for many years to come. I already had a dealer look it over and they gave me the check list that it is ok and all is well. I have owned only Chevys and Dodges. I planned to use this vehicle as my winter and hunting vehicle.

Things I want to do, I will search the forums also
1. Remove carpet and replace it with a vinyl floor mat replacement
2. Exhaust/muffler replacement. Was thinking about a Dynomax or Flowmaster 50 series
3. Better tires, some form of All-Terrain M+S; will LT tires fit???
4. Maybe in the future; a Traxda or the Truxxx lift kit

If anybody has any information on "how to" or "do it yourself" advice, please feel free to send me a message. Thank you.
 



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Been looking for some new tires. Does anybody know if LT245/75R16 tires fit an Explorer with a stock suspension? I already want to do the lift later this year (Nov-Dec), but just want these old/worn out Laredo tires off my ride.
 






Yes the tire size will fit fine. But once you put a lift on they will be a little small. Traxda and Truxxx are the same company. Truxxx is just old inventory.
 












If he's only using it for hunting/winter weather some cheaper all terrains would be great
 






I wouldn't go too cheap, though. Strong brand names like BF Goodrich and Goodyear are decent and not very expensive. But cheap tires in terms of quality are a big negative when it comes to using a truck as a truck. I'm not much of a hunter but would hit up the desert or river often. I've gone through several tire setups and soon learned that when you are out in the middle of nowhere, it pays to have the best. If a budget is in involved, then save up for the best. I learned this the hard way several times over.
 






Oh not too too cheap. I would go with BFG for quality and pricing. Some really nice all terrains would be great. I had some BFG muds. 255/75s. However I didn't like they weren't super beefy. Just pretty. So I had to change :)
 












Agreed. Sorry @HOOAH , executive decisions. You need to get some BFGs. Lol
 






Agreed. Sorry @HOOAH , executive decisions. You need to get some BFGs. Lol

Thanks for the suggestion guys:chug:

1) LOL, I was already thinking about the General Grabber AT2, Kumho Road Venture AT51 or the Cooper Discoverer A/T
The BFG's are just too pricy for my wallet. At over $175+ per tire,;) I think I will have to pass on them.

2) I've been driving the 4.0 Explorer around my town and the quietness is getting to me, time for an exhaust mod. I thought about having the entire exhaust after the muffler replaced.
Does anybody suggests a 2.5" over the stock piping(2.25")???
 






Thanks for the suggestion guys:chug:

1) LOL, I was already thinking about the General Grabber AT2, Kumho Road Venture AT51 or the Cooper Discoverer A/T
The BFG's are just too pricy for my wallet. At over $175+ per tire,;) I think I will have to pass on them.

2) I've been driving the 4.0 Explorer around my town and the quietness is getting to me, time for an exhaust mod. I thought about having the entire exhaust after the muffler replaced.
Does anybody suggests a 2.5" over the stock piping(2.25")???

Personally from having BFG m/ts, and now General Grabbers I have to say the M/T's were wonderful for the
 






I just got priced tires. LT245/75R16, Load E(10 ply), Cooper Discoverer AT3, mounted and balanced for $590. The weird thing was that the Load E tires were cheaper than the Load D tires. With a $70 mail-in rebate. Also planning on buying six Autolite plugs (XP5143), a set of Motorcraft wires, a Motorcraft fuel filter and a heavy duty molded vinyl carpet replacement black in color, from Rockauto. The tan interior is nice and the carpet was recently steamed cleaned, but for me I personally get dirty every day. Does anybody know of a good set of front seat covers??? Maybe vinyl or leather?
 






Personally , if you get dirty often then anything on Amazon is probably gonna do the job. Cheap and easy to replace if needed.
 






So today my new Magnaflow SS muffler part #11365 was at my doorstep. And hopefully on Thursday I will get a local exhaust shop to install it. I plan on just replacing the muffler and keep the factory tail pipe. However my exhaust tip will be delayed one week before I get it. AdvanceAuto said it was in stock, but I don't mind. I went with a Magnaflow SS tip part #35117 2.5" Inet to 4" Outlet.
 






Let us know how it goes and how it sounds for a v6!
 






Jacob I will definitely let you guys know. I obtained a used Chilton's manual yesterday from a friend who had a Mountaineer, but recently sold it. Also today I installed LEDs in the overhead interior fixtures and reverse lights. I put Xenon lights in tag, tail and brake lights. I love the way the interior has brighten up. I like the extra brightness outback, b/c there has been alot of target fixation tailgaters and rear-endings in my area.
 






Let us know how it goes and how it sounds for a v6!
Today I had the Magnaflow installed and when it first cranked up. I fell in love with the sound it produce. My Explorer now has that mellow deep note sound and no drone on the highway. I can still hear the engine and road noise, which I prefer, because if my engine starts making a noise that doesn't sound good, I want to know about it. The muffler I chose was an 11" length case instead of the standard 14" length case. Also, I thought the 3" of less mass would be beneficial to the sound produced and ease of install by the local muffler shop. I'm glad I went with the Magnaflow over the Flowmaster. I have had FM 40 series on two vehicles(1990 Chevy 1500 5.7 V8 and 1998 Dodge Ram 5.9 V8) and both had that awkward drone cruising at highway speeds.
:salute:
 






I ran Hankook Dynapro ATM for 44k miles on my 07 XLT and had no issues. I ran 255/60/18 on stock Flex rims. Matches the stock 245/65/17 in size so no issues with the speedo.

Anyways, I really like the tires as they were aggresive, no ridiculous road noise, no poor traction on wet pavement, no hydroplanning. Braking was good, plenty of siping, tread is open enough to cleanout effectively when spinning through mud. Never had much snow to play in, but would have no issue with snow. Also has a good sidewall design and open side treads as well as a very prominent rim guard. Wear was very even and flat across tread surface. There was no cupping and no chatter wear typically associated with large open block tread designs.

Just my $0.02. I would buy them again in a heartbeat.
 






General grabber AT2 is a really good tire. Great grip, look, and ride quality. They wear quick on pavement, though.

As for suspension, the spacers are a quick, cheap solution but i would look into the rancho quick lift kit. It replaces your springs and struts, gives you about a 1.5" lift and features 9 point ride adjustability. They'll run you about $800 for a set, though.
 



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