tgrfly's '03 X Limited | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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tgrfly's '03 X Limited

Here is just a little start on a project log. Not a whole lot is going to happen with the truck.

This is my starting place.

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First thing I did was I had to replace the driver's side tail light because it was cracked when I purchased the truck. Then after I got the new one I VHT'd them. Came out GREAT!

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Next thing I did was attempted to paint my headlight housings black, and failed. So I ended up buying a new set of black housing headlights and also black housing clear corner lights. I also took the billet grille that was in the truck and pulled it out and painted it black. The black on the top and bottom of each billet strip was flaking off so I needed to do something with it to cover it up. Very happy with the way everything turned out.

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I also ordered HIDs from DDM Tuning. I ordered 55w 8000K lights for my headlights and 35w 6000K for my fog lights. I also ordered a set of Switchback LEDs for my corner lights. Love the way everything looks lit up. I have yet to get a picture of everything, so once I do I will post it up.

I also got my HU from my car and designed a 4th order box for my 2 SA8s and my AQ1200-D.

*Note: Clear section is not clear. Done to show internal build*
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I need to get some better pictures of the box. Fits perfect and sounds great. The box is also mostly carpeted now. I need to buy a sheet of coverboard to finish the front side of the box where the amp is.

Also planning on purchasing new 20"s ASAP with my tax returns and the money I am saving up from my new job.

Planning on purchasing these:
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And I'm stuck on the tires. Really leaning towards the Toyo Proxes STII, but also looking at the Falken Ziex S/TZ04. My grandparents have the Toyos on their Mariner and they said they are a great tire and are really quiet. Tire size will be 275/45/20.

Project for way down the road for any audio people is upgrading my current setup to 2 12" DC Audio M2 Lvl 4s and either a American Bass 200.1 or a DC Audio 3.5K. Not sure on a box yet. Thinking about a bandpass, but also thinking about a standard slot port box.
 



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Dude, not gonna lie. LOVE your truck. Wish mine was white. I actually know what to do with white. Silver is a new color to me. Thought about doing a body lift, but I think I will keep it the way it is. Ready to get the new wheels and tires.

Also forgot to mention I am planning on doing doing the LED bulb swap in the gauges and doing blue LED under the drivers and passenger side in the second row and under the dash and then also in the air vents.
 






Clean truck! I like the sub box and rim choice. Is that box made to fit behind the third row or..? And personally I think 275/45s look too small on our trucks, have you considered 255/55s or even 275/55s? Also if your interested I have a set of 4 275/45r20 general grabber UHP tires that you can have for free plus shipping
 






Clean truck! I like the sub box and rim choice. Is that box made to fit behind the third row or..? And personally I think 275/45s look too small on our trucks, have you considered 255/55s or even 275/55s? Also if your interested I have a set of 4 275/45r20 general grabber UHP tires that you can have for free plus shipping

Yea the sub box fits snuggly behind the third row. Love it.

Tire size I'm just going off of what keeps the speedo the same. Hows the tread on those tires? Do you have a picture of the 275/45s on the truck?
 






I think there's a good amount of tread on them, but I'm not sure because I've never owned low profile street tires before. I do have pictures of them in my registry (link in signature) on my lifted explorer, so they look funny being so small. If interested, I can find out what shipping costs would be.

And how is the bass with that box? I've never seen a box like yours where the subs are enclosed front and back like that. I have 1 polk audio 8" powered by a sundown audio sae-1000D in a transmisson line box. They bass is equal to 2 10s but with better quality
 






Dude, not gonna lie. LOVE your truck. Wish mine was white. I actually know what to do with white. Silver is a new color to me. Thought about doing a body lift, but I think I will keep it the way it is. Ready to get the new wheels and tires.

Also forgot to mention I am planning on doing doing the LED bulb swap in the gauges and doing blue LED under the drivers and passenger side in the second row and under the dash and then also in the air vents.


Thanks a ton, I really appreciate it! And yeah I know exactly what you're talking about, white is more of a color you can just about do anything to and it will look good, but silver you need to put some more thought into. Also, I forgot to say, Bravo on VHTing your taillights, those turned out flawless! Probably some of the best I have ever seen done with VHT!

Also, if I could give a suggestion I would say for another little mod, get your your driver & passenger side windows tinted to match the rear. I think it would look very clean!

Whatever you decide to do I'm sure it'll look good, can't wait to see the wheels on your truck! Same with the LEDs. :thumbsup:
 






nice x u got there
 






I think there's a good amount of tread on them, but I'm not sure because I've never owned low profile street tires before. I do have pictures of them in my registry (link in signature) on my lifted explorer, so they look funny being so small. If interested, I can find out what shipping costs would be.

And how is the bass with that box? I've never seen a box like yours where the subs are enclosed front and back like that. I have 1 polk audio 8" powered by a sundown audio sae-1000D in a transmisson line box. They bass is equal to 2 10s but with better quality

I am definitely interested in those tires. Anyway you could get a picture of them as they sit? Maybe with a penny in them to show the tread? And why are you getting rid of them?

The bass is great. It's a bandpass design so you get a lot more range than you would with a standard slot port box. I love it, but I'm wanting to be louder.
 






Thanks a ton, I really appreciate it! And yeah I know exactly what you're talking about, white is more of a color you can just about do anything to and it will look good, but silver you need to put some more thought into. Also, I forgot to say, Bravo on VHTing your taillights, those turned out flawless! Probably some of the best I have ever seen done with VHT!

Also, if I could give a suggestion I would say for another little mod, get your your driver & passenger side windows tinted to match the rear. I think it would look very clean!

Whatever you decide to do I'm sure it'll look good, can't wait to see the wheels on your truck! Same with the LEDs. :thumbsup:

Aww stop it, you're gonna make me blush. lol Thanks for the kudos. I've done my fair share of VHTing and this is my best set so far. I didn't even sand them down and buff them. That was right after I cleared them. I'd say I've done about 10 sets of lights. I'm the guy that laughs at the people who attempts it and then end up terrible, but is willing to try and help fix it.

The windows are a must too. Forgot to mention that. Thanks for keeping an eye out.:thumbsup:
 






I am definitely interested in those tires. Anyway you could get a picture of them as they sit? Maybe with a penny in them to show the tread? And why are you getting rid of them?

The bass is great. It's a bandpass design so you get a lot more range than you would with a standard slot port box. I love it, but I'm wanting to be louder.

i bought 20"s off craigslist and just wanted the rims but the guy didn't want to bother with removing the tires, so he left them on for free. i know one of them has a plug but i drove on those tires for about 2 weeks and they all held at 52 psi and aggressive driving. i already bought 275/60r20s for the rims so now these ones are just taking up space. i had originally priced them at $100, then $75, but for EF members they're free

i'll get a few pics for ya when i get home



The bass is great. It's a bandpass design so you get a lot more range than you would with a standard slot port box. I love it, but I'm wanting to be louder.


ohh, okay. I hear you on wanting to be louder. Unfortunately i had to sell my 2 12" in order to make room for my third row when i swapped my interior. I did test out 2 12" P1s in shallow mount truck boxes behind the third row...lots of bass, but sounded like hell. My T-Line box is roughly 36"L x 9"W x 14"H, there is no room behind my third row, lol
 






i bought 20"s off craigslist and just wanted the rims but the guy didn't want to bother with removing the tires, so he left them on for free. i know one of them has a plug but i drove on those tires for about 2 weeks and they all held at 52 psi and aggressive driving. i already bought 275/60r20s for the rims so now these ones are just taking up space. i had originally priced them at $100, then $75, but for EF members they're free

i'll get a few pics for ya when i get home

Sounds good. Thank you so much.
 


















So I stopped at my local Discount Tire and got a general estimate on what I'm looking at.

Here's a recap:

20x8.5 Status Knight 5 Wheels ($199ea)
275/45/20 Falken Zeix S/TZ04 Tire($153ea)
Warranties on all the tires($19.25ea)
Splined Lug Nuts($45)
Mounting, Balancing, etc.("Free")

They gave me a price of $1719 and a bit of change. That's tax and all. That's really not all that bad. I bought my last set of wheels and tires through them and they are very easy to deal with and they are straight forward.

Anyone got any other ideas of places to kinda shop at? Any other tire suggestions? I'm gonna stop at my local Tire Barn too and see if they can get the wheel. I know they are really strict on what they can and cannot order.
 






Try mrwheeldeal.com , its a GREAT site. Theyll answer all your questions and probably give you a better price.
 






Try mrwheeldeal.com , its a GREAT site. Theyll answer all your questions and probably give you a better price.

Checked there. They don't have the wheel I'm looking at.

Stopped at my local Tire Barn and they gave me a price of $1550 w/ taxes and warranties. Lugs are another $40. Thinking about going back to Discount Tire to see if they can do any better. Said they will match price or beat it.
 






That sucks..But yeah just keep going back n forth between all the different places until you get the lowest price possible.
 






Anyway you can find out what shipping would be on those to 47320?

i'll have a quote for you on thursday, sorry for the delay
 



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So I stopped at my local Discount Tire and got a general estimate on what I'm looking at.

Here's a recap:

20x8.5 Status Knight 5 Wheels ($199ea)
275/45/20 Falken Zeix S/TZ04 Tire($153ea)
Warranties on all the tires($19.25ea)
Splined Lug Nuts($45)
Mounting, Balancing, etc.("Free")

They gave me a price of $1719 and a bit of change. That's tax and all. That's really not all that bad. I bought my last set of wheels and tires through them and they are very easy to deal with and they are straight forward.

Anyone got any other ideas of places to kinda shop at? Any other tire suggestions? I'm gonna stop at my local Tire Barn too and see if they can get the wheel. I know they are really strict on what they can and cannot order.

i bought rims from discount tire last year, they were $120 a piece and i managed to talk the sales guy down to $100 a piece + splined lugnuts and chrome valve stems for free.
 






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