LSalvide
New Member
- Joined
- October 2, 2023
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 8
- City, State
- Sugar Land, TX
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2018 Ford Explorer Sport
How’s it going guys. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I’ve made some further progress on getting my Explorer the way I want it. So without further ado here’s what I got so far.
So one the most obvious things you’ll see and point out is the black wheels that I had installed. The wheels are 24x9 Blaque Diamond BD-15 Gloss Black from Elementwheels.com. Now I understand that I may get some criticism about the size change up from the stock wheels but this car isn’t going to be more on the performance side of the spectrum and I’m aware of potential downfalls of such a modification. Here’s what I did or currently am doing to be proactive about nipping any problems in the bud be it the actual engine, exterior, etc before they come up.
For the potential wheel rub that comes with bigger wheels I had the mechanic that installed the tire and wheels put a heat gun to the wheel wells and stretch the plastic material out further away from the wheel with a stick using the tire to press on as a fulcrum. So far I’ve had zero issues with wheel rub. I do have to be more conscientious of any potential bumps on the road due to the thinner profile of the tire and the lowered suspension so far it’s been pretty good with that not being an issue as of yet. After the wheel purchase I bought some aftermarket camber bolts from Steeda so that getting the vehicle back into alignment wouldn’t be an issue. Also I bought a 5th wheel and tire of the same product to keep as a spare in the back.
I understand that the automatic transmission and PTU is going to have more strain than normal placed on it with 24” wheels so I’ve started going with 30,000 mile change intervals for the PTU and Automatic Transmission. The PTU I had drilled, tapped, and a drain plug installed. On the lateral side of the PTU I had a high pressure fuel hose installed and had it run to the inside of the inside of the engine bay for easy filling access. Size used for the plug was 1/8 27 NPT. Weblink below for the drill bit and tap.
Amazon product ASIN B0797JWQ1R
For the brakes I do plan on upgrading them with better materials. Not going to do a whole big brake package upgrade, but until then and for now I’ve just put on some MGP caliper covers.
I do have a Team RXP catch can coming in to address the crankcase pressure shooting oil back into the air intake.
This was definitely a smart little interior modification that was worth the price. On AliBaba there is some pretty cool stuff that is compatible with the Explorer. I first bought two shelves that are made for the cargo area. It’s useful for storing all work stuff like my med bag, ballistic helmet, and plate carrier. Shelving is down below in the weblink.
For Ford Explorer 2011-2019 Modular Storage Panel Shelf Modification Rear Trunk Debris Rack Storage Molle panel
That’s all about I’ve gotten done so far. I took a momentary break from completely finishing the exterior so that I could allocate more funds towards the PTU and Team RXP catch can set up. Once the catch can is installed and completed I can get back on track with the exterior lighting and other things I had in mind.
So one the most obvious things you’ll see and point out is the black wheels that I had installed. The wheels are 24x9 Blaque Diamond BD-15 Gloss Black from Elementwheels.com. Now I understand that I may get some criticism about the size change up from the stock wheels but this car isn’t going to be more on the performance side of the spectrum and I’m aware of potential downfalls of such a modification. Here’s what I did or currently am doing to be proactive about nipping any problems in the bud be it the actual engine, exterior, etc before they come up.
For the potential wheel rub that comes with bigger wheels I had the mechanic that installed the tire and wheels put a heat gun to the wheel wells and stretch the plastic material out further away from the wheel with a stick using the tire to press on as a fulcrum. So far I’ve had zero issues with wheel rub. I do have to be more conscientious of any potential bumps on the road due to the thinner profile of the tire and the lowered suspension so far it’s been pretty good with that not being an issue as of yet. After the wheel purchase I bought some aftermarket camber bolts from Steeda so that getting the vehicle back into alignment wouldn’t be an issue. Also I bought a 5th wheel and tire of the same product to keep as a spare in the back.
I understand that the automatic transmission and PTU is going to have more strain than normal placed on it with 24” wheels so I’ve started going with 30,000 mile change intervals for the PTU and Automatic Transmission. The PTU I had drilled, tapped, and a drain plug installed. On the lateral side of the PTU I had a high pressure fuel hose installed and had it run to the inside of the inside of the engine bay for easy filling access. Size used for the plug was 1/8 27 NPT. Weblink below for the drill bit and tap.
Amazon product ASIN B0797JWQ1R
For the brakes I do plan on upgrading them with better materials. Not going to do a whole big brake package upgrade, but until then and for now I’ve just put on some MGP caliper covers.
I do have a Team RXP catch can coming in to address the crankcase pressure shooting oil back into the air intake.
This was definitely a smart little interior modification that was worth the price. On AliBaba there is some pretty cool stuff that is compatible with the Explorer. I first bought two shelves that are made for the cargo area. It’s useful for storing all work stuff like my med bag, ballistic helmet, and plate carrier. Shelving is down below in the weblink.
For Ford Explorer 2011-2019 Modular Storage Panel Shelf Modification Rear Trunk Debris Rack Storage Molle panel
That’s all about I’ve gotten done so far. I took a momentary break from completely finishing the exterior so that I could allocate more funds towards the PTU and Team RXP catch can set up. Once the catch can is installed and completed I can get back on track with the exterior lighting and other things I had in mind.
