Suspension Work

[capleton456]

I, frankly, am terrified of my explorer. When I got it, it had 165000 miles on it (cost $1900) and was in decent condition. Since then I am afraid to drive it on any road that has a corner ie; all of them. The body roll is phenomenal, especially when I am on a ramp interchange and I have to slow down to 45mph just to get around. The steering at freeway speeds keeps me correcting my trajectory frequently. I am not angry with my truck, because after riding in my uncles s10, it feels as smooth as a Citroen c6. After reading this forum I realized that I did not have to live shackled to such sloppy handling so I had two choices, buy a Ford GT or upgrade the suspension. After consulting my bankbook and laughing loan officers, I decided to upgrade some suspension parts. I have $1000 to spend and after deciding on Rancho 9000's with the 9 settings I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about my trucks suspension except that it holds the truck up. My question is this, what would you replace/check if you had $1000 to spend on your suspension? ($700 because I really want those Ranchos)

P.S. The body roll on turns is probably cause by the failure of the seat to hold me in place, so info on that is apprieciated as well.

 

[Turdle]

I would definitely check the suspension components--*swaybar endlinks*-
tie rods-ball joints. Do the required maintenance--then upgrade the shocks.

 

[capleton456]

What do you think about sway bars? I see people on this forum recommending saleen so I assume that the Mustang sway bar is compatible with our trucks.

 

[Turdle]

It is an Explorer bar--Saleen made a few XP-8's, which is just a glorified explorer. Some had Superchargers---
You might look at this

http://explorerexpresscom.nationprotect.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3_40&products_id=368

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Explorer Express offers swaybars as well.

I think the Rancho Shocks are overpriced and overrated. (that being said I have some out back on mine, but thats because the have lift shocks) Especially the adjustable ones. Best bang for the buck for your average street driver Monroe SensaTrac, they are made by the same people in the same factory 30 miles from where I live.

Check your sway bar end links front and rear. Your front ones can be replaced with a generic off the shelf part from AutoZone. The rears are specially bent, I do not know of any aftermarket source, but the rear is not as critical as the front.

Given the mileage, I would check or replace the lower and upper ball joints, tie rod ends.

How are your tires?

You can do all of the above and have some spending money left if you do your own work.

 

[Clutchless1995]

I second that opinion. I have a used 95 and thought the ride and handling were terrible. After installing Edelbrock shocks (they may be cheaper elsewhere than Explorer Express, such as Summit Racing) and Explorer Express anti sway bars, the vehicle was transformed into one with tight riding and steering and confident handling. I did recently have to replace the ball joints and wheel bearings at 95,000 miles, but those are known wear items. so check everything. I think your 99 may only need a rear anti sway bar upgrade. And do check those end links, there was a recall on the the front ones, but I forget which years it covered.

 

[ExploringNC]

There is also an anti-sway shock in the rear that might help the roll. Some on hear say replacing this didn,t make any differance some say it did but i think it would depend on how stock it still is.

 

[Turdle]

My thoughts on the x-spec with edelbrock shocks

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169013

 

[ma96782]

IMHO....take your vehicle down to a shop (that you trust/know) that specializes in alignment.......have them look at the frt end and rear components (wear/broken)........then make decesions.

They see hundreds of frt ends in a week.....and they will be able to advise you. Don't forget......it's a truck w/ high center of gravity. So, don't expect it to handle like a car.

Aloha, Mark

 

[capleton456]

Yeah, I know its a truck, I just did not expect to be thrown around like that in a corner at 10mph. I kind of liked the ranchos because if I didn't like one setting I could choose another without despairing that I had bought the wrong suspension. The ee swaybars look great and I am definitely going to buy some rear ones. I don not know much about the front swaybars because I thought a 99 sport did not need them. Finally, this may seem like a stupid question, but how can I make the steering a bit more heavy? It will be harder to turn at low speeds but it should be more stable at highway speeds.

 

[Turdle]

Does the steering have some "slop" in it?
Does it seem like the steering wheel turns a bit before it "catches" and actually does something?

 

[NHale623]

I, frankly, am terrified of my explorer.

You need to find out what's wrong with your explorer and fix it, or pay a professional to find the problem and fix it. If you are truly terrified of driving your truck, especially around a corner, then there is a real problem.

Being thrown around in a corner at 10 mph isn't going get fixed by purchasing new shock absorbers. And it probably won't fix a stability problem at highway speeds.

 

[capleton456]

Yeah, my steering turns a bit before it catches. I am just afraid how much these problems are going to add up to.

 

[Turdle]

Yeah, my steering turns a bit before it catches. I am just afraid how much these problems are going to add up to.

You might check for this also
Myself and others have repaired very inexpensively.


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169840&highlight=loose+steering

 

[capleton456]

Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to leave it in the shops for a couple of days for it to get looked at properly. By the way, does autozone or oreillys sell any decent suspension and steering parts? I know the brands they sell, like EIBACH swaybars, but would like to know your opinions.