totaled my coupe, bought a eddie bauer.. needs many new mods help me out

[dannytech_lt]

Hey guys

ive been using forums all my life but this is the biggest forum ive ever been on lol

can you guys steer in in the right direction or show me some aftermarket websites or something

i just bought a 2000 eddie bauer explorer 100 thousand miles love it its a great truck

i need a a few things and i need to be steered in the right direction because ive used the search tool but there so many forums that i dont know where to look lol

what are popular tires i see general grabbers are popular but i see the michelin LTX M/S which they already have my vote

shocks i had a 1998 chevy blazer with bilstein shocks and i loved them they rode firm and handled well which i want

i need HIDs and tints but i can look that up

i need some aftermarket sites where you guys shop.. does this forum have sponsors?

my main mods and first priority mods are .. Struts , Intake , Tires , HIDs

id love to throw a sway bar in it although i dont even know if we have sway bars lol , or leaf springs?

i recently totaled my 2008 honda accord 2 dr .. 6MT , 3.5v6 .. exhaust, Jpipe < under drive pulley , port and polished engine bored throttle body , intake .. sadly i totaled it speeding in the rain

so im not worried about prices or money i just would like to know what are some great mods for firmer ride thus increasing my stability in handling

 

[FIND]

You will want to check out the street trucks sub-forum. Lots of information in there for the kind of stuff you are interested in. Luckily, the Ford Explorer is one of the most supported vehicles in aftermarket made by ford, after the Mustang and the F-150, so finding aftermarket sources for parts is a breeze, especially with the popularity of this truck as both an off-roader or a street truck.

Once you have had a chance to absorb some of the information that is around, just check back if you have any more specific questions.

As for a stiffer rear swaybar, http://www.explorerexpress.com/swaybars-9801-explorer-xspec-sway-rear-p-357.html

Look into energy suspension bushing kits to stiffen up your ride even more. Rancho shocks are a good choice for an explorer if you are looking to change the dampening on the springs. They are adjustable and very high quality.

Which engine do you have in your truck? 4.0 V6 or 5.0 V8? Is your truck 2wd, 4wd or AWD?

 

[dannytech_lt]

hey man thanks for the link and the info

its a 2000 eddie bauer 5.0 and AWD .. great looking truck in good shape needs a hell of a cleaning on the inside too

im actually buying the Michelin Ltx right now except my session timed out and im having issues buying them now

 

[dannytech_lt]

can i ask, i know theres many many threads with such information but what would u say is the firmest and give the best handling struts available? i default think bilstein is the best but i see explorer express has edelbrock kits

i was looking at the standard kit but its edelbrock but idk if i should go with edelbrock or bilstein i do need to do my research but its getting late

 

[toypaseo]

If you want better stability, I think the Michelin LTX M/S have softer sidewalls, so they might not be ideal...

If you want a better ride, they are definitely a good choice.

I think you are aiming toward larger wheels with lower profile tires (which most tire places won't do due to the Firestone recall)...

 

[dannytech_lt]

Ive purchased the michelins last night, along.woth Hids and halogen bulbs from putco..

Next is brake pads, Mobil 1 oil change (I usually use amsoil but not this.time) and once I get on the road depending how the struts are ill be buying.bilstein struts and EBC brake pads or AutoZone Cmax pads as ive had them in my old Chevy ... I will be doing an intake I see the MAC intakes for.180ish but id lile a heat.shield

 

[FIND]

Please tell me you aren't putting some junk HID retrofit bulbs in.

MAC intakes are on that site I linked earlier for $169. You can build a heat shield pretty easily with a small piece of aluminum from the hardware store, and some foam edging.

I can't say much about shocks for these. Me, my dad, my ex wife, and my friends all drove first gens before I got my 99 to replace my dead 92, so I don't have a lot of experience with the second gens. I don't even know if bilstein makes a shock for the second gen explorers. But if they do, it is a good brand, and you seem to like their products so I'd say go for it. I think your biggest gain would be in replacing that rear sway bar and some poly bushings.

As for tires... Those Michelins are soft in the sides, but you already bought them. On the bright side, they should ride real nice when you are cruising. Your best bet would be to start looking for larger wheels so you can go lower profile on your tires. If you are going for a street truck, you will want to go lower profile than I have right now. I have 18s on my explorer right now with 265/60R18, and they do a little better than the 255/70r16 on the road, though I've got to get a set of tires closer to stock, since my wheels are hideous, and I spend time offroad. Even with the stuff I do offroad which is pretty tame compared to some of these guys, I don't really want to tighten up my suspension much more than it is.

 

[dannytech_lt]

Please tell me you aren't putting some junk HID retrofit bulbs in.

MAC intakes are on that site I linked earlier for $169. You can build a heat shield pretty easily with a small piece of aluminum from the hardware store, and some foam edging.

I can't say much about shocks for these. Me, my dad, my ex wife, and my friends all drove first gens before I got my 99 to replace my dead 92, so I don't have a lot of experience with the second gens. I don't even know if bilstein makes a shock for the second gen explorers. But if they do, it is a good brand, and you seem to like their products so I'd say go for it. I think your biggest gain would be in replacing that rear sway bar and some poly bushings.

As for tires... Those Michelins are soft in the sides, but you already bought them. On the bright side, they should ride real nice when you are cruising. Your best bet would be to start looking for larger wheels so you can go lower profile on your tires. If you are going for a street truck, you will want to go lower profile than I have right now. I have 18s on my explorer right now with 265/60R18, and they do a little better than the 255/70r16 on the road, though I've got to get a set of tires closer to stock, since my wheels are hideous, and I spend time offroad. Even with the stuff I do offroad which is pretty tame compared to some of these guys, I don't really want to tighten up my suspension much more than it is.

no no HIDs i purchased from Xenon Depot , 4300k , as for fogs i just put Mirror white bulbs , there nice though
i did research on chevy forums and tundra forums and the michelins are very good tires .. i really want to put the new explorer rims ..

but i can hold off for a while with putting rims on , the MAC intake is being bought tonight and struts im still waiting on because im going to do my research tonight on who recommends what and whos experienced both and can judge which are better instead of being biased to what they bought

one thing i will be needing is a factory radio because mine the lights dont work and i dont think theres a fix for that in the eddie bauer , ive seen some on ebay but i first need to ask my mechanic if he can fix it

 

[FIND]

No, what I was implying is that any plug and play HID retrofit bulb is cheap junk.

Do a real HID retrofit. Morimoto minis are only ~$300, you can get some clear stock style headlamps for a hundred bucks, and they are easy as hell to install. The quality of light you will get from them is far superior to anything you will ever get from an HID bulb where a halogen should be, and it doesn't look like some cheap crap a teenager drives around in.

 

[FIND]

This might help you with your radio problems.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163594

As for new explorer wheels. They still use a 5X114.3 bolt pattern. But I can't find anything on the backspacing for a 2012 explorer. I think it might be different from a second gen, which uses a 4.5" backspacing.

 

[dannytech_lt]

thanks for the link ive checked into it and i think id just replace it with another oem unit or let my mechanic do it

as for the HIDs my accord had the retrofit and i kno what your talking about with the using a real retrofit , but as is im find with the HIDs in the headlights , its not something im looking with as priority .. and for rims theres many nice rims but id rather do a sway bar

is there a site where you guys browse aftermarket parts? i use auto anything but id like to browse seeing what is made for the explorer

 

[shadowless127]

thanks for the link ive checked into it and i think id just replace it with another oem unit or let my mechanic do it

as for the HIDs my accord had the retrofit and i kno what your talking about with the using a real retrofit , but as is im find with the HIDs in the headlights , its not something im looking with as priority .. and for rims theres many nice rims but id rather do a sway bar

is there a site where you guys browse aftermarket parts? i use auto anything but id like to browse seeing what is made for the explorer

explorerexpress
jegs
summit
partsgeek

 

[dannytech_lt]

Shadow question , in my Eddie Bauer I need an OEM radio mine doesn't light up .. Can I buy any combo cd/cassette player?

I see a couple on eBay I'll post one Ina minute

 

[shadowless127]

Shadow question , in my Eddie Bauer I need an OEM radio mine doesn't light up .. Can I buy any combo cd/cassette player?

I see a couple on eBay I'll post one Ina minute

You will need one that is identical to the one you have, which would be the MACH unit.

 

[dannytech_lt]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160775794055&category=169337

I purchased that looks Just like mine

 

[shadowless127]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160775794055&category=169337

I purchased that looks Just like mine

That's not going to work. That's the Premium Audio head unit, not the MACH head unit. It's missing the connection for the MACH amp/sub, as well as the steering wheel controls.

 

[dannytech_lt]

So where can I find the mach for cheap?

I already bought it but looks like ill have too refuse shipment

Where do I get the mach?

 

[shadowless127]

So where can I find the mach for cheap?

I already bought it but looks like ill have too refuse shipment

Where do I get the mach?

You can get it from ebay, although if I were you I'd just get an aftermarket headunit and the metra MACH wiring harness, that will allow you to convert the factory amp/sub hook up to standard RCA cables that you can plug into the back of an aftermarket headunit with sub control.

 

[dannytech_lt]

to install my HIDs , all i need to do is move the battery out of the way and the OEM intake?

fog light bulbs i can see with tunring my wheel but im curious if i actually have to disconnect my battery and intake

 

[O.G.]

+1 on Bilstein's