FordExcursions.com Forums
AVWoods
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• Cincinnati, OH, USA |
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• Registered on 12/2/2008 |
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• 2 posts |
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 Posted:10/8/2009 08:49 |
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Landyot Radius Rods review (long).
First a little history. I bought our 2004 Excursion (Limited version w/ V-10) in February 2008. From the very beginning I hated the way this truck drove. HATED it. The steering was very sloppy and the handling was terrible and it wandered all over the road. I have owned large vehicles in the past and while the steering/handling is never as tight as a sedan, the Excursion was easily the worst I have owned.
So I immediately set about making repairs and modifications to correct these issues. First I replaced the worn ball joints and tie rods with better (read: not Ford) quality parts. This made some difference but not much. Then I replaced the Steering stabilizer bar with a better one from KYB and a new rear end sway bar from Helwig. Again, there was a small improvement but not much. Next, I followed the advice of some on this forum and tightened the gear mesh adjustment on the steering box. This made an interesting improvement. While it made no difference in the wandering or handling issues, it did take some of the “slop” out of the steering wheel. As a result, the steering did feel tighter. Next it was all new Bilstein shocks on all four wheels. The new shocks made the biggest improvement of all the modifications I had made.
At this point, I had been reading about the Landyot Radius rods for some time and I thought that controlling the rear end steering as a means to improve handling was an idea that had merit. But after all the changes I had made above, the handling was better. The truck still wandered all over the road and the rear end jumped around whenever I hit an unlevel patch of pavement, but the steering was tighter and some of the sway was better. I would say the handling was just barely what I would consider passable. By NO MEANS was it good or even decent. It just didn’t completely suck anymore. So I was reluctant to spend the money on another modification because I didn’t want to be disappointed in the results yet again.
But after reading more of the testimonials on this web site (37 pages of them for heaven’s sake!) I decided to order the Radius rods. This was motivated by the fact that my family had planned a cross country trip from our home in SW Ohio to the Oregon Coast this past summer. And I didn’t want to fight the terrible wandering of this truck all the way across the country.
So, I had the brackets welded on by my local mechanic (My welding skills are suspect at best) and I installed and adjusted the rest of the Rods. Just like everyone else has stated, the improvement was DRAMATIC. Not a little better and not just noticeable, but a night and day difference. Immediately the problem with the Ex wandering all over the road was gone. GONE. It now drives straight and true even when in deep ruts on the highway. And the rear end doesn’t jump around anymore whenever I hit a pothole or go over a railroad track. Also, I was surprised that the brakes seem much steadier now. I had not expected this but especially when braking hard, the truck feel like it is much more “in control” than it was before.
We returned from our trip last month. We pulled our 6000 pound camper a little over 9000 miles in two months. The improvement that I the radius Rods made in “around town” driving was also true when pulling the camper. In some ways, the improvement when towing was even more impressive than the improvement in normal driving. The rear end of the Ex always felt “twitchy” with the camper in tow. Even though I have a very solid weight distribution hitch w/ sway control (an Equal-i-zer hitch) before the RR’s were installed the camper would sway and wiggle on uneven pavement. This problem is also now completely gone thanks to the Radius Rods. I would not have wanted to climb some of the mountains we did in Colorado and Wyoming without the RR’s.
The Excursion is still a big truck, and there will always be some sway and roll issues with a vehicle this size. But the addition of the Radius rods has made it a fun vehicle to drive. It burns me up a little that Ford didn’t have the common sense to include some kind of rear axle stability system into this truck in the first place. I also wish the Radius rods had been my first modification to this truck. I suspect that I might not have had to make all the other modifications and repairs if I had done the RR’s in the beginning. In any event, I love how this truck handles and drives now and have no desire to make any more changes to the suspension.
I would enthusiastically recommend a set of the radius rods to anyone who has an Excursion.
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DReaux
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• H-Town, TX, USA |
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• Registered on 7/14/2009 |
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• 18 posts |
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Posted:10/8/2009 15:48 |
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| Quote: | Landyot Radius Rods review (long).
I also wish the Radius rods had been my first modification to this truck. I suspect that I might not have had to make all the other modifications and repairs if I had done the RR’s in the beginning. In any event, I love how this truck handles and drives now and have no desire to make any more changes to the suspension.
I would enthusiastically recommend a set of the radius rods to anyone who has an Excursion.
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+1
This was the first mod i did to my Ex...
Founder & President of
The H.L.M.F. Syndicate |
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LANDYOT
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• Subscriber since 11/23/2003 |
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• Newport News, VA, USA |
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• Registered on 7/15/2003 |
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• 1,110 posts |
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Posted:10/18/2009 09:24 |
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I haven't been here in this forum for awhile. It's obvious I need to make more frequent visits.
What can I say other than THANK YOU VERY KINDLY!!! Testimonials like these make it all wothwhile to me. I am tickled to help folks enjoy their Excursion ... or as some have said, "to fall in love again." Thank you, gentlemen! |
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AVWoods
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• Cincinnati, OH, USA |
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• Registered on 12/2/2008 |
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• 2 posts |
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Posted:8/25/2010 06:31 |
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Hello Landyot,
It has been almost a year since we returned from out cross-country trip and I wrote the review above. I am pleased to say that the Radius Rods are still just fine and my high opinion of their quality and functionality is unchanged. In short – they are great.
Last fall, I did get under the “X” and tighten the bushings a little bit. We went 10K miles in a few short months and I had noticed just a little more “play” in the rear end than I had when the rods were first installed. By no means were the bushings worn-out, but it did bring up a question in my mind. Can you give me a part number or replacement information on the bushing used in the Radius rods? I would like to have a set of these in reserve so in a couple of years if they start to wear, I have a replacement set ready to go.
Given the uncertain nature of my job, I am going to be keeping the Excursion for the foreseeable future. It is fair to say that your Radius Rods made that possible. I doubt I would have put up with the “wandering” the Excursion had when I first bought it for even this long, if the radius rods hadn’t completely fixed the problem. Thank you again for a great product!
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