2001 Expedition

[goodsax]

Had irregular tire wear on my 01 expedition and was told these trucks had soft shocks to make for a better ride. Installed a set of Edelbrock shocks. Rides a bit nicer. Has this happened to anyone else? Towing a 20' checkmate with about 250lb tongue weight.

[mardyn]

I'm considering a purchase of an '03 Expedition but can't get over the crummy fuel milage estimates. How is yours on gas? Which engine 5.4? and 3.73s? Thanx David Berry

[pyro]

****, if you need something that tows, get a TRUCK!
If you need room for 7 passengers, get a mini-van.

I call those a Ford Exinction, because if everybody starts driving one, we'll all soon be extinct.

I tow a 20 footer with a '95 Chrysler Lebaron Convertible.
I have no problem towing, easy 80 mph on the freeway.

I don't mean any offense, just speaking my mind.

[stvhelm]

I have a 2003 expedition that I bought back in july. I have the 5.4 triton motor. the fuel computer reads 12mpg avg around town stop and go driving on the hwy depending on how fast 14-17mpg. towing the boat on the hwy avg 14mpg. I drive with a pretty heavy foot. I had a 2001 RT 5.9 durango (Huge POS) and this is alot better on mpg. I went to enterprise car rental and rented the expedition and the tahoe before buying one. the ford seems much more up to date than the chevy. plus I like the way the back 2 rows of seats fold flat to get big things in the back. the chevy seats have to be taken out to put something big in the back. the ford also has a factory TV/DVD together on the ceiling which can be ordered with a moonroof. the chevy does not. they are just way ahead of chevy in options. You have to drive both to see for yourself.

[goodsax]

Fuel MPG is not bad. I get about 10 to 12. Haven't done a serious check. I get about 330 - 360 per fill. give or take. I like the extinction thing. Just how do I get my seven passengers to the lake with all my stuff, and tow my boat up and over the mountain? I do like those suburbans though stv. Wish the ford had the all wheel steering for those hard to reach areas.

[gaineso]

Pyro, no offense but aren't you over the rated load for that car???

My 15' bass boat weighs about 2500 full load on the trailer. I'm towing with a Y2K Durango with 5.2 (318). Towing I gwet about 14. Not towing I'll average about 15 combined and 16+ on the highway.

I want a truck that I can pull my boat and know that the tow vehicle outweighs the towed vehicle and is designed to do that type of work.

I towed a 4500 lb travel trailer through the mountains of East Tennessee with an '87 Ranger 2.9. It worked, but wasn't a really smart deal and that trailer had full brakes with automatic and manual actuation. It wasn't smart, but I was too broke to get a new vehicle.

80 MPH on the highway? Please stay in Michigan so that you won't be endangering me on the roads in Florida.

My $0.04

[stvhelm]

if your conserned about the turning radius, let me just say I also have a 99 ford taurus wagon and the truck can swing a uturn in less room than my taurus. the thing turns incredibly sharp for a big truck.

[mardyn]

I appreciate the info on the fuel milage deal. My current vehicle is a 2000 F250 with a Power Stroke & 3.73s. The thing will easily tow anything I'm interested in towing but here's the good part. In town fuel milage averages 17.7 by the trip computer and does better out on the road, particularly if driven at about 2000 rpm to keep the boost low.

I'm a big time Ford guy and like the Expedition pretty good, but I just think I'd be very disappointed in the difference in fuel,economy between the gas and diesel engine.

I understand that there is a possibilty of a diesel powered Expedition in '05... maybe Ford's new 6.0L V8 engine with the back two cylinders chopped off to make a V6.

Anybody heard rumors about this?

Thanks
David Berry

[stvhelm]

your not saving money with the diesel engine. the few extra mpgs dont make up for the few extra thousand dollars you spend on the diesel motor. plus you dont have to listen to the racket those things make.

[mardyn]

Yea, that damn diesel is particularly noisey when cold and the additional expense incurred during the initial purchase is too much... but I think the trade in value will return some of the cost of the upgraded engine package.

I saw somewhere that you'd have to drive 300K miles to justify the difference in the cost of the gas and diesel engines on fuel milage alone... at only 39K miles, I'm not there yet, but heck, I want a new vehicle soon.


I heard yesterday that Ford will have an Expedition in '04 that will be powered by their new 4.0L diesel. Although it's still a rumor, it is from a reliable source, so we'll wait and see.

Anyway, thanks for everybody's input on the fuel milage subject.

David Berry