My wife wants an SUV, and since only Ford has a diesel option I'm considering the Excursion.

I was reading in Consumer Reports tonite about the Excusrion. It stated in CR that one of the cons with the Excursion was that the 4WD was only part time, and that it couldn't be used on dry pavement. What does that mean, and is it true, or did someone at CR not get their facts straight???

CADman_ks

The Excursion system is the same one as my F350 has. You push a button for 4wd. The manual will tell you to never do this on dry ground and never above a certain speed (40 I think).

Any idea what CR was talking about when they said that it had "limited" or "part time" 4WD (I don't remember the exact wording)?


CADman_ksEdited by: CADman_ks

My wife wants an SUV, and since only Ford has a diesel option I'm considering the Excursion.

I was reading in Consumer Reports tonite about the Excusrion. It stated in CR that one of the cons with the Excursion was that the 4WD was only part time, and that it couldn't be used on dry pavement. What does that mean, and is it true, or did someone at CR not get their facts straight???

CADman_ks


Someone reported bad information. Mine works the same as any 4x4 I've owned for the last 12 years, just newer stuff than we had 12 years ago.


My Excursion is awesome! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Cool.gif I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone in search of a large SUV. The magazine reports say it is hard to maneuver and gets poor fuel mileage. Bull sh*t! This thing actually drives very well. I am suprised that such a big vehicle turns and handles the way it does. Fuel economy is about 14 mpg city, 17 - 18 mpg hwy. This is with less than 10K miles and no programmer. Add a programmer and this thing will be seeing fuel mileage in the 20's on the hwy.


Trust me, I'm not saying it handles like a sports car, but not nearly as bad as the magazines make it out to be. I think they are comparing it to other SUV's much smaller and more nimble. Compare this vehicle to a 2500 Suburban and you won't be able to tell much difference in ride or handling. Compare it to a 1500 Suburban and you will see a big difference, with the Suburban being better. Notice when the magainzes compare, they compare the 1500 Suburban with the Excursion. Not a fair comparison when the Excursion is actually an F250/350 SD chasis.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Disapprove.gif

Part time is what most truck 4x4's are.

When you put your vehicle in 4x4 the front and rear axles become locked together. Since it's impossib;e to have the front tires always spinning the same rpm as the back tires, if you aren't on slippery surfaces, you'll get some fighting going on between the front and back axles. They call this "driveline binding".

You should not run in 4x4 on dry pavement or this binding will occur. It's hard on your driveline components and can damage them.

These trucks have Part time..

GM full size HD's
Ford Super Duty's including Excursion
Dodge HDs.

Many others do too. There is an optional transfer case for ligher duty trucks that allow the "differentiation or slippage" required between the fron and rear axles. GM calls it Autotrac.

SOme vehicles don't allow you to take it out of 4x4. They are called Full Time 4x4. They have a differential in the transfer case.

My wife wants an SUV, and since only Ford has a diesel option I'm considering the Excursion.

I was reading in Consumer Reports tonite about the Excusrion. It stated in CR that one of the cons with the Excursion was that the 4WD was only part time, and that it couldn't be used on dry pavement. What does that mean, and is it true, or did someone at CR not get their facts straight???

CADman_ks


CADman,


THE TRUTH is that you can use it on dry pavement in 4x4, but not for long distances or around tight turns. It isn't recommended, and truth be told, why would you want it?


The hubs are automatic on the EX, all you have to do is push a button, and the big Ford transfer case will shift power to the front axle.


C/R stresses "simplicity" as a virtue, and while full time 4x4 may be simpler in that you don't have to shift anything to get the vehicle in 4x4, IMO, it's overated. 99% of the time, you know when you're gonna need 4x4....push a button, and it's on (unless you get a manual t-case, in that case, you pull the lever back into "4x4". IMO, full time 4x4 is a system for dummies.

Don't Forget--Chevy is putting out a Suburban with a Duramax next year.

Don't Forget--Chevy is putting out a Suburban with a Duramax next year.





What information are you basing this on?


I've heard many rumours on this and most seem to say a Suburban Dmax is not happening anytime soon.


I'm curious because a Dmax equipped Suburban is my first choice in a vehicle!!!

I have a '00 Excursion PSD and love it. I live in Eastern Colorado where "off-roading" means getting home. I use the 4WD often and have only 1 bitch about it. It seems to lock in OK, but when I switch back to 2WD, the truck pulls to the right slightly until I stop & back up a short distancehttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Angry.gif. It may be a maintenance issue that will be resolved later today when the front brakes are done. Again, thats the ONLY complaint. I really love this vehicle. I recently put in the Gold Superchip and really woke the beast up. I was originally disappointed with the power as I own a tweaked Cummins, but am now completely satisfied. I have heard some bad things concerning the new 6.0L in the new Excursion, so would advise shopping for a low-mileage 7.3L. I have 3 lil girls and they, too, love the Excursion. The interior is very adjustable. At times, we fold the mid seat down and enjoy a theatre atmosphere on long trips. Usually, we fold down 1/3 of the mid seat for easy access to the 3rd seat and the all-important separation of the 2 youngest kids for transportation to and from school. I would highly recommend this rig to anyone with a need for space and a desire for diesel durability, economy and performance. I enjoy an average of 19-20 mpg with the superchip installed. 90K miles and running bettr than new.

TheTruth


Did you just fall off a turnip truck? You are posting some incorrect info here. Driving a part time 4x4 on hard pavement while in 4wheel drive can be ok as long as the truck is kept perfectly straight. The slightest deviation will cause different wheel speed which is not good. Not a good idea telling anyone a little is ok because people will think a little more wont hurt either, but it will. As far as full time 4x4,you are greatly mistaken; it's a wonderfull thing. You can blast down the hiway at speed while it's raining with much more control than the stupid part time unit which does no good . Most people get into far more trouble before the kick in a part time unit and it is then to late, wheras a full time unit usually gets them through without much problem. I have been 4wheeling since 1966, i build 4wheelers, i customize drivetrains on them.


mike

never listen to those magazines and what they rate as truck of the year or the best truck. i think they get bribes or something. they always pick the japaneese vehicals. car and driver picked the new nissan as truck of the year. that is bull sh*t. any american truck is 100 times better thatn a nissan. the nissan is smaller and not a real truck. the nissan is made for women who drive around in the city alot to haul stuff from the local costco. real truck have big engines with a diesel option. american trucks all the way...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif