I'm sixteen and just bought an '04 Supercrew XLT 5.4L. I'm wondering what order i should go in for performance. The only problem is that im pretty much broke now so im gonna have to be on the cost effective side. I've already done the DWV(Gotts) mod. What can i get for the most power for my money?

 

---def get a job man. my f150 is one of my fav money pits. best advice is save ur cash, do your research, and do it right the first time.

my fav "cheap" mods has been a drop in K&N filter and replaced my stock muffler with a magnaflow - keeping all stock exhaust. changing certain bubs to LED's are fun too. you can do a little at a time.

dont forget to use the search function. this site is an amazing resource for info.

 

Here's what I used to tell people when I sold aftermarket parts.

Think of your truck as a track athlete. Now this runner may have the required muscle to be a quick sprinter, but say they have asthma. Now regardless of how much muscle they have, they can't use it if they can't breathe.

Your truck is the same way.

Your truck has much more power than Ford wants you to know.

Now you've already started on it with the Gotts Mod.
Although, if you were to dyno test a truck with an intake and an exhaust system while you would notice an increase in HP, you would notice a much larger increase when they are combined. Rather than just the intake, or just the exhaust.

If you go back to the runner, being able to breathe in more air, doesn't really help if they can't exhale it at the same rate.

I guess what I'm ranting on about is to address your exhaust system next. Seeing as you've already started the process. I would suggest starting with a less restrictive muffler, perhaps a high flow cat as well.
Also, you may be thinking about increasing the diameter of the pipe system. This can help, but one needs to be careful to avoid losing necessary back pressure. (Hence why you never see a diesel system on a gas powered).
Note: I would not recommend this if you ever plan on using forced induction. Boost runs off back pressure.

I'm also expecting someone to chime in with more information on a tuner or chip.
You stated that it be cost effective, and tuners aren't that necessarily.

*Whew*

I've been up for like 18 hours, so I hope that some of that is understandable to somebody that's not in my head!

 

Oh, and I see that you're new; welcome to the boards.

...and everybody loves pictures...

*wink wink*

 

nice username, it kinda made me lol... congrats on the truck...taking apart the throttle body and intake and cleaning it out will definitely help, made a big difference on my 04 with 66,000 miles. I only have about $200 dollars into my exhaust, and you can listen for yourself with the link in my sig.

 

Yeah Animated Zombie that was a bit too much to quote but it definately helped me understand the process of increasing the performance on my truck. Hopefully by the end of this summer ill have most of the parts you suggested . Thanks a lot!

 

Thank you to everybody who helped me out. Ive got a pretty good idea of what im gonna do now. As soon as the summer comes around and i get a cash flow coming in, ill have made pretty good difference performance wise.

 

"Cheap" and "horsepower" really don't go together well. The only cheap mod that is worth doing is the Gotts Intake. Everything else costs money.

A full exhaust (true duals, hi flow cats) can cost over $500 in parts and labor. A simple muffler swap won't net you any power (1-2 at the very most).

The most cost effective mod would probably be custom tunes. They cost around $400+ but change every aspect of your trucks performance positively.

 

You've probably given the truck a good inspection, certainly I hope you did before buying it. Not having a lot of money, I would make sure that the truck has what it needs to properly operate and be dependable and ensure that you have the money to maintain it. I'm not saying don't add performance parts to it and customize it, I've just seen too many vehicles sidelined because the owners money was spent so heavily on modifications, when something needed replacing,they didn't have the money and it was put on hold so the vehicle sat.

Depending on certain factors, go ahead and do a tune up on it unless you know for sure when things like plugs, were replaced, fluids ect.

Grats on the purchase and welcome to the forums!

 

Just take care of the truck. Get a oil change, filters, hoses, belt, coolant check, trans fluid check, battery check. Don't worry about power mods until you're certain the truck is 100%. Along with that, unless you're able to buy another vehicle don't push your luck. You might only have this truck for fun right now but when you're 18 and need a vehicle you'll be glad you treated it good.

 

Yeah that is a funny username, it made me laugh too, because I know what it is. If you want to know what it is, watch that "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanimo Bay" movie.

 

cheap
fast
reliable
pick 2!

tune up should always be the first thing as stated, then let the fun begin!