EcoBoost F-150 with Basic Upgrades Runs an 11-Second Quarter Mile

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F-150 has the 3.5-liter EcoBoost with and intake, exhaust, intercooler and a tune.

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 in the Ford F-150 is impressive for a long list of reasons. In stock form, it is the strongest and most capable engine in the half-ton lineup while also offering solid fuel economy for a truck that can out-pull most of the competitors. The bigger of the two F-Series EcoBoost V6 engines also makes the F-150 fairly quick in stock form, but it doesn’t take much to get one of these twin turbocharged trucks to make big power.

The video above comes from the SSI Performance Tuning YouTube channel and it features a 2017 Ford F-150 with simple modifications that has broken into the 11-second range.

SSI F-150 11.99

Surprisingly Quick F-150

If you were to see the 2017 F-150 owned by SSI Performance Tuning customer “Ronnie A.” on the street without the track wheels, you might mistake it for a stock truck. The exhaust may be a bit louder than stock, but without the drag radial tires out back, this just looks like a Ford truck with some aftermarket wheels.

What you wouldn’t see on the street is that this F-150 has an upgraded air intake system, upgraded exhaust system, a larger intercooler and an E50 ethanol blend from SSI. Allowing the engine to breathe easier on both ends would add some power with a tune, but introducing the E50 blend, the new intercooler and the custom tune to bring it altogether yields solid power improvements.

SSI F-150 11.99

We don’t know how much more power this Ford is making over stock, but it is enough power to put a full-sized half-ton truck into the 11-second quarter mile range with a good launch at the line.

Cracking 11s

The video details explain that the owner of this F-150 had been trying for some time to get into the 11s and on the night that this video was captured, it finally happened. While battling a very quick classic Mustang, the bright red Ford got down the track in 11.992 seconds. We don’t get to see the trap speed before the video ends, but with a quarter mile time in the high-11s, this big, stock-looking truck with only simply upgrades and an alcohol blend tune is covering the drag strip as quickly as many modern muscle cars.

SSI F-150 11.99

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.


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