Tuned 2018 F-150 Running E85 is a 720-Horsepower Sleeper
South Carolina shop gets big power out of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 just by upgrading the fuel system to E85 and adding an aftermarket intake.
In its standard form, the Ford F-150’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 produces 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. The high-output version of it that the Blue Oval puts in the F-150 Limited and Raptor cranks out 450 and 510, respectively. Those are substantial numbers, but there’s always more power out there. It just takes a few tweaks to get it. This video from TFLnow shows just how much power you can squeeze out of a 3.5 if you upgrade its breathing and set it up to run on E85 fuel.
Host Andre Smirnov found that out firsthand when he went to 5 Star Tuning in Florence, South Carolina. The shop started with a 2018 F-150 XLT SuperCrew FX4 with the standard 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. Smirnov says, “The engine and the internals and the block are all stock. It’s also running stock turbochargers.” Instead, 5 Star Tuning focused on seeing what they could get out of better airflow and more power-dense fuel.
They bolted on an upgraded intake, swapped in a new intercooler, and installed high-flow exhaust hardware.
5 Star Tuning also replaced the fuel pump with one designed to handle ethanol-rich E85 gas. According to Smirnov, “When you use E85, you’re basically boosting your octane level so you’re reducing possibility of engine knock and you can adjust the timing and you can make crazy power doing this.”
How much was 5 Star Tuning able to get out of the 3.5 with $5,000 of software and hardware mods? It depends on which set of dyno results you look at. No matter what, the numbers are impressive. They range from a high of 604 horsepower and 666 lb-ft of torque to a low of 589 horsepower and 647 lb-ft – at the wheels. If you use that highest reading as a starting point and do some backwards math, you’ll get a crank-horsepower figure of 720. Just imagine what’s possible with more turbo boost.
At the Pageland Dragway in Jefferson, South Carolina, 5 Star Tuning’s test truck absolutely blasts its way to 60 mph. Smirnov says, “This 600-horsepower – to the wheels – Ford F-150 did a 3.97 0 to 60.” It finishes the eighth mile in 7.64 seconds.
It looks as if 5 Star Tuning answered their own question. Now it’s up to them to figure out how to beef up the F-150’s other components, such as the 10-speed automatic and rear differential, to handle all of their tuned and mod’ed EcoBoost‘s additional firepower.
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