In my quest for a new truck, Ive found out Ford must not like to put a 5.4 engine in a reg. cab short box 2wd.

Ive found a couple of 4.6's, and could even order a new one with a 4.6 quite cheap, but Im a little worried about the performance of one. My next truck is going to be built primarily for hauling ****...
So Im wondering what it takes to get a 4.6 to run even with an equally equipped 5.4 model. I know of someone with a 4.6 that has just a tune and an intake and runs just a little ahead of a 3v 5.4 untill about 85. Are these pretty typical results with these mods, or is he just doing exceptionally well?

Id like to have a mid 14 second truck with mainly bolts ons, which seems quite reasonable with a 5.4 considering some of the times Ive been seeing around here, but is that possible with a 4.6?

THANK YOU

 

I wouldnt even consider the 4.6

Why would ANYONE consider the 4.6 if your looking for a truck thats going to haul ***. If your looking for a fast, speedy truck then why even cut yourself short right off the bat by getting a 4.6? The 5.4's arnt that fast as it is let alone the 4.6's. Ive had both and i would never ever have anything less than the biggest motor they offer.

If you plan on modding it, why modd the chit outta the 4.6 so its equal to the 5.4???? Then get the 5.4 and dont touch it or mod the chit out of it so it really halls ****...Just my $.02

 

You can get an XLT reg cab short bed with a 5.4L IIRC. When I say short bed, I mean 6.5' bed. I've seen several, and I think FATHERFORD even has one. Having owned both the 4.6L and (2) 5.4L trucks, I would say stay away from the 4.6L in these 04+ trucks. It's a weak motor...

 

if you want something that hauls **** get a mustang.. if you want something that hauls ALOT then get an F-150 with the 5.4 ...

your not going to get an F-150 that hauls **** without dropping a LARGE amount of money into it simply because the truck isnt designed to go fast right from the get go.. its designed to do work.. lots and lots of work..


but if you come back and say you dont mind dropping well over 5k into your truck then ya you can get your F-150 to haul some ****..

money makes everything go faster

 

If the mustang intake/heads would fit in the F150, it would be worth it IMO. However, i have no idea if they will fit.

 

There's no replacement for displacement. Go big or go slow. It's your choice and money.

 

Let me further your thinking a little bit...

I just filled up and got 18.11 mpg in my 4.6

I have an Edge, Silencer Removed, and K&N...Truck is not extremely fast, but it runs very well...good throttle response, decent accelleration, I love it. It is an ext cab, so the reg would get better performance.

In stock trim, my 4.6 was a slug...with a few mods, it has really awaken.

If you are looking for a 14 second truck, I hope you are going to supercharge whatever engine you use, or possibly hook up a shot of NOS with your mods.

So, the 5.4 would be better for pure performance, but I simply love my 4.6 (don't laugh at me).

 

I have the 4.6, in my opinion it is totally adequate for my needs, and is a proven engine. BUT, for your needs do NOT even consider it.

 

I have no problem keeping up with stock 5.4 SuperCabs with my 4.6 regular cab. If I changed to 4.10 gears I would blow the doors off any stock 5.4. Of course a modded 5.4 would still hand me my head in a battle.

Just a K&N, tuner and exhaust makes a 4.6 out perform a stock 5.4, at least when the battle is between a regular cab 4.6 and any of the heavier trucks.

In a bigger truck, say a SuperCab or SuperCrew the 4.6 stock with 3.55 gears would be very weak.

If you are into racing trucks the big engine is the minimum to go for, and figure on adding tuner, exhaust, gears, intake. Maybe a supercharger.
These trucks are quite heavy, really more like a well mannered 3/4 ton than a half ton.

I see why you want to consider a 4.6. The posts on this forum lead people to think there is only a small difference in purchase cost between a 5.4 and a 4.6.
This is totally untrue in the real world. If you have been looking at these trucks you will see about 5-12k difference in out the door costs for the smaller engine.

At least in California they don't sell base trucks with the 5.4, and all the sale trucks tend to be 4.6 so the cost jump for the bigger engine is far more than the cost of mods.

You can buy the 4.6, put tunner, intake and exhaust (intake on the 4.6 only seems to help at the high RPM range) plus change the gears to 4.10 for 900-1400 bucks.

Still won't be as quick as spending the extra 5-12 for a 5.4 and then putting 900-1600 into it.
Chris

 

I would personally like to see what a reg cab 4.6 would do with an Edge, Intake, Exhaust, 4.10s, and a 75 shot of NOS...and the same setup (minus NOS) with a supercharger...

Isn't the 4.6 the same engine as the GT stang? Can't parts be swapped?

I dunno...

 

The difference is the 4 valve in the stang versus the 2 valve in the trucks.

My 4.6 with a volant intake, magnaflow exhaust, port and polished intake plenum and 22's ran a 0-60 in 6.37


I'm not sayin what motors better, but that 5.4 is gonna suck fuel like a mother.

 

The new Mustang has a 3V 4.6.

 

i thought the 03 cobras were 4 valve?

 

the 96-04 gt motors are very similar to the truck ones but they are still different

 

I know what you guys are getting at with the "if you want fast, why not start out fast" stuff. But like ChrisAdams said, I can get a equally equiped truck with a 4.6 for 6-7 grand less, add in the rebates, plus my trade, and I could get into one of those trucks CHEAP. That leaves money left over to mod it. Another reason is I currently have a 4.6 in this truck, and with just tinkering with it, doing some home done mods, and a little knowledge I can decently hang with a older 5.4 truck. I dont know if its possible with the new ones. But then again I can do the same with the 5.4 and be that much faster. I just kinda have a thing for the 4.6 too. Something about making the lil underdog haul *** (for a truck anyway) that I like .

Dribone, Id really like to see some 1/4 mile times of yours...yours too ChrisAdams.

Are the heads on these 4.6's the same as the older ones? Can I pick up a pair of PI heads from an older F150 or Mustang, port them, and stick them on?-- or did they change in 04?

UberDude, Im completly anti-Mustang (flame suit on lol) You couldnt give me one. But there is something about a truck that can hold its own that gets me going I have a knack for using things in ways they arent designed for too...