Initial dyno results for the 2009!
Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
The knobly bits are Helmholtz filters used to eliminate the droning commonly associated with Cold Air Intakes. Obviously, it's not pretty looking but I am a function over form type of person. I don't particularly care what it looks like as long as it functions properly. Other folks have a different opinion and might prefer the cleaner look of a CAI. It's all personal preference at that point.
I'm not necessarily saying that a CAI is bad for the engine, but my concern is the fact that the AFR is already starting out at a dead 14.6 to 1 and historically CAIs cause the engine to run even leaner. I certainly wouldn't be running a CAI without appropriate tuning to correct any resultant lean problems, especially when I can pick up 7+ HP with a simple, free modification.
I'm not necessarily saying that a CAI is bad for the engine, but my concern is the fact that the AFR is already starting out at a dead 14.6 to 1 and historically CAIs cause the engine to run even leaner. I certainly wouldn't be running a CAI without appropriate tuning to correct any resultant lean problems, especially when I can pick up 7+ HP with a simple, free modification.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 295
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio, TX
an addition to my previous post: the drone is actually a pretty good "intake honk" at low rpm's lasts for maybe a second or two. And i seemed to have (according to the Ford wallet-drain-o-meter) picked up .5 MPG. And thats on the typical 75-80 MPH San Antonio commute...i iwll update with hand calc figures soon.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 448
Likes: 0
From: Mechanicsville, MD
At what RPMs are you getting a drone? I have been driving like grandpa lately and my RPMs rarely go over 2500.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: Everywhere
so in your opinion, would you prefer smooth DWV tubing into the fender well on an 08 vs. the specter flex tubing? i wondered if the ridges on the spectre would prevent a good smooth flow of air.
tuner
Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
From: Sandusky, Oh. 44870
That's because you're in Florida. 
In Utah, octane is commonly 85, 87 and 89, with 91 floating around from time to time. This is because higher altitudes don't require fuel with as much octane as sea level.
As for the E85, even though the test vehicle we used was a Flex-Fuel, I did not have the opportunity to test the E85 fuel. There is actually very little E85 where we tested so it wasn't really a consideration at this point.
In Utah, octane is commonly 85, 87 and 89, with 91 floating around from time to time. This is because higher altitudes don't require fuel with as much octane as sea level.As for the E85, even though the test vehicle we used was a Flex-Fuel, I did not have the opportunity to test the E85 fuel. There is actually very little E85 where we tested so it wasn't really a consideration at this point.
Your tests were done with 85 octane. Would 87 octane have the same results, or would they be better? Btw, thanks for you test results, I removed mine yesterday and noticed a slight increase, must have taken some time and fuel for those results.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 1,372
Likes: 12
From: California
Hey all...
Finally got back from Dyno Tuning the 2009 F150 and needless to say, I AM EXCITED!
The new 2009 F-150 is running awesome and actually looks to be making a little bit more power than the earlier 2004 to 2008 versions.
From what we've found so far, the only major difference under the hood is that the air filter housing has been relocated directly behind the driver's headlight and now uses a LARGE 12" x 12" pleated panel filter. This is definitely helping airflow.
As you well know, the new platform sports a new 6-speed automatic transmission which now has its own controller which is separate from the ECM. The ECM itself has been updated to a new, faster processor as well. Fortunately, the tuning is quite similar and we were able to get the base tuning done without any difficulty. Here are the preliminary results:
Test Conditions:
Horsepower Only
Torque Only
Horsepower and Torque
Horsepower, Torque and AFR
As you can see, the biggest gains were not on the top end but in the midrange... which is where you really need it! Notice that the stock AFR curve does not allow any WOT enrichment until about 4500 RPM! And you wonder why the trucks are always so sluggish off the line.
The AFR stays right at 14.6:1 throughout most of the acceleration. Now add a Cold Air Intake which in most cases cause a slight to moderate lean condition and suddenly you have a situation that could be very detrimental to the engine. 
I also included an additional dyno plot which shows without question that removing the snorkel does, in fact, improve the performance of the vehicle, particularly above 3500 RPM. Based on calculations, removing the snorkel picked up 7.5 HP and 7.6 Ft./Lbs. These figures are very respectable, especially considering that we had already made a significant gain with tuning. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to retest the vehicle with the Performance calibration, but I would certainly expect to see similar improvements with the same modification.
Needless to say, we are really excited about the results, especially since we only ran 85 Octane fuel. We will be doing some (relatively) sea-level testing here in the next week or two along with 93 Octane fuel testing and fully expect to see even better results.
We'll keep everyone posted on the results as development progresses. Stay tuned...
Finally got back from Dyno Tuning the 2009 F150 and needless to say, I AM EXCITED!
The new 2009 F-150 is running awesome and actually looks to be making a little bit more power than the earlier 2004 to 2008 versions.
From what we've found so far, the only major difference under the hood is that the air filter housing has been relocated directly behind the driver's headlight and now uses a LARGE 12" x 12" pleated panel filter. This is definitely helping airflow.
As you well know, the new platform sports a new 6-speed automatic transmission which now has its own controller which is separate from the ECM. The ECM itself has been updated to a new, faster processor as well. Fortunately, the tuning is quite similar and we were able to get the base tuning done without any difficulty. Here are the preliminary results:
Test Conditions:
- Vehicle - 2009 F-150
- Engine - 5.4L
- Transmission - 6-Speed Automatic
- Gear - 3.73
- Fuel - 85 Octane
- Altitude - 4500 Feet
- Ambient Temp - 76º F.
- Barometric Pr. - 26.65 In. Hg. (absolute)
Horsepower Only
Torque Only
Horsepower and Torque
Horsepower, Torque and AFR
As you can see, the biggest gains were not on the top end but in the midrange... which is where you really need it! Notice that the stock AFR curve does not allow any WOT enrichment until about 4500 RPM! And you wonder why the trucks are always so sluggish off the line.
The AFR stays right at 14.6:1 throughout most of the acceleration. Now add a Cold Air Intake which in most cases cause a slight to moderate lean condition and suddenly you have a situation that could be very detrimental to the engine. I also included an additional dyno plot which shows without question that removing the snorkel does, in fact, improve the performance of the vehicle, particularly above 3500 RPM. Based on calculations, removing the snorkel picked up 7.5 HP and 7.6 Ft./Lbs. These figures are very respectable, especially considering that we had already made a significant gain with tuning. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to retest the vehicle with the Performance calibration, but I would certainly expect to see similar improvements with the same modification.
Needless to say, we are really excited about the results, especially since we only ran 85 Octane fuel. We will be doing some (relatively) sea-level testing here in the next week or two along with 93 Octane fuel testing and fully expect to see even better results.
We'll keep everyone posted on the results as development progresses. Stay tuned...
If you had done a search, you would have found we did similar type R&D in (2007 or 1st part of 2008 IIRR) with a 2006 5.4
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,697
Likes: 14
From: In the fast lane from LA to Tokyo...
At the time he was mainly doing this testing for Edge programmers so they could get some tuning done on the new 6 speed transmission controller and he was also seeing how much more the 09 5.4 3v had improved than the 04-08 5.4 3v with the 4 speed transmission