Ok, I'm new here but am certain that you guys/gals can help me out...I am wanting to achieve 400 or more RWHP...

I have a 99 F-150 4x4 Lariat 5.4l SC..3.55 gears..

Current performance mods: K&N FIPK...Gibson Catback single 3inch...Superchip...

I will be receiving a Magnacharger kit next week..And sending my chip back to Mike for reprogramming...

I am probably going to upgrade my fuel pump,MSD or Jacobs ignition, and go to a 75mm TB (hopefully Edelbrock)..

Is it possible with all of these mods I can reach my goal of 400+?

If not please rip into me and set me on the right path as to what to do (without bottle feeding my truck) to reach my goal..

Thanks a million to the best board I've ever seen..

 

Hi JDarty6173,

Well, you might want to think about modifying that to say, achieving 400+ hp at the flywheel, instead of 400 at the rear wheels, but anything is possible if you are willing to spend what it takes!

OK, you're starting off with 260 hp, and the Superchip, the airbox elimination kit, and the cat-back have you up to perhaps a bit over 300 hp or so.

Adding the supercharger should get you another 100 horsepower at the flywheel, assuming an effective boost level of 6.5-7.0 lbs. This takes you to an easy 400 hp at the flywheel.

Now, these 4R70W automatics will absorb about 65 horsepower from the 260 SAE Net at the flywheel, giving you a stock RWHP of about 195+/- a few. Taking 65 hp from 260 equals about a 25% loss to the driveline for the automatic. This is on an eddy-current chassis dyno, meansuring for the 4R70W automatic. The 4R100 driveline behind the Lightning absorbs right at 69 hp, jsut to give you a comparison.

OK, back to our task...if we then say, 400 hp at the flywheel times .75 to get RWHP approximation, we are now at about 300 RWHP.

If you truly have to have 400 RWHP instead of 400 flywheel hp, you will need to count of doing a serious rebuild of the transmission to stand up to 500 hp +/- going into the front of it.

My point being, that going for this last 100 hp at the rear wheels is going to greatly increase the cost and scope of this project, so right there, meaning after installing the supercharger and the custom program, it's at *that* point that you really need to make the decision of whether or not it's going to be worth the thousands of dollars it's going to take to get another 100 hp at the rear wheels.

You are going to have to have larger injectors, a serious transmission build-up, headers, a very hot ignition system, and if you don't have it already, limited slip front and rear, just for openers, to get you to that level and maintain daily driver reliability.

Given all of this, and the rather high performance level you are already going to be at once you install the blower, you might want to think about staying where you are at that point for some time. This will allow you to accumulate some miles at the 400+ hp level, and time to think about do you really need more, and time to do the research & get the money together if you do.

The old motto, "you can go as fast as you want to spend", certainly applies here.

Just some food for thought.....

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

Thanks for the great input Mike...I think I was aiming WAY to high at 400RWHP...If I can make that at the flywheel I will be quite happy, for now....

I also plan to upgrade my fuel pump, TB, injectors,ignition and add headers within the next 6 months..

What do you think I can make at the flywheel with these additional mods?

thanks a million

 

Oh, by the way Mike, the additional mods I just listed (fuel Pump, headers, TB, Ignition, Injectors) were planned out so that I can get the most out of my Supercharger..The TB, Ignition, and Fuel pump will likely be done in the next month..

thanks, any help you can offer is greatly appreciated

 

crate motor

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98 SC/XL/4.2/5 speed/3.08/MoonLight Blue Metalic/Mobil One Synthetic/235.70S.16 Michelin XC LT4/AR-136 Wheels/Chrome Nerf Bars/Bug Shield/Aluminum Tool Box/K&N/Superchip/NOS maybe.

DAMN FLEXING DOOR CRACK!

Ford Engineering, reinforce the curve in the door! The cracks will stop.

 

Hi ya Bill,

Good to see you back again!

Yeah, if he could have picked up on one of those $4K Lightning motors that were available awhile back, that could have gotten him, up into serious horsepower and he'd already have all the forged internal goodies.

One thing (of many) that has improved is today's cast cranks. They've found ways to eliminate a lot of the stress risers that we used to have to deal with that prevented any real serious hp & rpm usage. I don't know what the 2-valve mod motors cranks are good for, but as long as you keep the revs & boost in line, he should have a reliable package.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

Hi JDarty,

Well, if you're going to do those other mods so soon, then you might as well do this whole thing "right". What I mean is, today's blower kits, most of them, include FMU/FRU units (fuel regulation or fuel managemetn units), that block the return side of the fuel supply, to boost pressure to teh stock injectors to prevent the enigne from going lean under boost. If you are going to larger injectors, you do not need to install that piece, you will just install the larger injectors and then have the custom program in the Superchip control their pulse width accordingly.

You're getting into this extremely fast, and if you don't mind a suggestion, you should consider giving us a call at this point. There are several things that are factors here in what your next step should be. The first of which is, your Superchip has to be updated with a custom program for your supercharger, and there is lead time involved in that, so we need to get right on that. Also, if the Magnachrager uses an FMU/FRU unit, then going with larger injectors in the next month negates the need for it, you just need the Superchip program adjusted to compensate for the proper pulse width that will be needed. Also, have you selected the size of those inejctors? If not, we can help you with that as well, and of course we don't sell them, but from a programming standpoint this is part of what we have to know, so we'll be happy to go over this with you at to make sure there are no mistakes.

Also, going with larger injectors alone requires custom programming, so if we can get all of this done in one custom program "session", meaning one flat fee, that is much better than you haveing to get *another* program change done when you install the larer injectors a month later after the supercharger.

In other words, let's coordinate things, so we can make sure everything happens in the right order, and nothing has to be repeated.

Now, with regards to how much *additional* power are the larger injectors, fuel pump, headers & igntion going to add? I don't know. Headers are worth about 14 hp on the 5.4 motor stock, and with you being supercharged at that point, you'll probably see a bit more from them, I'm strictly guessing, but say maybe 16-18 hp instead of 14. Ignition maybe another 5, and on the fuel side no telling. The headers themselves will make the single biggest difference, but the other components are neeed to make sure you have the capacity to make the kind of overall power level you're going to be at safely and reliably. Give us a call, and we'll map all that out for you, and we'll come up with a rough approximate.

I think we can safely say that you're going to be deep into the 13's in the 1/4 mile.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

Hey Mike. I've been busy busy lately. My wife's Mustang needed a new throwout bearing, AGAIN! I think I'm going to put a 100 pound spring on there so she can't keep her little boney foot on the pedal. Fixed that and tuned it up. Found out that she had a bad tire and got her a new one. Then brought it in to the dealer for the timing cover gasket recall. It's a 97 and the 97s have the same gasket problem as the 97 f150. This woman will run the wheels off of it if you don't watch her. :-)

 

Yep. Third one. She doesn't even deny riding the clutch. I give her a hard time but I think it's the cluth adjustment itself. This think has a spring loaded cable system. You pull up on the clutch pedal and the spring takes all the slack out of the cable. Supposedly. I think it takes the slack out on it's own which rams the T.O. right up on the clutch fingers. Seriously. Everything inside the bell housing is standard issue. they have a cable that pulls the lever to disengage the clutch when you press the pedal. By having the spring take the slack out the T.O. has to be against the fingers all the time. This time I am not going to take the slack out and see it this on last.

It's got 68k on it. She gets 30k out of a T.O. that is until I figure out some mental feedback mechanism like maybe... electric shock...

 

Hi Bill!

I know how that goes; my beloved wife is one of the best clutch-killers on the planet. Her 89 Mustang (her first brand new car) 2.3 4-banger's clutch was shot at 30K miles. Which is exactly why I went with 4.10 gears front & rear on her truck, a 99 Ranger. I figured with that much gear in it, she wouldn't have to slip the clutch so much, hopefully. At 13K miles, you can already feel quite a bit of difference in it from how the clutch felt when new. Those hydraulic clutches *can* last a long time, if they are very carefully driven, etc. Maybe I should never have taught her how to speed-shift? Actually, you can't do that on a manual tranny Ford truck very well, anyway. What I wouldn't give for a good aftermarket shifter for that Ranger!!

So this is your *second* replacement of the throwout bearing in a 1997 Mustang?!? That means it's on it's third TO-bearing already, wow. How many miles on it? Is that vehicle prone to eating up TO-bearings in general?

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

Two words. Rocket Engine

I think NASA has some old ones just sitting around. Strap it to the bed, light the fuse and watch it go.

 

Hi ya Gorp!

We can always count on you for some humor!

Actually, we figured you're already at somewhere around the 350 hp level in your truck, with your supercharger & other mods if memory serves from our conversation.

Your new program is ready and is shipping today, by the way!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

HI Bill,

You know what Ford told me? "Pop" the clutch every once in awhile to adjust it. Yes, that's what they said.

I didn't like the idea of "popping" the clutch with the revs up in gear, so I just popped it up in neutral several times whenever I drove it, and I'd say it works a bit for adjustment in those hydraulic systems that Ford uses.

Good luck with your 3rd TO!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

Mike, I mentioned that I tuned up that Mustang. She came to me yesterday wanting to know what I did to her car and says: "Every time I start off it squeals the tires. It's embarassing, everyone turns there heads and looks at me." :-)

 

Hi Bill,

That cracks me up.

Sounds like a hell of a tune-up, she should be very happy!

Good luck with this TO......

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System