Mike,

After a lot more research on these forums, it appears that you and your organization does infact, do a lot of "homework" before you decide to sell a certain mod.

I do not know if the webmasters will allow it nor do I know if it will be moved, but, since your expertise is used more in this forum, this once, very skeptical member would like to ask you for a "Super List" of mods. for the F-150 4.6L truck (mine is a 99' supercab flareside with auto.trans. and 3.55 rearend) for all to see (i.e. chips, air management, headers, catback exhaust, spacers, sensors, powerpullies, internal engine components, etc.) Or does a list already exist?

A list that includes specific brand and type of items that you have seen in your experience to produce the most real world and rear wheel hp/torque gains and what are the approximate real world gains per item. Also, do you sell "combos" of these mods.? Thanks.

 

I might suggest you ask yourself what your goals are....? There is an old saying "speed costs...how fast do you want to go".

Be realistic about what you can spend. Be realistic about your expectations. That will help drive what your next step should be.

You can't go wrong with the basics:
Air in - Some sort of cold-air induction.
Air out - A cat-back is a necessity.
Spark and fuel - Some sort of calibration upgrade = chip.
Parasitics - Underdrives pullies are a great bang for the buck.

There is prob 30rwhp in the above.

Have fun.

 

FordChips,

Just like that, you answered my main question! And you know, when I think about it more, if I where to add, the pullies, electric fan, chip, air management system, headers, exhaust, etc. and using higher octane gas with my overdrive, besides faster acceleration, my mileage should really increase...except for the fact that I will be slamming my foot in the accelerator.

Specifically, the pullies, electric fan and overdrive should reduce "drag" on the engine, therefore lower rpms when not in stoplight race mode? as well as the use of a chip and the use of higher octane fuel, my mileage can only go up?

 

Hello Iron Horse,

Apparently we have someone here who thinks that he is me, he's been here for the past few days with a seemingly obvious agenda. My apologies, the Webmaster has suspended him.

While setting a budget in advance, and/or having specific performance goals can certainly be useful. However, for most people, before they can do that, they usually at least need to have some knowledge of just what parts are generally worthwhile and what their approximate cost is to be able to come up with a budget, and perhaps set or re-define their specific performance goals based on that.

What you are asking for is exactly what most people want and need to know, and has been discussed many, many times here on the boards in this section as a result. I don't know if the "search" feature of these boards is back up and running yet, but if so, you can quickly find a wealth of that exact type of information just by seaching on the phrase "bang-for-the-buck."

I'll go over a few of them here again with you to get you started with some immediate information.

The first few Top "bang-for-the-buck" modifications in these late-model F-150's are:

1.) Optimize the powertrain programming with the Superchip - that gives the best improvement in performance for the least cost, as nothing else will deliver as much performance improvement for the same or less money. It won't feel like a supercharger of course, it's just the best bang-for-the-buck mod. Maximum potential gains from the Superchip for your 4.6 are 26 HP & 40 lbs./ft. of torque at the flywheel; in round numbers, think of the Superchip as a 10% power gain.

2.) Reduce the restriction in the air intake tract, using a good airbox elimination kit. The Air Force One is showing the largest power gains there, with 15 HP at the flywheel on the 4.6 motor.

3.) Reduce restriction in the exhaust with the Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system. This is the only cat-back system we've seen that increases torque & horsepower available at any throttle position or rpm; most other cat-back systems make smaller HP gains and actually *lose* torque below 3000 rpm. The exhaust is an area where you really have to be careful exactly what you do, so you don't lose that torque. The Magnaflow cat-back system will deliver about a 19 HP gain at the flywheel on these 4.6's.

4.) Underdrive pulleys - here you'll pick up 11-12 HP at the rear wheels, about 14-15 hp at the flywheel.

There are plenty more things that can be done, these are just the first few to take a look at from a bang for the buck standpoint.

For pricing info, or if you just want to go over all of this in more detail and give it some thought, please feel free to give us a shout by phone when you get a chance, we'll be happy to go over all of that with you thoroughly.

 

Mike Troyer,

Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to provide, proven real world information. After two months of asking ford techs., reviewing magazines, the other site members comments, and now this sites members comments, in my opinion, all roads lead to your remarks for hp/torque gains. Sorry for the ranting and raving (hey, I am just a poorboy, so I just had to be sure). I didn't realize your background and real world experience, but now I do. I also did not realize that a 10% to 12% potential increase for my 99' 4.6Lwas equal to 26hp. and 40tq. D***! I'd gladly pay around $200 for that!!!!

I wish the webmasters would let you put a detailed analysis/tech. article of hp./tq. mods. with the true gains available, the pittfalls to look out for, and the brands that are the best and worst, for F-150's, IN ONE LOCATION, in this site. I think it would save alot of wasted time, money and effort of the consumer/site member.

I am going to get (at least) a Superchip, AirForce One system and the Magna Flow catback exhaust. I am still not sure that the Superchip provides better "off the line" response than the Diablo, but I like the reliablity of the Superchip and the potential for 26 hp and 40tq.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will give you a call as soon as I find some used tires. Mitch150 just helped me to figure out that I have tall, skinny CAR tires on my truck (I just ordered Hellwig front and rear anti-sway bars, yet, my priority should have been tires).

 

Iron Horse, I am not quite sure if the Diablo chip falls into this category but some chips only work at WOT (wide open throttle). The superchip works all of the time, whether you are just cruising around during the day OR drag racing on the weekend. Mike can better tell you whether the Diablo falls into the category of working at WOT only.

You have finally found your best two people to talk to about making HP, Mike T. and Neal "The HP Freak"

Have Fun & Keep on Truckin'
Dean

 

Izzy Eddie,

I just noticed that you have a superchip too. Man! I need to read more and write less (sort of like, listen more and speak less).

Anyway, in F150world a guy tried both chips. He said he liked the way the Superchip improved shifting alot. But, he said that the Diablo seemed faster "off the line" He said it was really close, but that he would have to "give the nod" to the Diablo. What is odd about that, is that although he liked the Diablo better, his truck computer system got screwed up while using the Diablo and he had to have it fixed. If I did not have to get tires now, I would order the superchip right now!

I wish you all would have told me about the chip from the begining.......oh thats right you all tried. ha!

 

Iron Horse, don't quote me but I beleive that the Diablo chip can squeeze more out of it at WOT because that is the only place that it works. The Superchip gives an all-around better performance boost for the engines. Mike can really get into more detailed discussions about the difference, I am just going from memory and brief reads that I have seen on here.

Have Fun & Keep on Truckin'
Dean

 

Hi Iron Horse,

Thanks for your response, and no need to apologize.

Everyone coming into the world of performance modifications needs to check things out, and somehow, try to wade thru to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

I am particularly happy to see that you're taking some time, reading a number of posts, etc. as you're absolutely right, it *does* take time to get a feel for what is really what, etc. That is the one single thing that F-150 Online is best at, and that is, friendly people who are willing to share their experiences and results from learning, in many cases, the hard way. We'd rather see you have some reasonable scepticism as opposed to just jumping in blindly bruising the ole' credit card and finding out later on that your results could have been significantly better. We call that the dreaded "pay to learn syndrome."

To give you some more information between the Diablo and the Superchip, as we have carried both product lines for some time and thus have no inherent preference other than what works best for our customers and for us, the Diablo does not have a power advantage over the Superchip anywhere in the powerband. To be sure, the Diablo is certainly a better chip than a Hypertech or a Jet, etc. or just about anything else on the market, except the Superchip. We rank Diablo is the #2 performance chip, which is saying something for the very short time (about 2 years) they have been making chips. They make a fine product, it just isn't superior to the Superchip, that's all.

Aside from knowledge & skill, all chipmakers are limited in how much power can added via powertain programming (meaning, a chip) in these gas engines by one main factor, and that is the fuel quality being tuned for. We're limited to tuning for pump premium, meaning not more than 93-94 octane, and in many places out West, 91 octane, all chipmakers have to deal with that same basic limitation. So then it's a matter of just how skilled they are in terms of adding not only the largest peak power gains when your foot is to the floor, but also the most available power at *any* throttle position, at any rpm. That may sound a bit simplistic, but it's one of the most important considerations and distinctions between the various chipmakers.

The Superchip is simply a more mature product, they have been tuning these vehicles for a much longer time than anyone else (except Ford themselves, of course!), and so as a natural consequence of that, it shows in the results.

One last point, just to be clear about something that IzzyEddy mentioned in his response (and thanks to IzzyEddy for being so helpful!) , Diablo does not tune only at WOT (wide-open throttle), it is the only other chip besides the Superchip to tune for more power at all throttle positions for these vehicles. The rest (Hypertech, Jet, etc.) are only tuning the engine for more power during open loop operation, which is only during extremely heavy throttle operation. That is done because it's much cheaper, as there are no emissions standards to be met during open loop operation, something few people are aware of, so most chipmakers only tune there. That yields a poor optimization of the powertrain program, however.

It's only fair to point out that the Webmaster here does not prohibit us making the kind of information you see in my last post available, which is the kind of info you've wanted. There are limitations of course, it's a matter of what is appropriate to be posted here. There is an absolute wealth of information available here on all kinds of modifications, from performance to appearance to suspension to stereos, and on and on. F-150 Online is the most popular Ford truck enthusiast web site in existence, and as such, it's bandwidth requirements are beyond extreme. The Webmaster has a tough job to do, a real "balancing act," so to speak, with regard to what kinds of things are posted. He has numerous tech and how-to articles set up and available along with many other things, all aimed at providing you with more information available than anywhere else, and he's done a marvelous job of that for years now. The exact facts & figures, etc. of all the hundreds of thousands of various parts are just far too much to store here, as there are thousands of aftermarket manufacturers. Additionally, very few people really know just exactly what kinds of power gains on a comparative basis all the various types of parts make on these vehicles, that is only learned thru years of experience & testing, both formal and informal. What we have here is a place where thousands of people share their real-world results, with no bias. We have the Webmaster to thank for all of that (along with assistance from a number of people along the way), he's done an incredible job for all of us.

Feel free to give us a call to go over any of this, or anything else performance-related, we're always happy to speak with you.

Good luck with your tires!

 

Sorry Mike, I thought the Diablo chip might been in the same category as the Jet and Hypertech chips.

Ironhorse, I told you Mike is the guy to talk to. Although I can't always follow his suggestions for my truck due to cost limitations, I try to follow what the basic principal is for that modification. Like my header situation, he likes JBA's. I can not afford those so I try and find the next best for doing the job. I have picked Bassani equal-length, stainless-steel, ceramic-coated headers. I hope that are a good choice but time will tell.

Mike, I knew that the Superchip worked "all" of the time and that it didn't matter at what rpm the truck was at. The extra power was always there, no matter what. With the other chips, that wasn't the case. I have learned something again ... man, I have ran out of fingers and toes, a long time ago trying to count the number of things that I have learned on here.

Have Fun & Keep on Truckin'
Dean

 

To Mike T.:

I love this site. In my opinon, it is the single most effective and effecient source of F-150 information. Information that I can actually benefit from.....and I didn't even have to pay a fee to use it!

But, and you know there is going to be a"but" in my posts..ha!, I believe that a single detailed article from a member/vendor like you and an article from a member/consumer like Neal Newman, in one "location" concerning the entire spectrum of hp/tq. modifiacitons would be very beneficial.

Infact, if this site were to develope an "online" special edition "magazine" with several member experts like you and Neal, reviewing a wide spectrum of specific modifications and brands with the real world hp/tq. gains, the development of an"action plan" and related implementation schedule of modifications with the pitfalls to look for, etc. and a small fee was charged to either access the info. or accept payment for a mailed hardcopy (for those with out creditcards), it would probaly become extremely popular. Anyway, thanks again for your time and effort.


To IzzyEddy:

Thanks for the comments. Its ironic that you mentioned headers. I just posted a thread, MagnaFLow vs. JBA. I posted in the wrong section (it is in the Drivetrain exhaust category when I should have posted it in Aftermarket exhaust category) I want the MagnaFlow, but just saw a JBA catback ad that showed more hp/tq/ gains than even the magnaflow. I thought JBA only made headers? Anyway, in that thread I am asking which is the best (most hp/tq. gain) catback and header combo.

I know where you are comming from. On a limited budget, I've got to make each purchase the right purchase and try to find used items when I can.