I currently am debating on installing a 90mm MAF but I dont want to spend the cash if its not worth it. I have talked to you guys at SuperChips and i forgot to ask if there would be a big difference if I upgraded to a 90mm MAF from my stock MAF. I know that I would have to get the FlipChip because I would need special calabration of the chip to make my truck run better with the 90mm MAF. However I am not sure if it is worth getting the MAF then the superchip. I dont want to spend 200+ bucks for a MAF and find out that it bearly does anything. Should I just get a Superchip and bag the whole MAF idea? I currently have an Airforce 1 Intake and Dual Exhuast.. So I am really debating on my next step forward.

Thanks.

 

Hi 4X4PWR,

Excellent question.

We carry those units of course, we carry both Ford and Granatelli (Pro-flo, Pro-M) MAF's, and they're great parts, but they do have their time & place from a bang-for-the-buck standpoint.

In your vehicle's current state of modification, your factory MAF unit can flow more air than your engine requires, so we would not advise installing that part at this point in time.

The Ford 90mm MAF's are a great piece and very cost-effective, but you don't actually need it right now. The power gain you would see from that unit right now might be another 5 HP or so, maybe 6 or 7 HP if you're lucky, and even with the competitive price of those units, the total outlay to use that part safely is not offset suffficiently with enough power gain to make it worthwhile **at this stage in your modifications**, IMHO.

I would bag that for now, and wait until you have actually increased your engine's airflow needs significantly beyond what they are right now by doing more modifications to increase power before changing the MAF.

In general with these F-150's, Expeditions, etc., we advise waiting on replacing the MAF in most non-supercharged situations until you have a need to upgrade the fuel injectors as well. With the stock 19 lb. injectors, those 19# units you have from the factory will support 304 HP @ 80% duty cycle on a non-supercharged engine, assuming standard 39 PSI rail pressure @ idle.

Right now, since you have the intake and a cat-back exhaust sytem installed already, the next few modifications I would consider doing to your vehicle would be...................

1.) Optimize your powertrain programming with the Superchip - this is going to give you the most performance gain for the least cost, and now is a good time to do it, so I would do that as the next step.

2.) Underdrive pulleys - unless you have 35" tires or a 2000 watt stereo, underdrive pulleys are a nice power gainer.

3.) Convert over to electric fans - nice power gains and more fuel mileage too!

At this point you're up to roughly somewhere between a low of 305 hp to as much as 325 HP, so you'll need to upgrade the fuel delivery system, starting with the the in-tank fuel pump to properly support 300+ horsepower. Many people either are not aware of, or just forget about upgrading the stock in-tank fuel pump, which is as small as just 85 l/hr. on a lot of these trucks, and never larger than 125 l/hr. in the non-supercharged models. The fuel pump should be upgraded to a 190 l/hr. unit once you hit about the 275-280 hp mark, and the 190 l/hr. fuel pump will carry you to pretty big power numbers, 450 HP or so. It's not an expensive upgrade, less than a performance chip!

Then once you hit the 300+ HP mark, it's time to upgrade the fuel injectors too, so this is a good time to go ahead and do the MAF upgrade and the TB as well as having your Superchip updated with the custom tuning needed for the MAF & injector size changes.

This is just a rough outline/example to give you an idea of what mods we would do next if it were our vehicle, and at what power levels you need to upgrade certain components on that 5.4 F-150.

If you'd like to go over any of this in more detail, or to order any of those parts or anything else performance related, just give us a quick call & we can go over everything with you thoroughly, and if you like, we can also supply anything you might need or want.

Good luck!

 

I appreciate the detailed explanation! It defiantly help me make my decision to go ahead and get a SuperChip. I just need to wait until I have the cash so I can do so. I have 31" tires so I imagine the under drive pulleys would still be a good thing to do. I will most defiantly do those other three mods when i get the cash and have the time to drop it off in a shop to replace the pulleys and such. I am pretty sure I can install the chip and the fans myself... Also would you guys give a price break if I bought all of those items at the same time from you?
Thanks again mike!

 

The information in your post, Mike, causes me to have a question.
I have my mods thus far in my signature below.
I have the 4.6 rather than the 5.4.
How does the fuel pump/injector upgrade fit into my set up.
Would it give me additional H.P. to make these upgrades along with a MAF?
If yes...about how much and how would this fit into a plan of adding a magnaflow supercharger in a few months?


Rocks

 

Hi 4X4PWR,

Sure, we do package deals all the time, that's always the way to get the best possible pricing. We'll be happy to work out a nice combo deal for you, just give us a call & we can go over all the exact numbers for what you want to do & see what works for you!

 

Hi Rocks,

In terms of needing the upgraded fuel pump, I'd say you're ready for that now to pretty soon; you can probably squeeze a bit more out of it, but we generally like to see them upgraded at about the 275-280 hp level to make sure you don't go lean in the higher gears at higher rpm when the load is way up & the motor needing the most fuel.

Your fuel injectors are the same 19# units from the factory all the other F-150's except the supercharged Lightning motors get, whether it's the 4.2 V-6 or the 4.6 or 5.4 V-8's in all 1997 & newer F-150's & Expeditions. They are good for 304 HP @ 80% duty cycle in an 8 cylinder engine, and a bit more at higher duty cycles, so you're OK for now on injector sizing. You might get as much as 320+ HP from them in normally aspirated trim, though I would not push them that far.

The Magnacharger kit (which we sell as well) already *includes* the 190 l/hr. fuel pump.

Yes, with the power levels you are at right now (which could be as low as 270 HP or as high as 290 HP depending on fuel quality, altitude & engine health), you could make use of a larger MAF & TB, though I would want to do them together with the larger injectors if you plan to do any more modifications, as changing MAF and/or injectors will require custom tuning.

Give us a shout to go over this in detail, we can talk about your exact next steps & how far you plan to go, so we can map out a solid plan of upgrades in each area so you don't spend any more money than is necessary & also have the fuel needed & allow the engine to breath for maximum power, etc., if you like.

Sounds like a fun truck!

 

hey mike,

when you post numbers on the board are you usually talking rwhp or flywheel.

I'll be calling one of these days for my chip and other mods but unfortunately not soon enough.

 

Hi nchoman,

That's an *excellent* question, and forgive me if I've caused any confusion on that, I'll try to explain so you can tell in any post I make what I'm referring to...........

I am generally talking about power levels expressed as your factory power rating is on all vehicles by their manufacturers, which is SAE Net at the flywheel; generally speaking, if I'm talking about rear wheel power, I'll specifically say that, so anytime you don't see me *specifically*mention that the power numbers are at the wheels, it's a safe assumption I'm talking about flywheel power figures. Hope that clears things up.

We're happy to help you anytime, we all have to pay our bills and take care of our priorities before we get to do our performance upgrades, even here at Performance.