Air intakes
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Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1
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From: Kansas city
Air intakes
Well here it goes. I have a 98 F150 3door ext cab. 4.6L Gibson exaust, air raid TBS and a K&N filter in stock box. I am a subscriber to sport truck mag. and have done alot of research on and off the net. I can not find any stats on which brand of air intake is the best. I also cannot find any stats on which programers are the best ie: hypertech superchip ect. can anyone help guide me to where I can find the stats...
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,856
Likes: 0
From: New Orleans
Hands down, ge ta Superchip from Mike T. I was by far the best mod I have done to my truck. I believe that the Air Force One is the best intake for the newer trucks. I think it adds like 17.9 peak HP. Mike T. can give you all the answers you need. If he uses it on his trucks, you know it is the best. Good Luck
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi jp8dvr,
Welcome to F-150 Online!
There really isn't any place you can just go see accurate raw comparative "stats" for parts for these vehicles, as the only way that information is really even known is by actual testing like we do, & very few companies do that kind of testing. Testing intake kits alone properly is not fun or easy, & we have yet to see it done properly in any of the magazines, etc. It requires hood-down dyno testing, which means removing a front wheel & running all the dyno connections thru the fenderwell and supplying proper airflow to the front of the vehicle, etc. Testing is a time-consuming and very expensive process.
We did just such testing over a 23 month period, we tested the various "name brand" intake kits and the "name brand" cat-back exhaust systems as well, to see just who was doing what, in addition to the testing we do in all the other areas of modification.
What we found was that the Air Force One intake is generally adding a couple to a few more horsepower than any other kit in the Ford trucks & SUV's, and for most of the GM & Mopar applications as well. For example, we saw the Air Force One intake add 17.9 hp on the 5.4 motor, versus 14 hp for either the K&N FIPK kit or the Airaid unit. AF1 gained 15 hp on the 4.6 motor versus 12 hp for the K&N or the Airaid, all others gained about the same as K&N and Airaid, with very minor differences. Now these are all flywheel SAE Net numbers, so you can compare to your stock factory rating, the rear wheel numbers are about 20% less in the F-150 automatics.
We also found that there it didn't matter what materials the air handling tubes were made of in terms of keeping the IAT (inlet air temperatures) lower. We saw the same basic "spread" in IAT's whether the air handling tube materials were plastic, polished stainless steel, aluminum, etc. Once the vehicle is moving at about 30-35 mph or more, there isn't more than about 10 degrees of difference between the ambient air temperature in the fenderwell where the factory "cold air" inlet is versus the temperature at the actual location of the air filter element in just about any intake kit. Also, when sitting still, like hot idling in traffic in the Summer, the IAT's shot up in *all* of the intakes, whether it was a factory stock intake, and AF1, or any other.
So it really gets down to the actual raw power gains and then the quality of materials being used, and for those parameters, the Air Force One comes out well ahead. In your 1998 4.6 F-150, the Air Force One intake will do the best job of increasing power and improving performance, and it's also made of the highest quality materials, mirror polished (by hand) T-304 stainless steel.
With regard to what tuning is the best, hands down it's the Superchip tuing, which is why we use it; if someone else was doig a better job, we'd use them instead, as we don't care about the name on the box, it's the results that count.
With Hypertech (and most others), you get a generic program that is compromised to run on all similar vehicles, I.E., only 1 program for all 1998 4.6 F-150's, but with the Superchip each vehicle is tuned individually and precisely according to the exact software revision in it's PCM (powertrain control module, or computer).
Also, with Hypertech they only change the engine tuning for more power at extremely heavy throttle to full throttle, where there are no emissions standards that have to be met, during what's called "open loop" operation. So there is no power gain at all in normal driving, towing, etc., only when you nail the gas is there any potential for power gain with Hypertech, and even then it's a small gain at best. We've also seen small power *losses* with that Hypertech piece on a few vehicles as well, again, primarily due to the generic tuning.
The Superchip tunes the vehicle for maximum horsepower and torque *all* the time, at any throttle position or rpm, so regardless of how you operate your vehicle, you will always have more power on tap, all the time, at any throttle position.
The comparison between the Hypertech Power Programmer and the Superchips Micro Tuner is even more advantageous, as not only do you get the superior vehicle-specific Superchips tuning, but you also get more functionality, with the ability to adjust *individually* each 1-2, 2-3 & 3-4 upshirt at full throttle, and you also can control the amount of shift firmness for each individual shift. Want a firmer 3-4 than 2-3? No problem, easily done.
The Superchips Micro Tuner doesn't have just 1 performance program in it for all F-150's, it has all 1200+ matching Superchips performance programs for every 1997 & newer F-150 platform vehicle with a V-8 engine, 1 to match every different factory software revision, so when you use it, your program is made for *your* vehicle. And, the Superchips Micro Tuenr is also an OBD-II code scanner as well, so if you ever get a check engine light (SES, or "service engine soon"), you simply connect the Micro Tuner and you can immediately read any error codes the PCM is reporting in any 1996 or newer Ford vehicle, saving you the normal $79.95 Ford diagnostic fee every time you use it.
The bottom line is, you'll get more raw power gain with the Superchips tuning, and you'll get that power gain *all* the time, at any throttle postion, and still maintain strict 50-state emissions certification, and nobody else does all that, only Superchips.
It's our job to do the testing to determine just which parts are really doing the best job, so our customers will know what to do to maximize their performance results for the least amount of money spent. We use everything we sell on our own vehicles, we will not sell what we don't believe in enough to use ourselves.
If you'd like to go over any of this in more detail, or talk about anything else performance-related about your vehicle, please feel free to give us a call here at Performance. We handle all aspects of performance enhancement for these vehicles, from chips to superchargers and everything in between.
Best of luck with your truck, & we hope you'll hang out here on F-150 Online with us in your spare time, it's a great place to learn about these trucks & even meet a new friend or 6 in the process!
Welcome to F-150 Online!
There really isn't any place you can just go see accurate raw comparative "stats" for parts for these vehicles, as the only way that information is really even known is by actual testing like we do, & very few companies do that kind of testing. Testing intake kits alone properly is not fun or easy, & we have yet to see it done properly in any of the magazines, etc. It requires hood-down dyno testing, which means removing a front wheel & running all the dyno connections thru the fenderwell and supplying proper airflow to the front of the vehicle, etc. Testing is a time-consuming and very expensive process.
We did just such testing over a 23 month period, we tested the various "name brand" intake kits and the "name brand" cat-back exhaust systems as well, to see just who was doing what, in addition to the testing we do in all the other areas of modification.
What we found was that the Air Force One intake is generally adding a couple to a few more horsepower than any other kit in the Ford trucks & SUV's, and for most of the GM & Mopar applications as well. For example, we saw the Air Force One intake add 17.9 hp on the 5.4 motor, versus 14 hp for either the K&N FIPK kit or the Airaid unit. AF1 gained 15 hp on the 4.6 motor versus 12 hp for the K&N or the Airaid, all others gained about the same as K&N and Airaid, with very minor differences. Now these are all flywheel SAE Net numbers, so you can compare to your stock factory rating, the rear wheel numbers are about 20% less in the F-150 automatics.
We also found that there it didn't matter what materials the air handling tubes were made of in terms of keeping the IAT (inlet air temperatures) lower. We saw the same basic "spread" in IAT's whether the air handling tube materials were plastic, polished stainless steel, aluminum, etc. Once the vehicle is moving at about 30-35 mph or more, there isn't more than about 10 degrees of difference between the ambient air temperature in the fenderwell where the factory "cold air" inlet is versus the temperature at the actual location of the air filter element in just about any intake kit. Also, when sitting still, like hot idling in traffic in the Summer, the IAT's shot up in *all* of the intakes, whether it was a factory stock intake, and AF1, or any other.
So it really gets down to the actual raw power gains and then the quality of materials being used, and for those parameters, the Air Force One comes out well ahead. In your 1998 4.6 F-150, the Air Force One intake will do the best job of increasing power and improving performance, and it's also made of the highest quality materials, mirror polished (by hand) T-304 stainless steel.
With regard to what tuning is the best, hands down it's the Superchip tuing, which is why we use it; if someone else was doig a better job, we'd use them instead, as we don't care about the name on the box, it's the results that count.
With Hypertech (and most others), you get a generic program that is compromised to run on all similar vehicles, I.E., only 1 program for all 1998 4.6 F-150's, but with the Superchip each vehicle is tuned individually and precisely according to the exact software revision in it's PCM (powertrain control module, or computer).
Also, with Hypertech they only change the engine tuning for more power at extremely heavy throttle to full throttle, where there are no emissions standards that have to be met, during what's called "open loop" operation. So there is no power gain at all in normal driving, towing, etc., only when you nail the gas is there any potential for power gain with Hypertech, and even then it's a small gain at best. We've also seen small power *losses* with that Hypertech piece on a few vehicles as well, again, primarily due to the generic tuning.
The Superchip tunes the vehicle for maximum horsepower and torque *all* the time, at any throttle position or rpm, so regardless of how you operate your vehicle, you will always have more power on tap, all the time, at any throttle position.
The comparison between the Hypertech Power Programmer and the Superchips Micro Tuner is even more advantageous, as not only do you get the superior vehicle-specific Superchips tuning, but you also get more functionality, with the ability to adjust *individually* each 1-2, 2-3 & 3-4 upshirt at full throttle, and you also can control the amount of shift firmness for each individual shift. Want a firmer 3-4 than 2-3? No problem, easily done.
The Superchips Micro Tuner doesn't have just 1 performance program in it for all F-150's, it has all 1200+ matching Superchips performance programs for every 1997 & newer F-150 platform vehicle with a V-8 engine, 1 to match every different factory software revision, so when you use it, your program is made for *your* vehicle. And, the Superchips Micro Tuenr is also an OBD-II code scanner as well, so if you ever get a check engine light (SES, or "service engine soon"), you simply connect the Micro Tuner and you can immediately read any error codes the PCM is reporting in any 1996 or newer Ford vehicle, saving you the normal $79.95 Ford diagnostic fee every time you use it.
The bottom line is, you'll get more raw power gain with the Superchips tuning, and you'll get that power gain *all* the time, at any throttle postion, and still maintain strict 50-state emissions certification, and nobody else does all that, only Superchips.
It's our job to do the testing to determine just which parts are really doing the best job, so our customers will know what to do to maximize their performance results for the least amount of money spent. We use everything we sell on our own vehicles, we will not sell what we don't believe in enough to use ourselves.
If you'd like to go over any of this in more detail, or talk about anything else performance-related about your vehicle, please feel free to give us a call here at Performance. We handle all aspects of performance enhancement for these vehicles, from chips to superchargers and everything in between.
Best of luck with your truck, & we hope you'll hang out here on F-150 Online with us in your spare time, it's a great place to learn about these trucks & even meet a new friend or 6 in the process!
Last edited by Superchips_Distributor; Sep 18, 2002 at 07:11 PM.
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi I.H.,
>>>Now how about a "Truck Tart" Bikini Babe Picture Forum! ha! .....just kidding!<<
Actually, that is running rampant in some of the import rags, I took a look at one this month and just about barfed. They're exphasizing the "babes" (and I use that term loosely in this case) darn near as much as the cars, and now have sections just for pics of the "babes," just as you said!
Say, you aren't a paid consultant to those import performance rags, are you? Is *that* where that idea came from??
"Truck Tart," that's pretty good.
>>>Now how about a "Truck Tart" Bikini Babe Picture Forum! ha! .....just kidding!<<
Actually, that is running rampant in some of the import rags, I took a look at one this month and just about barfed. They're exphasizing the "babes" (and I use that term loosely in this case) darn near as much as the cars, and now have sections just for pics of the "babes," just as you said!
Say, you aren't a paid consultant to those import performance rags, are you? Is *that* where that idea came from??
"Truck Tart," that's pretty good.
