I have a 2001 L with 1600 miles on it, and I don't feel anything near 380 HP. Firstly, if I launch from idle and put the gas pedal to the floor, I hardly hear a screech much less a huge tire smoking burnout. I have a JL air kit, but other than that its stock. Does anyone have any thoughts, or have a barometer by which I would be able to see if my L is up to speed (without going to a track or a dyno).
thanks

 

These trucks don't feel as fast as they are.

Thats what I thought too when I first got my Lightning. When it hit 3000-4000 miles it started to feel quicker, but I still didn't belive it had the kind of power I was expecting.

So I went to the track to see if it would do what Ford claimed it would do. I ran a 13.851 at 100.52 making a bunch of cars look slow. Thats when you realize how fast these things are. I ran a bacicly stock Gen 1 lightning that night and it was amazing how many truck lenghts I was infront of him at the end.

Find a road that it pritty strait with no traffic. Stop and floor the truck, hold it to the floor. Let it shift but don't lift off the gas, keep your foot on it while it shifts into third.

Don't be afraid to hold the gas pedal all the way to the floor all the way to 100, or till you are amazed at how fast it is if you drive it like that.

I didn't think I would be into drag racing, as Lightningquick told me" you will be back" well he was right, I had a blast and met a bunch of cool people. So if there is a track close to you try it atleast once.

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DON'S ZR1 KILLER
SILVER 2001 LIGHTNING
Sportmasters tonneau
Bedrug
Alpine head unit and six disk changer.
JL Audio speakers
Magnaflow muffler
JDM BigMouth Filter.
13.248 @ 104.61
http://donf150.tripod.com/Welcome/id6.html

http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4294607313

 

It doesn't seem that fast but the Cobra I ran this evening thinks it's fast !

 

I think youre right, I have never owned a car (truck) this heavy, or anything with a supercharger. For some reason, I was expecting tire shredding, gut wrenching torque. But it seems much more refined than alot of the older muscle cars I have owned.

 

Yes, it is very decieving.

Raced an SS, pulled a length to about 60, then he put it in 5th, and that was that.

Took him for a ride, and he got out sctratching his head, "this thing isnt quick."

We line up again, and I pull a car length again, but he passes me up at around 80. If this thing isnt quick, then neither are those cars. It loves to cruise right at 80-85 on the freeway. Its a tease to drive it 65.

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99 Black Lightning! 2001 Kills! 2000 kills2!
factory tonneau cover, 100k mile warrantee, Line-Xed

2.145 60' 8.789@82.71 (1/8) 13.603@101.05 1/4 track straight pipes, 'Major' rear lights, no chip
Another intercooler sign in...(Everyone please) Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

 

Originally posted by austin_celtic:

Hmmm, my stock '99 lights them up all the way through first and then blows 2nd out when it's cool out. When it's hot it'll still roast 1st up and down.

BfB

 

Gee, I'll bet one can set record 0-60mph. times while smoking tires.

 

Dunno what vehicles you been driving. My 2000 felt fast, really fast and my 2001 feels even faster. I put 5k on the 2000 and the 2001 has 71 miles on it or so.

Mike

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2001 Lightning
(Recv. Date 05/18/2001)

 

Tell you one thing your forgetting.I put my whhels & tires on my friends 99 L.and he barely got a screetch on full throttle.He said his tires wouild light em up with no problem.he has 3000 miles on his truck.I read that the compound of the new F-1's are sticker..and now I believe it!Ity wasn't until I got my chip & filter that I could easily light up these new gweneration tires.

 

The F-1's are real sticky when new. Give your new truck time to loosen its legs and around 3000 miles you will be bit*hin about tire wear LOL. Even my 99 wouldn't smoke the tires from a stand still with out holding the brake and IT BECAME a tire roasting monster. Give it time grasshopper! And yes the way to good 0-60 times IS NOT to roast the tires. Good Luck

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1999 Black Lightning... 1940 of 4000... Traded for: 2001 Silver Bolt... Adopted 3/24/01... Red Line Water Wetter... Wet Okole's... Bed Rug... JL Stage II Ram air... Chipless in Jersey

 

austin: i have an 01 with 1850 miles on it and i too share your concerns. mine still seems "tight"--but, that's good. i expect it to loosen up and start inhaling strong in another 1500-2000 miles as others have stated. the only mod so far is the boost adj. JL's ram air kit III and a pulley(PSP, if i finally hear from Sal) will be added--son, i hope! dan

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2001 Lightning, silver, escort 8500, ranger 2950dx dual band radio, wilson 2000 ant., bot/picked up on 05/08/01, 1997 f150 xlt 4.6L 4x2 with: a/f one fipk, superchip, optima battery, bbk 75mm throttle body, edelbrock ias shocks--2001 lightning to come(she came--see above)

 

'Celtic:

Be thankful that these things hook up as well as they do. Not shocking when you consider the hardware - RWD, limited slip rear end, soft 295 mm tires, good weight transfer...

The next time you have one of the wheels off, stand it up on the garage floor and drag that contact patch across the concrete (sideways or whatever). It takes a lot of power to turn two of those over with a ton or more pushing down on them.

I have what I consider to be a strong runner. It's a silver 2000 and I only have 2400 miles on the clock. I have absolutely NO mods, although I have adjusted the boost actuator with good results. I've taken good care of the beast, to say the least (well-documented confessions on this site). I've run a 13.789 in good air, and I think I could easily hit the 13.6's in dry air at around 50 degrees F.

Anyhow, if I pound the "loud pedal" to the floor form a standing start on good, clean pavement, I get a little bit of squeal but no smoke or wheelspin to speak of. It just squats down and goes forward, very quickly at that. Sometimes it leaves some faint black stripes for 10 feet or so (slight, silent wheelspin), but no drama.

If I power-brake the launch to anything over 1200 RPM or if the pavement is a little dusty, I get the classic tire-melting smoke show (truck standing still in the road, tranny upshifting, wheels spinning at 100 MPH, molten rubber spray in the wheel wells). The boost actuator adjustment definitely enhanced that tendency of the beast to perform this antisocial act.

And no, mine doesn't feel fast to me either. Sometimes I get the sensation of insane quickness, like a 60 MPH punch on the highway or an F-Body smackdown at the 'strip. Usually, though, it just doesn't FEEL as fast as a lot of other lower-slung, manual-gearbox slugs I have ridden in.

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Silver Y2K Lightning
Bone Stock w/ Duraliner, Ford Hitch Cover

Best 60-foot: 2.041
Best 1/8: 8.872
Best 1/4: 13.789
Best MPH: 99.67

Silver (matching) Y2K ML320 Benz
Burl (ML430) Shift ****
Best Run: 17.137@80.629 (2.550 60-foot)

1992 Grand Prix SE
Commuter Mule, G-Tech 17.3 @ 81

 

Heya austin-celtic,

Agreed, the sense of speed in these trucks is very deceptive. I think it has mostly to do with how high you sit relative to...well, any other sports cars. I came from a '99 Ram Air T/A 6-speed and was used to the ground flying by as I rowed the gears. When I drove the L the first few times, it SEEMED slower, but one look at the speedometer and I was doing 80 or 90 before I knew it.

Drop on a chip/filter/pulley and this whole conversation will never have happened...

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Martyr
2001 Silver Lightning

 

my 00L hardly turn the tires
chip big differance like night and day
truck smoke the tires now get rubber in
3gears with shift kit

 

01 with 2500 miles.
i had the same concern when it was new and
the fact that the tires would not light up
on good pavement made me think i only had
260 hp. then i drove a 00 that had a 13.6
time slip stock. my 01 was faster, not by
much but nevertheless faster. now with
the JL chip and K@N filter the tires dont
know what happend to them as they try to
grip. and the chirp on 1-2 is not bad either.
be patient, let it break-in and chip it.
i am waiting for my lower pulley and ram air
from JL along with the chip recalibration.
i should also order 2 new tires!!!