Hey twinskrewd, is there any way to boost up the hp and torque without bolting on a supercharger? Will a limited slip be good for offroading and mudding too?

 

Ford's limited slip differential is not a great unit, it's just okay. You can always install a better limited slip in an open differential if you don't find a truck with one. Having more wheels with traction for off-roading and mudding is a necessity.

Mods for a naturally aspirated motor are not going to yield much gain, but better than nothing. Air intakes, exhaust and a tuner might get you some gains, but it's not going to be anywhere near the 40% power increase a supercharger will give you.

 

the ford limited slip is fine for majority of people as is the 4.6




gears and forced induction are the best bang for the buck performance mods you can add

 

Thank you guys very much. I don't think I'll be putting a supercharger on since there will be mud and stuff involved. But just for giggles, is there a supercharger that costs less than $5000 or 6000? If I'm gonna buy a truck for 5 then install a supercharger, I might as well put that 10000 to use and buy a powerstroke.

 

you can get a used one for a couple grand

 

I play in the mud with a supercharger. If the engine bay gets coated in mud it is necessary to insure belts don't break or walk off the pulleys. The same goes for the main serpentine belt. I would not shy away from using a blower off road...

.

 

The LS is fine in these trucks. Mine has held up to the power I'm making and probably 25 trips down the track. Don't be afraid of the blower for off road. Lots of offroad guys run them.

 

60% with a Whipple on 8psi.

 

How much mpg would I be losing since the supercharger is driven off the crankshaft? I know with a turbo, it runs off the exhaust gases, so there is no loss of mpg, but a major gain in performance.

 

if you pull to high elevations I'd lean towards the turbo. I'm caught in the same situation at the moment. A turbo at 7K feet is sounding better than a blower. For sea level, I'd pop a whipple on no problem.

 

Keep in mind that a blower will actually reduce the maximum towing capacity of the vehicle. You also want to switch to a tow tune (little richer to keep EGTs down) when towing. Granted, anything within the now lower towing capacity will be much easier to tow! I wouldn't worry about that though unless you're dealing with 5000 lbs or more.

 

if you want to be able to pull out in traffic the supercharger is nice but I would be sure to get the 3.73 over the 3.55 gear. I tow a 18'6 sea ray with a cuddy cabin. I had just a tune from Troyer and it did the job.

 

How does a blower reduce the tow capacity?

.

 

The last time I was on the highway without winter gas, I was knocking down 19 mpg which I personally couldn't believe. In town, I don't behave myself, but it's not a whole lot worse than without a supercharger.

 

I'm talking base level kit. Fx4 Matt is making the same level of power as you with the same amount of boost with a Roush. Shouldn't the superior Whipple be at 65-70%?