Well after a little debating I have decided to keep my 07 4.2 STX instead of trading up. So I am looking to do a few upgrades to get a little more get up and go. Obviously exhaust and intake are in order. But what would be good choices??

Exhaust: I am not looking for sound necessarily. My scoot takes care of that. I just want something more free flowing. If sound has to come with it I don't want that raspy, buzzing, rice type of sound. I would rather it be a deeper tone throughout the RPM range.

Intake: I am at a loss. Looking at most of the online retailer almost all of the intakes are for the 4.6 and 5.4. I have always heard good things about Volant, but I don't see where they make one for the 4.2. Any suggestions??

What other things might I consider besides intake and exhaust???

 

Exhaust: Imco SI/SO... you won't lose backpressure for torque and you will gain about 10 rwhp.

Intake: K&N Plastic Intake... about 5 rwhp and 5 rwtq. Get the plastic one because the chrome one actually heats up the air because it is acting like a heater from the heat in the engine bay.

Get a tuner... like the SCT LiveWire... this is the BEST way to gain some serious hp... I mean some kick in the pants type of HP, and the BEST BANG for the BUCK. According to Troyer Performance, I am looking at around 15 RWHP and 25 lbs/RWTQ. With the exhaust, intake, and tuner, you are looking at a net gain of around 30 rwhp and 40 rwtq... which is excellent. That should bring you up to around 235 rwhp, and 300 lb/rwtq. With all those mods... you WILL feel the difference... it will be like driving a V8. Heck, my Dodge 4.7l V8 stock puts out 235 hp and 295 ft/lbs of torque... so you will be up to the range of a 4.6l Ford or a 4.7l Mopar engine... all with a smaller displacement.

Now if you really want to get crazy... then get some long tube headers made, and high flow cats, a turbocharger, and you will be set... you will be hovering above the 5.4er's...

 

There is no way a cai, exhaust, and tuner will give you anywhere close to 40 rwhp, absolutely no way. The packaging may say you'll gain that much horse power but its not possible. K&N says it will gain 7 hp and they probably used racing fuel. With 87 or even premium your not going to get that. Short of serious engine reworking or a tubo/SC your not gonna gain much. In reality a 4.2L is slow, its not meant to be fast. There is no way for bolt on mods to add 40rwhp. Frankly, i would be impressed if you got half that.

 

warbat66: I'm not looking for massive gains. In fact I could care less about the numbers. I just want a little more pep that I can feel. Not looking to race anyone.

ManualF150: What does the Imco exhaust sound like??? And this LiveWire thing. How does it work?? Sorry but I am used to doing mods on my bike. Never bothered with any vehicles outside of simple exhaust and intake set-ups.

Does anyone know if Volant actually does make an intake for the 4.2??

Keep the suggestions coming.

 

Man, is it just me or is this question getting old? There are tons of threads on this subject, But do the normal.

ASP underdrive pulley - My next part

Exhaust - I tend to like the Dual IMCO extremes with a custom h pipe http://www.fle-online.com/cgi-bin/sh...mbMufflers.htm

MAC intake - cause its cheap and does the same as any other more expensive brands.

SCT Xcal2 - I like best.

For internals go to

http://www.delkperformance.com/
http://www.supersixmotorsports.com/
http://rpm-mustangs.com/home.php


And building a set of these will be needed.
http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com/Traction.html

My installed list consist of: Gibson headers, Xcal2, MAC intake, E- fans, and soon to be dual imcos.

 

the best bang for your buck might be to go with gears. If you put some 4.10's in there the truck will feel pretty peppy starting out, might loose a mpg or two at 70+ mph at highway speeds though

 

I've got the K&N Series 77 CAI (chrome) and after running the engine all day, the pipe is actually only a tad warm. I've noticed cooler engine temps (just a tad) and definately increased mileage & power. Makes my 4.2L sound like a V8 after 3K RPM. I've got a vid of what a 4.2L sounds like with a CAI on it. I went with the chrome over the plastic because of looks. I love opening my hood now.