Performance Upgrades??
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Member
Joined: Aug 2004
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Performance Upgrades??
hey everyone i have a 4.6L in a 1999 F-150 and besides exhaust tuner and intake what are some upgrades i could do to get some more power or better mileage??? and try excluding turbo supercharger and engine swap as i am only 16 and dont have that much cash. thanks for your help
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 755
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From: So. California
Electric fans seem to be a pretty good investment. Performance programmer also a good bet. Both in the 3-4 hundred range. Try to stick with a name supplier. Have seen lots of guys try to do it on the cheap on E-Bay and end up wasting there money on junk. Any decent performance part is going to cost a few bucks.
Senior Member
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 235
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From: Atlanta, GA
Good start. Here are the options I would go with on a budget and in the order of importance:
1)Look in the classified for a Computer Chip or Super-Tuner. You should be able to pick up a standard or multi-program chip for about $100 (you will need to get it reflashed for your specific program) or a Super-Tuner for a little more. Scan the posts in the Computer Chips forum for more info - A PERFORMANCE CHIP WILL BE THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK PERFORMANCE MOD YOU CAN DO.
2) A freer flowing intake and exhaust do not have to be high dollar upgrades. Check out
www.f150online.com/tech/airbox.html
for an airbox mod using a K&N filter ($50) and trimming the airbox - you can also remove the intake silencer
www.fordf150.net/howto/airintake.php
to help complete the intake mod.
3)A high quality catback exhaust can run $300+. You do not want to put a "true duel" exhaust as that will rob the low end tourque that these engines produce. An alternative is to just replace the stock muffler with a freer flowing muffler (the options are vast here - $100).
4)Electric Fans will cost about $400. Don't try to save a few dollars piecing a system together your cooling system is critical to the life of your engine. I also recomend getting a redundant duel system in case you have a failure on one system and putting a real temp guage in your cab so you know what is happening with the cooling.
5)Underdrive pullies will add a little more - $200. Be careful if you are adding a high amp sound system or other high power items.
After that things will get very expensive for any significant HP gains and they will not help with milage. Do your research and don't be afraid to ask questions. The supporting venders are also a good source of information. Any performance mods that you do should also include resetting the computer. Another way to get more MPG is to be lighter on the gas pedal - I usually average 18 MPG on the highway @ 10+ the speed limit. By driving the speed limit my MPG goes up to 20.
Good luck,
T
1)Look in the classified for a Computer Chip or Super-Tuner. You should be able to pick up a standard or multi-program chip for about $100 (you will need to get it reflashed for your specific program) or a Super-Tuner for a little more. Scan the posts in the Computer Chips forum for more info - A PERFORMANCE CHIP WILL BE THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK PERFORMANCE MOD YOU CAN DO.
2) A freer flowing intake and exhaust do not have to be high dollar upgrades. Check out
www.f150online.com/tech/airbox.html
for an airbox mod using a K&N filter ($50) and trimming the airbox - you can also remove the intake silencer
www.fordf150.net/howto/airintake.php
to help complete the intake mod.
3)A high quality catback exhaust can run $300+. You do not want to put a "true duel" exhaust as that will rob the low end tourque that these engines produce. An alternative is to just replace the stock muffler with a freer flowing muffler (the options are vast here - $100).
4)Electric Fans will cost about $400. Don't try to save a few dollars piecing a system together your cooling system is critical to the life of your engine. I also recomend getting a redundant duel system in case you have a failure on one system and putting a real temp guage in your cab so you know what is happening with the cooling.
5)Underdrive pullies will add a little more - $200. Be careful if you are adding a high amp sound system or other high power items.
After that things will get very expensive for any significant HP gains and they will not help with milage. Do your research and don't be afraid to ask questions. The supporting venders are also a good source of information. Any performance mods that you do should also include resetting the computer. Another way to get more MPG is to be lighter on the gas pedal - I usually average 18 MPG on the highway @ 10+ the speed limit. By driving the speed limit my MPG goes up to 20.
Good luck,
T
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 810
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Oh come on man, that's no excuse to save up for a supercharger. I started saving, and bought mine when I was 17.
If you are looking for more low end, you could change the gears.
But, I'd say your best bet is going with an intake, exhaust, and chip. That's a good combo.
If you are looking for more low end, you could change the gears.
But, I'd say your best bet is going with an intake, exhaust, and chip. That's a good combo.
