You are right. I have an 04 4.6l. It has no take off at all. the problem is Fly by wire. You have no throttle cable. the computer is completely in control of the throttle. The EPA has such a tight pirameter on emissions . So you get very little fual at idle. I'm looking for a reprogrammer to fix it. But you are right they are dogs!

 

How come I can smoke 'em with this 5500 lb. beast? 4x4 with 11" tires!

 

I traded in an 02 Silverado Extended cab with the 5.3 for a 5.4 Screw with 3.55 gears. The first week or so, I was very disappointed with the low-end pep. The Chevy "felt" much peppier. Then i realized how much lighter it was and remembered how hard it had worked to stay up with the Fords in traffic. I also noticed that the Ford has more top end response, at 70 mph. Just smoother. Plus I am getting at least a mile more per gallon. The Chevy was a little "sportier" on the inside but had lower quality materials and was not put together as well. One thing i do miss though is the under hood light. Wish the XLT had that feature. But, I had rather Ford leave that off than go to drum rear brakes as Chevy did as a cost cutter in 05.

Jim

 

I'm sure you can. I had an 02 that was great. Starting in 2004 the 4.6 and 5.4 F150 (not Heritage) had a servo controling the trottle plate. It will haul a trailer with all the power you need. The trouble is you have NO hole shot at all.

 

I will save that I haven't tried to the extreme...such as flooring it or anything, but I have given it QUITE a bit of throttle.

I bought this 02 Screw about 900 miles or so ago and so far it has been flawless. It was purchased with 30,000 miles, the oil was clean, and the engine was spotless. I really felt I was purchasing a brand new truck as clean as it was and despite a few accessory issues (aftermarket remote unlock did not work and the aftermarket overhead LCD did not work either).

It has the 260HP 5.4L, 3.55, limited slip rear, and it is a Supercrew, so weight, gearing, and that the fact that it has limited slip might be the issue? I believe my tires are 255/75/R16s.

It also has this annoying lag from when I hit the throttle to when it actually starts to "make some noise". It's almost like the passing gear scenario in my old Datsun B210 (high school car). Once it hits it's stride it seems to really pull hard, but the lag is terrible and I can't break my tires loose despite what some of you have implied.

I can live with the lag as the engine pulls hard once it gets going, but is this something that can be programmed out...ala Mr Troyer?

I have four kids so price is important, but I also appreciate getting the most bang for my buck and don't want to spend alot of money on engine monitoring software, etc. What recommendations do you have for me with reagrd to Mr. Troyer's area of expertise?

With four kids, my priorities are somewhat skewed toward family, but I'd really appreciate my truck to "get and go" when the need really arises. I almost consider it a safety issue...when I want it to "get up and go" with three kids in the back and one additional between the front driver and front passenger seat, I really NEED it "to get up and go"! None of this lag crap.

And know I don't run around looking to drag race everyone I see, but I'm human and once or twice a year I'd like to leave a red light smiling!

Should I really be able to break my tires free with this truck?

Keith Confer