Hello, everyone, this is my first post. I recently purchased a beautiful black 2005 supercrew FX4. I love the truck; looks great, drives great. My only concern is with the perceived power. It seems to me that 300hp would feel a little more impressive. Acceleration seems a little weak. Off the line, I can't get it to spin the tires (not even a squeak). I have the trailer tow option with the 3.73 axle. Am I expecting too much?

 

that's because they are heavy turds and you have to buy a xcal2 to get your truck to work right.

 

How much does that weigh?

No, seriously, what's it do?

 

You have to go here to find out

https://www.f150online.com/forums/chips-tuners-programming-34/

 

These trucks are extremely de-tuned from the factory, or so it seems. Even with a tuner, my 6000 lb Lariat SCrew wont chirp the tires from a dead stop.
I highly recomend an aftermarket tuner such as the superchips 1745 or the xcalibrator.

 

Would I be right in saying that these new trucks are drive-by-wire throttle, instead of a direct cable that moves the throttle? If that is the case, isn't that the reason for these things not chirping the tires from a dead stop? It seems that when you punch the gas, the power just "swells" instead of lurches. My theory is, with drive-by-wire, a sensor detects where you put the gas pedal and then tells a throttle "motor" where to put the throttle. And THEN the throttle can only get to that position at a certain "speed". Therefore, you just have a gradual "swell" of power. On the other hand, with a direct cable, on one end you've got the gas pedal; on the other end is the throttle. Wherever you put that gas pedal, the throttle goes there immediately because of the direct link. Therefore, it will lurch and throw your head back. If I'm wrong, I'm sure there will be plenty of folks who have had these new trucks long enough to correct me. But if I'm right, would there not be a way to defeat the drive-by-wire and fabricate a direct cable for these so that the power in these beasts will come out faster?

 

NO way that would be cheaper or less of a hassle than buying an Xcal 2 from Mike Troyer!

 

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. I will look into the xcal2. Does anyone know why Ford tunes these engines the way they do? It seems that my truck is not optimized for fuel economy.

When using a product like the xcal2 to reprogram the vehicle, will one program be suitable for all conditions such as towing or will different programs be required for different conditions?

 

Hix,

You will still need to have a tune done to defeat the sensor on the gas pedal. So you are back to square one.

JMC

 

You get three tunes with the program from Troyer anyway so get what you need. Also, automobiles, (in my sad infinite wisdom) I believe are tuned for the best gas mileage and least smog- especially if your in Cali.

 

Yeah, I think I have heard that the newer trucks have an electronic control on the throttle body oppose to the cable that is on the 03 and older models. There are post about a new computer "flash" that makes the newer trucks accelerate and get up and go. You just need a valid reason to get the dealer to reflash your computer for you as they will not want to do it as I have heard.

 

Yeah, I was pretty disappointed with the power of my truck when I bought it, but these things are pretty heavy. I learned to appreciate the bulk of the truck when I rented an excavator and towed it and the heavy a** trailer. The motor had a helluva time gettin going but once it was moving, the truck didn't get bucked around one iota even when hitting big bumps. Look into getting the XCAL2 from Troyer....makes a BIG difference in performance. You may or may not be able to smoke the tires, but it is by far the best bang for the buck on these trucks. You may not spank a Hemi Ram, but you can honk and wave at 'em when they're stuck on the side of the road when they're trannies puke

 

Hmm. never met such a group of people who were so interested in smoking the tires. I have free tires for life my my dealership and I still have no desire to smoke the tires.
Anyway, I have the same truck, 4 weeks new. Same complaint. No power. Hook a heavy trailer like I did to it and you'll really be sorry.
Love the truck, just not the power.

 

I'm not interested in smoking the tires either. Hell, the tires for these things are not cheap!

 

I don't think its the smoking of the tires, but the ABILITY to smoke the tires that everyone wants.