Is it possible to have a Ram Air hood installed on my '99 F-150, 5.4?

I know I have seen them on Trucks Show on Dodges and Chevies, just haven't seen one in person or on TV of a Ford, I can't afford it now, but maybe someday.

If any of you have done this post a picture for all of us to see. Thanks

 

In order to see ANY gains from a PROPERLY designed and constructed ram air system, you will need to be traveling better than a hundred miles per hour. Even then, the gains will be minimal. If you like the ram air hood look, get one. They do look cool. But I wouldn't bother trying to construct a functional system. You'll end up spending lots of money and time on a mod that will be nothing more than something cool to look at. There are much better "bang for the buck" mods out there.

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Mag-Hytec diff. cover, Magnacharger supercharger, K&N FIPK, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, 80w amber fog lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, 285/75R16 Goodyear MT/R's, 16x8 Center Line Hell Cats (JUNK WHEELS), Rancho RSX shocks, B&M deep aluminum trans pan, Rhino bedliner. Needs one more door.
http://hometown.aol.com/ninetyeightfword

 

IMud,

I think you'll find if you do some earnest homework, my comments are correct. You'll notice I emphasized a properly designed ram air system. If you do the research, you will find that there is quite a bit of engineering and testing involved in designing a ram air system that will produce less than a pound of overpressure in the intake tract at more than 100 mph. Piping a filter box into a hood scoop will not constitute a ****ional ram air system. I certainly don't mean to sound as if I'm trying to belittle you. And I'm definately not the world's formost expert on the subject of ram air induction. I HAVE had enough experience and done enough research on the subject to know what is involved in designing and fabricating an effective ram air system. It can be fairly complex. If not done properly, you stand more of a chance of loosing horsepower.

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Mag-Hytec diff. cover, Magnacharger supercharger, K&N FIPK, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, 80w amber fog lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, 285/75R16 Goodyear MT/R's, 16x8 Center Line Hell Cats (JUNK WHEELS), Rancho RSX shocks, B&M deep aluminum trans pan, Rhino bedliner. Needs one more door.
http://hometown.aol.com/ninetyeightfword

 

Thanks for all the information. I am not planning on doing Ram Air for a while. It does sound too complicated for me! haha

I just like the looks, and if I could gain some horsepower I might do it.

I think exhaust is going to be my first mod.

 

Don't know if I agree with the 100 MPH part of 98fword's post but the general message that it is a high speed only benefit is spot on. I think if you like fiddling with things, doing a functional ram off a nice hood or scoop would be interesting. I'm thinking of doing it basically for looks and to see if I can do it.

There is another potential benefit that could have a play at lower speeds but depends upon what else you do and how you do it. I know there is a great controversy on how much a difference having an FIPK sucking hot underhood air makes over getting cold air with more flow restrictions but if you do go with a hood scoop and make a sealed airbox to mate with it and do put a high flow filter in, like one of the K&N models, then you will have 5 benefits:

1. better flow through the filter
2. less air pipe & fewer bends (depends upon how you do it
3. cold air coming in about as high as you can get it (may be warmer with long staging lane times)
4. A ram air effect (assuming a good sealed system)
5. A cool, unique looking hood & underhood

How much of a difference in performance you will get from 1-4, not sure. Can't hurt unless you really do somethign wring. If you ever replace the heads, cam, bore or stroke, the difference could be quite dramatic (assuming other parts like MAF & TB are done).

I am thinking of getting a low rise pro-stock type scoop, fitting it to a new hole in the hood, using a 30 degree bend pipe to get the cone filter up in the scoop, and building a plastic housing around the bottom that seals with weatherstripping to the bottom of the scoop. That way I re-use my K&N and eliminate about a foot of air piping.

Still a thought process right now so I wouldn't be afreaid of other opinions, even if to puke all over it

Chuck

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2001 Gen I Screw Lariat
Air Raid, Superchip

 

I would strongly disagree with this statement. I have personally experienced gains of over 2 tenths in the quarter mile on car applications by setting up a primitive "ram air" system. A recent issue of Mustang and Fast Fords installed a Johnny Lightning Ram Air on a L running 12.7s and picked up about a tenth in the quarter mile.

A ram air system ensures nothing more than a healthy supply of outside cool air available on demand. This doesn't take much area to do. Hold a 32 oz plastic cup out the window at 45 mph. It will create a lot more pressure than most people think.

As far as bang for the buck goes, there probably are more effective mods dollar for dollar. But once installed it won't cost any extra in fuel or maintenance.

 

Hey Guys I saw this advertisement for a Johnny Lightning Ram Air Kit, who knows anything about it?

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99' Ford F150 XL Sport
(Black) V-6 3.55 manual
Mods:
Airaid, Bosch +4 Plat.
Ravin Z-33 SI/DO
Color Keyed Carpet
AVS Headlight covers
AVS Bugdeflector II
AVS Ventshades
Lund Wiper Cowl
Lund Tinted Glass
Lund Soft Bed Cover
V-tech Taillight covers

 

i've personally witnessed a lightnings run before and after ram air setup... ACTUALLY

1badtk (lightning owner in houston) bought a second hood and cut a small 8"x8" hole right above the airaid filter and bolted a big hoodscoop on top of the hole... NOT a true Ram Air; but he dropped .101 and .114 off his 1/4 time. that was just allowing cool air to the filter, now if it was sealed it would probally give him another .05 off his time.

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TRUCK
White 00' XLT 4.2 Auto Sport
Regular cab Styleside
3.55 non-limited slip
Superchip
Airaid FIPK
custom ported STOCK throttle body
1/4 ... 17.221@81.35MPH

PC
Thunderbird 1.1ghz @ 1.33ghz
Abit KT7A-Raid
384mb Kingmax PC-150 ram
60gig IBM 75gxp RAID array
Geforce2 GTS 64mb

 

signmaster,

I agree that freeing up your intake system will net you some gains. Especially if it was restrictive in some way. A one to two tenth gain or loss in the quarter is sometimes hard to pin down. There are more variables than one can count. A slight change in any one of them can easily make that difference. And there really can be no comparison if you were running with one setup on one day and another setup on another day. We've run as much as a second difference with the same setup, same track and different days. I've seen close to that amount of difference in times from the first run to the last on the same day. Just because of changing weather conditions. I like your analogy of the 32 oz. cup. There's only one problem. You would need to cut the bottom out and attach a shop vac to it, turn it on and then ride down the road holding it out the window. That would give a more accurate picture. The point I'm trying to make is, there is a definate difference between a free flowing intake system and a true ram air system. The cup and vac would be a free flowing intake but certainly not a ram air system. A ram air system is absolutely more than "a healthy supply of outside cool air". A true ram air system, at high speeds, will let more air than the engine can use be crammed in the intake tract and stored at slightly higher than atmospheric pressure until the engine can use it. Designing a true, functional ram air system IS more complicated than most realize. Most folks look at a Pro Stock hood scoop and don't realize that there's a reason that they are the size and shape they are and have those specific dimensions. Those are probably the simplest ram air systems. But, they still need to calculate the size of the inlet opening and area of the box by determining the air needs of the engine at any given rpm, etc. I could go on and on. But, I won't. Thank goodness, right? Take what magazines print with a grain of salt. Most of the "tests" they do are with products from manufacturers that advertize in that magazine. You do the math. I realized a while back, the more I learned, the more full of dung most of the magazines seemed to be.

 

98fword,

I agree on the aspect of creating "boost" above atmospheric pressure. As far as the cool air supply improving HP, it's been proven time and time again. The test in question used back to back runs with nothing other than cool down time. In my personal experience I began to wonder if other changes had netted a gain. The car consistently ran quicker with the ram air setup. It was run with and without several times with various track and weather conditions.


Headless Horseman,

The JL kit has a scoop, some piping that goes though the inner fenderwell, and filter adapter and filter. It uses a cone type filter with an open rather than closed end. The adapter routes the cool air to the open end of the filter and the outside portion of the cone remains exposed. It seems to me this would be a good setup. Cool air pushed straight in the end, and open element in the case that demand exceeds the cool air hose supply. The Mustang and Fast Fords article said it was good for about a tenth of a second. Just for ref the same article tested a Superchip and got about a tenth. Also keep in mind that this was a L running 12.7s. As times get quicker, a tenth of a second can be harder to come by....

 

Thanks for the info, I have never took my truck to the drag strip yet, not much since in taking a V-6 that doesn't have a superchip, or supercharger, or Nitrous. I'm doing this mostly to beat the guy next to me to the next red light and say Hey Buddy I've got Ram Air what do you got...

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99' Ford F150 XL Sport
(Black) V-6 3.55 manual
Mods:
Airaid, Bosch +4 Plat.
Ravin Z-33 SI/DO
Color Keyed Carpet
AVS Headlight covers
AVS Bugdeflector II
AVS Ventshades
Lund Wiper Cowl
Lund Tinted Glass
Lund Soft Bed Cover
V-tech Taillight covers

 

signmaster,

As I stated earlier, I'm fully aware freeing up your intake system will net you some gains. And giving your engine all the cool air it can use, makes it all the better. But, I think you are confusing your "primative ram air" system, which is exactly what you described earlier as a "healthy supply of outside cool air", with true ram air. They are not the same. I'm not trying to make this into more than what it needs to be. But, I've seen several posts on the subject of ram air. And most folks aren't aware of how a real ram air system functions. And I would hate for one of our members to stick a hood scoop on, pipe a filter to it and find themselves unknowingly boasting to someone who is well versed in the design and function of true ram air systems about their "ram air system" and end up feeling foolish. All because of the "information" they received here. We ALL need to be careful with what we state as fact here. Myself included.

 

98fword,

No offense taken, I didn't assume that you were belittling. I cannot agree or disagree with the amount of overpressure as I haven't done any research on that.

I would recommend that you take a look under the hood of a ram air T/A or SS Camaro. Neither of these systems are "high pressure" sealed systems but both make more power then the non-ram air systems. In the process of debugging a problem with my wife's and a friends car, I was able to measure the air flowing by the MAF at different RPM's and speeds (Autotap). There is a marked difference in flow at even 60 MPH between the stock Camaro & the SS which has the weakest ram air set up of the two. The T/A was more noticable.

I don't think that these systems make the power that the manufacturers claim or at least not in a power band that I might care about. I think the biggest benefit from a home made ram air, besides the uniqueness, would be a good flow of laminar, cooler air then what you will get from an underhood FIPK. I know there are other ways to crack that nut but the fender hole mod isn't as cool looking

Anyhow, as with most things, it boils down to what you want to spend your time and money on. Shy of a heads & cam package, stroker kit, a blower, or giggle gas all the rest of the mods on these engines seem like nits. And no, for those of you who are thinking that a bunch of little thigns add up, it just doesn't work like that!

Chuck

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2001 Gen I Screw Lariat
Air Raid, Superchip

 

98fword,

I am using the term "Ram Air" as it applies to regular street vehicles. Although it is a given that such a setup will not see the gains that a F1 or Indy car will see, the principles remain the same. I'm not sure what applications you are considering true "Ram Air", but I am well aware that the average street system isn't creating a large pressure above atmospheric.

These street car systems may be more primitive in design, but take a look at the muscle car era. Many of the performance packages netted good usable street performance with a cold air system. The
W-30 and Hurst Olds' are good examples of this.

 

Anyone intrested in a ram air hood. Contact Cervini's Auto Design at www.cervinis.com. They have both ram air and cowl hoods 92- to present.92-96 ram air hoods come with an optional ram air kit to make it functional.97-to present ram air hood kits are not available yet. There talking about mid-summer for the kits. They were suppose to be done before spring time, but didn't like the performance results. They knew they could get a hell of alot more horsepower out of it.Cervinis is out of Vineland N.J..Check out the site. You won't be disappointed with the look of the hood. I have one on my 97' 4X4.It looks like the hood from the early 71' Mach Ones.