I know a little about auto's, not much however. So here's my question.

Can someone give me some mods that i can do to my 4.6 f150 to make it faster. It seems to have good power, but not speed. Any advise big or small will be great.


Thanks

1998 F-150 4.6 V8
Fully Loaded
Power everything
Bed liner
CD changer

 

Theres LOTS of things you can do to gain power. Heres some suggestions

1) K*N Fuel injection performance kit--10 or so hp gain--200 bucks
2)Computer Chip--26hp,42lbs tq. gain--250 bucks
3)Catback exhaust--gain lowend torque-anywhere from $250-800
I reccomend Magnaflow catback, around $375
4)Headers--hp and low end torque gain--around 200 bucks
5)4.10 rear end gears--acceleration and LOTS of low end--higher
revs at highway speed thoguh-some see gas milage gain.
not sure how much gears are

Theres lots more stuff, but this seems to be the first things that people seem to do most.
-Patrick

BTW--Welcome to F-150online. This place is the s_it!. Hang around alot and read alot of stuff, and youll be an f-150 expert in NO time. Youll learn about all the trucks, Lightnings, and yes, problems. Ive got a 98 4.6 too and i love it! Hell ive been hanging around here for about 2 years and i learn stuff every day! See ya 'round!

 

Thanks for the advice and the welcome!!!

 

Actually gas mileage will go down with 4.10 gears because you will be turning more rpm. Headers will cost more than $200. Also, not trying to pick on you or anything, but some of your hp figures for mods are a little optmistic.

Joey

 

benj1979

The only thing limiting the power of the 4.6 is your wallet. Clearly, warranty is not an issue with your 98. As mentioned the first mods to consider would be these:

AF1
Superchip
Magnaflow exhaust - cat back or true duel
Denso plugs
new wires - MSD or Accel
coil packs - MSD or Accel
ASP under drive pulleys
Derale electric fans
bigger capcity fuel pump
bigger fuel injectors
90 mm MAF
headers
new rear end gears
Transgo shift kit

I would suggest you decide on a big plan before you buy anything. How much horsepower do you want??? Then purchase those things that will get you there. Example: If ignition components needed service, you should certainly buy decent wires, plugs, or coil packs rather than the OEM parts.

Secondly, spend 10-15 hours or more reading old posts and see what works and what doesn't. Folks like Neal, JMC, Iron horse, and Superchips Dist. have many, many posts in these forms. Read in the engines section as well as the computer chips section. Not wanting to offend anyone -- there are just dozens of well informed people contributing to this form; those names just came to mind first.

I also have a 98 and quite frankly hated it -- the handling was, at best, horrible. That's what got me started. Now I have the same 98 -- it handles like a dream, has power and better fuel economy than stock. Best of all, I don't have anywhere close to the price of a new truck invested into it.

Bottom line: welcome, do plenty of reading and planning before getting out your wallet! Just because some product has a full page ad in some truck mag doesn't mean it's the part for you.

 

RangerFan--
just wondering what hp ratings you were questioning. Im just curious so i can learn from it. Also i have seen a couple posts where guys claim to gain gas milage from installing 410 gears, but honestly i dont see how. And i have seen headers for 200 bucks--but they probley were good ones. Anyways, talk to yall later
-Patrick

 

Hi benj1979,
I have a '98 4.6l and was in the same boat as you. I loved my truck but wanted it to "come alive". I started out doing the basics, i.e., intake, superchip, exhaust, and electric fans, but was still looking for more. I just finished putting on a Magnacharger supercharger on my truck and you wouldn't believe the difference. It's like driving a brand new truck. More power than you could believe, yet still very driveable. Looking back I wish I would have done this sooner. If you can swing the money I would highly recommend it.

 

See signature...

 

Thanks for all the advice

 

I've seen many F-150 owners on here claim gains in fuel milage aswell with gear swaps. Most of the gains are for city driving with small drops out on the highway. Since most of us drive more in the city then out on the highway, overall, MPG often goes up.

 

I've managed to squeeze a few more ponies out of my 4.6. I can also acheive decent fuel mileage, if I drive like a grandma.

Your budget will dictate how much power you'll be able to get. My funds are depleted for now, but the seat of the pants tells me this truck is awsome!

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the help.