NEED PERFORMANCE UPGRADE ADVICE

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Zach Dean

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Hey guys new to the forums here and I have an 06 King Ranch Expedition with the 5.4 and I wanted to get some advice or knowledge from personal upgrades you've done. I want to open her up more with intake and exhaust, I wanted to know if this is even a good idea? I've done some research but I have seen some mixed feelings on the intake and all that, I also wanna know if you guys have any advice on suspension upgrades I want stock ride height but better suspension! Thank you!
 

GAINMOB

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look into "gotts mod" in the search...cheaper to build ur own intake then to pay hundreds when gains are minimum in comparison of intakes...your BIGGEST BANG will be a programmer then exhaust...i went from 17 to 24 mpg hwy with installing K&N CAI...single swept side catback flowmaster 40 exhaust (upgraded to catback duals w/flowmaster 40s)...and superchips vortex 1950 programmer w/gas saver setting installed...you'll see a big difference there...next is removing the clutch fan and doing electric dual fans which will help as well
 

joethefordguy

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my 2cents:

I've seen little hard evidence that either the Gotts mod, a CAI or efans, pulleys, etc. make any significant difference. lots of stories, but no actual numbers.
These may be helpful as part of a completely integrated design, but I would not waste time with stand alone aftermarket add-ons.
Opening up the breathing, in and out, when properly done, should be helpful - remember your motor is just an air pump, after all. But, keep in mind, opening up the breathing will also pass more gas through it. it's next to impossible, and certainly not cheap, to get significant power and mileage gains at the same time.

Ford's done a pretty good job with the stock suspension. I'm not aware of any aftermarket component that will improve on it significantly without altering ride height. You can get better durability out of it, though.
It sounds like what you might be looking for is a long travel suspension. That would definitely improve suspension performance off road, but it would not be cheap - I'm not aware of any available kits in the aftermarket for the late model expedition. Doesn't mean it's impossible - there are some mechanical geniuses out there capable of simply building it from scratch, but they're not cheap.

circling back around, I've been looking for hard numbers for CAI, efans, etc. for a couple of years now. if anyone has done before and after dyno runs, I'd love to see them. I can't even get anyone to produce before and after intake temps for a CAI.
I do not care for the manufacturer's dyno runs in a pristine lab environment on an engine stand. The theory is correct, so it would be odd if they could not generate good numbers. But, it's the actual application on a specific truck that has yet to produce real worthwhile numbers.
I started this process (on my last few trucks) intending to do all of the above. Gotts, CAI, efans, pulleys, etc. I did the Gotts mod on an F150. the results were so disappointing I started to look past the anecdotes and obvious ********, looking for hard numbers. that was several years ago; I have yet to see real-world numbers worth the money.
 
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GAINMOB

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my 2cents:

I've seen little hard evidence that either the Gotts mod, a CAI or efans, pulleys, etc. make any significant difference. lots of stories, but no actual numbers.
These may be helpful as part of a completely integrated design, but I would not waste time with stand alone aftermarket add-ons.
Opening up the breathing, in and out, when properly done, should be helpful - remember your motor is just an air pump, after all. But, keep in mind, opening up the breathing will also pass more gas through it. it's next to impossible, and certainly not cheap, to get significant power and mileage gains at the same time.

Ford's done a pretty good job with the stock suspension. I'm not aware of any aftermarket component that will improve on it significantly without altering ride height. You can get better durability out of it, though.
It sounds like what you might be looking for is a long travel suspension. That would definitely improve suspension performance off road, but it would not be cheap - I'm not aware of any available kits in the aftermarket for the late model expedition. Doesn't mean it's impossible - there are some mechanical geniuses out there capable of simply building it from scratch, but they're not cheap.

circling back around, I've been looking for hard numbers for CAI, efans, etc. for a couple of years now. if anyone has done before and after dyno runs, I'd love to see them. I can't even get anyone to produce before and after intake temps for a CAI.
I do not care for the manufacturer's dyno runs in a pristine lab environment on an engine stand. The theory is correct, so it would be odd if they could not generate good numbers. But, it's the actual application on a specific truck that has yet to produce real worthwhile numbers.
I started this process (on my last few trucks) intending to do all of the above. Gotts, CAI, efans, pulleys, etc. I did the Gotts mod on an F150. the results were so disappointing I started to look past the anecdotes and obvious ********, looking for hard numbers. that was several years ago; I have yet to see real-world numbers worth the money.
I'm not going to do it but there are dyno numbers in the forum a member did cuz he had access to a friend's shop who had a dyno... numbers don't lie... there's a difference... just not that big of a difference cuz it's not house power its mpg... gotts mod and he did CAI and a true CAI... numbers and all

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joethefordguy

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I'm not going to do it but there are dyno numbers in the forum a member did cuz he had access to a friend's shop who had a dyno... numbers don't lie... there's a difference... just not that big of a difference cuz it's not house power its mpg... gotts mod and he did CAI and a true CAI... numbers and all

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so where are these numbers? I've seen many such posts that insist there are numbers, but it's always somebody else that has them. I have searched the forum.
 

Expedition Dave

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JTFG, even if there were numbers they'd be probably pumped up. Unless I gave them to you ;)

I have been modding and racing cars, trucks, motorcycles, and if I had an S-ton more money--boats.

Never, ever trust a manufacturer's dyno numbers, anecdotes of the guy who installed it, and dyno tricksters. Everyone wants to be happy, and dyno guys running dynos know if his dyno gets labled as "the low-dyno guy" in town, his business is sunk. Everybody loves it when they lie.

I know dyno guys personally, so when I dyno I'd tell them it was more of an experiment, give me the lowest numbers, etc. Ask me how I now a race exhaust system is not worth squat on a V10 BMW M5. Go ahead--ask me. If your engine is more efficient, you will put your foot in it less (timing is big here), and use less gas to get to cruising and a smidge cruising. I have done the fans, the pulleys, the carbon fiber driveshafts, etc. More often then not, it ain't the HP but the engine can rev quicker.

Air filters and exhaust only give minimal gains--and spoiler alert--a lot of them actually loose power below 2500-3,500 rpms. A lot of times, it can be wonky fueling. The best bet is to dyno tune an engine for all of it's proper parameters, a full remap (which I have done, and have had done).

Still with every easy bolt on imaginable, expect a 20-30 hp maximum with a dyno-tune and probably a 1 mile per gallon gain--on the highway.

Big normally aspirated gains are found in head/intake/cam work--if it is even available and you can adjust the fueling.
 

rctsombra

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I have an 03 XLT 4x4 and have tried the GOTT, K&N intake, and Gibson cat back and seen pretty much no improvement on an otherwise stock motor. The best mileage I ever saw was 20 on the road from Tucson to Deming in early September following a Uhaul running 60-70 mph over the hills. Getting into the Midwest with speed picking up to 70-75 got it down to 17. A few days later the #1 coil quit, and I decided to have the shop perform the long-put off tuneup. I haven’t been back on the road since, but mileage seems to be around 12 poking around town - pretty much where it always was since new. I have been able to get 18 when staying on 65 mph 2-lanes, but 17 seems as good as it gets on the interstates. I haven’t tried messing with the computer, but not sure it’s worth the expense. Anyway, a 5.4 2V pulling 6k pounds of vehicle with 3:73 gears is just not going to be that efficient but put it in context with a camper special from the 70s getting about half that mileage.... I also run synthetic oil at factory specs - more for longevity than anything else.
 

GAINMOB

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I have an 03 XLT 4x4 and have tried the GOTT, K&N intake, and Gibson cat back and seen pretty much no improvement on an otherwise stock motor. The best mileage I ever saw was 20 on the road from Tucson to Deming in early September following a Uhaul running 60-70 mph over the hills. Getting into the Midwest with speed picking up to 70-75 got it down to 17. A few days later the #1 coil quit, and I decided to have the shop perform the long-put off tuneup. I haven’t been back on the road since, but mileage seems to be around 12 poking around town - pretty much where it always was since new. I have been able to get 18 when staying on 65 mph 2-lanes, but 17 seems as good as it gets on the interstates. I haven’t tried messing with the computer, but not sure it’s worth the expense. Anyway, a 5.4 2V pulling 6k pounds of vehicle with 3:73 gears is just not going to be that efficient but put it in context with a camper special from the 70s getting about half that mileage.... I also run synthetic oil at factory specs - more for longevity than anything else.
Add a programmer to tie them all together and see what u get

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joethefordguy

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JTFG, even if there were numbers they'd be probably pumped up. Unless I gave them to you ;) I have been modding and racing cars, trucks, motorcycles, and if I had an S-ton more money--boats. Never, ever trust a manufacturer's dyno numbers, anecdotes of the guy who installed it, and dyno tricksters. Everyone wants to be happy, and dyno guys running dynos know if his dyno gets labeled as "the low-dyno guy" in town, his business is sunk. Everybody loves it when they lie. I know dyno guys personally, so when I dyno I'd tell them it was more of an experiment, give me the lowest numbers, etc. Ask me how I now a race exhaust system is not worth squat on a V10 BMW M5. Go ahead--ask me. If your engine is more efficient, you will put your foot in it less (timing is big here), and use less gas to get to cruising and a smidge cruising. I have done the fans, the pulleys, the carbon fiber driveshafts, etc. More often then not, it ain't the HP but the engine can rev quicker. Air filters and exhaust only give minimal gains--and spoiler alert--a lot of them actually loose power below 2500-3,500 rpms. A lot of times, it can be wonky fueling. The best bet is to dyno tune an engine for all of it's proper parameters, a full remap (which I have done, and have had done). Still with every easy bolt on imaginable, expect a 20-30 hp maximum with a dyno-tune and probably a 1 mile per gallon gain--on the highway. Big normally aspirated gains are found in head/intake/cam work--if it is even available and you can adjust the fueling.

Thanks, Expedition Dave, that's pretty much what I've been able to deduce from the research I've done. Much of what you're talking about ("...the engine can rev quicker.") is connected to what I've decided to look for, amounting to reducing internal losses, one way or the other. The major issue with that is that is should begin with a complete rebuild staring with machining to much closer tolerances, etc. in other words, Expen$ive. it seems obvious that is exactly what the OEM manufacturers are already doing, within cost restraints. They're not going to sell "enough" 30 mpg hot rods at 100k+ each. Whatever "enough" means to the builders.


OBTW, how do you know a race exhaust system is not worth squat on a V10 BMW M5?
 

Expedition Dave

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Because I owned one, dynoed it 3x prior, added the exhaust, drove it enough to "learn" the additional flow, then redynoed it 3X the same day. With conditions adjusted/not adjusted it gained nothing but noise. Ended up going back to stock and selling it. Now I have seen gains on vehicles that were a bit choked but the gains were minimal until they were professionally dyno tuned (not via email). Many people saw similar stuff with the Dodge Hellcat's as well--at least the ones I trusted.

I also feel the vehicles made the past 10 years are benefiting from very well functioning intake and exhaust systems, w/i reason. The manufacturers now power sells, and they don't want to leave any free HP/TQ on the table if they can get good numbers by watching intake/exhaust flow.

Now turbo engines generally do see a bump in power (revving) by enhanced intake/less exhaust restrict by the nature of turbos and heat, etc. But you are N/A.

Best increase I ever saw was on my LS1 Vette where bigger air filter/intake, header exhaust (with HF cats), bolt on ported Z06 heads and medium cam netted over 100+ RWHP on the dyno that was tuning it.
 
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