Nice.. thanks all for the feedback. Guess I'll start hunting around Denver for a tuning pro while I research parts spec. Vano - thanks for the feedback about the intercooler. With 37's this thing will never be track machine and I'd prefer not to start replacing engine internals or axles. I want just enough juice to tow steep grades without issue and suprise the occasional WRX driver that thinks he's the next Ken Block. Somewhere close to 100 extra hp was kinda what I had in mind.
when my buddy was thinking about getting his car tuned for more boost the guy that runs/ownes the shop said that a maf and fuel pumps out of a lighting would be a good thing to get
So, I've been looking into this and yesterday stopped by and had a long talk with the tuning pro and co-owner at Mile Hi Motorsports. You can check out the featured rides on their website to see some of their work, but I trust this guy knows his shite. He was just finishing some tweaks on an 850hp twin turbo Cobra when I came in and they've done just about every model of truck and SC/TC kit you can imagine. My truck was actually the smallest one parked in the lot (which is rare). Short version is that for my purposes he strongly recommends going the SC route, and more specifically with the Whipple kit that Ford Racing uses plus a Diablo tuner with custom Dyno tuning. He said it will be the most efficient and reliable power for the 5.4L in the 500hp range, which is as high as he would take a 5.4L without putting in a forged bottom end and upgraded drivetrain. He recommend against the TC route for a daily driver as it adds unnecessary extra heat to manage and the power isn't as efficient until you get into the higher rpms. For a race machine that'll stay up in rpms then he's all for centrifugal style blowers but he prefers a roots style for quick power on demand during normal street driving. We discussed the tuning for altitude and it does make a difference, along with the fact that CO requires a 10% ethanol mix in our gas grades which affects the "stoichiometric mixture" of the fuel as well (which is key to proper calibration and the standard "kit tunes" don't typically account for). He would write separate tunes for driving around up here versus if I was to take a road trip down to normal altitudes. Last interesting piece of info, he just had a stock '08 F150 on the dyno a couple weeks ago. it appears a stock 5.4L averages 229 rwhp (adjusted at sea level vs 189 rwhp actual at altitude in Denver). He expects on mine he could get me to the low 400's adjusted rwhp using the intercooled whipple kit with fairly conservative tunes and pulleys (I already have a catback exhaust) and keep me fully emissions/inspection compliant. If I want to push the tuning envelope and upgrade to custom pulleys he could get me in the mid 4s. The whipple kit will already include upgraded injectors as well.
Now obviously I'm biased, but I'm gonna deviate from everyone and say get a Raptor. This is the best truck I've ever driven. True, the Raptor does not tow much. That is the compromise you make for ridiculously well performing offroad suspension. I know that this makes the Raptor a deal breaker for a lot of people, and if you tow a lot I completely understand. But here's something you all might not have known.... While the SCab Raptor only tows 6,000 pounds (legally, I know people who have towed 2,000 pounds overweight with a Cobalt boat hooked to the Rap across Texas with no issues) the new SCrew Raptor is actually rated to tow 8,000 pounds, a substantial gain. YOU need to test drive a Raptor before making that decision. I'm not trying make enemies or sound rude, but I'm willing to bet most of the people voting NO to the Raptor haven't driven one yet..... That hardly gives someone an accurate basis for comparison. Come over to the sister-site Ford Raptor Forum and read a few reviews and watch a couple of videos, etc and go took a test drive BEFORE you make a decision and start ordering parts. Again, I'm biased, but those are my $.02
thump, did he give you any kind of prices or anything. I keep thinking more and more about supercharging mine after its paid off
i have driven a raptor and yes they are nice but can you really justify the payment vs no payment at all? his truck is paid for and the best advice imo is to drop a little more money in it and live debt free.
@Bojangles - I hear ya. The suspension is the one thing that still makes me debate the Raptor. I can put add Billsteins and a few other goodies to upgrade mine, but it will still never be a bullet proof or tuned as a Raptor... but, again the only place you can go offroad at high speed around here is the occasional wide open forest service road. Everywhere else is big rocks, tight trees and cliffs. On road, I'd be able to smoke a stock Raptor and still tow more. The Whipple kit gets me nearly as much rwhp as the 6.2L Raptor makes at the crank. @yz85 - They quoted me just shy of 6K for the full package. That would include the Whipple kit installed, Diablo tuner, dyno/tuning time and multiple custom tunes (including coming up to my house for fine tuning altitude). I could save some $$ by installing the kit myself and having them do the tune, but the Whipple 05-08 Ford Racing kit retails for around 5K alone. http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/product.asp?ProdID=1203
