modications that make sense

[Jester]

I've been looking for some mods for my L the past few days. I had always thought I would jack with the pulley and a chip if I got a Lightning, but after owning one I'm not too big on messing up something on my daily ride. :bows I looked at some intake systems today, but is that really worth it? I was advised against it because the cold air intake works better on cars low to the ground as opposed to a pick-up. :confused: Just go with a $50 K&N filter or a full blown intake system? I've been looking for mods that make sense, stuff to replace some of the restricting systems. Anything anyone can recommend in general? I'm open to any suggestions. Also are there any good sites with graphics and decals for SVT or Lightnings? Thanks for the suggestions.

[Shiner1]

IMO, I don't think you can go wrong with a chip, pulley and intake/filter. Even if you just replace the OEM filter with a K&N panel filter you'll see some difference.
I started with a #4 pulley and 12" open filter and had a chip dyno tuned for my "daily driver" L. Those mods will get you "seat of the pants" results. :tu:

BTW, cold air intakes work on any truck. There are a bazillion posts on NLOC about cutting holes in the bottom of your stock air box and running a hose from the box to the area under/behind the grill to intakes that cost lots of $$$$$. The idea is to get cooler/more air to your intake regardless of the distance to the ground.

[tliss]

We all started somewhere and I think most of us started with the chip and filter. The chip alone will give you a lot of seat of the pants feel, but it comes with some responsibility, including going to the dyno to make sure your air/fuel ratio is on track every time you get a reburn (needed after many mods FYI) and really knowing what you want from your truck. I strongly recommend going with the filter and chip...pulley will be next or at the same time (chip needs to accommodate it).

As far as intake, there are definitely different levels. The K&N drop in filter and holes in the box with tubes running under the bumper is the cheapest. Some of us have gone so far as to replace everything from the filter to the intercooler. it all depends on what you want to do and how much $$$ you want to spend.

By the way, I live in McKinney, so if you need help with something, don't hesitate to ask!

Tom

[Jester]

I will put a K&N filter in for sure, what chips do you guys recommend? I know you said a frequent dyno is required. What other care is required with a chip? I appologize for all of the questions, I am new to superchargers and chips. By the way, I work in McKinney for the Fire Dept. so I might catch up with you sometime if I get too confused =)

[tliss]

I will put a K&N filter in for sure, what chips do you guys recommend? I know you said a frequent dyno is required. What other care is required with a chip? I appologize for all of the questions, I am new to superchargers and chips. By the way, I work in McKinney for the Fire Dept. so I might catch up with you sometime if I get too confused =)
No sweat. There really is not any maintenance that is required once you settle on a tune, it's getting there that's difficult. If you have a bad tune it could be your engine that suffers which will cause your wallet to suffer after ward. Once you have the proper tune just enjoy it.

I'm sure we'll hook up sooner or later.

Tom

[Shiner1]

I don't think you need frequent dynos. Just the initial 3-6 pulls to get your chip dialed in. Maybe a few more pulls but I wouldn't think so. Then as you add mods (and you will add mods) redyno to adjust your A/F as needed. How often you dyno is really up to you and how often and the kind of mods you put on. As for chips, I'm sure everyone has an opinion. I like B-B-Q Ruffels myself....:rll: Just a little joke. I run a Diablo 3 way flip chip. Street/Race/N20 side. I have had Zero problems/complaints with my chip. If you are looking for a conservative street, race once-in-a-while tune, I think that chip would be a good call.

[WA 2 FST]

I have had an L for 5 years. I just got rid of my '99 and bought an '04. I am probably one of the few here who has had an L this long and done the _fewest_ performance mods to it. ;) Seriously, I did chip/filter/trans pan/shift kit and that was great for my '99. I did not need ANY chip reburns. The truck went from 332rwhp to 363rwhp. It ran 13.1x @ 103mph on stock F1s. Didn't have one problem after 4.5 years and 44k miles.

So if you have a good idea what you're going to do, and can relay that to your programmer/tuner/etc, then _as long as your mod list is not too radical_, any tuner worth his salt should be able to nail it the first time. Now once you get into aftermarket blowers, lots of boost, etc, all bets are off and I wouldn't trust anything but someone who can tune it locally. If it can't be found locally, then get the truck to the tuner of your choice. Mail-order on radical setups is a nightmare, and possibly a bomb waiting to go off in your engine compartment.

I recently got an SCT package from one of the distributors on the F150online forums. I told him exactly what I was going to do. 2# pulley, air filter kit, new trans valve body, cat-back exhaust (the latter of which I'm not sure does a thing). He nailed the tune. A/F ratio is perfect, truck runs without a hiccup, and I'm very pleased. Did two pulls on the dyno ... nothing else needed. I am considering getting a ported blower, and will definitely have to recheck it and quite possibly have it retuned... but if I don't do any more mods, then I shouldn't ever have to go back to the dyno or check anything again. Just routine maintenance on the truck as usual. :)

Trust me, once you do a chip and filter, you will not want to drive a stock L agian. It's _that_ big of a difference.

[Tex Arcana]

IMO, I don't think you can go wrong with a chip, pulley and intake/filter. Even if you just replace the OEM filter with a K&N panel filter you'll see some difference.
I started with a #4 pulley and 12" open filter and had a chip dyno tuned for my "daily driver" L. Those mods will get you "seat of the pants" results. :tu:

BTW, cold air intakes work on any truck. There are a bazillion posts on NLOC about cutting holes in the bottom of your stock air box and running a hose from the box to the area under/behind the grill to intakes that cost lots of $$$$$. The idea is to get cooler/more air to your intake regardless of the distance to the ground.

I came *this* close to pulling the trigger on a mod like that, the airbox mod, 'til I realized something: putting a hole in the bottom of the stock airbox bypasses the filter!! WTF?? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/texarcana/wtf.gif I think that just became one of the worst ideas, imho. :(

If you look at Bootsed Beyond Boltons (http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/articles/boosted/page_1.htm), you'll see that they found the stock setup is still good up into the 500-hp range. And, given the size of the fender openings, there's plenty of airflow capacity there, so a panel filter to start with is a nice idea. If you want more, then I would still stick with the fender openings until you found they just cannot flow anymore; but, by then, you should be in the 600+hp range, and already off the stock box and hoses.

Just my 2 cents. :tongue:

[tliss]

I came *this* close to pulling the trigger on a mod like that, the airbox mod, 'til I realized something: putting a hole in the bottom of the stock airbox bypasses the filter!! WTF?? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/texarcana/wtf.gif I think that just became one of the worst ideas, imho. :(

...
Actually, air flow goes from bottom to top in the stock box, so putting holes in the bottom feeds air that goes through the filter and gets pulled into the engine from there. FYI

Tom

[Tex Arcana]

Actually, air flow goes from bottom to top in the stock box, so putting holes in the bottom feeds air that goes through the filter and gets pulled into the engine from there. FYI

Tom

argh.. yer right: major brain-fart on my part. :o :o :o