Looking for info on best engine mods to make this truck trail worthy.... perfect size for camping just want adequate power to get up hills .... it’s an 08’ with a 5.4 and barely strong enough to get out of its own way... would love to hear the best( least expensive) ideas to get me there!!!!
Ford F-250 gas
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Advocate I
I have an 03 gmc Sierra with the same issue. From my experience I'd say in order of easy to install would be
Air intake (cold air is cool, but you won't feel it in your butt dyno) will be about $250
Exhaust (it sounds awesome and helps the engine to breath adds very little power but a great idea for the next option) $300+
Programmer (this is where you'll see a bit of a bump) $500+ you can get these a bit cheaper but from my research $500 seems to be average
A mild cam, wait I'm not sure if that's easy or even possible on a Ford. I'm sure it must be.
If you've dropped on larger tires consider regearing to say a 4.10 or higher. Mind you the higher in number you go the better low end you'll have but the worse top end so careful with the balancing act.
Unfortunately engine upgrades aren't cheap
Air intake (cold air is cool, but you won't feel it in your butt dyno) will be about $250
Exhaust (it sounds awesome and helps the engine to breath adds very little power but a great idea for the next option) $300+
Programmer (this is where you'll see a bit of a bump) $500+ you can get these a bit cheaper but from my research $500 seems to be average
A mild cam, wait I'm not sure if that's easy or even possible on a Ford. I'm sure it must be.
If you've dropped on larger tires consider regearing to say a 4.10 or higher. Mind you the higher in number you go the better low end you'll have but the worse top end so careful with the balancing act.
Unfortunately engine upgrades aren't cheap
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This is excellent advice.... start with an actual tuner... if that doesn’t get you there both exhaust and intake work ... an engine is an air pump... it sucks air in and pumps air out... the better it sucks the better it pumps.. so in other words adding a 3” exhaust without touching the intake and your still choked, doing the opposite and you caused a restriction... by getting a tuner first, all other engine and gear mods can be calibrated in as you go.
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The 5.4 is by no means a crappy engine. It does has a bit of silly designs in it but it's a good reliable engine so long as you maintain it. Diesel is a good engine but diesels have their share of quirks and problems too not to mention a much higher price tag on them.
They already have the Ford, they're asking for inexpensive upgrades for said truck, telling them that their truck (or engine) is crap and telling to spend a bunch more money on something else isn't helpful at all.
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I would say just try modifying your driving habits a bit first. The Ford Modular V8 is a great engine, they just like to rev, a lot. Basically dont be afraid to run it at 4K+ RPM, thats where they make their power. Something as simple as manually selecting first gear when off the pavement and just letting the engine rev can massively improve responsiveness. Also when under much of a load at all select the "tow haul" mode, that will allow the engine to rev harder and increase shift performance. Things I would do first would be do a tune up, get new Motorcraft plugs in there. Make sure the plugs are Motorcraft, they will cost about $6 a piece but they are worth it and vastly better than others. Next thing I would look at would actually be a shift improver kit, they can be installed in an afternoon and dont cost much. Also I will echo the tuner sentiment. A good one will cost a bit but it will not only help on the engine side but also the transmission side.
But first I would say do some routine maintenance, then drive it like a rental, lol.
But first I would say do some routine maintenance, then drive it like a rental, lol.
I love my truck but this makes the most sense in the big picture... may sell it or sell the bike and get a dedicated trail ride.
Plugs and wires sounds like a quick easy start... I also have a motorcycle addiction so have to spread out the expenses...but cold air and exhaust would be the next mod.
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For a trail rig I would say steer clear of cold air intakes, and "performance" air filters. In dusty environments your priority should be filtration. Also with new diesels just be aware of all the added complexity, maintenance, and reduced reliability of the after treatment systems. The average car owner is money ahead running a gas engine. My biggest concern by far would be DPF regeneration on the trail. The exhaust gets hot enough to start fires, so you need to be aware of that.
I understand where he was coming from, basically saying instead of investing tons of money in something.. trade for something that’s closer to what I’m looking for... but you gave a lot of great advise to the actually question I asked ... I appreciate that.
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Also it's worth mentioning that if you are willing to spend about 2 grand, regearing will be the best thing hands down. Most pickups leave the assembly line with highway fuel millage as a big concern. As a result I bet your pickup has a 3something axle ratio, if you geared it down to 4.10 that would be a massive improvement, of course you may lose 1 or 2 miles per gallon, but I think it would be worth it.
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Case in point, I have two identical Second Gen Dodge Ram Trucks, one is a 1500 the other a 2500, the 2500 is a dog, can’t even get out of my Valley at speed it’s so sluggish, but it gets about 20 mpg with the 5.9 gas engine. My other Ram is the 1500 several years older, but has the same engine and transmission. It is even running larger tires. It has enough power to leave the valley floor at 85 mph and still be doing 85mph by the time I hit the summit loaded or empty. But it gets 15mpg on its good days. The only real difference is 3.56 gears compared to 4.11 gears... that’s it... I chased down all the bolt on power products, and the only things that mildly helped get that grunt, was the tuner, a better intake system, and headers... finally decided that the mpg outweighed the grunt I was looking for.
Now I’m thinking of pulling my 2500 Ram out of retirement and gears will be a must once I fix a few of the other major issues.
Advocate I
I completely agree gearing makes all the difference. I spent a lot of time looking for a truck with something that wasn't in the 3's. My gmc does have 4.10 but it's also 18 years old so it left some ponies along the trail so that's where I'm chasing it. I totally recommend looking around to see where your best power adder is for your next big bump. For me it's a new installed cam, lifters, rods and a couple other add-ons. For about 2k I can get about 30-50hp which considering the truck came with 350 factory and probably lost a fair bit of those it's a good bump for me. On the other hand, my friend in his Ford his best bang for the buck was regearing from 3.73s to 4.15s (or was it 4.35s, I can't remember), he found a deal to do gearing and tossing in torsens front and rear for like 1600. I'm kinda jealous! Haha
I agree with the gearing point!
Pick a tire size you will stay with as long as you own the truck. Decide how fast you have to drive on the freeway and then go with the tallest gears that will keep your engine in it's designed power band range on the freeway.
For our truck (99 f250 with 7.3 and 4 speed auto running 33's on 17" rims) it was 4:11 gears I choose. This lets me course at 65 on the freeway at 2,100 rpm - right in the sweet spot for our 7.3.
For wheels and tires if 17" rims fit I would go with them, as currently the tires choice in 17" is huge. And they seem to be the best in price also. They have a 1/2" taller side wall over same OD 18", 1" taller over 19" and 1.5" taller over 20" wheels.
Also if you do rear gear, think hard on getting a good solid locking locker in the rear. We went with a Detroit locker.
I know you asked for low budget, but really gearing is everything. And your truck will come alive with a set of taller gears.
Pick a tire size you will stay with as long as you own the truck. Decide how fast you have to drive on the freeway and then go with the tallest gears that will keep your engine in it's designed power band range on the freeway.
For our truck (99 f250 with 7.3 and 4 speed auto running 33's on 17" rims) it was 4:11 gears I choose. This lets me course at 65 on the freeway at 2,100 rpm - right in the sweet spot for our 7.3.
For wheels and tires if 17" rims fit I would go with them, as currently the tires choice in 17" is huge. And they seem to be the best in price also. They have a 1/2" taller side wall over same OD 18", 1" taller over 19" and 1.5" taller over 20" wheels.
Also if you do rear gear, think hard on getting a good solid locking locker in the rear. We went with a Detroit locker.
I know you asked for low budget, but really gearing is everything. And your truck will come alive with a set of taller gears.
If you are talking power on the trail, just use 4LO. On the highway supercharge it. If you "upgraded" the tires is the gearing correct. Gas engines. loaded on the highway at 60mph I'd recommend 3K RPM. But if you are often driving empty, I'd aim for 3K RPM down one gear so you can use Drive to lower RPMs empty, Does it have a tow/haul mode??? If so USE it.
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Kind of a broad not 100% accurate comment there, you want your cruise RPMs as low as possible while still in the upper end of the torque curve (read, minimum throttle input while maintaining maximum rotational force). The actual RPM will be all over the map and is 100% engine dependent.
Advocate I
I thought the general rule of thumb was 2k - 2500 at 65mph with the engine at a 1:1 ratio? That would help with proper tire sizing and ratio. Guides like this are usually a good rule of thumb
A Guide To Gearing - The Dirt by 4WP
Everything You Need To Know About Ring And Pinion Gearing
www.4wheelparts.com
