I'm brand new to the forum, and more importantly, brand new to upgrading a truck. I have a 1998 F-150 XLT 4x4 5.4L. I'm the original owner and the truck is completely stock (except for grill guard, step bars, and Rhino liner). It just turned 94K miles, and with the exception of the idle-air control valve failing around 85K miles, it has been the best vehicle I've ever owned, period.

I am very interested in getting more power from it, especially for passing vehicles on the highway. Obviously, with 94K miles, I'm not worried about warranties being voided. I've heard that with that many miles, I shouldn't mess with it, but I disagree as I plan on driving this truck for a long, long time.

My question really revoles around exhaust systems, air-intakes, and chips. I've heard that by changing those three things, I can get another 70 hp. But I have no idea what to get. So my questions are as follows: (1) exhaust...full system or cat-back, and what brand?, (2) which chip should I buy, and is it ok to add on an older truck? (3) what air-intake system seems to be best...air raid, air force one, K&N, and does a standard change work ok or should I do the cold-air induction?.

Sorry this message is so long, and I really appreciate any feedback or help. Many, many thanks.

 

you need to talk to mike troyer. He is the performance mod man. I just bought an Air force 1 intake and a chip from him. I would have loved to buy the magnaflow cat back system but the checkbook was screamin as is. Check out his performance packages. I can tell you from personal experience they really do make a difference and are worth the money.
Matt

 

White,

Here goes; Any aftermarket replacement air intake will get the job done. It is up to you if you want plastic or metal pipes, shiney or painted. As for exhaust systems the best way to go is to replace the whole system. Yes the OEM cats flow quite well but aftermarket cats will flow better. The OEM muffler is a big restriction so replacing it with the best you can afford is a good idea. The ideal combo in order of power increase would be new muffler or headers they add about the same followed by new high flow carts. Note that the muffler is easier to install. One thing that almost everybody doesn't see is the restriction just after the collector on the exhaust manifold. Where it turns down to go the the cats it narrows to 2¼ inches. The rest of the system is 2½.

By far the best bang for the buck is a performance adding chip. Weather you get a chip or a tuner it is up to you. Both will accomplish the same task.

I would also contact Mike Troyer for info.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

Hi White4x4,

Welcome to the Forum!

First - you're not going to see any gigantic 70 HP gain from doing a chip, intake & cat-back exhaust system - that never happened for anyone in any F-150 ever made - period. Those kinds of power gains (and far more, the only limit is $$$) are certainly possible, but not with just those 3 mods.

If you'd like info on what that setup actually *can* gain you, by using the best parts, meaning the best tuning, the best intake kit, and the best cat-back exhaust system, drop by our web site at www.TroyerPerformance.com and take a look in our Performance Packages section, at our Stage 1 kit for your vehicle - that will give you all the specific details, costs, power gains, etc. so you'll know what you can *realistically* expect to gain.

Those 3 mods, tuning, intake and exhaust, *are* what we call the "Top 3," as they are the top 3 best bang-for-the-buck mods. So they certainly are worth doing, absolutely! Just don't expect to get 70 more HP quite that easily.

It *does* make a significant difference which parts you select - meaning exactly *whose* tuning, *which* intake kit, and *which* exhaust system - For example, with regard to intake kits, hands down Air Force One is doing the best job - that unit is made of the highest quality materials, and gains the most power - we know, we've tested literally every name-brand intake kit on the market for the 1997-2004 F-150 with every different engine offered - just as we have done with all the models of each of the various name-brand cat-back exhaust systems, and many other parts. We do a lot of testing that most companies do not, as we have a customer base that includes everything from the more typical daily driver/occasional tow vehicle type of F-150 owner, to the all-out drag racers, road racers, etc. - guys who will spend whatever it takes to get every last possible ounce of power from these trucks, and need to know just whose & which part actually does the best job for the task at hand.

The exhaust is a really critical subject, as the vast majority of exhaust systems for these Ford trucks (and the GM & Dodge trucks too) will actually cause a LOSS of torque below about 2800-3000 rpm, especially on part-throttle - which is right where you cruise at and spend most of your time behind the wheel under those driving conditions, meaning at lower rpms & on part-throttle, more than at high rpms and foot-to-the-floor. SO you need to get a positive result *everywhere* - it's not worth another 10 HP at 5000 rpm if you lose 30 lbs./ft. of torque below 3000 rpm, for example. But that's another story, and would take far too long to type it all out.......... Just drop by our web site and spend some time reading up on these mods, you'll see we give quite a bit of detail and show which exhaust will actually get the best HP & torque results at any throttle position, as well as at any rpm, etc.

Overall - You have a good basic plan, and are basically on the right track in terms of the specific modifications you are thinking of, tuning, intake and exhaust - and there's nothing wrong with doing them to a 94K mile truck, either, as it's only halfway thru it's normal service life at this point.

I'd suggest giving us a call at our number listed below, & that way we can spend some time with you going over all the details, what kinds of gains you can realistically expect in terms of everything from actual raw power to mpg and the amount of performance improvement, etc. We should also cover some basic maintenance information you probably aren't aware of about these trucks, things that aren't in your owner's manual, but that you'll want to know about for best performance, mileage, etc.

Glad to here you're happy with your F-150, it's a great truck that will continue to serve you for years & years to come.

Best of luck whatever you decide,

 

Hey man
Ive got a 1998 F150 with the 4.6. I have 35's and rims so needless to say I also was looking for some power. I had all my upgrades done at the same time. The ABSOLUTE UNDISPUTED BEST cold air intake is the Volant Premium cold air system. I had a K&N on a 1990 F150 with the 302, and i have various buddies with all the different ones and out of all of them the Volant is the best. Toatally sealed off and a cooling chamber, there is a little noise but the power increase is worth it. Exhaust is also a good upgrade. I have true dual exhaust behind the cats and it is better than a flowmaster but its alot of noise for some people. Bottom line keep the restriction down. I got a hypertech programmer and its been the best 350 dollars that I have spent. Not only did I get noticeable gains, but it also recalibrated my speedometer and its not like a chip or module that cannot be easily tuned or tweaked for towing or cruisin. Also A throttle body spacer should be considered. I have a buddy whose truck is set up almost like mine but he has 33's and instead of an intake he has a spacer. the gains are just as good. A little harder to put on but also worth it I pulled out of the shop and I ahd my truck that has 35x12.50's blowing smoke out of both the wheel wells. Good luck in gettin your truck right.

 

Many thanks to all of you who replied. I'll be giving Mike Troyer a call and plan to use his recommendation and service for the upgrade. This forum really is a great way to learn tons of info about the F-150s. I'm really impressed.

 

Don't waste your $$ on the spacer. Instead port the Throttle Body and the Elbow. Gasket match the TB to the Elbow and the Elbow to the Intake. It will cost you the price of the gaskets and give you as much if not more than the paper weight, er the spacer.

JMC