I bought the stage 1 kit from Troyer w/the XCal2 for my 05 Lariat supercrew. I finally got time to install the exhaust this weekend and the intake today (tuner is still on order). After the exhaust the truck seemed quicker and showed 1/2 second improvement on my Gtech. I added the Airforce 1 intake today and truck feels more sluggish than before. Gtech numbers w/both intake and exhaust installed are just marginally better than stock! It seems especially soft down low.

Does the computer need to "learn" the changes? Will it fix itself?
Is the tuner going to make a noticable difference? Will it pick up the low end?
Any tips on reducing the exhaust noise in the cab at cruising speed?

Thanks,
RT

 

RT,
your computer will "learn" the changes of ther Xcal2, and it will pick up in the low end. I have a SIDO magnaflow system and you can't hear it while cruising. hey whats that Gtech say you are running the0-60/ 1/4 mile in? My mods are in my sig last time i ran was a 15.4 @ 88 <----this time was b4 the pulleys

 

I have the same setup. The exhaust will sound better afterbreakin. Mine had a slight drone at about 1800 to 2000 RPM. After breakin about 300 miles, it is just right mellow under slight accel but there on 1/2+ throttle.

 

Hi RT,

The PCM will do some learning, but for the intake kit, it really needs the custom tuning - remember, the Stage 1 kit is designed to work together as a system. Modifying 2004 & newer F-150's is vastly different from earlier F-150's or most other vehicles, especially where the air intake tract is concerned.

Another point is that you cannot compare times on different days, or even on the same day unless all powertrain temperatures (coolant, IAT, transmission fluid, etc.) as well as all atmospheric conditions (temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, density altitude, etc.) are all identical - that is the only way you can do accurate comparisons like that, especially in modern computer-controlled vehicles. You will get full details on that with the documentation that comes with your tuner.

Remember, very small changes in temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, powertrain temps, etc. have a significant impact on power output & performance of computer-controlled engines, especially in these 2004 & newer F-150's. Even fuel quality plays a very large role.

For example, a properly controlled before & after test on the cat-back exhaust system would not actually yield a full half-second difference in either 0-60 or 1/4 mile times in a 2.5-3 ton truck - a couple of tenths is more like it, as you're talking about roughly 15 HP at the motor, and while that is a very nice improvement, it's impact on the overall power to weight ratio of a 2.5-3 ton truck is small - to small to yield a half-second difference in acceleration times by itself.

The best way to do proper before & after acceleration times testing is to do a set of 3 pulls within not more than 90 minutes, allowing proper cool down time in between each run to stabilize powertrain temps, and done during a time of day during which you have minimal changes in temperature - this is critical to getting any kind of accuracy. We do the first run stock, then allow 15-30 minutes for cool down time and installing the new part, then do the 2nd run. Then allow another cool down time and return back to stock and do the last run. We typically do this at the drag strip, where we have very accurate data on all atmospheric conditions, and we are also datalogging all the vehicle's operating parameters, so that we get accurate data on acceleration time comparisons-based testing.

The Air Force One actually adds quite a bit of power (more than any other intake kit for the 5.4 3V F-150), as can easily be seen on the dyno when doing properly controlled runs - and it adds the most in the lower rpms ranges, right where it's needed. But it needs the custom tuning to correct for the A/F ratios, and then datalogging once you get the tuning so that we can fine-tune those A/F's - that is what custom tuning is all about.

To give you an idea of what difference the Air Force One makes, I can tell you, as can people here who have been at one of our public dyno days, that when we have a vehicle on the dyno, make a pull starting out in **2nd gear** with the stock intake, and then just bolt on the Air Force One with no tuning or any other changes, and then make the next 2nd gear pull, the truck visibly leaps forward much harder when we first nail the throttle to start the pull with the Air Force One intake (as well as showing more actual power) - you can see it immediately leap forward and strain against the tie-downs (and this is in 2nd gear from a standstill, mind you), where it does not do that with the stock intake kit. That requires a significant difference in available torque when it's enough to make the truck visibly leap forward on the dyno & strain against the tie-downs much harder upon initial launch where the stock intake does not. Now of course, in this scenario we have the same atmospheric conditions & powertrain temps, as we're datalogging all of that for proper controls.

However, all of that having been said - it still requires the custom tuning to bring it all together. This is just some general FYI info, and again, you'll get more detailed info that will come with your tuner on how to do properly controlled comparisons.

Last - it's not a bad idea to wait until your tuner arrives to install the intake kit, as they really go hand in hand - the intake kit can't yield what it's capable of until the tuning is also present, as it requires corrections to the A/F ratios. So feel free to reinstall the stock intake until your tuner arrives, so they can both go on together and everything can work as a system, as it is designed to do. Then you can do your datalogging & send us that data so we can do any fine-tuning needed, so that everything will be complete and your vehicle's performance fully optimized with the Stage 1 kit.

I hope that info helps, & good luck!