I have a rather important question (well, important to me at least). I have a 2002 Ranger XLT 4x4 (why get a 4x2 truck?) XLT SuperCab 4.0L V6 off-road package... whew...

I want to "tune" it some with a K&N FIPK, different exhaust and a SuperChip module. My question is, will any of those (or all of them) really give me performance increases as they claim, or will some do more harm then good?? I called Gibson and the person there claims that installing the K&N FIPK on my vehicle will reduce the torque (at low speeds/off the line) and actually give me worse gas mileage. Is he correct or is he trying to blow smoke where it shouldn't go??

From everything I have read, the K&N should give me better performance (about 14-16 more horses) more torque (about 22 ft-lbs) and at the least do nothing to the mileage. At best, it will give me better fuel economy, provided I don't go nuts with it. I need some real world confirmation of what K&N says, or of what Gibson claims.

I'm looking to get the FIPK in the next couple of days. As such, there is a time crunch for getting the information. I need to order it up before Monday (2/10/03) so that I can work on it either that weekend, or early in the following week. The rest of the modifications are slated to happen over the next few months, with the final one happening around Memorial Day week.

Also, if anyone knows of another exhaust manufacturer that makes a dual rear exhaust system (like Gibson's Split Rear) that WON'T make me remove my spare tire, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks, and keep them rollin... heh

 

02,

Sorry but You will not get that much HP from an FIPK. If you can keep your right foot off the go pedal the additions should help with both power and economy. The 3 additions are a great start and combined will increase the power and torque that you have. One question for you; Why are you asking a Muffler man for info on power improvements? He may have an opinion as a person, which is what I have, but his expertize, if I can use that word, is limited to mufflers. Kind of like asking a Dentist about your sore back....

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

The muffler man claims that they have tested their products with (on a dyno), and without the FIPK installed on 02 Rangers and found they dropped the torque numbers (instead of increasing them). Of course, his claims are 180° of what K&N claims, which made me wonder about things.

Would I get any benefit from the FIPK over just installing a K&N filter where the factory paper one is?

I called a shop that sells the superchips, and he seems to think the FIPK won't do any more then just the filter... Then again, he doesn't sell the intake product either.

I'm thinking of going with the air intake first, then the chip, followed (eventually) by the exhaust system. I want to get as many extra horses as possible out of my truck as possible, without getting invasive with the engine. Eventually, I might do modifications inside the engine, but I'd rather not dump that much money into it. I'd rather do more with my 02 Harley.

 

02,

You might want to contact Mike Troyer.
He is a supporting vendor on this site. His screen name is Superchips Distrubitor and posts a lot of answers in the Computer chips Forum.

JMC