Hello everyone, I decided I should make a post because I’m not sure where I should go next with my truck. I have been doing a lot of research but every boosted truck is a little different so I thought I would ask some questions.

I just put a vortech S trim on my 04 3valve 5.4 scab that I’m running a 6” lift with 35’s. My exhaust is just duals from the muffler back and my gears and everything else are stock on the truck. I am putting an electric fan on my truck in the next week. The vortech is just a bolt on centrifugal blower that puts out about 7-8 psi. I have an SCT tuner with a base tune that I’m running and I am scheduled to get a custom dyno tune in 3 weeks.

In the mean time, I was thinking about doing some upgrades before I get my truck tuned to give myself more horsepower so I can just get my truck tuned once and done (hopefully).

I have the stock maf, upgraded 39# injectors, stock fuel pump. I was thinking about putting in a smaller pulley but I don’t know what size I can go down to and if it will cause slippage. I also have no idea what size belt I would need to buy to match the smaller pulley. I was also wondering what needs to be done for the fuel pump, I imagine the stock pump is too small for more boost. My last question is what I could do for my transmission without rebuilding it such as a valve body kit etc. I'd like what most of us would and that is max potential without the engine or transmission blowing up!

Thanks a lot, sorry for the lengthy post!

 

The first thing you should do is put the proper gears in the truck! With the stock gearing and 35" tires,, your putting a lot of extra stress on the tranny and the motor.
Put some 4.56 gears and a valve-body in the trans. Then worry about making more power with your other upgrades.

Phil

 

^^^^ What he said....your effective final drive ratio is around 273, assuming you started with 355's......314 if they are 373's.
The Vortech needs a little help to spool up quicker.

 

It turns out I only have 3.55 limited slip gears. I guess 4.56 seem like the best of both worlds for acceleration off the line without hindering my highway fuel economy too much. Now I wonder how much it will cost me to do this?

Will it be a problem if I waited to do the gear swap and valve body upgrade after I have it dyno tuned, or will I be stuck paying hundreds of dollars to get it re-tuned? Thanks for the help!

 

I would do the gears and valve body first.
The tuner will need to adjust for the gearing change and probably the transmission settings after the valve body .

Phil

 

from my experience recently, and the advice from the experts here and Mike Troyer himself, here's what i THINK. Lose the tires, i have to but i dont want to at all. The gears will be helpful to compensate but you are losing a TON of hp from them. (Troyer put small tires on my truck on the dyno to prove it to me) Next, dual e fans, not just a single. A dual core radiator is good too. Ford puts an excellent fuel pump on the f-150, its not really neccessary to upgrade yet but, the only upgraded fuel system i know of is made by Troyer himself, its a dual pump system and runs about $1500 i think. A colder range plug, Brisk makes a good one. As far as the pulleys go, do the interchangable ones, easy to swap in and out in about 5 minutes. Stock blowers never give you all the power. Every manufacturer is gonna send you the safest most conservative setup. The pulley swap is huge. True duals 2.5", cats and headers wouldnt be bad. I realize this all really pricey stuff but its a combination of what the experts on here have told me and Troyer. Hope it helps, it definitely made my truck what ive always wanted!

 

Smaller tires on a lifted truck IMHO is not an option. Re-gear to compensate for them but don't go back. If you discuss the tires with Mike Troyer and explain what you have he will most likely advise you to change the ratio to bring you back to a stock number and then some more to compensate for the extra weight of the bigger tire. So if a 4:30 gear brings you back to a stock final drive ratio a 4.56 or 4.88:1 is recommend.

 

Yeah,,,what he said. ^^^

It's gonna look pretty funny with little tires and 6"s of lift too. lol

Phil

 

The gear swap does sound pretty nice. There is no way I would ever take off my 35's and put on smaller tires. I got a lifted truck for a reason, and I supercharged it because I don't want it to be all show and no go. It sucks the gear swap is 2K that's the only thing holding me back. Are 4.88's to low of a ratio to cruise at highway speeds economically? I do a 1,000+ mile drive a few times a year going back home in my truck so I think 4.56's would be the most practical yet still get my truck up and moving off the line.

Does anyone honestly know how much it will affect my custom tune if I change the gear ratio out a few months down the road from now. I'm getting it tuned this month either way I dread having to get it retuned for gears and a valve body though.

 

Gears will not affect the tune, but you will need to change the gear ratio in the programmer. You should have that option.

 

Your hand held programmer should allow you to change tire size and gear ratio.

 

I have an SCT X3 w/cutom tune. I put in 4:56 grears in my truck about a year after I got the SCT.
All I had to do was to set the gear ratio and tire specs. I didn't create a problem with the custom tunes. However I called the shop that did the custom tune to my SCT X3 and asked. They told me what and how to change the gear set up. They told me it doesn't cause a problem with the custom tune.

I am running BFG 36" x 13.5 tires at 70 mph I am at 2000-2200 rpm

I love the gear set. of course mine is a 4X4 and I also added the Auburn LS in both axles at the same time. so of course I love it. (off Road --- what a tank)

 

^^^Thats a bad a$$ truck man.

As to the others, obviously none of us want to go back to little tires! All i was saying is that you cant get all the potential power with the tires. a good adjustment is the gears though. Thats all i was saying and all Troyer was telling me. Im all about the show and go as well. My tires are staying too! I am however thinking of staring a new project, all go, no show!!!

 

Thanks for the help guys, e-fan goes on this weekend, custom dyno tune next week, and I guess gears will be when I get the chance!

 

Ok....

If you are still rocking the Vortech tune, please by all means get a custom Dyno tune. Throw on a smaller pulley(2.87 I think) and shorter belt. You will boost around 12lbs and your torque will jump up greatly.

Go to a true dual 2.5" exhaust.

Your stock fuel pump should be fine, if not plan to add a boost a pump. The "Troyer setup" which is actually made 100% completely by Fore Precision works cost right at $1000. It is overpriced compared to what Fore sells their other kits for, but Troyer has some deal worked out with them that he "exclusively" sells the setup for our trucks. Another option is what JDM does/Sells and they get the Ford Racing GT-500 dual fuel pump setup and adapt it to our factory truck units. They charge $1000 for that also. You can buy a FRPP gt-500 setup from $650-700 new and do the modification yourself, OR you can watch mustang forums and pick the kit up slightly used or bought but never installed from somebody for $500 or less...

That combo should get your mid 400's in hp and tq to the ground.

GEARS you need them! They should have been done with the tires.

You don't need an upgraded radiator. It's not needed.

I hope your not spending lots of money on a dual electric fan kit...