What's the max safe RPM for a Ford V8 302 EFI? Reason why is I have a tachometer and I want to know where to set the red zone RPM to.

Thanks again everyone....

 

Don't take it above 5500 but to be safe I don't really go above 5k. There isn't a whole lot of power at 5k it's mostly in the 3-4k range.

 

It will not break at 5500-6000rpms but your stock cam of about 187/193 doesn't make power that high.

With all the stuff on my truck I shift it at just over 5K on the 1-2 and 2-3 mainly for this shift extension on the next upshift...not for the power there.

Shifting at 4500rpms tends to make me take a bit longer to get moving again for the next gear.

One of these days I need to install my Mustang shift governor to get automatic WOT shifts at 5200 1-2 and 5000 2-3.

I'd set the red zone to 5200 or so....but i have my shift light at 4900

 

Redline is 4500rpms, fuel shutoff at 5200rpm.

Can't get the motor above that without going around the computer.

 

Um, either my RPM gauge is off (don't think so) or there's a mistake here. I have had my 302 to 5500 RPMs before, maybe alil higher. It won't break but....it's a lot of stress to be runnin top RPM.

 

I've had mine past 5200 before with the stock SD computer. Now with my MAF kit the thing has a rev limiter setup by the MSD @ 6000rpms.

There is just nooooooo power that high.

 

My factory redline on the dash tach is at 5500.

 

That's what the Ford tech book says fellers. Don't shoot the messenger.

I've never had mine that high, and never will... The highest I've ever had mine too was around 3500rpm...

 

You are causing alot of wear on your motor anything above 4500 rpm. I personaly never go above 4000 rpm. Maybe if I had a ricer.

 

Wow do you guys just love to babie your trucks or what!!!!!

You all know that you can kick the hell out of your ford and as long as you take care of it. Everything will be just fine.

To prove it
1990 F150 5.8L 2WD
192,000
Hauling a 33 foot camper most of the way. And that was 3000 LBS over hauling limit.
By the way through must of the moutains in the US.
Stock engine and tranny nouting rebuilt
Runs great today,tomarrow,forever!!!!!!
Above 4800 RPM All the time as well. "Lead Foot"

 

So how much oil did you burn then and now?

The 302 had the highest rpm curve of any of the V8's at the time, but it is extremely hard on them to run them at high rpms when they get in higher mileage ranges.

I've heard (and seen) people blow rings, main bearings, and timing chains with unneccessary rpm revving.

You guys need to remember that these are truck engines, not the 6000rpm+ 5L mustang engines.

 

Yup, 5000-5200rpm is best for me for WOT speeding about shifts. I don't daily redline any vehicle I own, there is no point and the excessiveness of it creates premature wear problems if done frequently.

I assume the truck 302 vs the Mustang 302 is very limited internal wise...the 89-92 Stangs had forged pistons and a roller cam. Everything else like rods, bolts, crank, I am pretty confident is the same.

I have seen stock roller 302 blocks run into the low 12 sec 1/4 mi range for a few years before the topend falls into the motor...mainly due to nitrous usage. That's with well over 120K mi, so don't underestimate the strength of any motor.

Be that as it may, you won't see me high reving a motor with 150K mi very often unless I was prepared for its imminent failure.

 

Pastmaster, what year is the manual you're looking at? If it's before they went to roller than sure. It used to be 185hp and then it was bumped to 205 hp in 94 I think. That would be a result of a higher rev limit since, hp is just a calculation of torque and RPM.

 

It's the 1993 tech book, they very thick one. All 1993's are 195hp versions (302 that is...) with roller cams. California models in late 1993 had mass air, and I would assume are the same 205hp 302s as the 1994-laters have.

Did roller cams allow for higher rpms? Definantly, but how much more? I don't know.

Does mass air allow for higher rpms? I don't know, possibly.


I don't think our trucks have a top-speed limiter like the newer OBDII's have. ALL newer trucks (except lightning) will stop at 98mph regardless of rpm.

 

I believe this to be true also. When my truck was totally stock it'd get just over 105mph in 3rd gear (AOD) @ ~ 4200rpms...I think all that 185hp had pretty much been used up.

It didn't hit a fuel cut out, rev limiter, or anything of that nature...it just physically could go no faster