Ford now has a turbocharged V-8 that "generates 50 percent more horsepower". Since the old one was 300 hp, this would make 450 horses versus the V-10 which is what, about 360?

 

My source for this is the car section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which did a write-up of the new "Harley-Davidson F-150".

"... The SALEEN performance package is available on the two-wheel drive model of this very special truck. The upgrade includes a superchanged version of the Triton 5.4L V-8 that generates 50 percent more horsepower."

That's all it says. What the hell is SALEEN, described as a "new performance package"?

Let's see..... a 50% improvement on the V-10 would be over 500 horsepower!

 

Just think about this............Ford was "suppose" to drop the 5.4L for the new "boss 6.2L" V8. Well after all the talk and wait, they still offer the 5.4L in the 2009 F-150's. So the modular lives on. That should mean the V10 lives on.

BTW built for speed and built for toughness and longevity is two differint thing you know!

 

Do a little research. Saleen has been around for like 25+ years. Their big claim to fame is in the Mustang performance world. Roush also makes a small twin screw blower kit for the F-150 5.4.
There are at least 8 or 10 different companies out there make supercharger kits for various applications, none of them a V-10. A V-10 kit will never happen. There is not enough demand. Kenne Bell, and Whipple both made kits for the 2 Valve engine several years back, but dropped it due to lack of demand.

 

This strikes me as having a quite a few ramifications:

(1) All the people who post about wanting to mod their V-10's for more performance will now have the 5.4 turbo as an option;

(2) The concept of a 50% hp improvement might be more or less real, which is suggested to me by the fact that this is available only on 2WD. They obviously didn't want to beef up the front drive components, and they obviously thought they would have to, or risk increased warranty work for Ford.

(3) I presume that this motor, even though it is part of a performance package, will get better gas mileage than the current 5.4, due to the combustion being significantly hotter;

(4) Reliability will drop, just as we've seen with the turbo problems on the diesels; and

(5) High altitude performance will improve.


A lot of people don't realize that in a few categories, the V10 today has higher towing specs than a corresponding diesel, due mostly just to the fact that the diesel engine weighs so much more. However, if a V-10 with a turbo also sees a 50% hp increase, the V10's numbers will meet and possibly exceed those of a diesel!

Have to doubt Ford would do that....

 

There are many Ford dealerships across the country that currently sell the Roush "Nightmare" F-150 which has similar Supercharged HP and torque.

I honestly don't think a turbocharged gasser would be a good setup for towing. A supercharger would be better.

As said before Saleen has be around for many years just like Rousch. No doubt Ford has a deal with them similar to their current deal with Rousch.

 

I dought it will be offered on the SD line of trucks.

Ford has had a concept supercharged F150 that never made it into production after the 2nd Gen Lightning. It was based on the current F150 body style and had a 500 hp, supercharged 5.4 4v motor. The 2nd gen L was 360hp, 2v 5.4.
I had a 00 F150 Lightning that made the same power'ish as the 05 V10's (360/460 fac specs). Totally different animal all together due to weight, hp/tq curves. One was FAST, other is good for a SD. Towing sucked with the L, sure you could accellerate with ease up the steepest of hills towing just about anything (under 5k of course) and towing milage was around 7-8 towing 5k.

 

That's partly why I think this may be an exploration of future direction. Since a turbocharger uses otherwise wasted exhaust gases, it is more "efficient" than a supercharger. With the newly approved CASA standards (which now affect trucks too) this may be Ford's effort to get some real-world road testing of turbo gassers, but still with a fairly limited number of trucks.

 

Here's another point. The tow rating for a 2006 F-150 is 9200 pounds. If you get the option to increase hp by 50%, won't the customer also expect an increase in tow rating?

 

Saleens are supercharged.

 

Vortech still makes one for the 2 valve.

 

You know, you're right. I double checked the newspaper article and it did say "supercharged". My mistake.

 

The tow rating will not increase just because of increased power. The chassis suspension etc... still would be rated for 9200. It's offered in a 2wd because it's a performance mod, has nothing to with whether or not the front drive componants could handle the extra power.

A turbo is the better option for a work horse engine. Boost is affected by load more so than rpm in a turbo application. Superchargers "drive off the crankshaft" affected by rpm. Not too many supercharger semi's out there...is there?

You're not going to see it for a V-10 EVER!!! You would have to custom build your own turbo kit if you wanted it. A Saleen, or Roush S/C kit for a 5.4 will NOT bolt on to a V-10.
It's not some kind or research experiment by Ford so they offer it to the V-10 crowd.

Roush is spelled R-O-U-S-H..........one of the biggest names in NASCAR. and Ford performance.

 

Go try to buy one and see if "on the shelf" ready to ship.


A Centri blower is the worst choice for a work engine. They make the best HP numbers on a dyno, but always the lowest torque numbers when compared to a twin screw, roots, or a turbo....

 

No thanks. I already have a Whipple.