New Whipple Supercharger Pushes 7.3 V8 Past 700 Horsepower

Plenty of Potential

When Ford announced that it was going to offer a brand new, naturally-aspirated, 7.3-liter gas V8 in its refreshed Super Duty pickup, enthusiasts rejoiced. Many dreamed of dropping a crate version of this big V8 in their older vehicles, or seeing it find a home in a future version of the Raptor. The good news is, this new mill certainly has a ton of potential, especially when fitted with Whipple's newly announced supercharger kit for the 7.3.

Photos: Whipple Superchargers

Exciting Specs

This new supercharger isn't quite ready for prime time yet, but Whipple has already shared some exciting specs that should have 2020 Super Duty owners chomping at the bit. Similar to their supercharger offerings for the Mustang, the Gen 5, Stage 2, 3.0-liter blower bolts right up to the engine with no cutting or grinding required. And all by itself, it adds a pretty incredible amount of power.

Photos: Whipple Superchargers

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Massive Gains

The Stage 2 kit comes with a massive Roval 132mm billet throttle body to replace the stock 80mm unit, and that really opens things up. To the tune of 700 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel. That's a massive jump from the engine's stock output of 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque, but we've seen similar gains from this same supercharger gracing 2018+ Mustangs equipped with the Gen 3 Coyote V8.

Photo: Ford

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Pushing the Limits

Those numbers were achieved using a pretty conservative 8 pounds of boost, so you can imagine that there's even more in this setup. Given how robust the 7.3's internals are, we also imagine that it can stand up to a pretty substantial amount of boost. How much is anyone's guess, but you can bet it won't be long before plenty of people are pushing this behemoth's limits.

Photos: Whipple Superchargers

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More in the Tank

The twin-screw supercharger kit also comes complete with a massive air-to-water intercooler to keep things cool, an oversized Crusher air system, and PCM programming from Whipple. Again, the company's tune is known to be conservative as well, so you could theoretically see even more gains with a custom tune, as Whipple-equipped F-150 and Mustang owners are already well aware of.

Photo: Ford

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Playing It Safe

Whipple's calibration also retools the Super Duty's 10-speed transmission to keep the engine in its peak torque range at nearly all RPM points. It even retains Ford's factory off-road, tow, eco, and sport modes. The PCM also constantly monitors the engine's torque output and other parameters to keep the engine in its ideal parameters. If a parameter falls below specification, the PCM will lower boost and torque output until the problem can be cured. This makes it ultra-safe compared to your average custom tune, which typically prioritizes power at the expense of reliability.

Photos: Whipple Superchargers

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Power per Dollar

Whipple hasn't yet announced pricing for its new 7.3 Stage 2 supercharger kit, but similar offerings for the F-150 and Mustang run around $8,200. That's obviously a good amount of money, but for such a substantial boost in power, this setup is actually a bargain. And you can bet that if/when Ford decides to install its big new V8 in other vehicles, people will be lining up to purchase one.

Photos: Whipple Superchargers

>>Join the conversation about this new supercharged engine right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!

For help with service of your truck, check out the how to section of Ford-Trucks.com