Hey all, just awanted say I agree that horsepower isn't the only important thing in a TRUCK. I own a 94 F-150 w/ a straight six. It only has 160 HP. BUT it also putes out 260 ft/lbs! That's what it takes to pull. So what if others are quicker off the line. If I want to race around the block I'll buy a Lightning. If I'm going to use a truck as a truck I'll buy my F-150's.

 

the ss isnt for pulling really. thats up for there 5.3. what is the hp and tq on that.

 

Let me try this one more time.

I'm not knocking the 300 hp 5.4 engine in the 04 F150. It looks like a great engine, with lots of torque.

My gripe is, why can't Ford make a higher hp engine available as an option for those of us who would like it? Such as the 345 hp Harley engine.

You can buy a Dodge hemi (345 hp) in a half ton Dodge for about $23,000. The 03 Harley was about $37,000!

Ford buyers like me, who don't want the Harley Davidson or the lightening, would like to have a more powerfull (read HP) engine available on the option sheet, for an affordable price.

OK?

 

I can't speak for Ford but I can speculate why the option for a higher hp engine isn't available yet. It has something to do with the load rating, warranty claims they don't want to deal with and whether there is a large enough demand for this new truck.

All I can say is be patient and see what happens in a year or so. Ford isn't playing games. Ford is going to win and winners are built on endurance.

 

I agree with Superbru,
It would be nice if Ford had an optional High Output 5.4 for the F-150 without having to spend $35K plus. I'm sure when it comes to pulling that the triton will haul, but I would be willing to bet that most F-150 owners don't pull heavy loads on a regular basis. With the new technology in the improved Tritons, you would think it would be relatively easy to tune for a little higher powerband. I know it could be done, look at the new Lincon Aviator, it gets 300HP out of a N/A 4.6, and the Cobra R a few years abo had 385 HP out of a N/A 5.4 4V/cyl, I think the Triton could get 330 without any major reworking of the engine. The 5.4 is a $895 option, why not HO version for another 500 to 1000. That would still be a relatively inexpensive way to get serious HP for not a whole lot of extra ca$h. Lets face it. trucks today are not just for hauling anymore, so why not make an option of more power without having ot jump up to a lightning. HP does sell, especailly to younger buyers.

 

It takes supercharging and intake charge cooling to get the 5.4 to 500 hp. A 4.16" stroke is for torque. Not high rpm horsepower and long life. More power. More voodoo. More band-aids.

 

I think Ford has always comprimised reliability for power. I believe at least for the last 15 years that the numbers have always been lower than the rest. Yeah A new Chevy or Dodge may have more HP now but wait until they have a 100,000 miles on them. Then take them to the Dyno!

 

That's not the reason at all. Ford is not having ANY "Special" editions of the F-150 in '04. No Harley, No KR, no Lightning. Ford did not want to complicate the vital launch of the F-150 by building too many editions. They need to get the F-150 right the first time.

The Harley in on the SD in '04 because Ford wanted to keep the Harley edition in '04 and not skip a year.

 

not true again, they could have offered it in the '03 body style just like they are still offering the '03's for manual transmission reasons. they surveyed people that owned the current HD and the main complaint was that they couldn't tow with it look at the ratings on the current 150 HD and you tell me what trailer you can pull with it? will that hold your harley and your buddys, no it might hold your dirt bikes though



who buys the HD to tow their dirt bikes though???


think about it

 

A few thoughts:

Number one, the only 'normal' half-ton you can get with more horsepower than Ford is the Dodge with the hemi. The only way you can get the 345-hp GM is to get the mutant AWD SS, which is a special option package that starts at over $39,000 - which is even more expensive than the $37K HD F150 (and the F150 HD is definitely faster).

Here are the ratings:

Horsepower
2v 5.4L: 260@4500
3v 5.4L: 300@5000
GM 5.3L: 285@5200
Hemi: 345@5400

The new 5.4L has more horsepower than the GM, but not as much as the Hemi - though the Hemi is way up at 5,400rpm. As others have said, the 5.4L is a long-stroke engine - so that limits the high-RPM power.

Torque (ft-lbs)
2v 5.4L: 350@2500
3v 5.4L: 365@3750
GM 5.3L: 325@4000
Hemi: 375@4400

Once again, the 5.4L (either version) clearly has the GM 5.3L beat - and while the Hemi has *slightly* more torque, it's way up at 4,400rpm. Ford's ads aren't just a bunch of marketing hype - both the 2v and 3v versions of the 5.4L have a lot of low-end torque (especially for only 330 cubic inches). The new 3v 5.4L doesn't really have much more low-end torque than the 2v version, though they increase torque in the mid and high rpm range (notice that the torque peak moves from 2,500 rpm up to 3,750 rpm).

Now, I realize I'm in the minority - but I would definitely prefer low-end torque over more horsepower. For the vast majority of people, how much time will their engines really spend above 4,000 rpm? Not much.

Personally, I think we're getting spoiled - if people had to go back to the trucks produced in the '70s and '80s, they'd realize just how quick the modern trucks really are. I've owned Fords since the '60s, and my '02 is definitely the fastest stock pickup I've ever owned - and I've owned at least 20 of them over the years. I suppose it hurts to get beat at the stoplight, but personally I spend a lot more time pulling trailers than I do racing people at lights.

LK