is it worth my 90 bukc or it wont make a difference?

 

I can't see where moving the TB out a little bit will help much of anything. A larger TB will increase power, but not sure about the spacer. Might lighten your wallet which could make the truck a little faster.

 

Good post, these spacers have only shown any power on blown cars, and even on blown cars they show very little power.

Waste of money. Throttle bodies are a waste of money also on these trucks until you port the heads and get cams/intake.

 

I'm confused by throttle bodies being a waste of money. If I can get an improvement in fuel economy/power by swapping the stock intake silencer (smallest diameter is 68mm) for a 3" (72mm) mandrel bent 90, why would changing out a stock 68mm throttle body for a 75mm be a bad thing? Seems like the flow to the heads would increase even more. I don't doubt the heads need work, but even for a 5-10hp gain a throttle body would still be an improvement.

The thought behind a spacer would be to lengthen the fuel runners. This would cause a shift in the performance curves. It may not gain you numbers, but if it shifts the curves to the left then you would help keep the torque and horsepower in a usable area. Most bolt-ons actually shift the numbers to the right.

-Kerry

 

As far as the throttle bodie spacers go I have a Helix power tower and when I installed it I felt a difference in power and there was a little increase in hp. Its not just putting a bigger gap between the throttlebodie but it has a spiral groove in it that spins the air which helps mix the fuel and air better then just having it flow straight in. Hope this helps.

 

If you understood how the actual airflow works in the intake, (sorry, I can't explain it in technical terms) then you would understand why they don't really work on a Port injected engine.
On a carburated engine, the air and fuel are mixed at the carb and the swirling effect will help mix the air/fuel. On a port injected EFI, only air flows thru the intake manifold until just before the intake valve where the fuel is injected into the air at a precisely metered amount. By the time that the air reaches the fuel, what little swirl effect that was created by the spacer is long gone from the air moving from port to port and bouncing around in the intake manifold..

Yes a larger TB will increase airflow to the engine and make a few more hp. On a Mustang test car in HotRod mag a few months ago, the Larger TB gained a few hp and actually increased throttle responce. Why did it increase throttle responce? I don't know. It could have been from the TPS being slightly advanced when it was changed over.

 

The suppliers for the TBS' all claim they actually increase air flow velocity and clean up the air flow, not necessarily by swirling. I'm not buying that 100%. Most increases in air velocity are due to restrictions, this makes thesuppliers' claims counter intuitive. I have a feeling the increase is largely based on the size air/fuel mixture going into the head. Since air is a compressible fluid, this added area inside the intake caused by the TBS increases the potential air charge. Sensors read the higher air content and the ECM would compensate and add the appropriate amount of fuel. You'd get the feeling of more power since power band is shifted to the left. Lay off the throttle and you'd see better fuel economy.

In essence you've created a 1" tall tunnel ram effect with the use of the TBS.

Had to break out the engineering physics book to figure out what I had typed.

-Kerry

 

so i should get one then?

 

Spacer "No".

Larger TB "Yes".

 

If I had the money I'd get both of them. Since I don't, I'd save the money up for a throttlebody first.

-Kerry

 

how is a bigger thorttle body?

 

Save all your money and get a tuner....

 

I ran a TBS on an 01 F150, and it was a total waste of money. It didnt provide any power gains, and gave off this annoying whistling noise at certain rpms. Yeah, it didnt stay on long....


Rich

 

Sorry for the delay, been out on business.

What exactly are you asking? The hp/ torque gains, the size, the cost?

Your current TB is 68mm, the Ford Motorsport Upgrade is a 75mm iirc (or is that the edelbrock?) any way you've opened up the hole where the air flows so it breaths easier. The ratings show a 10 hp gain and about 10 ft-lbs. Any other additions, like FIPK's and free flowing exhausts will also add a about the same numbers. However, adding all the improvements may only get you a 15-25 hp and 10-15 ft-lb net gain. These add-ons also shift the curves to the right. This means on a graph the peaks move higher in the RPM band. The larger TB can run you $375, but you should be able to find them cheaper.

The tuner is a smart investment, as 99f350sd pointed out. The engine's got potential just in its stock form. It's some unwritten rule in the auto-industry about only making the engine powerful enough to beat the current competition. The designers and engineers stop there and move on. They save some of their goodies for the Lightning, but that can be improved as well. The tuner can run you about the same as the TB, and the tuner can also "wake-up" any other add ons you have. This merely means that you can program the engine to take advantage of the free flowing intake and exhaust.

IF I went with a TBS, it would be after I made the other improvements. I would also look into machining a custom spacer (pretty pricey unless you have the mill and material in your own garage or shop). The TBS is a good concept, but a 1" block of aluminum for $80 is a bit rediculous. The TBS was not meant as a stand alone and the 1" addition is not nearly enough. The concept is to get the curves to shift back to the left, but maintain their higher peaks. The little vortex is a selling point for people that don't understand how port fuel injection works. The shifting back to the left in a more usable range (tire roasting/ rock crawling/ towing the max range) can be accomplished. If I were seriously considering it I'd try a custom add-on. I would add a few inches of spacer behind the TB and a few more above the upper intake. Really give it the tunnel ram.

-Kerry

 

I like the idea of the custom spacer. I have access to a fully CNC mill and could pump one out some time. Does anyone have or know where to find the dimensions for a spacer(specifically the bolt hole locations)?