Well I knowmy truck is not the fastest, or anywhare close. I found a stop watch and decided to test out my truck. First off I have an 05 5.4 screw KR with 3.55 gearing and its 2wd. MY fuel tank was pretty much full. I did have a generator in the back,(about 90lbs) I also have a tanneu cover. I'm not much of a racer so I just would be at a dead stop then punch it. Either way I kept averaging out to 10.8 seconds! I knew my truck was slow but I did not think that it was that slow. Is there somthing wrong with my truck? Should I have it checked? I know it has some lag but is it really that much? Whats the deal with my truck staying in 1st till 37mph at wot?

Is that the average time for most of yall out there?
Is there a certain way to launch the truck?
Bythe way I do have a drop in k&n filter,.
Thanks!

 

Please don't do it that way. The numbers are no good, and full throttle with a stop watch in hand is not very safe.
Besides, what you are timing is a combination of reflexes and speedometer sweep.
In plain words the speedo needle is on the way up when you cross 60 mph. Example, you are shifting into 2nd at 40 or 41 on most trucks. But the needle is still sweeping up. I use a digital and an analog speedo in my truck and if I am at WOT in lower gears there is up to a 5 mph lag by the needle.
You need something like a G-Force. Cost you a little more than a 20 dollar bill. You stick it on the window, set it up and launch.

Also, on crossing 60, you are probably taking your foot off the gas. Nope. You 'punch through it'. That is, if you are measuring 0-60 you actually hit 70 plus on each run.

And times are altitude related.And adusted by formula.
When the Dragster runs 7.00 seconds in Denver it actually is running the distance in about 7.6 seconds. Times are adjusted for altitude. So if you are in the mountains it's gonna take a lot longer than on the beach.
Car and Driver, for example, do their tests in Southern California, about 50 feet above sea level.

Plus NEVER do 'hot rodding' with cargo in the bed. Uneven weight won't just screw up your launch, it can kill you.

Aside from all that, your times seem a little slow.
Did you turn off the climate control?
Chris

 

Hey Chris,

What's that G-Force you are talking about??

Is it actually something that will clock your time and it costs around 20 bucks?

I always enjoy reading your posts.

Thanks.

 

8004302671 is a number on e-bay to look for.
No ebay links here, sadly.
The price is two bucks higher than when I bought one. I have a VC200 that is a huge example of the same thing, just much older.
I bought one of these cheapy units just to compare to my older fancy unit.

Not much to choose between them. My big unit has more functions but is huge.

These used to be expensive, but there is a new deluxe unit with tons of features, so these have dropped a LOT.

Search under G-tech on ebay and Google for more info than you want.

They are the way the magazines have been doing it for about 14 years.

They eliminate reaction time both on take off and at reading, lets you ignore the instruments and watch the road also.

Chris

 

Hey Chris Adams, I am not very concerned about 0-60, 1/4 mile times or G- Force. However, I too sure enjoy reading your posts. You help keep this site alive and interesting with all of your knowledge and theories. Please keep them coming! Ruckus

 

I know what you meen, and there probably is some lag on my part too. The generator is secured in the front of the bed on the passenger side. the AC was off. is it better to just punch and go, or rev and go? If so at what rev?
I tried this on my parents ranch ouside of Baytown,TX (24ft alt) we have a nice long strech of private road.

thanks!

 

Do not power shift this truck. NO neutral starts. Forget it.

Make sure the motor is fully warmed up. Windows up. Fan motors off. A/C Off.
Stereo off.

Road empty. No left foot brake stuff. You can screw up a lot of things trying to 'line lock' it.
Also, this is for testing power, so cheating it in anyway gives you useless results.
You must be on level ground. Harder to find than you might think.
Course pavement. If the pavement is too smooth, concrete or wet, your numbers are meaningless.

Again, using a stop watch, you are measuring your speedometer lag more than your time.
Be careful. Don't get distracted. If you are wired up from a couple runs, time to quit. Get a coke, take a break.
We used to do a lot of quarter mile stuff, and the best drivers are the most relaxed drivers.
And on a track, there are no animals to wander into the road...
Chris

 

Thanks, so your saying not to hold the brake to rev to a certain rpm and then go, but to just stomp and go? Sorry for these questions but I just want to do things right. You have been very helpfull.

 

Keeping it non-technical, you want technical, read a book on it. A good idea, by the way.

We are actually talking about the torque converter;

The torque converter has a flash point and a stall point.

The flash point is the point at which the transmission will start to go forward. Commonly about 500-700 rpm. Below that the converter slips, allowing the engine to idle without carrying the truck forward.

The Stall point is the RPM that will stall the engine, in order to save the transmission.
Lots and lots of facts here, but let us just keep it simple. A 3000 RPM Stall converter will allow you to rev the engine to 3000 with the brake on and when you release the brake, it will launch with ferocity.

A stall speed (slang name) converter is what quarter miler’s use, street racers etc. By allowing the engine up into the RPM range were it makes more power, before you load it gives you an awesome launch.

YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE!

Your converter has a stall speed of probably 1200-1300 RPM, and more importantly, your transmission is a VERY expensive hunk of delicate machinery, built to be smooth shifting, and to be able to tow, drive, for 100,000 miles.

The kind of transmission that you can put a high stall speed converter on has a third to half the components of your tranny, is more 'robust' or just plain abuse resistant, and finally, is very cheap to tear apart or put parts into.

Your F-150 has a very high tech transmission and very sophisticated computer to run it.

It does not want you to damage it, so it 'corrects' your error when you push it too hard. It will stall, or go into limp mode if you mistreat it. It also keeps a record of how you are driving it. Do a few neutral starts and after it breaks; the shop will be looking at a readout of what you did.
Not cool.
Also, not necessary.
Get it all lined up, and just punch it. The computer will give it the best launch it can figure out.
Playing with the launch does not help.

The way the Car and Driver (etc.) people do it is left foot on the brake, engine at idle, then down with the right and up with the left. NO brake and gas at the same time. With the high torque and hi-tech TC you don't ever want to combine brake and throttle on a launch.

Also, are you watching altitude in your times?
Higher up, slower your times. Period. Times given in magazines, etc. are always at sea level.
And you still need an actual measurement device. A stop watch is so inaccurate that you might as well be guessing.
You can buy a G-tech basic model for 27 bucks plus shipping. If you are gonna thrash a 30+k truck, use the right tool for the cost of ten gallons of cheap gas.

For any real time improvement on this truck, you would need to put a tuner in it, and set it for premium gas.
Also an intake might help, and an exhaust upgrade.
These trucks are big and heavy, they are working rigs set up to be comfortable.
For speed you want light and uncomfortable.
And as always, be careful. Lots of dead would-be racers. Don't be one of them, please.
Chris

 

Thanks chris! So the computer always keeps a record of everything I do even if no damage is gone? Dose it retain memory for the past 10 miles,minutes, or everything forever?

I just want my truck to do mid 7s 0-60, mid-low 15s 1/4 mile.

 

Complicated questions, but to get to the meat of it. You are not getting into the7's with that truck this side of 1000 bucks worth of mods. Not true 7's.
9's are quick for a truck. 8's are hot rod truck range.
People talk about how powerful muscle cars were, and the tales get longer as they get older.

I still have time tickets for a new El Camino with a 375 horse big block, Muncie 4 speed. 15.29 best time of the day, and that's with headers open...

Put 4.30 gears under the truck, an Excaliber tuner, an Air Force One intake and a LOUD cat back, and you might hit 15.29. or not. A guy with a new Supercharger is hitting 16's over in the other forum.


http://www.f150online.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=213980


As to record keeping, I would have to ask Quintin over in the other forum for details, but I notice the CAN bus records a huge amount of data. If you drove the truck all day and stopped by, with a pocket meter I could tell you
how far you had driven it
your top RPM
your top speed
your maximum engine load
About 100 other things.
The ones the dealer use are a tad bigger and can pull more data.
I know it keeps track of the last 100 starts, and any redline hits.
Also keeps track of tranny slip, and a boat load of other things.
If you blow a tranny or more likely, a converter, any shop guy worth half his pay can tell what you have been doing with it. It's kinda obvious.

Chris

 

Well, if redlining the truck a few times is gonna break it, they better put a 3000rpm rev limiter on that sissy motor. As far as I know, the computer has a short term memory. And when they flash it.. where does that memory go? I also thought unhooking the battery would clear all its memory, which is why you have to have X number of consecutive good starts to pass safety/smog inspection, or it throws a code. Simply put, they don't want you masking intermittent codes from the service tech.

 

I have a Gtech, I should give it a shot. It'll tell me some stuff, obviously the computer is gonna keep me from using all its power.

(or will it?) I assume the computer doesn't limit the revs below the peak hp rpm. Otherwise the hp as advertised would be false.

Do Lightnings even run 8s in the 1/8th mile? I haven't had the luxury of running against any at the track. Common sense tells me that they'd suffer off the line due to weight distribution.

Generally speaking..... 14.0sec 1/4 = 9.0sec 1/8th.

 

The CAN bus keeps track of all maximum RPMs. It's in the federal requirements for OBDII.
Hitting the Red line is an example of what the bus tracks.

I listed several. I have seen lists posted of near 100.

Disconnecting the battery will not clear any set codes, on anything.
Never has, never will.

Non-volatile memory is a very old development.
You are posting, thus you must have seen it work.
On a computer it's the bios (basic input output system) on the Cmos (Chrome Molly Oxidizing Strip) that remembers your settings when you pull the plug.

Trucks and cars have had non-volatile memory since the late 70's.

A code eraser (I use a DP, and a Scangauge as my old equipment doesn't do the CAN bus) is required, but a cheap investment for anyone working on CAN systems.

CentralCoaster, do you even read the posts before the attacks?

If you are not a troll, but a young guy with lots of technical background and obviously excess cash, you could be an asset to this forum.
But so far, you are 90% attacks, and snide comments. You don't like Fords, OK, you don't have to.
However this is a Ford F-150 enthusiast’s forum. We post here all voluntarily because we are interested in our trucks.
We try to help each other, and serve as support for the guys with problems. We also read it to get new ideas.
It's supposed to be fun.

We do squabble a bit, as any family will, but we are all supposed to be on the same page.

You seem to not want to be here. I don't see anyone twisting your arm to post. So how about trying a few friendly posts, or constructive posts?
Or are you just trolling?

I would normally not waste my time, but in the other forum we had a young guy that didn't have a good word for anyone for six months. Now he is one of the best posters over there.
He's still sarcastic and sharp, but he is contributing and we appreciate him.
I kinda hope it turns out that way with you.
As an old Vette guy I would enjoy it.
The ***** in your court
Chris

 

On any present Ford CAN-bus processor (all Motorola's, as far as I know) all self-adaptive and logged data (anything that isn't flashed as hard code into the FEEPROM) is 100% volatile and stored on SRAM (Keep Alive Memory).

I know 100% sure this is true for the 6.0 Diesel, and if I am not gravely mistaken the F150's use an identical processor with a different set of connector pinouts.