Does anyone have any experience in the throttle body spacers? What is your opinion on them? I was thinking of putting one on a 2000 F-150 with a 4.6L.
Thanks

 

I own one, and other than making my wallet lighter, it doesn't do a thing for the truck.

My advice - don't buy one.

-Kerry

 

What exactly are they supposed to do anyways?

 

The throttle body spacer manufacturers claim they boost just about every performance number... problem is they physically can't accomplish any performance gain. I fell into the trap, but not by going with a helically cut plate... I chose a spacer that forced air to the middle of the channel. I ended up porting it to match a 75mm TB and ported the intake plenum to match the TB spacer. I didn't see any loss or gain in mileage, so I figure it didn't really do a thing. I do figure that if I hadn't ported the combo, that I would have caused my mileage to drop though, as the restriction and air flow path would have been very non-aerodynamic.

The idea behind the TB spacer came from the TBI and carbed vehicles, where the fuel and air mixture happens before the spacer. With a port injected engine, like the ones found in F150s from 1987 on, the air fuel mix happens at the head, well after a TB spacer is installed. So the TB spacer doesn't accomplish the performance gain that is claimed as it can't swirl the air all the way down to the head (the air is divided after the intake plenum in the intake, which negates any motion casued by the TB spacer) - which would cause a better burn, i.e. more power better fuel efficiency. It doesn't add to the velocity at the head which would increase the torque output, the velocity at the intake port(s) and the exhaust port(s) is(are) what matters there - which is a property of the overall velocity of the system, a 1" thick spacer is not going to help that, but if designed wrong, could actually hurt it as a restriction.

Now if you look at carbs and TBI systems, the spacer is placed after the fuel and air are mixed - which will be beneficial to power and economy, the fuel air mix becomes mixed better, as a result, giving you those gains - not too stellar gains, but more defined than the port injected claims. A higher torque output may be gained, but generally this is only accomplished with a true tunnel ram - the longer the velocity stack the better the torque output, assuming that the ram is not overly restrictive.

All in all I equate the TB spacers to a more solid, less cheaply made version of the Tornado and it's equivalents.

-Kerry

 

I, too fell into that lightened wallet trap. Not sure if it does much of anything because I installed a freer flowing cat back exhaust system about the same time. I now get 1 to 1.5 +/- better mileage around town driving and 2 to 2.5 open road. Did that spacer help - it's there now, it will never come out as long as I own the truck and I feel better......

Now, if I could only find some cow magnets to wrap around the gas line.....

Dave

 

mine is comeing off sunday i will mail it 2 u no charge. the thing is crap my truck is a LEV and it makes it surge, check eng light comes on,ac cuts on and off junk junk junk junk fred snadford will not put 1 on his old ford

 

What kspilkinton said.

 

You have to pull the neg term off the battery for a computer memory clear to stop the surging as I did my '01 LEV 5.4. The other problems are not related - might want to put a code reader on AFTER clearing the memory and restarting the truck if it continues. Had to dump the computer as well after I put the low restriction exhaust on the truck - also my on '97 4.6 as well.

 

I put a Powerdyne spacer on mine and can't say I really noticed any changes good or bad. I left it on but probably wouldn't do it again. ('97 f-150 4.6L)

 

piecas of junk DON'T buy them