I have an '01 F250, supercab 4x4 short box, 3.73 limited slip rear end. And of course, the V10. Just turned 63K miles.

I have been reading all sorts of posts around the forum about performance upgrades, everything from air filters to headers to chips to superchargers. Lots of options. But where would you start?

I regularly run 89 RON fuel in my truck, so the ten cents more for premium 92 RON doesn't bother me. I drive this truck daily.

What bolt on mods give the best bang for the buck? I don't want to break the bank nor do I want tire scorching performance. I tow my race car in the summer months with this truck. It isn't the weight, it's the grades I have to pull. There is one particular grade, a 7% for 6 miles that slows me down to 45 mph in 2nd when pulling my race car on it's trailer (about 5800 lbs car and trailer).

I'm looking at one mod at a time as money allows, thinking of starting with a K&N filter, then the FIPK, a chip, then exhaust? Or am I doing it backwards as some suggest that the exhaust is where to start? And then there are those that say that 4.10's would be the way to go. Since this is 4x4, that won't be cheap as I can't do that work myself. Headers? Cat back? Both? When is normal mode, I drive like a little old lady, getting as much as 16 mpg empty. I have also gotten as low as 9 mpg while towing at 75 mph through the hills of the Dakotas in a headwind. In other words, mileage isn't a real big issue, I knew that when I bought my V10. Usually, I get 10-11 around town, 14 on the highway.

So, lets hear it guys...

 

I started with an AEM intake (approx $200) dry filter and it makes my 99 V-10 SC 90,000 miles run and sound great ! I noticed a gain in throttle response throughout the range and about 2mpg gain on average.(16/17 highway at 65 and 11/12 city) I'm still debating what #2 modification will be. Thinking about headers ($200 on e-bay) or possibly a throttle body spacer (air raid ). Whatever you do don't get an oiled filter intake cause I've heard it will foul your MAF sensor.

 

you have some good ideas! good things to have on your list!

FIRST:
gears- regear to a 4.30 or 4.56! if you have (or will in the future) go taller to a 4.88 or 5.13! these V10's love to cruise at 2000-2300 rpm's! larger tires will kill them w/out a regear! a 3.73 to 4.10 WOUN'T be worth your time or $, and woun't make that much of a difference! my 4.56's and 39.5 tires pull pretty good, downshifts on hills that's about it. should have gone taller first off, so a 5.38 gear swap is in my NEER future!

SECOND:
headers- they are worth the trouble! don't go cheap either! BANKS, BORLA, and GIBSON are the three you want to look at! i run BANKS headers, love them!

THIRD:
chip/programmer- look into a good chip that's programable! i hear great things from the SCT flash programmers, and the SCT 5 position selectable chips! don't have one yet, but that's the one i'm going with!

FOR THE REST:
-a good free flow mufler helps (flowmaster is my favorite, performs good, and sounds the best to me)!
-universal high flow magnaflow type CAT (some agree some don't that it will change anything)
-air intake is good for about 3-5rwhp (fredvon4 posted some of his #'s one time)

if there are any other ideas i missed they'll pop up here shortly for ya!

good luck with your mod list!

 

I agreee with Jason on this - gears, gears, gears. My 05 Dually has 3V heads and thus a little more power from Ford, but not an incredible amount. However, I have 4.30's and pulling about 11.5K, loaded truck or not, I can make any speed I want (within reason) on just about any hill in our local Appalachian foothills. I have added a 63 Series K&N Aircharger (oiled filter - I bought some MAF cleaner; I have had three Ford Modular engines with oiled cleaners and no problems) and I had a Flowmaster 70 series with with two outlets installed in place of the stock muffler. The muffler may not add power, but when I have to open her up, she sounds out with authority and by gosh, I like it!!

There are lots of folks on the forum with more experience and expertise that will probably chime in to let you know which way to go. IMHO, get you some pullin' gears.

 

The only problem with gears for me is that I won't be running big tires, maybe 33" at max, so I don't know if 4.56 gears would be a good idea, not without running the numbers (rpm/speed formula stuff). I think that being able to go up the grade I travel in 3rd at 60 mph with my car and trailer would be good, lets make that a performance goal. If I can pull that off, I'd be happy. Then again, they drivetrain shop wants $150 per axle + parts for a gear swap. That would be around $800.

I have mixed feelings about the oiled filters, only because my previous truck, an F150 with the 5.4, fouled the MAF at least 2 times. However, I wasn't the one who oiled it, it was the place where I got my oil changed. I'm wondering if they didn't over oil it? But I'd give it a try. I'm kinda leaning toward the whole FIPK at once now, instead of just the filter.

Oooh, good call on the chip, 5 way selectible chip eh? Have a website for that?

How much louder are the trucks with the headers? I really like the quiet in my truck, I drive this as much as 1000 miles in a day, I like being able to cruise in the quiet.

Someone mentioned an '05? Don't they have the 5 speed torque step transmission? I only have the 4 speed automatic.

Hmmm, good ideas guys, keep em coming. I'm gonna do some gear calculations...maybe the 4.30s??

 

here's a good web site for the gear calculations- http://www.accuautoparts.com/

as for the gear price, that ain't that bad at all! figure gears will be 5-600, then 300 for labor.......just figure $1000 and if you come up with less you'll be happy!

4.56's and stock V10's will like each other (CAPTCHAS will testify to that one)! don't be scared to let the V10 run at 2000 rpm's while cruising! they will have there performance with in the 2000-2300 rpm range! 4.56's and stock tires will get you at about 2100 rpm's at 60mph, 4.30's will get you about 18-1900

as for performance prices........the headers will cost you about what the gears will! so your out of the frying pan and into the fire.........you'll have more gains off the bat with gears!!!!!! then save up for some headers!

the web site for the chip is http://www.sctflash.com! even the chip runs almost $400, and that only includes like 2 of the 5 tunes.......

 

some more add-ons you might concider are trans upgrades

factory tech valve body OR TransGo tugger shift kit

as for the sound with headers check out my web site for sound clips- http://www.team-mudd-racing.com/SOUND%20CLIPS.htm

enjoy!

 

Definitely gotta get rid of those 3.73 gears. I have them, don't tow much, but can tell they aren't doing the motor justice when towing heavy. Or going up grades in Upstate NY with a full load.

Go to 4.30's. BUT - stock tires are 31" tall, so if you're ever going to 33's, definitely go for the 4.56's.

If I were to re-gear right now (and I might before 2007 is over), even with the stock tires on it, I'd go to 4.56's just because I can. But I'm a nut I do plan on getting a RV trailer though...

Besides re-gearing, change the fuel filter, even if it has only 20K on it, and clean the MAF. We've had plenty of peopel complaining about bad towing performance only to find the fuel filter was the problem. Also, I'd question why run 89 octane? 87 is what it wants, and if it doesn't ping with 87, it does not help. Worse, if anything.

 

I run 89 because it does ping on 87 around here. Not too noticeable unloaded and flat, but on every grade we have, even the short ones, it will ping if run 87. My 98 F150 did the same thing.

Okay, I'm going to look at 4.30's, because I do currently run the 31" tall tires, and the 4.30s will be noticeable...I think. I also run this truck on the highway empty for trips (because I just plain like driving it long distance), so I still want to keep the rpms down while crusing at 75-80 across montana.

Boy, they sure don't give any of this stuff away. $800 for a set of headers? Yeah, they better be good for that kind of coin. I'm beginning to think an entire Banks package may be the most cost effective way to go.

Team Mud, your site is great, those sound clips are very helpful, thanks.

Time to go run the tire numbers again...

 

If you can find a truck the same as yours but with 4.30s in it, and can take it for a quick drive, it won't take long to see how much better it performs. It really does make a big difference.

 

One thing to think about is we have seen time and time again, almost NO difference in MPGs between the 3.73's and the 4.30.'s.

The Ford modulars do not seem to care about a slight difference in cruising RPM in terms of MPGs.

I put a 3.73 rear in my '96 t-bird 4.6L, up from the stock 3.27. I got BETTER MPGS on the HIGHWAY. It went from 23-24 to 26 on long trips (200+ miles one way). Lots of times, so it was repeatable.

Not to mention the incredible increase in MPGs around town in stop-and-go. Under "normal" conditions

Not only will you see better towing ability in the SD, but the MPGs while towing might get lots better overall.

 

Here's a strange....either I'm missing something or doing something wrong, but I'm not finding any 4.30's for the rear end in my truck? It's the 10.5 rear end, and I can find 4.30's for the front, a Dana 50, but so far, no 4.30's for the rear?

After running the numbers, those 4.30's don't seem bad really for the RPM, maybe a 300-500 rpm increase. And I can see exactly why 4.56's would work with the 33's. If I can't find 4.30's, that would be the route I would have to go. Oh darn

Great info guys, this is sweet. Already ordered my clear headlights and 05-07 "conversion" grille. I can justify that a lot easier to the misses than another $200 a month for an '08 Superduty.

 

My take, although I agree with all the good input above, is to start with the exhaust. I would begin with headers and true dual exhaust. This alone might get you out of second gear on that long grade. The improved efficiency of a good exhaust system helps in every way, and if you are as "thrifty" as I am, I think it's the best bang for the buck. And being "thrifty'' I would test the results before going to the next logical step and installing the gears.

The only reason that I suggest not doing the gears first is my belief that keeping the rpm level down will prolong engine life caused by normal wear.

Then, if you find that you are going to do the gears, go aggressively, say 4:56's. And if that overdoes it, you can always make your next set of tires a little taller to compensate.

 

I have 285's, almost 33", and have 4.30's. I would stay at 4.30's for 285's and not go to 4.56. If i remember right, the 4.30 with 285's is equal to 4.10 with stock 31" tires. After running 3.73 for a long time, the 4.30's seem like the engine is winding out at 65-70. I know it is not, it just seems that way after the gear swap.

 

i woun't dissagree at all if we were talking about oooo lets say a focus........we have a 8000+lb truck, letting the engine drop below its power range will make it strugle at the slightest incline. i can testify to this when i was running 39.5 tires with 3.73 gears...........crusing at 60 i was running at apx 1200 rpm's. i had to get up to 80 mph before it would cruise with in 21-2200rpm's. it used to down shift to go over a bump in the road, and couldn't pull JACK SCHITT!! given the fact that this is a 5500red line engine crusing at 2000 ain't bad at all and your still with in the power range.

keep you RPM's around 2000-2100 at crusing for your best performance!

i did the exhaust first...........WISH i'd gone ahead and did the gear swap first! that's just my experiences