Not too long ago I got a 2002 lightning. It has been slightly modified. It has a steeda air intake. a borla exhaust. Now for the questions. It has a cam, I don't know what kind or what size, but it definetly has one. it has a lower pulley, i'm assuming 4 lb since that is the most popular and both my boost gauges read around 12. I don't know if it has had a chip in it. Someone said that if it did I would be able to see it. Others said that you could plug and play and leave no visible proof. the cover to the diagnostic port is not there. any idea how much power i might be pushing? I would like 500, but i'm super hopeful.

 

Any estimate would be nothing but a guess, and a poor guess at that. Without knowing the type of cam (the specs, or at the very least, the brand name and stage), whether or not you have ported heads to go with those cams (which also begs the question, what kind of port, by what company, and what stage), and specifically what size lower pulley you have, there is just no way for anyone to hazard even a remotely accurate guess for you.

Put it on a dynojet dyno and get a reading. Or better yet, run it in the quarter mile. ET’s are what count anyway, not horsepower output.

A boost gauge will read 1 to 2 lbs more of boost just from the Steeda intake, if the Steeda unit is an open filament type filter. And your factory boost gauge is basically rendered useless after bolting on any kind of mods to the truck. That's because the factory boost gauge only reads to 10lbs of boost.

BTW, just curious, but do you still have the stock manifolds, or are you running with some aftermarket headers?

Stewart

 

I still have stock manifolds. I believe the heads are also stock. The steeda intake is an open element. Because the factory boost gauge only goes to about 10( the needle points at the speedometer) I have an aftermarket boost gauge. As I understand it, a hp gain such as 5-10 hp from putting in an air intake is good for a naturally aspirated engine, but on a forced induction an increase can be between 10-20. Am I right? If I am, and I go. 10 for intake, 10 for exhaust, 40 for pulley( I believe a 4lb of extra boost) and around 60 for cam(?) then that ends up around 500. I live not too far away from south georgia motorsports park, I'm gonna try to run it when I get a chance. As for a dyno-ha. I live in North Florida. Power around here is measured by how much mud you can go through, or fast you can get away from your girlfriend's dad. haha. I really would like to know. Without running the 1/4 I can't even guess at my et. One of my friends has a mustang Lx pushing over 500, he wants to race all the time. Many people said it would be close. Anybody that's ridden in my truck is astonished. I don't really wanna race, I go to school 60 miles from home and work 30 from home. I can't afford to blow an engine or wear out my tranny. I would like to make it faster, but definetly need a beater just in case.

 

Adding up quoted power gains for each mod doesn't equal the total gains that you actually may or may not see.

Otherwise you'd see stock 5.4s starting at 300hp then:
+20 for intake
+15 for e-fans
+10 for exhaust
+15 for programmer
= 355 hp = not gonna happen

And "around 60 for a cam" is meaningless because we don't know the specs on the cam. No offense, but for all you know that cam could have cost you power.

Not to mention not knowing anything about your tune...e.g. how much timing is it adding? Or if you even have a tune?

Other than a dyno, a timeslip is the only way to even offer a guesstimate as to the power you are making.

I'm certain that your truck is fast enough to surprise people.
But consider that a stock Lightning is fast enough to surprise people.

There's just too little info to go on.
You may be making more power than stock.
But you may be making the same or even less (though that's not likely).

 

Any way to tell if its tuned? I'm livin in BFE so not any speed shops anywhere close. I appreciate everyone's input. I do Know alot about cars, but Not like this. Old Motors or new electronic crap. Not hp and racing specs. Never needed it before now.

 

I believe me and **** pretty much covered all the bases, that being, any guess on anyones part is meaningless and baseless, however I feel the need to point out something to you: You will not gain any horsepower by adding a catback. There are zero gains to be had from adding a catback, except for sound, unless your mufflers are clogged or something.

So if you replace a perfectly operating stock catback with an aftermarket catback, you gain absolutely no power or performance on a Gen 2 Lightning, of any year.

Stewart

 

Where in N. Fl do you live. Jacksonville has at least 10 shops w/ dyno's. I use Velocity Trends on Atlantic Blvd. It has been over a year, but they charged $75 for 3 pulls. The owner will give you a deal sometimes for $50.

 

If you continue to drive your truck without a dyn0-tune you are riving a time bomb. One of the most important part of tuning is your air-fuel misture setting. To lean no moter left. Too rich no power and wasting money. As for a chip you need a SCT programer or a Diablo-Sport to tune your truck with the tune is everything.

 

Thanks for all this help. like i said mechanical or electrical no prob, specs and like stuff????????? I live more towards tallahassee and valdosta, anyone know any good spots that way? my air/fuel gauge says a little more rich than lean, but i'm not sure about its accuracy. Also i might possibly have an aftermarket driveshaft. its not shiny, but it silver and it is huge, anyway to tell by looking at it? like i said thanks for all the help.

 

Try your local Ford dealer service dept. For sure someone there can tell you where to go. I know one South of Atlanta. They built my truck origionaly, called Higgs Ford. I know that isn't close, but they are good. Also, Jacksonville is not to far. Joey Weeks at Black Sky in Jax is good also.

 

What's your definition of "a little more rich than lean"? What is the actual readout? What brand is your wideband a/f gauge?

Nah, it's the OEM aluminum drive shaft. They are thicker than the steel ones found on the '99/'00 Lightnings, but that's to make sure they were as strong as the steel shafts.

Stewart