Just released their software for tuning our trucks. Going to start messing with it this weekend. I will report back with any findings and cool stuff.

Also, if anyone would like to share some of their tips on what to change on these new fords it would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise I will just mess around with it and see what works and what not.

Thanks,

Greg

 

Can this unit be used with a blower? Specifically a Roush setup? What supoerchargers are best for a FX4? Pull a car traiuler and also drive normally(my normal)! Thanks

 

Yes, this could be used for a blower, most any tuner can. I am wondering all these same questions. This site has everything we need , I have a couple question posted in the technical area but there is no traffic through there. Some of them are simple that anyone who has done some tuning could answer with out giving away secrets, but after a couple days, still no answer.

 

Greg. What tuner kit do you have? I'm asking alot of questions so i do not make a mistake on my truck. Thankyou

 

I am using HP Tuner if that is what you are asking. As for power mods, I have done none (other than playing with the tune) as of yet. I do have experience supercharging mustangs (my last two cars, 2001 GT Kenne Bell and 2003 Cobra Mustang Ported/pullied/nos). I plan on putting some positive displacement blower on my truck this winter (and I will), once you own a forced induced engine, there is no going back, I am surprised I am waiting as long as I am to do it (bought the truck in July). I was going to let the warranty expire, but there is no way I will wait that long. So I am using the next 4-6 months to research and know exactly what I want and which direction I need to go. The problem is, which is expected, there isn't a really large tuning crowd on the F150's as there was the mustang (esp. the terminator), so it is harder to find information. I also need to learn a lot about what these trucks can and can't handle.

How much power?

How much can the tranny hold?
What can be done to preseve tranny life?

MBT?

How much can the fuel system support?

What is the weakest link?
What is the next weakest link?

These are some of the question I need answered before I go spending $5000+ on a power adder. One thing I have learned from past experience is take you time, learn as much as you can before going into it. I am not the type of person who is looking to be cutting edge, I will used what has worked and proved itself.

 

Thanks. You sound like a fellow who does things the way i do. Too bad we cannot seem to get more responce to questions on here. The one fellow replied on my Rousch blower questions..that i might waqnt to cut in 1/2 the weight i want to tow?? WHAT good would the blower be to me then? Thankyou,Joe

 

Yeah, I read that, I am not sure that is what Ken meant or not, I would hope not, but he has more experience with these trucks than I do that is for sure.

As you get older, you begin to see beyond the instant gratification part. When I bought my Cobra, I said I would not do the same thing as I did with the GT, throw every part at it with out a goal. Well, I had a goal, then I had another goal, then another, until the car was fast enough I couldn't use all the power on the street with slicks on (575 horses to the ground on small shot). Street tires were useless until 80 mph. It was also noisier, rode rough, and really took away from the ride, I hope I am over that as I want to do only what is needed, and knowing this truck will never be fast in my eyes, I hope this keeps me from going over board like I have in the past. A 14 sec 4x4 is perfect in my eyes. And I just love the whine of the positive displacement blowers at WOT. It is in my blood, the wife has come to realize this and so have I. I just try to be as smart as I can when doing this, cause you don't get your money back, so you have to like it.

 

What good? Well, blowers aren't there to assist towing. They are there to assist FUN! (Getting a 4x4 into the 14s is fun... but its even better in the 13s. )

 

I highly recommend you both do not consider tuning a blower yourself without access to a wide-band O2 and a dyno, lots of experience and an experienced tuner there with you. You easily hole a piston or put it through the crank case, or distroy a transmission if you don't know what you are doing.

The great thing about HP Tuning's software is its power.
The bad thing about HP Tuning's software is its power.
I foresee many people tuning their vehicles successfully but there will be casualties as well. Maybe not many with naturally aspirated engines, but it will happen with blower configurations.

The reduction in tow limit is a fact of supercharging. You may not like that answer. Take a look at a Lightning or Harley F-150. They both have lower limits than their non-blown counter parts. Its because IAT, spark advance, load and air/fuel ratio are far more critical with a blower, as weight goes up the margin for safety with these go down.

Sure, you could tow 10K with a blower. But not with any tune you're going to write nor the tune that comes from the blower manufacturer. Put it on dyno, datalog it, see how your particular truck reacts to changes and your tuner (if experienced) can put together a good, safe tune for heavy weight. Just don't expect to tow that sort of weight until you get a tune for it.

 

Ken. Look at ebay auction ## 226156144078. It is for a Power Works blower setup for 5.4 3 valve 2004-up. Read all the fine print. Supposedly IS calibrated to work with towing and NOT hurt the weight you can tow? Wonder why the difference??? HATE to ask what might seem like silly questions. Thanks,Joe

 

Oh yeah!! I'm having the FORD hi-perf dealership do my blower(IFFF i get one now). that way i cannot mess it up. Thanks

 

You keep dancing around this, wanting to hear what you want to hear (you can still tow stock limits). I'm not going to tell you that no matter how many times you ask or how you try to justify it. Before I left the business to concentrate 100% on Ford-Trucks.com I was the 2nd largest Diablo dealer in the country, and did quite a number of SCT tuners as well (though not as many, they were pretty new then). I've handled literally thousands of tunes. There's a big difference between what you can do, and what you can do safely, consistently and for thousands of miles without shortening the life of the vehicle. Many companies will tell you what you want to hear to make a sale and I have no such interest. Ask Powerworks to give you in writing something that says the truck can handle the full stock tow limit and that they will warrant it under those circumstances (don't hold your breath). Maybe one of their dealers will tell you this, but I doubt Powerworks themselves will commit it to writing.

There's a reason why Roush keeps the factory warranty intact to 36,000 miles (and you'll note they do not tell you that you can tow the factory limit). Is that blower company going to cover you if you destroy the tranny or hole a piston when towing factory weight limits? I doubt it.

Also, please stay away from Ebay auction dealers. They are there because they can't run a successful business based on experience and support, and have to resort to price cutting instead. Typically they aren't the folks who know much about the products, and in many cases they violate MAP which leaves you without a warranty from the manufacturer. It looks like the auction # you mentioned is invalid.

 

Ken. Did not mean to get you upset. I'll not ask you any more questions about a supercharger or ANY other power enhancing add-ons for my F150. Sorry,Joe