4.6L Performance Mods

[Skyl3r]

Hello all,

I've been searching for a bit and a lot of the time I'm coming up with results that reference parts I can no longer find (IE, AED Supercharger) or a lack of consensus on points; so I'm hoping to get some solid feedback and give anyone else looking for the same things as me a good place to start.

I have a basically stock 2005 Limited Explorer with the 4.6L 2v. I have friends with a lot of tools and machinery to be able to fabricate parts, but I would prefer simpler bolt ons if possible. Here's my list of questions:

• The 2 valve mustang guys all say that their engines are good to like 400rwhp on stock internals, stock rear end and stock tranny. Does this apply to us?
• Everyone seems to suggest getting the SCT tuner. Is there anyone providing Explorer tunes for this?
• When I'm looking for exhaust stuff, nearly all I can find is the Magnaflow catback. Is there any full exhaust kits or am I stuck piecing something together? Any recommendations if it's pieced together?
• The 2v mustang guys all seem to say the stock intake is really good on their engines so when considering bolt ons, you can normally save it for last. As far as I know, we don't have the same intake as them, so is this true for us? and if not is there an intake that is generally recommended?
• I've heard the K&N CAI for 99-04 GT's fits our explorers, is this the best option for CAIs?
• I'm really wanting to SC once I get exhaust and tuning figured out. I saw rocket mention that the KB 1.7 is a really good choice. I believe KB dropped the 1.7 and replaced it with a 2.1. Is this a good option? What sort of fabrication is needed (if any) to fit it? Is there any other options that require little fabrication?


Sorry if I overlooked something that was easy to google for. I'm still learning about cars and could very easily have used some incorrect search terms


Any advice on bolt ons is appreciated,

Skyl3r

 

[Black Dynomite]

K&N have a specific item for our vehicles. 57-2564

For exhaust, I'd get the Flowmaster Super 50, or if you want loud, Super 44. Depends how much resonance drone your prepared to accept.
Also get some JBA headers.

You'll need to tune for these, so SCT definitely the way to go. Check these guys out - http://www.lasotaracing.com/

 

[Skyl3r]

K&N have a specific item for our vehicles. 57-2564

For exhaust, I'd get the Flowmaster Super 50, or if you want loud, Super 44. Depends how much resonance drone your prepared to accept.
Also get some JBA headers.

You'll need to tune for these, so SCT definitely the way to go. Check these guys out - http://www.lasotaracing.com/

Hey! Thanks for the response.

Don't know how I missed that K&N has an intake specifically for our car. Thanks for the Part #. I'll definitely look into that.

I can't seem to find the Magnaflow kit for cheaper than $500, so if I can get a Flowmaster and have a shop run the pipe for me, that definitely seems like the better option. I didn't realize I could have that done for so much less than the Magnaflow kit.
Also casually talking to a buddy he told me that he has an SCT X4 with 3 more activations left on it and he'll give it to me for $200.

I expected to spend $900 on catback and a tuner. It's starting to look like I can get this done for $400. That'd be a pleasant surprise!


So how big of a difference do the JBA headers make? I was checking them out but haven't found a lot on how much better they are over stock.



BTW, I have like $2000 I want to drop on upgrades. My plan was CAI, full exhaust and tune. If there's somewhere else I should be investing some of that, I'm definitely open to suggestions before I blow my money! My interest is purely on road performance right now.

 

[Black Dynomite]

Another member here Zerodevil liked his headers, but not sure on numbers or butt dyno. Check some of his posts, he was the self-proclaimed bolt-on king I have a RHD Explorer ( we drive on the left over here) and the headers have specific clearance for the steering shaft so would never fit mine. If you can (may be illegal where you live), ditch the resonator (some call it a third cat, its not) and run 2.5" pipe. Anything bigger is overkill. There is definitely room for an X/H pipe setup if you want to go duals but you 'may' have to stow the spare somewhere else to do this.

Efan and some Steeda underdrive pulleys are worth it imo.

Coils & plugs are junk, stick to Motorcraft there. Even tho zerodevil really like his GMS coils, I tried some recently and they are no better than stock. I tried there MPG series (guarantees 15% mpg increase). I track my fuel mileage and they made no difference.

To get it tuned properly, you'll need to take it to someone who knows what they are doing. And lucky you! Lasotaracing are in the 740!
If I was you, i'd get those guys to tune your truck after you do intake and exhaust. Talk to them first about your plans, these guys sound really knowledgeable.
http://www.lasotaracing.com/About LRT.html

 

[Skyl3r]

Another member here Zerodevil liked his headers, but not sure on numbers or butt dyno. Check some of his posts, he was the self-proclaimed bolt-on king I have a RHD Explorer ( we drive on the left over here) and the headers have specific clearance for the steering shaft so would never fit mine. If you can (may be illegal where you live), ditch the resonator (some call it a third cat, its not) and run 2.5" pipe. Anything bigger is overkill. There is definitely room for an X/H pipe setup if you want to go duals but you 'may' have to stow the spare somewhere else to do this.

Efan and some Steeda underdrive pulleys are worth it imo.

Coils & plugs are junk, stick to Motorcraft there. Even tho zerodevil really like his GMS coils, I tried some recently and they are no better than stock. I tried there MPG series (guarantees 15% mpg increase). I track my fuel mileage and they made no difference.

To get it tuned properly, you'll need to take it to someone who knows what they are doing. And lucky you! Lasotaracing are in the 740!
If I was you, i'd get those guys to tune your truck after you do intake and exhaust. Talk to them first about your plans, these guys sound really knowledgeable.
http://www.lasotaracing.com/About LRT.html

Yeah I actually spent a bit of time looking at what Zerodevil did and what worked and such. I guess I've just heard a number of people say that the stock headers are pretty good. As the JBA's are like $600 here, I just wanna make sure I'll see some gains before I drop that much.

That's unfortunate about the lack of clearance for the headers there! I'll have to check when I go to the exhaust shop if removing the resonator is something they'll be able to do or not. They may say yes or may so no. Not sure yet.

eFan is something I definitely have been thinking about. I need to go out to a junk yard and find one to jam in there. I don't know enough about the upsides and downsides to underdrive pulleys yet to feel comfortable doing that. I hear things about it that make me a little nervous. IE, lights dimming at low RPMs. AC not working unless you're moving. That sort of thing.

I never realized that Lasotaracing was in Ohio... I'll definitely be talking to them for a tune. That's awesome


My goal for right now is to get up to around 300hp or a little more at the crank. My dream is supercharging and getting to 400hp. But this car is my daily driver right now, and I can't afford the risk of downtime.

 

[Black Dynomite]

.............
I don't know enough about the upsides and downsides to underdrive pulleys yet to feel comfortable doing that. I hear things about it that make me a little nervous. IE, lights dimming at low RPMs. AC not working unless you're moving. That sort of thing...........

I dont have any issues with them but I never did the alternator pulley. I was more nervous about a fan controller failing than the UDPs. I got a flexalite 33054 controller, still going strong after several years.

 

[Skyl3r]

I dont have any issues with them but I never did the alternator pulley. I was more nervous about a fan controller failing than the UDPs. I got a flexalite 33054 controller, still going strong after several years.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Do you have any idea what sort of power you were/are making with the catback, EFan, underdrive pulleys and CAI?

 

[Black Dynomite]

no, i never dyno'd, for me it was more about efficiency.

my current mpg avgs are

City- 15.27
Highway- 17.96

 

[Skyl3r]

no, i never dyno'd, for me it was more about efficiency.

my current mpg avgs are

City- 15.27
Highway- 17.96

Gotcha. Your city is my highway if I'm really focusing on driving cost effectively haha

I'm really strongly considering getting HighTech Stage 2 cams... If it's the same as the Mustang guys, it shouldn't require springs and as far as cams go it's a pretty simple upgrade. If I do that, the list would be:

$600 - Stage 2 cams
$300 - CAI
$200 - Tuner
$200-300 - Exhaust

If everything goes perfectly, that should put me really close to 290whp

 

[JW]

Here's my current setup; I'm leaving out the additional things I've done that don't necessarily increase *power* like ARP hardware, forged rods and pistons, etc...

K&N intake
Trick Flow 75mm throttle body
Trick Flow Street Burner intake (difficult install, write-up in progress; only did it because I was tired of the leaky stock plastic intake)
Comp XE262H cams (stock valves and Manley springs, since the heads were already apart)
MMR stage 2 ported/polished heads
JBA headers
Magnaflow high-flow cats
Electric fan conversion
Steeda underdrive pulleys (no alternator pulley change)

I currently have an SCT iTSX with a basic tune from Unleashed Tuning, that needs some additional work (running a bit lean). As-is, the thing is a monster above 2500 RPM. I'm *guessing* 325-350 flywheel horsepower.

 

[Skyl3r]

Here's my current setup; I'm leaving out the additional things I've done that don't necessarily increase *power* like ARP hardware, forged rods and pistons, etc...

K&N intake
Trick Flow 75mm throttle body
Trick Flow Street Burner intake (difficult install, write-up in progress; only did it because I was tired of the leaky stock plastic intake)
Comp XE262H cams (stock valves and Manley springs, since the heads were already apart)
MMR stage 2 ported/polished heads
JBA headers
Magnaflow high-flow cats
Electric fan conversion
Steeda underdrive pulleys (no alternator pulley change)

I currently have an SCT iTSX with a basic tune from Unleashed Tuning, that needs some additional work (running a bit lean). As-is, the thing is a monster above 2500 RPM. I'm *guessing* 325-350 flywheel horsepower.

Wow, I bet that thing is a monster! Is there any certain part that you felt like gave the biggest bang for the buck?
How are the JBA headers? I'm really torn on getting them, because I saw a number of people say the stock headers flow fine, so invest elsewhere.
Also, what's your opinion on dealing with Unleashed Tuning? I emailed Don at Lasota Racing last night and I'm currently waiting on a response, so we'll see how that goes.

My roommate has an '06 Mustang with a Magnaflow catback, I believe. He just did a CAI and tuned for 93 and it sounds like a whole new car now. Kinda inspired me to start pushing this project forward

 

[Skyl3r]

For anyone else who was wondering what sort of price to expect from Lasota Racing, the pricing page is here:
http://www.lasotaracing.com/MOCUSTOMTUNES.html

$100 for the first tune on a 3rd gen and $50 for each subsequent tune. Don responded to my email and he gave me a pretty good first impression. So once I start ordering parts, I will be talking to him for a tune.

 

[JW]

The butt dyno tells me I lost some low-end torque with the headers (but gained higher RPM breathing). I'm hoping to get some of that back, between the cams and the tuning. Best bang for the buck is probably in the head porting. I haven't worked with Unleashed on tuning very much, but I've done business with Torrie for years (he used to run a Ford parts website) and he's a great guy to work with.

 

[Skyl3r]

The butt dyno tells me I lost some low-end torque with the headers (but gained higher RPM breathing). I'm hoping to get some of that back, between the cams and the tuning. Best bang for the buck is probably in the head porting. I haven't worked with Unleashed on tuning very much, but I've done business with Torrie for years (he used to run a Ford parts website) and he's a great guy to work with.

Ah okay. I'll probably hold off on the headers for the time being then. I'll keep that in mind about Torrie. If for any reason it doesn't work out wit Don LaSota tuning my car, then I'll check out Unleashed!

With a little luck, I'll have an exhaust, FIPK intake and tune for 93 octane by Thursday. I ordered my FIPK intake today. I'm gonna stop by an exhaust after work and get a quote for running 2.5" all the way back with a Flowmaster 44 muffler.

EDIT
So... I can't find any shop that'll do mandrel bends. Is it worth the difference of nearly $400 to get the magnaflow catback?

 

[Skyl3r]

Well, I decided to not risk it with getting a crush bent pipe. I ended up ordering:

1. Magnaflow catback
2. K&N FIPK intake

and I'm talking with Don now to get two tunes. I'm thinking I'd like an 87 and a 93 tune.

I'll report back on my experience with everything. So far I'm getting the feeling that Don / LaSota Racing is gonna be great to work with.

 

[Skyl3r]

First start up with Magnaflow catback


I gotta say, I was a little disappointed with the quality of the K&N intake. I haven't been able to take the car to WOT though yet. If it performs, I don't really care how it looks

Working with Don has been pretty good so far. He's been great at explaining in detail all the things he wants me to do and he seems knowledgeable. I don't have a complete tune yet, but my opinion of LaSota Racing is still pretty high.