MyNameIsAric's 2005 F-150

[mynameisaric]

Well some of you may know that i've been trying to accomplish a SAS on my explorer for a while now. Mostly, i've just been parts collecting.... I knocked out getting a new DD and a tow rig in the same purchase. I'm the proud new owner of a 2005 4x4 F-150 with the 300hp 3 valve 5.4L V8. XLT package interior(aka nothing fancy(one step above bench seat and roll up windows)). It came stock with front tow hooks, and a class IV hitch. When i purchased it, it already had a roll-up soft tonneau cover, bug shield and vent visors. Since it was originally from Minnesota, it also has an engine block heater.

First towing adventure with the truck exactly how i bought it (with the addition of a trailer brake controller and weight distributing hitch of course)


I've since added fx4 wheels(i know, i need hubcaps), and running boards.


The truck tows great, has plenty of power to pull the explorer @70mph in overdrive. Unsure of the mileage since i've never pulled long enough to get a good idea. I can tell you i get 13.5-15mpg as a DD and i don't feather the pedal. My dad's 2008 crew cab 8 ft bed F-250 with the same motor gets 11mpg and he feathers the pedal.

11-15-08 --- Installed 2008 Tow Mirrors




11-21-08 --- Installed Mac Intake
Sounds mean!!!! I almost don't want to do an exhaust now... But i still will just for looks.

[cybergasm]

So do you drag your x everywhere you go?

Nice looking truck tho

[mynameisaric]

I installed new tow mirrors yesterday. They are amazing! The large convex mirror is simply awesome. Heated, power, with turn signals and puddle lamps.
installation writeup i used:
http://www.f150online.com/forums/200...ails-pics.html
wiring diagram i used:
http://www.trademotion.com/pages/ind...8&pageid=10207
step by step installation instructions for aftermarket tow mirrors with pictures:
http://www.stylinconcepts.com/images...ns/2120SCH.pdf

[Stic-o]

I have been looking at the tow mirrors, but they are a little to big for my taste The factory ones work good for towing too

Get hubcaps!!! or check your lugs offen...trust me!


Look into the Edge.... HUGE differance! I running Gibson cat back, K&N and the Edge. I leave it on level 2 all the time and get about 17-18 on the highway. Towing the Ex on level 3 I get 14mpg!

[Texplorer]

And clean your front wheels!!!!
Nice purchase, I love mine, especially now that I can afford to fill it up a lil more with gas prices down a bit.

[mynameisaric]

Edge is on my x-mas list. with gas the way it is, i won't mind running level 3 and paying the extra .20/gal for 93.
then intake and custom sideswept exhaust.
then leveling kit/aal/smaller blocks ( i want to lift the front, but still remain level when i tow.)
then 325/60/18's and lower gears.
then a ramair hood and pocket fender flares

all in that order.
and somewhere in there hopefully i can score a good deal on hubcaps. I just can't bring myself to spend $100 on little plastic hubcaps.

[Stic-o]

My truck was level when I towed, but not without. I put FX4 Coilovers on (mine is 2wd) and it leveled it out. Same as the leveling kit...sort of. You will lose about a mile per gal by leveling it though. mine is not level when I tow now, and I have thought of adding air bags. 18" wheels will also give you a lower max tow too...acording to ford


Also how do you like the Weight dist hitch? I don't run one, and mine seems to run fine so far without.

[mynameisaric]

I've never towed without it, so honestly i couldn't tell you. My truck tows very well though. It was a pain to set up the hitch though. I'm glad i get to use the same exact trailer each time. I have markers on the trailer so i know how far to pull up, so it is simple to load now. The hitch also has sway control( i think that is standard with all weight dist. hitches though), and I don't notice any sway on the highway.

I dont know if you have noticed or not, but on the hitch it states 2 different weight capacities. i think 5k undistributed and 10k distributed. you might want to take a look into that one day.

I wonder why the 18's have a lower capacity. I did notice the tires on the 18's have a lower max pressure rating than the tires that were on my 17's. I'm guessing the tire load capacity is different also. so i guess, i need to figure out if it is the tires or the wheels that lower the capacity.

[mynameisaric]

Sounds mean!!!! I had no idea how much silencing the stock intake did. It is perfect too, because at normal cruising RPM's it sounds exactly the same, but at WOT you would swear I have an exhaust system, except all the noise comes from up front. I almost don't want to do an exhaust now... But i still will just for looks. Got it for $100 on craigslist. Could not pass up the deal.

[Stic-o]

get the exsaust! you need both. She can breathe in now, but she still needs to exhale

[mynameisaric]

working on it. Need to find a muffler i can be happy with. A performance muffler that runs pretty quiet. No highway drone in this truck. I lived with glasspacks in the explorer. That got old after about a year. As soon as i find a muffler, i'm getting an x pipe and making a custom sideswept exhaust that exits in front of the rear tires with dual black tips.

[Sams01XplrSprt]

looks nice aric keep up the good work

[mynameisaric]

Keyless entry. I had it on my explorer and i missed it very much when i got my 150.... so i added it.
step one: remove old handle
step two: install new handle and plug it in to harness.
step three: remove back seat and find code, test keyless entry with found code.
step four: reinstall backseat, and enjoy

[GRNMACHINE]

Nice Trucks, nice job on the keyless entry. When I ordered my Explorer I didnt want the keypad on the door (didnt like the looks), but after using it I really like it too. Is that drew petersons neighborhood?

[Sams01XplrSprt]

so that keyless entry is that from ur explorer or what or is it a newer keyless entry

[mynameisaric]

Originally Posted by GRNMACHINE

Is that drew petersons neighborhood?

lol..... no.... i'm across town from him..... remember, innocent until proven guilty.

Originally Posted by Sams01XplrSprt

so that keyless entry is that from ur explorer or what or is it a newer keyless entry

it is from a newer f-150. easy swap. everything is setup. all the wiring is there. and the lock cylinder is 100 times easier to swap than an explorer. the f-150 is an easy u-clip... the explorer... i don't remember, but it was much more complicated.

[mynameisaric]

a little update



So now that i dont have a monthly payment anymore, she should have a leveling kit and rear bags sometime soon(late spring/early summer).

[mynameisaric]

so once upon a time i had 2 trucks that could trot down the road perfectly fine. then i decided to basically chop one up and make it into a bad a$$ off roading machine, and that is yet to be completed. BUT i still had my little red truck that got me from point a to point b... until i decided to change the spark plugs at 71k miles. (please note that this is 29k miles before the book says to do so)

Well it turns out, the engineers at ford are a bunch of morons and not only do they make the back 2 plugs on the passenger side a bear to get to, they also designed an awesome new spark plug that comes out in pieces and requires a $63 tool from a company that makes tools for "special applications"

I'll have more pics to follow, but i'll leave you with what ford believes is an excellent spark plug design.







my specialty tool gave up on the 5th spark plug and i either need a fancy metric die or a new specialty tool. I hope i make it to work this week. I did get ONE spark plug out whole.... so i have 5 spark plugs completely changed and i need to extract the broken bits of the 6th and still do the 7th and 8th.

I wish I had a Ford engineer's backside to shove all these spark plug pieces into.

rant over.

[section525]

That sucks. I've heard that a lot about the F150 plugs. Luckily the plugs in my SD will last forever.

Good luck with the other 2.5!

[mynameisaric]

what about all the head bolt and egr issues with the 6 point blow?