hp gain? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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hp gain?

gt fast

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Year, Model & Trim Level
92 xl
does anyone have a round about idea on how much hp i would gain by removing the ac sytem in a 92 ford explorer. my system is done and i bever use ac as i live in the mountains of colorado. if anything wouldnt it help with uphill driving?
 



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If its not on, then its not really robbing any noticeable power since the clutch is disengaged.
 






well that is not entirely true only since once the compressor is out you are not running a erxtra pulley. i see what your saying since it free spoins so easily but it also is still more belt to turn with it.
 






1/4HP at the flywheel.
 






not enough that you would ever possibly notice.....
 






You won't gain hp by removing it but you will lose a good bit of weight. The rule of thumb for Mustangs is for every 100 lbs. of weight removed you lower your 1/4 mile ET by 0.1 seconds. Losing the AC and all associated parts might gain you 0.2 seconds in the 1/4 mile and you will get better gas mileage.
 






Don't remove it. You are going to be acquainted with something called winter in a few months. When running your defroster, it helps to turn on your AC to defog your windows. (you know, it works as a dehumidifier) On modern vehicles, they normally run the AC when the vent is set to the defrost position.

1/4HP at the flywheel.

Assuming the bearings on the condenser pulley are sticky:D I think the couple extra ounces that belt weighs and the force required to turn that pulley with the clutch disengaged is something like a few watts, so a few thousandths of a horsepower.

You won't gain hp by removing it but you will lose a good bit of weight. The rule of thumb for Mustangs is for every 100 lbs. of weight removed you lower your 1/4 mile ET by 0.1 seconds. Losing the AC and all associated parts might gain you 0.2 seconds in the 1/4 mile and you will get better gas mileage.

the whole system doesn't weigh 100 lbs. That would be like removing the floormats to get better gas mileage. Not really going to do anything worthwhile.
 






well that is not entirely true only since once the compressor is out you are not running a erxtra pulley. i see what your saying since it free spoins so easily but it also is still more belt to turn with it.
The joy you might feel with getting rid of the extra pulley (which at best would gain you a fraction of one horsepower increase) would be more than overcome by pain you'd feel in trying to find a belt to fit after it was gone.
 






well that is not entirely true only since once the compressor is out you are not running a erxtra pulley. i see what your saying since it free spoins so easily but it also is still more belt to turn with it.
The key word I used is "noticeable". If we're getting into the nitty gritty however, then going on an extreme food diet and driving w/o any clothes on will probably have the same effect as removing the AC system.
 






...going on an extreme food diet and driving w/o any clothes on will probably have the same effect as removing the AC system.


Hmmm... That's got me thinking since I'm already on the diet... :shifty_ey

I guess the good news is that as everyone knows, I always have a camera with me.
 






well then i guess i have for sure been proven wrong, sorry for the mess. well anyone have any inpuit how to help the explorer out in the mountains. i know there are gears and crap but im talking more bolt on. its a 2wd so i dont really want to rip gears and crap out and the interstate speed is 75 here so gear change might make my gas way worse.
 






It's a tough spot- it's a low HP engine on a heavy truck, there really isn't much you're going to do that won't either:

-Cost HP at the sake of MPG
-Cost MPG at the sake of HP
-Drain your wallet with mods that won't do much

For me, it is what it is. I know when I went from 2.73's to 3.73's in my Mustang, I didn't notice that much difference in mileage, and the 3.73's were easier on gas around town. I was getting between 23-28 hwy with the 3.73's on long trips, but not too much hill travel.

What gears do you have now?
 






If your looking for bolt ons. You could go with smaller tires effectively lowering your gear ratio. Since it's 2wd, if you lower it, it won't look funny either. 235/40/17 are 24.5" tall. 235/45S ARE 25.5". Both look fine on a lowered truck. Just get some used 95+ Mustang Gt rims. They fit perfectly and are usually cheap. The ones I have weigh only 16 pounds each.

Lowering the truck will improve aerodynamics a little too.

Other bolt ons for a little more grunt would be a complete 2.5" exhaust with new cat. Just get a generic cat and Dynomax muffler from Summit and take it to a local shop for install and pipe. About $200 depending on the shop. Want a little more torque? Headers... $300 and up last I checked.
Mustang MAF, and throttle body mod. Will help at WOT, but won't hurt fuel economy unless you keep your foot in it all the time. K&N replacement or cone will allow more air to get in too.
A 410 cam is considered bolt on.

change your O2 sensor. Everybody overlooks this. they are only 60K mile part. Switch to synthetic everything. Especially tranny. A good tune up will go along way. But depending on your mileage, you may need a rebuild, or new heads. I recommend a compression check.

One more bolt on to consider is kinda spendy, supercharger. They have them for the second gen, but I don't see why you can't put it on the first gen.

I don't know what gearing you have, but I have a perfectly good 3.73 you can have for shipping cost.
 






K&N replacement or cone will allow more air to get in too.
You can get airflow, or you can get decent filtering...with the K&N, you'll get the airflow, but at the expense of your rings.
 












You can get airflow, or you can get decent filtering...with the K&N, you'll get the airflow, but at the expense of your rings.

I've used them for years. My Explorer and my Rx7 both have over 200K on the clock and still going with no smoke or leaks. I've used them on all of my bikes too with no issues (aside from running lean). As long as you keep them clean and follow instructions they are fine. Only wash them with the K&N cleaner, only use cold water, never force air dry them, and re-oil with K&N oil. I do this about once a year. Sometimes a little longer on the Rx7 since i don't drive it as much anymore.


Yes, electric fan. i forgot to mention that.
 






You can get airflow, or you can get decent filtering...with the K&N, you'll get the airflow, but at the expense of your rings.

I'd agree with that for offroad use. On a street driven vehicle i believe it's been proven by many of people that have a crap ton of miles on their vehicles, it doesn't hurt the motor. I would never ever ever ever run a K&N for offroad. Stock filter only.
 






I would never ever spend the money on a K&N panel filter. Stock paper filter flows more than the airbox it is in.
 






Underdrive pullies and efan.if the ac don't work i would pull it all out and put a ranger non ac box in.ps belts are not hard to find.its just a nonac 4.0 belt
 



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You can get airflow, or you can get decent filtering...with the K&N, you'll get the airflow, but at the expense of your rings.

I have had a K&N panel filter on my '89 Mustang for 150k miles. Over 30k of those miles was with a blower pumping out 12-16 psi. It still has the original short block and burns no more oil today than when I drove it off the dealership lot. The only thing negative I have to say about them is they will gum up your MAF element over time and it needs cleaned more often than with a paper filter. Especially if the filter is over-oiled after cleaning it.
 






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