Will a stock 5.0 handle a 200+hp shot of Nitrous?

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[Jakee]

My opinion, WHY? It's pushing things past all safety factors engineered into your ride. Why gamble blowing it up like that? Not worth it.

 

[ssp.interceptor]

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[Jakee]

Yep, I am pushing things past the limit, I think we all are, so you have a point.

But you're talking about a 200 shot, my gut feeling is not agreeing with this.

 

[Jasonaudio317]

sure it will handle it. . . tell us how it turns out lol

 

[CDW6212R]

I moved my post from the other thread over to here. Nick, you could delete your posts about this from that other thread and clean that one up a little more.

Here's what I'm saying man. The quickest, cheapest and easiest way to make an Explorer run 12's.

Stock 5.0 2wd
255 Fuel Pump
250HP Shot Plate Kit
Colder Plugs
maybe head studs and gaskets if you wanted it to last more than a pass or two.
Gut the piss out of the interior
whack the exhaust off after the primary cats
Slicks
Good-ass tune

Pump and Nitrous Kit could be installed in a day. Another day or two for dyno tuning. With someone who knows what their doing with the tune (I'd take it to Lidio at Alternative Auto), the motor will hold together for a minute. It would most likely blow the head gaskets, but it would still click off a mid to high 12 in the process. If the bet was in the thousands, that would pay for the kit and pump, dyno time, fuel and hotel money for the trip, and a new 347 when I got back home. The truck would of course be trailer'd. The slicks would be borrowed.
I had a buddy that sprayed his stock block 5.0 GT with a 200 shot all summer street racing (went though 50 bottles) and when it got torn down to put in an A4 block, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the pistons (they were actually clean as a whistle from all the spray). We know the stock block can hold 500-550hp with a good tune when boosted or with nitrous. A 250 or 300 shot on a stock explorer 5.0 would put the power in that range. The 4R70W and rear end are beefy enough to hold the power as there would be no trans brake slams happening to snap something. It would all come down to how long the head bolts would hold out before stretching and blowing the gaskets. Either way, if the bet was high enough, a new motor would planned for and paid for.
This is all hypothetical of course as we are just having a friendly conversation with a little sh** talk mixed in, but I am saying that with enough money on the line, it is not impossible to turn a daily driver into a 12 sec time bomb in a week, and with the right friends willing to make a buck and see a show, the money could be gathered quicker than that.

BTW, 13.1 is pretty damn fast for a 4.0 SUV...

That wild combination of parts that you just listed is unreasonable and about 99% likely to never make a single full pass.

Tuning is one thing, a big subject by itself. The combination you suggested cannot work. The stock Explorer 302 has hypereutectic pistons, they can't take high power, especially the nitrous. The block can take some decent power, but not the kind of abrupt power built by that level of nitrous. Those two problems alone would kill the project.

The old 87-92 Mustang HO's have forged pistons, which can handle more power than the block.

The 4.0 V6 Explorers at least have an advantage in their exhaust manifolds. They can get headers to handle who knows how much power, 500+ easily.

The headers for a 302 Explorer aren't good for more than maybe 350hp, ad that's being very generous. I think a 1.5" primary header for a performance 302 is stupid, but that's just my opinion. I know a lot of owners of 302 based engines which use 1.75 to 2.0" headers successfully. If I bought a header for my 347 Mountaineer, it would have to be 1.625" at the least . If I ever do get to build a set, they will be 1.75" for sure.

I think that should all be placed in a new thread, to keep this one organized and clean.

 

[boominXplorer]

I ran a 100 dry shot on my old 00 mounty with no issues. I actually ran it at the track back to back over 15 times one night and at least 10 of them were with nitrous. I prob went through 20 10lb bottles in the truck. When I took the truck apart and parted it out the motor still ran good and had over 170k on it. The timing chain was stretched as hell though. This was with no tune also!!!! I did blow an accumulator spring from 2-3 in the trans while spraying.

Now onto the question will it hold a 200 shotor even 250? Yes and No..... 1st you need to have a good bit of bolt-on's already(intake, exhaust, headers at least). To do it safely I would not dare try it without a tune to retard timing. Copper spark plugs, Valve body upgrade. I would also use a wet kit so you can control the fuel also. After all that everytime you use it just say a prayer and hold on and hope it holds together!

 

[CDW6212R]

I agree that 100hp should be no problem for the pistons, but the 250 level never. The goal being 12's, it'll take more than a little gas and the other mentioned items. Boomin knows that too, ask him how quick he was with his combo, and how much time went into that.

A 12, or even 13 second 302 Explorer will take a lot of time and work to make happen. The headers and tight space under hood are the biggest obstacles. If you could solve the header issue first, then the rest would be minor, not cheap, but minor.

 

[corkey]

seems like a lot of work and money to get a big heavy suv to go fast to me,,

stop grasping at straws, and go big ,,

 

[ssp.interceptor]

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[jd4242]

ive ran 100 shots in 4cyl all day,i would see a 150-200 shots on a v8 302 as safe especially with a tune.i was going to run a 150 on my 4.0

 

[ssp.interceptor]

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[jd4242]

Ut-Oh! Watch out JD! Your going against the established-men with that kinda talk. But so is your truck!

kudo's on your build!

-Nick

i ran a 150 shot on my 93probe gt also,ALL STOCK..it LOVED it.i know you cant compare motors like that but i wouldnt think twice about doing it to a 302.my buddy runs a 250 in his 89 mustang with nothing but headers and exhaust and it flat flys!!he got it after i smoked him with my probe

 

[CDW6212R]

You can compare the pistons. The weak link of most stock engines is the piston type, or the head gasket. In the 302, the old HO engines can take more power than the block can take, the block is weaker than the pistons.

The Explorer 302 has weak pistons, like all other 302's besides the HO or Boss 302's. They cannot take the 500-600hp that can often break the block. So the piston is the weak link, or the head gasket, depending on your level or tuning or luck.

I knew guys about ten years ago who were buying the Explorer 302's for $500 or so, to use for racing. They'd sell the heads and intake to recoup some of the cost, and run nitrous in their Mustang race car until it blew. They admitted that they knew/expected the engine to blow, and they were pushing 150hp NO2. In a lighter race car that's a trade off in reliability, but for a racing only car they decided it was fine for them. I wouldn't do it.

 

[ssp.interceptor]

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[CDW6212R]

Yes, agreed. Keep it realistic also when talking about it, newer readers will not be able to tell when you are sincere, versus just stirring up a discussion.

These trucks do have potential, but the limitations keep most people from going far, or make them fall back to the Mustang/typical car for racing. I buy my vehicles based on what I need or want, and then make the most out of them, for me(not for resale).

Keep going.

 

[TheJokersGT]

I moved my post from the other thread over to here. Nick, you could delete your posts about this from that other thread and clean that one up a little more.



That wild combination of parts that you just listed is unreasonable and about 99% likely to never make a single full pass.

Tuning is one thing, a big subject by itself. The combination you suggested cannot work. The stock Explorer 302 has hypereutectic pistons, they can't take high power, especially the nitrous. The block can take some decent power, but not the kind of abrupt power built by that level of nitrous. Those two problems alone would kill the project.

The old 87-92 Mustang HO's have forged pistons, which can handle more power than the block.

The 4.0 V6 Explorers at least have an advantage in their exhaust manifolds. They can get headers to handle who knows how much power, 500+ easily.

The headers for a 302 Explorer aren't good for more than maybe 350hp, ad that's being very generous. I think a 1.5" primary header for a performance 302 is stupid, but that's just my opinion. I know a lot of owners of 302 based engines which use 1.75 to 2.0" headers successfully. If I bought a header for my 347 Mountaineer, it would have to be 1.625" at the least . If I ever do get to build a set, they will be 1.75" for sure.

I think that should all be placed in a new thread, to keep this one organized and clean.

FALSE the proof is in the bottle http://www.airflowresearch.com/articles/article020/A20-P1.htm

 

[Spdrcer34]

The stock bottom end handled MY 150 shot......your mileage may vary.

 

[CDW6212R]

The stock bottom end handled MY 150 shot......your mileage may vary.

Hi Ryan. 150hp was what the guys here were putting to the stock Explorer 302 in 1998, and they'd take it for a few weeks of track use.

 

[302nitrous]

I know a guy who sprays 175 in his 302 explorer. Nothing done except a TB upgrade, tune and a nitrous progressor. Went 12.5 in the 1/4. Awd aswell.