Performance mods for 5.0L

[PanamaVR4]

I have a 2000 Explorer Limited AWD 5.0L and am frustrated with the performance. I have the Superchips custom programmer and K&N which helped a bit, but I would like a little more. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Jason_25]

You absolutely have got to have a performance exhaust system. You'll gain 5-10 RWHP and it will sound much faster

 

[SaleenEXP]

you definitley need a cat back, your other mods are almost useless unless you have a way to exhaust the extra air comming in faster.

I would recomend a dual in/dual out Flowmaster or Magnaflow muffler and have a shop custom build you a dual cat back with 2.5" piping. You love the sound and performance, don't know if you like loud and aggressive, but once you hear the 5.0 with either of those mufflers - you'll be hooked

 

[DarkFox1]

agreed.. you have the intake.. what you need now is a nice catback

as I've said the intake/exhaust are nice "Ground breaker" mods that are probablly some of the best things to do 1st.

then if you stil want more you can move onto larger stuff I suppose, headers, heads, cam, rockers, the expensive stuff hehe.

HP can become an addiction I imagine...

 

[james t]

get some exhaust on that sucker. you have an intake and chip, and the stock junk exhaust. kinda like having a pretty girlfriend that wears ragged clothes. you'll see a pretty decent gain with exhaust since you already have chip/intake.

 

[jssong]

how did that superchip programmer help out? i want to get that in order to change my tire size so the speedo will be correct

 

[PanamaVR4]

That programmer is actually really cool. You can even change your shift points too with it. I am really happy with it.

 

[jssong]

how much was it and where did u purchase it from?
have u tired using the programmer to change ur tire sizes? would u know how accurate it is?

 

[DarkFox1]

how much does said programmer cost? I'm no expert but if I could play with settings, maybe I could make my truck run alittle better..

I just dnt wanna screw it up.. you can always reset to defaults right?

 

[PanamaVR4]

You can always revert back to your stock program. It saves a backup of your stock program. I bought mine from Cerra Racing, it is not on their website but they can get it for you. Ask for Mike or Roh. I forgot the price too, but they were the best price I could find.

Cerra Racing

 

[justin's_94]

Definitely put a cam in that sucker, larger throttle body or spacer, and an bigger MAS sensor(Is that what they still call it on newer 5.0s or have they changed the whole intake system).

 

[DarkFox1]

have you found any 5.0 X tbs? if you have please tell me! lol cos I haven't seen a 1 besides OEM and SOL

 

[james t]

unless you have mad mods... you dont need a bigger throttle body. the stock 65mm is what mustangers upgrade to. it will suffice up to 380-400hp on the motor. or even more with a centrifugal charger.

 

[John_Rock]

I just bought a 2000 Limited v8 Explorer last night.

Does anyone have any updates to this thread?
What performance mods have you tried and how did they work?

Thanks,
John

 

[Trckmagik]

John is this Explorer for the misses? My mother just bought a 2000 Limited V-8. I love that thing.
Fill us in on what this explorer is for. Maybe a swap for the ole sport trac. You could be the first Sport Trac with a V-8 and soon a solid axle Dont mind me Im just egging you on. But you thought about it for a second didnt you? He He

 

[John_Rock]

He he, Brian. Yeah, it would be an excellent donor vehicle to put the v8 in the Sport Trac. Age wise, the Limited is only about 3 or 4 months older than the Sport Trac.

So, many possibilities with what to do with the Limited. But for now, it becomes the daily driver and spare parts vehicle. Ha ha, it doesn't need those front axles.

With a couple of performance mods, it could be a good tow vehicle for the Sport Trac. I could get one of those tow by the front wheels thingy to do it with. Just need to drop the rear shaft on the ST when towing. But, that's no big deal.

The Limited has air shocks and traction bars to help it out.

Not as good of a tow vehicle as Michael's Superduty, but definitely workable for towing around Texas.

Plus, down the road, I'd like to convert it to a real 4wd and wheel it!

 

[93 x_SPORT]

Does the exporer computer accept heads, cam, extra cubes and the such, very well?

 

[james t]

Originally posted by 93 x_SPORT
Does the exporer computer accept heads, cam, extra cubes and the such, very well?

all you need is a custom chip burned.

 

[John_Rock]

Luckily I didn't sell off the KKM filter that I had on the Sport Trac previous to doing a snorkel for it.
Cuz that sucker just bolted straight on to the V8 intake.

Which makes me ponder, why did Ford have the same air intake on a 4.0L v6 SOHC engine as the 5.0L v8 engine?

It's obvious that they had some performance in mind when they put together the v8 engine with the performance intake manifold, equal length tubed exhaust manifold and dual exhaust back to the muffler. But, to make it try and suck air through the same size hole that they do on the 4.0L v6???

Anyway, it's suckin a lot more air with the KKM cone filter. Now I just need to get a performance catback exhaust.

Any recommendations?

I'm thinking Flowmaster 50 series, dual in 2.5" and dual out 2.5" pipes???

 

[DarkFox1]

thats ford for ya.. they have small bursts of logic surrounded by hours and hours of stupid ideas.. like putting a 5.0 in explorers but tweaking 1 little tihng here and there like half an inch so that mustang parts wont fit, and then making it have a LOT less power than a vehicle that weighs 1000 pounds less..... .

50 series duals with 2.5 would be great on a 5.0

and btw, james.. some pcms wont accept chips, if I were you when cosidering doing any mods.. before you do a cam or anything you get someone to let you try a chip 1st to make sure your pcm will accept it.. and then if it doesn't.. you may ahfta have someone like our own BJ herron look at your pcm, I'm sure he can fix any problems you may have with that