4.0 performance upgrades ... worth it?

[410Fortune]

You must understand that 1 or 2 modifications will not change any performance. Basically what you are doing is trying to get the engine to pump more air through.

You want more flow from the intake and more flow from the exhaust.

So you can open up both all you want, but you will always only be as good as your smallest bottleneck.
Right now the most restgrictive thing on your truck is likely the MAS air sensor, or the stock intake tube and air silencer.

Of course opening up the intake and exhaust will only get you so far.

The only true performance gains you will get from the OHV 4.0L with bolt on's like you have been doing is when all the bottlenecks have been removed.

 

[lester]

I agree the changes I made are basic component changes. However, these changes do serve as the building blocks for eliminating other bottlenecks with any chance of successfully improving performance.

Chasing bottlenecks costs money. In order to really make a 4.0 perform at respectable level will cost much more money than it will ever be worth.

Cost to date for the Superchip, cat/flowmaster and air intake upgrade exceeds $600, plus my time or worse than that the cost of a $50/hour mechanic to make these changes. The bang for the buck appears questionable in the absence of the chip replacement.

 

[410Fortune]

Superchips suck.

Sorry but a custom chip is what you really need, you should return the Superchip and go with an Apten.

Biggest bang for the buck on a OHV 4.0L = nitrous
Best mod for the $$$ on a non boosted OHV 4.0L = camshaft
Next best = heads and valvetrain re-worked

Yes modding a 4.0L is expensive

Best way to get acceleration from the truck is ring and pinion gears.

The 4.0L is a WORKHORSE, it also makes a lot of torque down low. It is an incredible engine for off roading, towing, and hauling. I can easily do over 100 MPH if I want to in my BII with a OHV 4.0L, tons of bolt on mods, 33" tires and 4.10 gears. It is also pretty damn quick off the line and it pulls mny 4000# boat just fine.

the 4.0L is not cheap to mod, but they do have potential. The best thing about the OHV 4.0L is reliability and gas mileage.

What were you hoping for with your mods?
It sounds to me like you are almost there, just a couple more things will really unleash the potential, ditch the stock intake tube, consider a better MAS, and then do the chip and you might actually be happy with the results.

Check out 4.0performance.com

 

[lester]

When you say Superchips are not the hot setup can you be more specific?

As with most chips I doubt I could return this.

Whats so great about Apten?

What will a larger MAS do for this unit?

Hard to believe one of those $90 chrome pipes will improve performance that much over the stock intake pipe. Can you explain this?

What did I expect?... Considering this is an overweight, flat nosed, under powered vehicle with a 308 rear end I was expecting to see an improvment in mid range performance, specifically acceleration and slightly better gas mileage. Idle quality is quite good in stock form as is throttle response off idle. Upshift and down shift, both timing and quality of shift, work well in stock form. Throttle response and fuel enrichment during acceleration in the mid range in stock form is poor. Top end with and without torque convertor lockup and overdrive is acceptable in stock form. This vehicle is my backup unit when I need to work on my daily driver.

The new air intake and the new exhaust did appear to slighlty improve mid range performance, but it still leaves alot to be desired especially since I should be in the sweet spot of the torque curve for this engine with the 308.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[99SportX]

Apten chips are fully custom for your specific performance upgrades. Visit http://www.apten-us.com

They firm up the shifts and are highly reccomended by almost everyone on this site.

 

[MONMIX]

After the first of the year I am getting the MAC intake from EE.
I expect no real performance gains, it is just so damn georgous.

Sorry I degress.

 

[rocklaurence]

My experience--
Worst mods:
MSD ignition
Electric fan

Best Mods:
BBK throttle body
Camm and head work

No noticable improvements but to error on the safe side:
hedders--noisey!
Chip--higher RPM
Intake system
Flowmaster exhaust

The MSD and Black magic fan cost me $500 and were quickly removed from service after they kept failing!!!
And, only expect half of the performance improvements that are advertised. That way you wont be so dissapointed.

 

[aldive]

What problems did you have with the electric fan?

 

[MustangShane]

yeah I'm curious about the fan too? I replaced the clutch fan assy. on my Mustang and WOW! What a difference! The throttle snap was better and I could feel the power difference. Admitedly this was also a 302, 5-speed but I dont see the reason it wouldn't work that well. You are taking a huge load off the motor and allowing it to spin more freely. Hence better driveability, more power and throttle responce. Plus my 'stang actually ran cooler after the upgrade. Most days in the summer I didn't even need the fan on to cool the engine. Just in some pretty bad traffic jams. I'd like more input because I'm going to do this to my truck and you're the first I've read that even had an electric fan on their truck.
And on another note you need to remember, a engine is just a big air pump the more you can pump in and out the more fuel you can burn the more power you get. 410Fortune has it right you can open the intake tube and exhaust all you want it. the heads and intake will only flow so much. A new cam, match porting and polishing the heads and intake, and headers will make alot more power. Or go aftermarket for the heads and intake it may cost but its worth it in the long run. I have never seen anything work poorly after it was improved properly. If it doesn't... it wasn't done "properly".

 

[aldive]

Take a look at http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75371&highlight=electric+fan+install

 

[jmstout1]

Granatelli MAS

Yes worth every $$$.


I have:
93 OHV 4.0L, 170K miles on the block
Full synthetic from day 1

Bosch +4 plugs
Taylor spiro wires
Shaw 180 thermostat
Ford 3 core radiator
Ford super cooling fan and clutch
KKM filter, with custom cold air inlet
95 Ranger intake tube
Granatelli 70mm MAS
BBK 66mm throttle body
JBA headers
Custom Y pipe
2.5" exhaust into 2.5" cat conv
2.5" single in single out Magnaflow muffler
2.5" pipe run straight out the back
4.10 gears
33" tires
custom A4LD transmission
Class A motorhome transmission cooler

The truck drives like a dream, it tows a 19' Bayliner with no problems and is faster than most cars on the road.....

Dear Sir,

Did you find the perfromance improvement for the Grantelli MAS worth the investment?

Regards

 

[spindlecone]

25 HP with a chip alone is debatable IMO, After all my mods, with 3 Dyno pulls I picked up close to 25HP total and about 35 lbs of TQ, well worth it to me

 

[aldive]

Dear Sir,

Did you find the perfromance improvement for the Grantelli MAS worth the investment?

Regards

I am not sir, however, it was well worth it for me.

 

[Rhett]

with a 308 rear end

Say no more. That's your #1 problem right there. In my opinion, 3.08's are way too long for our trucks (29" tires and 4.0 engine). You can add bolt-ons all you want but your 3.08 ratio is going to hold you back. Your only advantage is on flat highway, where you MIGHT get .5 better miles per gallon.