4.0 SOHC Seriously fast?

[torqlox]

very nice, gotta love the way that 4-oh purrs

i think if you consider the class of vehicles the Ford Explorer is in, the 4.0 SOHC is crazy awesome. beyond all the numbers and statistics i dont think anyone can deny that the SOHC makes our 4000lb SUV's loads of fun to drive compared to similar vehicles

i've done a little suspension work to mine to make it corner better and i get a kick out of driving it every day! its ridiculously agile considering the kind of vehicle it is. my father says i drive it like a go-kart, lol

My 1999 SOHC which I gave to my dad had the 4.0 and let me tell you man, that thing moved!!! I had the K&N FIPK on it with the heat shield and all. I used to spank stock Mustangs and all sorts of trucks as long as I manual shifted to hold the RPMs longer. What a nice little bullet-proof engine/series of trucks. Main reason I bought another one .

 

[79ranchero]

I have several Fords, 98 Ranger, 2002 3.0 v6 Mustang, 2004 4.6l Mustang GT, 2006 5.4L Triton F150 super cab and a 98 4.0l SOHC Explorer XLT. All of the vehicles are stock. I can honestly say that driving on the street, the Explorer is far more fun to drive from stop light to stoplight. Non of the other vehicles, except the Mustang GT pushing in the higher RPM range, will yeild the accelaration the Explorer does, just driving around. I would expect that 1/4 mile runs at a track would yeild a much different feel of what is the faster car.

 

[gear_grinder]

my 97 5.0 feels like a tank, and accelirates like one too lol.

i thought with more torque the 5.0s would be a little bit faster, but idk mine feels ball-less

 

[techieman33]

my 97 5.0 feels like a tank, and accelirates like one too lol.

i thought with more torque the 5.0s would be a little bit faster, but idk mine feels ball-less

The sohc is actually a little bit quicker in the quarter mile. Mainly because of the 5-speed auto versus our 4-speed autos. They're also lighter than we are. An intake, headers, cat back exhaust and computer tune will wake it up. And a cam if your willing to put the work in.

 

[Scotty J.]

My take on vehicles is based on what they are designed to do. I just sold an 05' Evo VIII that was pushing somewhere along the lines of 400awhp PIC at The Tail of the Dragon. It's a Rally Car meant to go fast in the straights, brake like a beyotch and corner like it's on rails. It did all the above.

Now I'm building an 02 Ranger, I want something with low CG (for a truck), that has some soft bumps but long travel. That's all for the trails etc, however I do want something that can surprise people who want a quick run (on a private track of course). But, I don't want to run low 10's in the 1/4.

I had considered a 5.0 swap because I was used to having so much HP at my disposal, but a good friend of mine suggested keeping the 4.0 and just putting a little money and work into it. So far I've put JBA cat4ward headers, K&N FIPK intake and a BAMA Chips tune. I'm happy so far, but I want a little more HP. I figure I'll go with a SC since I've already done the turbo thing, plus I LOVE the howl at WOT on those things LOL.

 

[SOHCem]

Yeah I have to say I've been quite impressed with this little SOHC Since the first day of ownership.

I'm seriously debating these http://www.supersixmotorsports.com/pdf/SSM200840SOHCCatRev1HeadsCams.pdf

 

[torqlox]

The sohc is actually a little bit quicker in the quarter mile. Mainly because of the 5-speed auto versus our 4-speed autos. They're also lighter than we are. An intake, headers, cat back exhaust and computer tune will wake it up. And a cam if your willing to put the work in.

Not sure if it's just me, but my 00' V8 Monty shifts 5 times including O/D.

 

[techieman33]

Not sure if it's just me, but my 00' V8 Monty shifts 5 times including O/D.

No, it only shifts 3 times. To shift 5 times it would have to have a 6 speed transmission, you only have 4. What you may be feeling is the torque converter doing it's thing.

 

[gear_grinder]

The sohc is actually a little bit quicker in the quarter mile. Mainly because of the 5-speed auto versus our 4-speed autos. They're also lighter than we are. An intake, headers, cat back exhaust and computer tune will wake it up. And a cam if your willing to put the work in.

my friend with his 94 ranger with the 4.0 OHV (95+pistions and pre95 heads, so low compretion), 33" tires on steelies, and 3.73 gears pulled away from me.... onlything its got going right now is its a manual (5spd), but soon to have a power snail.

i'm opting for higher ratio roler rockers eventualy.

 

[techieman33]

my friend with his 94 ranger with the 4.0 OHV (95+pistions and pre95 heads, so low compretion), 33" tires on steelies, and 3.73 gears pulled away from me.... onlything its got going right now is its a manual (5spd), but soon to have a power snail.

i'm opting for higher ratio roler rockers eventualy.

The ranger is a whole lot lighter than an explorer, that's what it has going for it.

 

[gear_grinder]

still, i think i shouldve been able to smoke him because of the obvious engine power differnce. OH and his 4.0 is 100% stock other then rebuild.

 

[htrdlncn]

tranny+gearing have a lot to do with the "feeling" of quickness. My Sport does "feel" quick because of the stock 3.73 gearing and the 5 speed auto but its just that "a feeling" , its not reality..
I would hazard a guess most that think there V6 Explorer is fast have never driven a truly fast car. Most new sport sedans today run in the 14s while most new sport cars run in the 13s and even 12s. Stock new V6 Mustangs with manuals are in the low 15 sec range which would put it about ten car lengths ahead of a V6 Explorer.
For comparison my last truck, a 96 F250 diesel with a tool bed (think phone company truck) with almost no mods (tuner+exhaust) weighing 6000+lbs and 260k miles on it ran mid 16s which is what my Sport ran stock. Kinda embarrasing when your beat up old work truck with all your tools and junk in it is as fast as your sporty new Explorer.
Like other have suggested, take the time to run at an actual dragstrip, its quite the education .
Unlike the street where you "think" you just spanked a Mustang here the other guy is actually racing you.
Trust me,I wish the 4.0 was faster,
actually i wish ford didnt have their head up their rearend and offered the 5.0 in the Sport. While it may not be much faster stock it is way easier and stronger to beef up than the 4.0.

So to answer the original question, is the 4.0 Explorer seriously fast?
Not even close..

 

[aklmfreak]

i think the late 90's and 2000 sport with 4.0 SOHC feels quicker than the '01 and up models... i've driven both and the older ones seem to be a little more "raw" feeling. i think the biggest comparison for this "seriously fast" title, would be to compare the explorers with 4.0 SOHC's to other vehicles on the market like blazers/4runners/xterras etc. but, if i were to rename this thread, i'd go for "4.0 SOHC Seriously Fun to Drive?" cuz that, it definitely is.

also i agree, i think Ford should have offered the Sports with the Five-oh. combine that with a cam + blower + intake + exhaust + tune and a 6-speed manual, and then the X-sport would be SERIOUSLY fast - of course you'd have to do something about the suspension too if you didnt want to DIE on the first curve/bump you encounter......

 

[scottdunahoo]

I have a 01 sport trac with the sohc and its far from fast, i really dont think any stock explorer is fast or even worth the word fast.

 

[Scoopscool]

Anyone else notice the SOHC is a pretty quick motor?

My explorer isn't the fastest SUV in the world, I know this. But the 4.0 SOHC is pretty quick for being stock. I know most explorers won't go over 5k rpm's before shifting. Kinda odd mine goes up to about 6k and shifts. 0-60 in about 7 secs. Haven't taken it to the 1/4 mile. Want to one day just for giggles. Pretty funny when you get up to the light and these ricers think they're something and the old beat up stock explorer eats 'em up. Love this V8 lovers too who think nothing can beat a V8.
I wanna get others perspectives on the SOHC.

 

[2000StreetRod]

rev limit

The stock rev limit on my SOHC is 6250 rpm. According to my dyno testing the power starts rapidly dropping at 6000 rpm. I have my WOT shift points set at either 5800, 5850 or 5900 rpm depending on which gear. You'll actually lose power if shifting above 6000 with the stock camshafts.

The published 0 to 60 mph performance for the SOHC is slightly faster than for the 5.0l V8 but the V8 is more reliable.

 

[JDraper]

My explorer isn't the fastest SUV in the world, I know this. But the 4.0 SOHC is pretty quick for being stock. I know most explorers won't go over 5k rpm's before shifting. Kinda odd mine goes up to about 6k and shifts. 0-60 in about 7 secs. Haven't taken it to the 1/4 mile. Want to one day just for giggles. Pretty funny when you get up to the light and these ricers think they're something and the old beat up stock explorer eats 'em up. Love this V8 lovers too who think nothing can beat a V8.
I wanna get others perspectives on the SOHC.

Spec on the 0-60 time on your 1997 XLT SOHC vehicle is 8.3 seconds 0-60 with the 1/4 mile coming up in 16.4 seconds.

 

[Scoopscool]

Yeah I know that's the posted time on here. I time it about 3 or 4 times though. It's in between 7 and 7.5 each time. Kinda odd.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

This is an interesting thread. I have a question though.

My '02 four door SOHC can be pretty peppy in the city. I can keep up with most mustangs and hondas. It can really move if you want it to, it just requires a bit more motivation with my right foot then most cars need.

Question: My 3rd gen explorer SOHC does not have a variable length intake manifold. Yet I believe it had about 5 more hp stock then the 2nd gen SOHC which did have the VLIM. Does anyone know how this was made possible by deleting the VLIM?

 

[CDW6212R]

That variable length intake idea started in 1996 on the DOHC Mustangs(Cobra), and the idea died after 1998. They started with it on the first 97 SOHC 4.0, and did away with it after a year or two. It sounded good on paper, but in practice it had problems that they didn't expect. Avoid any of those engine versions, the 96-98 Cobra being the most obvious.

They found that the optimum cam timing and port sizes to start with are great compared to the complications of that variable runner length hardware. The hardware was not reliable, it sticks or hangs up etc, after enough time. Avoid it.