Embarrassing story; call for help.

[rhauf]

Honestly i think if you spend money on (affordable) bolt-ons to speed up you're EX a little, you're going to be disappointed. yes it'll make it a little faster, but not a huge difference (eg, you're probably still going to loose said race)

The gears would give you the most "go" for the money below $1000, they will not hurt top end/high speed performance. but be warned, if you go up much in gear ratio, it will take a (very slight) toll on you're freeway cruising gas mileage, on the contrary though, higher (numerically) gear ratios take torque away from the transmission and increase it's life. So that is a benefit. If you do the gears yourself (which requres precision and a bit of skill) it'll cost you around $250. if you have a shop do them be prepared to pay around $800 or more.

the second best thing would be header upgrade, while this wont give you much extra low-rpm torque, it will help you're engine breathe above say 3,500 RPM a bit. what is you're go-fast budget? i have a suspicion that you're going to have to spend somewhere around $2,000 minimum to achieve the goals you're looking for.

if you really want to haul ass, get a big budget and buy the fallowing:
centrifugal supercharger kit
4.56:1 gear set
shift kit

you're engine has forged internals and can handle the added stresses of forced induction, and you're fuel injection system is compatible with it as well.

 

[U235]

Where would I find a supercharger kit that's compatible with a '98 Ex? And is a shift kit necessary with an automatic transmission?

 

[rhauf]

Where would I find a supercharger kit that's compatible with a '98 Ex? And is a shift kit necessary with an automatic transmission?

you're explorers engine is nearly identical to a 5.0 Mustang engine. so in fact, there are TONS of performance parts available to you.

and a shift kit is ONLY for an automatic transmission, it modifies you're valve body to increase hydraulic flow to the clutches and bands to increase shift speed and reduce delay. less "slip" time shifting = faster car, and less transmission wear.

 

[RangRayy]

How does one go about this? And is it gonna hurt my top end?

search ebay or your local JY or salvage yards... there are tons of explorers out there to pull from. and since your 2wd all you need is a complete 4.10 axle and youll be golden. also if you search JYs do a search on here for axle codes and take that with you when you look. i believe Tbars has it on his list of write-ups. Most sports have 4.10s

i searched ebay earlier today actually and found a set of 4.10 axles for 350.00 its a lil pricey and shipping is going to suck; but itll all be worth it.

good luck man.

 

[TekMan05]

you're engine has forged internals and can handle the added stresses of forced induction, and you're fuel injection system is compatible with it as well.

Wait a sec, maybe I've been missing something. Our Motors come from the factory with forged internals?