Explorer Express Supercharger Kit 5.0 V8

I have been talking to explorer express and seeing what it would take for them to make a super charger kit for the 5.0 explorers again. This kit would have a 4th gen blower on it. So it would be a little different then the original kit but not much. So anyways they have given me a number of kits that would have to be sold for them to even make them. So I guess I am here to gauge interest. So who all is interested? I will talk to them about the price and how many units need to be sold for them to do this and then let every one know.

 

[blueka]

subcribing...


Si

 

[Carguy3J]

Thats always going to be an issue for any that are intercooled.but us ranger people can get cowl hoods cheap.I paid $203ish for mine and that was including shipping..

Where?

 

[jd4242]

Where?

Ive got pictures over in my thread..

http://www.jcwhitney.com/1993-1997-...verse-cowl-hood/p3039139d658y1993-1997j1.jcwx

 

[Carguy3J]

Ive got pictures over in my thread..

http://www.jcwhitney.com/1993-1997-...verse-cowl-hood/p3039139d658y1993-1997j1.jcwx

Ok. Thanks for the link. Not bad for the price. I'm not sure if I like the gap in the middle. I would think it would also somewhat limit the added clearance that you would otherwise get with the cowl style hood. The big thing for me though, is its steel. The weigh savings of fiberglass would be a major motivating factor for me; which you don't get with this one.

 

[jd4242]

Ok. Thanks for the link. Not bad for the price. I'm not sure if I like the gap in the middle. I would think it would also somewhat limit the added clearance that you would otherwise get with the cowl style hood. The big thing for me though, is its steel. The weigh savings of fiberglass would be a major motivating factor for me; which you don't get with this one.

Unless you get a ""race"" version there is not much weight savings, certainly none you would be able to tell power wise.I didnt need much clearance and typically the snout on a eaton is offset.I like the dual cowl, gives me a perfect platform for my racing strips.the major motivating factor for me was, $200 versions $600-800 (shipped prices) and I haven't had very good luck with fiberglass pieces. ...

But major point was there is more hoods available and cheaper for rangers than explorers

 

[corkey]

for them to redo a kit for the Explorer would be a great cost, ,
add into that all the other parts you need,,
bigger fuel pump,
bigger injectors,
bigger fuel rails,
bigger fuel lines,
wideband 02 sensor,
custom tuner,
custom tune,
different maf,
different throttle body,
still just the tip of the iceberg, add exhaust too

it adding up enough yet ?
not raining on your parade, but it's also a 14 or 15 year old vehicle ,,

just showing all that you need, a plug and play kit is never possible, there are just a bunch of other things this affects,,

 

[Blown]

for them to redo a kit for the Explorer would be a great cost, ,
add into that all the other parts you need,,
bigger fuel pump,
bigger injectors,
bigger fuel rails,
bigger fuel lines,
wideband 02 sensor,
custom tuner,
custom tune,
different maf,
different throttle body,
still just the tip of the iceberg, add exhaust too

it adding up enough yet ?
not raining on your parade, but it's also a 14 or 15 year old vehicle ,,

just showing all that you need, a plug and play kit is never possible, there are just a bunch of other things this affects,,

I have built and tuned four, Ford, blown, V8's, (302,349,351,393). If you stay at 5-6lbsof boost, on a stock engine, you can do this without all off the upgrades you mention. You just need a good tune, maybe larger injectors.

The tip of the iceberg? Yup, I'll add that if you go for more boost and a stroker, you got to make sure your running gear will handle it in addition to fueling stuff mentioned above, though the stock fuel rail worked fine for me. Then also consider a forged crank pistons etc if you go above 9lbs. I ran about 465 horses/ftlbs of torque, at the flywheel. I upgraded the running gear to handle it, Transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, brakes and axles.

There is still a Weiand kit out there for $2,500, not cheap, but look at the gains for the money. It's often less expensive per horse and less labor intensive than buying all of the other power adders, intake, t-body, heads, cam, headers, exhaust etc etc which give you small incremental increases in power. $2,500/90hp = $28/hp Compare that to any other power adders.

If you blow stock at 6lbs you are likely to get a little better mileage to offset the purchase of premium gas, well if you keep your foot out of it and you can keep emissions controls in tact.

I got a kit coming for my sons 4.0 Ranger from Banshee and I will likely get the Weiand kit or used Paxton, Powerdyne, or Vortech for my 5.0.

 

[jd4242]

Any kind of FI is not for the shallow pocket person. It cost to play.if you want cheap bolt a $400 NX kit on and get same power, especially if you only plan to run 5-6 lbs

 

[Blown]

NO2 won't boost me up into the Rockies, I get your opinion on cheep power but no way does boost compare with a shot of nitrous.

Not to digress too far from the thread....


I think the solution is to modify a Mustang kit to fit. Used kits are cheaper and I may be hacking-up a mounting bracket anyway.

I am looking at a Powerdyne kit right now for a bit more than $1,000 used. I know it will be a kick to run it at 6lbs, tuned myself with a Tweecer.

Budget boosting at 6lbs won't make it a Race Explorer, but it will pull these hills better and be a kick around town. Looks like I could do it for about $1,500 - $1,800.

 

[jd4242]

Most SC produce around 12-14 hp per pound of boost if your lucky on a stock motor
5Lb=60-75hp=$$$$$$$?
75shot=55-60hp=$400
Boost doesnt get fun till you hit about 10psi, which means supporting mods.thats all im saying its just not worth the cost to run 5-6 lbs, why kits like these dont sell or the demand isnt high.

 

[Blown]

I obviously disagree with you in that I have found 6lbs of boost to be damn fun, worth the effort, and cost. I am talking about extra kick in a daily driver and retaining good mileage. I will agree with you in that running 10lbs or more can easily double the cost of running 6. Been there and done that.

I just pulled the trigger on a used Powerdyne Kit for a Stang with rebuilt head unit and some extra goodies!

Corral.net is a valuable source for perfromance parts for these 5.0's

 

[jd4242]

I obviously disagree with you in that I have found 6lbs of boost to be damn fun, worth the effort, and cost. I am talking about extra kick in a daily driver and retaining good mileage. I will agree with you in that running 10lbs or more can easily double the cost of running 6. Been there and done that.

Fun is judged different I guess.I just know going by hp gains to cost.to me the fun dont start till you add close to an additional 100HP, anything less is barely noticeable or not worth it if the cost is outrageous. .I just think the m90 is to small even for the 4.0ohv especially at low boost.you need to spin it to fast to move any real air and then you gotta deal with heat.if this kit is made or if someone does, it needs to be a m112 to make it worth it.

Ask anyone that has a m90 and bet they will say they wished it was a m112 if cost was the same.just moves more air at slower speeds and way less heat.

 

[Carguy3J]

Fun is judged different I guess.I just know going by hp gains to cost.to me the fun dont start till you add close to an additional 100HP, anything less is barely noticeable or not worth it if the cost is outrageous. .I just think the m90 is to small even for the 4.0ohv especially at low boost.you need to spin it to fast to move any real air and then you gotta deal with heat.if this kit is made or if someone does, it needs to be a m112 to make it worth it.

Ask anyone that has a m90 and bet they will say they wished it was a m112 if cost was the same.just moves more air at slower speeds and way less heat.

I have to disagree. Even as little as 10-15hp is noticeable, particularly if the vehicle is under powered for the application to begin with. (such as a heavily loaded Ranger, or one climbing long mountainous hills). I could certainly "feel" the difference just from my under drive pulley and e-fan, which together were probably worth somewhere in the 10-20hp range. And it was fun.....

An additional 75hp would be like driving a whole different truck. Granted, its not a race truck, nor is it anywhere near what you, and others, are putting out, but it would still be a welcome improvement. If you can't feel less then a 100hp increase, you're butt dyno is broken.

The other thing to consider is that 5-6psi, and the 75hp or so gain, is probably the max you can get, on an otherwise stock truck, without lots of expensive, and possibly complicated, supporting mods. Especially for the later SOHC trucks, its about as plug and play/daily driver friendly as its going to get for the Ranger/Explorer.

Using an M112, for these low levels of boost just wouldn't make sense, unless you are doing everything custom from the ground up, and you already own one. The M90 is cheaper to buy, and the one "kit" out there is made for it. At only 5-6psi, you're not really "taxing" the m90 at all. Any additional airflow from an m112 is undesirable in this case, because that equals more power=more mods, which defeats the purpose of the "just a little extra" philosophy of the 5-6psi m90 setup.

I have an m90 sitting around, I pulled off a running T-Bird that I bought and scrapped, just to get the blower. I had always hoped to put it on my '99 Explorer SOHC, w/ an RP Caster kit. However, the more I think about, and follow Dale's (StreetRod2000) thread, about all the mods he has to do to make it work, I feel like that RP Caster kit is a complete overpriced waste of time. When you have to throw away, modify, or replace such a good portion of the supposed "kit", its not a kit anymore; and certainly isn't worth $1700. The one thing of value, might be the lower manifold, and perhaps a few other adapters/fittings. Otherwise, I would probably just throw half of it in the garbage. Last time I asked, he won't sell just the manifolds. So, then its full custom fabricated, and that's out of my reach for the foreseeable future.

 

[jd4242]

I have to disagree. Even as little as 10-15hp is noticeable, particularly if the vehicle is under powered for the application to begin with. (such as a heavily loaded Ranger, or one climbing long mountainous hills). I could certainly "feel" the difference just from my under drive pulley and e-fan, which together were probably worth somewhere in the 10-20hp range. And it was fun.....

An additional 75hp would be like driving a whole different truck. Granted, its not a race truck, nor is it anywhere near what you, and others, are putting out, but it would still be a welcome improvement. If you can't feel less then a 100hp increase, you're butt dyno is broken.

The other thing to consider is that 5-6psi, and the 75hp or so gain, is probably the max you can get, on an otherwise stock truck, without lots of expensive, and possibly complicated, supporting mods. Especially for the later SOHC trucks, its about as plug and play/daily driver friendly as its going to get for the Ranger/Explorer.

Using an M112, for these low levels of boost just wouldn't make sense, unless you are doing everything custom from the ground up, and you already own one. The M90 is cheaper to buy, and the one "kit" out there is made for it. At only 5-6psi, you're not really "taxing" the m90 at all. Any additional airflow from an m112 is undesirable in this case, because that equals more power=more mods, which defeats the purpose of the "just a little extra" philosophy of the 5-6psi m90 setup.

I have an m90 sitting around, I pulled off a running T-Bird that I bought and scrapped, just to get the blower. I had always hoped to put it on my '99 Explorer SOHC, w/ an RP Caster kit. However, the more I think about, and follow Dale's (StreetRod2000) thread, about all the mods he has to do to make it work, I feel like that RP Caster kit is a complete overpriced waste of time. When you have to throw away, modify, or replace such a good portion of the supposed "kit", its not a kit anymore; and certainly isn't worth $1700. The one thing of value, might be the lower manifold, and perhaps a few other adapters/fittings. Otherwise, I would probably just throw half of it in the garbage. Last time I asked, he won't sell just the manifolds. So, then its full custom fabricated, and that's out of my reach for the foreseeable future.

Your butt dyno must be use to very small gains.sure you may be able to feel smaller hp gains but how much of an improvement are they really?? In the performance world you wouldnt be much faster than normal, a good driver could make up for those gains.I out run people all the time that have more hp.if I paying thousands of dollars for hp gains I better be beating you more than a half car or so.

You can't judge boost by how many psi it produces.you need to look at air flow or maf counts.the m90 is under rated even for the 4.0 even at 5lbs and it is taxing it a bit, probably close to half its efficiency rating.a m112 would move more air at less stress, which mean cooler air and more hp.if you compare the cfms of both units at whatever psi is equal the m112 would produce more safe hp at the same cfms that a m90 would.and there is no kits for a 5.0 now so everything is going to be a new design ground up.

.also a m90 at 5-6 lbs WILL not produce 75 hp to the ground on a stock motor PERIOD...

 

[Dono]

JD is correct. Even if you get the M90 boost up on a 5.0, its out of its efficiency range and makes way too much hot, compressed air.

I'd sure like to see someone work on a M112 mount for the 5.0. Even larger would be better. Just look at what 4pointslow has done with a m112 on his 4.0 sohc.

 

[2000StreetRod]

boost vs airflow

I still have no experience with a functional supercharger but in my opinion for max performance airflow as measured by the MAF sensor is more important than boost. The main reason I'm installing a boost gauge is for safety - to recognize potentially high chamber pressures, temperatures and the associated detonation. One of my goals was to minimize boost for any given pulley size by reducing intake and exhaust restrictions while increasing airflow. The main advantage the stock SOHC V6 has over the OHV V6 is increased max airflow.

One advantage of the Banshee SOHC V6 manifold over the Explorer Express manifold is the ability to accomodate an intercooler without raising the blower height. Lowering the IAT allows more spark advance which normally means more power.

As far as how much power increase is worth the effort that varies greatly with driver preference and performance objectives. I prefer to be able to accelerate briskly from a stop without utilizing the max power available. Therefore, my main objective is to increase low end torque not top end horsepower. Others who engage in racing have the latter objective. The stick version of my Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon was the fastest production station wagon in the country in 1996 with a top speed of 147 mph but I probably haven't driven mine over 80 mph. My Sport has S rated tires good to 118 mph but the fastest I've driven is 95 mph in 3rd speed going uphill for my custom tune datalog. Although I did hit 150 mph several times on the dyno. I'm willing to spend the money for the supercharger upgrade just to give it the power it should have had when produced. No 4,000+ lb Explorer even with a 300 rwhp engine is going to be fast compared to a 3,000 lb vehicle with a 300 rwhp engine. But the Explorer can be enjoyable to drive.

Edit: By the way, when I eventually purchase a death rattle 4 door Explorer to repair I'm actually considering purchasing a Morana Racing stroker kit for the engine. A 30 hp and torque increase for $2,600 is less than $90/hp and only minimal engine compartment changes are required.

 

[Dono]

2000streetrod, you are going to exceed your expectations. My 4.0 ohv is exactly what you are looking for. The m90 is perfect for your application. You will have a scary amount of grunt down low.

I also want to be clear that the rpcaster kit is not designed for 2000streetrods truck. The kit is a bolt on, when used for the designed application. Streetrod is doing a first class Job of adapting the kit for his Explorer.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

ok. here are some of the main reasons why i bought, and put the kit on my truck
1. sound. goofy as it sounds, once you have been in something that has a supercharger, your ruined for life.
2. to be different (well sorta. don lives 20 mins away from me, and he did this to his other truck before i did). as if tossing a v8 in a sport wasnt good enough, supercharging it, and lifting the hood...the expression on some peoples faces are priceless.
3. the feel. if you think about it, this is way cheaper in the long run then tossing a dump truck load of money into a high price motor, and will be similar in performance. its never going to be a 12 second 1/4 mile beast, but a 12 second 1/4 mile beast can drive around in -30 weather with snow on the ground, nor doubtfully drive 27 hours one way to a car show without worry of something going wrong. i can.
sure, in time i will do more to it, but that will happen when funds are available.
the bottom line is to have fun with it. just because i have done it one way different then someone else doesnt mean its "wrong". it depends on what you want to do with it
rant ended.

 

[Dono]

Tim's right. We can all talk about whats best, but there really is no 'best'.

Have fun, learn, and keep learning. Did Tim see max horsepower at a crazy high? Nope.
Is there a ton more horsepower and torque in the low to mid range? You bet. There is of course a great increase in high range also.

Evil's pretty impressive.

I really don't think anyone here should be put in a position that they feel they need to defend what they did. Its personal preference and the best decisions at the time based on our own experiences, money, and available time.

For me, its a personal victory with any of these projects that turn out to be a success. I'm no mechanic, that's for sure.

 

[jd4242]

Tim's right. We can all talk about whats best, but there really is no 'best'.

Have fun, learn, and keep learning. Did Tim see max horsepower at a crazy high? Nope.
Is there a ton more horsepower and torque in the low to mid range? You bet. There is of course a great increase in high range also.

Evil's pretty impressive.

I really don't think anyone here should be put in a position that they feel they need to defend what they did. Its personal preference and the best decisions at the time based on our own experiences, money, and available time.

For me, its a personal victory with any of these projects that turn out to be a success. I'm no mechanic, that's for sure.

o yea for sure.dont think anyone was saying ""you should've done it this way"" I certainly wasn't trying to, especially sense I run a m90 SC.lol hell you all know my plans, im crazy enough to drop a another $4k into my setup now do I wish I had a bigger charger...HELL YEA but its just not practical for me to start over and with enough $mods$ the M90 is fine.im just saying IF someone makes a new kit they should focus on the m112.it would probably sell ALOT more which means price would come down.

Either way I would love to see them make SOME kind of kit again