Got my explorer!!!! need some answers fast! :)

[Nitrous SSC]

Got a few Questions....I'm a mustang man and of course I want more power (who the hell dosn't)....I've got a 98 Eddie bauer 5.0

#1.....is a K&N cone kit worth the power....when the risk of splashing it with water wheelin??

#2...a bigger MAF...who makes em and how much??

#3....Aftermarket chip....I've got a hypertech in the stang and love it...whats the best for these 5.0 stompers...

#4...Exhaust.....this will be my vehicle for clients and I want more power but not to much more sound....

#5....Suspension lift.....I've noticed posts about torsion bars (I have no clue what the are or do) and add a leef's for the back to gain 1.5 inches...perfect for me.....also whats the cost of these parts and how long does it take to install them...

#6....The switch on the dash that controls on road and Offroad.....how do I know if its working properly??

#7 the front bumper has a tilt to it and looks like someone parked by brial and bent it back.....what can i do to fix this myself?...bumper is straight..just tilted back a bit.

Sorry for the huge post...i've got many questions and seek wise people with answers.....

Let the good times roll!!!! (hopefully not my explorer)

 

[section525]

Dude... you picked a good rig!

To answer some of your questions:

1) The K&N filter is okay. But you're better off getting a KKM kit. Many members have it and virtually everyone is stoked with it. I think they're site is www.kustomz.com

2) The consenses of the board seems to be a large MAF will not give much gain by itself. Basically the stock one is efficient until you have a lot of engine mods.

3) Chips.. I don't have a chip yet for my 5.0. But when i get one, I think I'll go with the SuperChip Flip Chip. For about $380 (I think) you can get two custom programmed chips (in one). There was a group buy for an Apton Chip which just ended and hardly any members have recieved and tested their chips yet.

4) I have the MagnaFlow exhaust, which Alec will also agree, is a very very good muffler. The best route to go would to get the Ford Motorsport Headers (you'll eventually need to replace your exhaust manifolds anyway due to leaking) and a custom cat-back exhaust from a local muffler shop. Headers are only $180 from torrie@fordpartsnetwork.com

5) Torsion bars are in the front. All you're doing to those are tightening them. So the cost is $0. As for the back you can get Warrior Shackles $50. They'd be better than the add-a-leafs ($36). Or you could do both shackles and AALs for even more height. (Good if your ass is sagging).

6) The switch you're talking about should adjust the ride height. I think your EB will acutally raise right about 2" or so. So if it's not doing that it might not be working. You might want to get a 2nd opinion on that one though.

7) The bumper has many adjustments on it. The best thing to do would probably be to loosen the bolts. Have someone hold it where it should be. Then tighten them all back up. The more people you have the better. And bumpers are a pain in at @$$ to align anyway.

Also.. you can find out tons more info on all these things if you use the search. Most these answers are MY OPINION and I'm sure many members have other answers for you. Good luck and post some pics of your sweet ride!

 

[DocVijay]

The only thing about hte K&N vs. KKM is whether or not your state does inspections. Some are more strict than others. The KKM is not CARB appproved, so if they check, you may fail inspections. You could always take it off and put you box back for inspections though. The K&N is more expensive because they went through all the hassle and paperwork to get hte CARB exemption. That is the difference. I got he K&N so I wouldn't ever have to worry about any problems.

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Thank you so much for that massive reply section525

I took the new ride up the local trails tonight with the woman and it wheels pretty well....we hit a few hills that most of my friends always use 4-low for but that 5.0 had plenty of TQ.......I turned the switch to off road and after wheelin on some rocky hilly terrain I got out for a view of the city...we were at like 8000ft.....I noticed the explorer was alot higher off the ground on both sides...so i guess the switch works.......the thing that freaked me out for a minute is that i heard an air compressor sound from the back kick on every now and then while outside.....guess thats for the air shocks?

Speaking with my friend who's a Ford Guru has a Saleen replica like mine and a v8 mountainer....said the #1 thing i can do is replace the headers for a ton of TQ....

how hard is it to change thoes headers??...I know i've got GT-40 "P" heads and i've heard they are a ***** for headers

The other thing that worries me is that without the 4-low....even locked in 1st gear he'll (the X has been dubed a boy) still pick up speed fast.....I'm hoping the brakes are big enough...

Thanks for all your help....I'm gona turn into a message board hermit now for 3 hours and see what my searches come up with!!

Also one big thing...the tires on there are newer michelins and they are 255/70/16's....are these 31x10.50?

 

[Jason_25]

A metric tire calculator is here.

www.4lo.com

I don't think the headers will yield a huge performance increase but it's a good idea to add them anyway because the factory ones tend to leak after a while.

You'll never get the same crawling ability without the low range even with the 5.0's torque and lower gear ratio. Consider getting the Advance adapters kit to add a real transfer case such a BW 1354 or an Atlas II if you have the cash.

If you're really wheeling it, prepare to ditch the air shocks alotgether, they will break.

 

[DocVijay]

Also, depending on the headers you choose, you may loose some low end torque for high up horsepower. It's a trade off. Check and see where the headers make th most power. If you loose toomuch low end, it may not be worth it.

 

[JDraper]

If you have the air suspension on your truck (sounds like you do), you will have to move the sensors if you do a Torsion bar twist/shackle lift. The sensors tell the computer the ride height of the truck, and if you lift it, the computer will try to bring it back down. The sensors are mounted on the truck frame and measure the distance between the suspension and the frame. You would have to move the sensors up by the same amount as your lift to keep the system happy. Not hard to do, you can just extend the brackets. If you do decide to lift it, you will probably want to ditch the air system (like Jason said) anyways and go with conventional shocks. I don't know if the air shocks have enough travel to handle the lift.

 

[mikeresin]

how did you only run a 13.6 with nos???

 

[Nitrous SSC]

yup I ran a 13.6 with Nitrous...its not NOS...thats a company name fast and the furious screwed it up to hell and back....(sorry to sound **** but i'm stick of people calling it the wrong name)

i'm in Utah...most modified LS1 Z28's up here run high 13's.....a bone stock Z06 with a good driver ran 13.4....

The altitude is hidious...up here you basicly tack on a full second in the 1/4 mile from sea level....i'll bet you guy's at sea level with your 4.0 explorers would ride in my new 5.0 one and it would feel slower

 

[mikeresin]

i know NOS is a company.
but ive been calling nitrous oxide of all brands NOS for the past 10 years and dont see any reason to stop callin it NOS.
what people call it doesnt matter. its wether or not they know their ****

yeh altitude ruins performance. everytime i used to go to the mountains in the explorer it would get all slow on me.

 

[section525]

With your "P" heads you'll have to weld on an EGR tube to the new headers. Thats about it for modifications. The install is really pretty easy. I reccommend just taking it slow and easy making sure everything is lined up before tightened down. I think the headers are just a hair longer than the stock manifolds... so the collectors will need to be pushed down a little. And when I say hair, I mean a hair. Probably only about 1/4" But when you're trying to squeeze an extra 1/4" object between two stationary objects, it could be annoying. Also, some of the collector bolts are at weird angles so have tons of socket extentions and elbow dealies!

 

[Nitrous SSC]

section525 thanks for the feedback.....i'll prolly be doing the headers in the next month or so.....

Thanks for all your reply's

 

[LowdPypes]

Welcome aboard... got a few suggestions for ya. On the intake, I seriously would recommend the MAC intake. I had it before the supercharger and it not only looked great but it was well built. Good product for the money.

Dead Link Removed

As for the MAFS, I beleive that the stock one is definitly large enough. I picked one up off of a 95 cobra and it was the exact same size. Should be fine...

Exhaust, I have a dynaflow and like it... I believe that bassani is going to make one for our ex's so that might be something to check out. I am curious how the headers turn out. I haven't had the guts yet. I did lots of searching and I believe that MAC has a set for the "P" heads that you can order through Central Coast Mustang. Good luck.

Lastly, from what I gather, the off road thing actually raises your truck to stock height and when it is off, then it drops your truck 2 inches. My friend's eddy sit's really low. I know there are a few threads on it if you wanna do some searchin.

13.6... I'll race ya

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Daymn you've got Boost and a ZEX kit on your explorer?

That must be fun to roll around and smoke Z28's'n such in a explorer....what have you ran the 1/4 in?...were you at sea level?...up here the drag strip is 5500ft and the track officals say the air density is like 6900ft...

just for fun i'm gona run my new explorer at the track next year...if it does better than a 17.5 i'll be impressed...my 96 SHO midly moded only did 16.8 all motor and 14.9 with a 100 shot

 

[LowdPypes]

at sea level... I live at the beach so I am sure that the tracks can't be too much above that, seeing how this whole town floods during rain storms. I have not gone to an official strip yet but I have done some times at the local airplane strip... hehe... we race alot of mustangs and ricers there. 1/4 mile is in the mid 13's w/o any juice, just motor.

If you take a look at my pictures, there is one in there of the MAC Cold Air Kit installed. Take a look if you wish...