CrazeVal4

Hey all this is my first post here so let me know if I posted this in the wrong section. I currently have a cat-back exhaust (Flowmaster Outlaw), cold air intake (K&N 57 Series FIPK) and tuner (SCT X4 w/ MPT 93 Octane Performance Race Tune). I'm looking to pick up a bit more power without going forced induction due to cost. Potential upgrades I'm planning on purchasing include:
- Dynatech SuperMAXX Longtube Headers
- Dynatech SuperMAXX Catted Mid-Pipe
- BBK 80mm Throttle Body
- E-Fans
- Underdrive Pulleys
I'd appreciate some insight on these potential mods and any suggestions for additional upgrades. Looking at older posts I noticed a lot of members suggested the E-Fans and underdrive pulleys from Troyer but it looks like he has since shut down. If anyone could recommend underdrive pulleys or E-Fans I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance!

USRanger379

The BBK throttle body is nearly pointless unless you're making BIG power with forced induction. The stock throttle body is nearly the same size, and you'll need a dyno tune most likely to run the bigger throttle body. The exhaust components *may* free up some lost power, but keep in mind that unless you're making big power and your engine is using a lot of air, you'll lose some torque freeing up the exhaust too much.

E-fans and pulleys are great additions however, so long as you can afford it. Cold starts will be way less noisy, and you'll free up some extra ponies, while allowing the engine to rev easier. win win. The 5.4 is a great motor if you treat it right, but unfortunately theres not a lot you can touch without getting into crazy costs. Another thing to be careful of is how fast you spin the engine too if you get cams and the lot. The stock bottom end doesn't tolerate much more than 5200 revs without stronger pistons. Its just too much swing.

Eric Kleven

5,000 RPM on a 5.4 is something like 3,500fpm average piston velocity, that's moving pretty good considering how the rods/pistons are made.

I'd say go ahead and skip the headers and mid-pipe, they likely won't do you much good until you get deeeeep into forced induction, or unless you put on some hot-rod cams. At that point, you're most of the way to forced induction, depending on your scrounging/fabricating skills.

Save your pennies and start reading up on supercharger builds. And get that Flowmaster out of there, they don't flow very well at all. You probably couldn't do much better than scabbing on a 2009+ stock system, unless that's what you had... in which case, you went the wrong way with that flow-choker. (they do sound pretty good, though.)

RonReed

You'd be amazed at how much horsepower it takes to run a fan and water pump, way back in the day (70's) I ran under drive pulleys. Everything you mentioned will help make power, you should run the headers if you buy the 80 , if it comes in, it must go out. If you can't do both due to $$$ make sure you do the headers first.
Also, unrelated to you but the old V Belts aka Friction belts took a bunch of power as well, flat belts were a god send.
Good luck

RonReed

If you do boost it, you need to open up the gap on the top rings, stock I'm guessing it has around .020 gap but you need .028 to .032 gap. When you hear about a boosted engine breaking a piston, 98.7 % of them are from the top ring heating up and expanding which causes the ring land to push upwards and it will hit the head. Everyone of them I looked at, it was a broken ring land that busted the motor.
I know most people will blame the piston, claiming you need this or that, if you gap your rings you're good.
If you stay under 5 lbs you may be good but what if you get a bad batch of gas and it detonates (heat in cylinder,)
if something causes your timing to advance, you could be screwed. Also, if you boost it you can Not run as much advance as an NS motor so your giving Away power there. You'll make up for the lost power with the boost but at such a low level you'll just be a little better. Just gap the rings and run 20 lbs of boost, but fong fo it every day and make damn well dure whoever tunes it, knows how to tune a boosted engine, not for max power, for longest endurance