Is there a Ford dealer, preferably near Northeast Missouri that offers an install of the Roush or Whipple supercharger without voiding the factory warranty? I have heard that the new Roush intercooler is too small for the 2018+ trucks, so that may not be an option. This is for a 2020 SuperCrew Lariat 5.0 with 3.73 gearing, 4x4 FX4. I would like to have a supercharger installed, and somehow keep the factory warranty--or purchase a warranty that will cover the supercharger and the powertrain.

 

Warranty is a huge gray area with aftermarket superchargers. I'd recommend reading all of the fine print on both Roush and Whipple warranty Terms and Conditions.
Truth is you are likely to void it one way or another. (i.e. no non-factory sized wheels and tires)

If you can swing it i'd recommend to start talking yourself into being okay not having a warranty. It's what majority of us supercharger owners do. It's part of the game we choose to play.
Especially once you find out a lightly modified ecoboost is as fast as your (stock) supercharged 5.0.

 

On that note if you're hellbent on having a warranty i'd suggest looking up Roush certified dealerships and have a long chat with them.
That would probably be your closest bet to having a supercharged truck that will likely be covered without too much hassle.

edit - quick google search shows Thoroughbred Ford? Maybe try giving them a shout.
You can also reach out to Lebanon or Beechmont Ford out of Ohio. Those guys offer tons of performance packages on brand new vehicles.

 

Thank you for your input. For taking the risk of going supercharged without a warranty, what kind of $$$ should be set back for a failure? This would be a daily family driver without any sort of racing on drag strips or the road. I just want to add some +power to the daily commute. I don't plan on shredding tires on a daily basis.

I will check with Thoroughbred Ford. Thanks!

 

That's a loaded question, lol. Expect the worst and hope for the best? Chances are you will be just fine. Do some research and you'll notice there aren't too many horror stories from the performance guys. I actually think it's good for the truck to run it hard every now and then.

From personal experience, if I wasn't beating and experimenting on the truck regularly i'd go with a 3.5 ecoboost and call it a day. Just my own opinion. Plenty of power for a family hauler.

However, nothing beats a rowdy 600,700,800+ horsepower truck that you can beat on and turn heads. It's not cheap though

 

As an update, I called a local Ford Roush dealer that is within 2 hours. They will install the Roush supercharger and certify it to maintain the factory warranty (both 3/36 b2b and 5/60 powertrain). I was impressed to hear that. Sounds like a good start, then if I wanted to upgrade after 60k miles, pop on a Whipple and an Oz tune.

Any performance issues with the 2018+ Roush superchargers? I know it's the softest of the bunch. I had heard that the intercooler is a bit small, and could cause some issues. However if under warranty it would be protected.

Had a 2014 3.5 Ecoboost and you are correct it was phenomenal. Got the 5.0 this time to get the V8, hoping to boost it as well.

 

This is all based on personal opinion​​​​​, Coming from owning an OZ tuned Stage 2 Whipple 5.0. I feel like you are too stuck on preserving a warranty. Because what does the warranty really mean? Any modification over the factory vehicle is not Ford honoring the warranty. It’s a 3rd party supplying a warranty because Ford will not. A Roush or Shelby truck, non of them cover racing, or 4wd launching. So even if you are “under warranty” it’s always questions when you take it in for “covered” service.

So how much is that warranty costing you? Paying a Ford tech $X to install so the warranty is valid, then cost of warranty on top of that? My approach may not be solid but, the $ I saved on the purchase of required components, the correct tools, service manual, and performing the labor myself I am at least $4500 in the black. Not technically confident to accomplish the work, you can fine a reputable performance shop that will charge you actual labor versus shop manual time you can still save at least $2k. But now that also gives me a latitude to do other things. I am not constrained to running a base supercharger tune, and they are night and day what you get performance wise.

My point is you are already trying to justify more. A Roush until 60k then upgrading to a Whipple..... you are paying for the parts and labor 2X.

Every boosted member here is confident with this platform of a vehicle that they can reliably handle the power, that we are not hiding behind a warranty cloak from Ford or a 3rd party. But at the end of the day “you pay to play” and when it’s not you paying, there is a lot of finger pointing who will pick up the tab if something ever were to happen.

For me at the end of the day, best decision I have ever made, 4wd launching with +650 whp embarrasses most any sports car that rolls off the show room floor.

 

Hi Afbluesv1k,
Thank you for your honest opinion. Honestly I would love to just go ahead and put in a Stage 2 Whipple with an OZ tune and be done with it. I didn't worry so much about the warranty until after 100 miles. At that point on a brand new $65k MSRP truck it started losing power in 5th gear. Ford couldn't even service it until 900 miles in. When they did, they replaced the entire transmission valve body--something I have nowhere near the equipment to pull the transmission out. If this repair was out of warranty, a used valve body is around $500, new around $1000 plus the time for me to take it apart and replace it. In short, I'm concerned about warranty since having used it within 2 weeks of purchasing the vehicle. Given that, I'd like to at least see it over 5000 miles trouble-free before starting on the supercharger install.

I like your approach to installing the supercharger itself. Seeing the videos, it doesn't seem that bad. Everything clips off, bolts on or clips back on. Even the tuning steps don't seem that bad. It just looks like it takes a couple of days, which is not a problem. I'm not an auto mechanic, but I am an engineer by trade, and I'm pretty sure I can tackle the supercharger install by myself. Doing that will save about $3-4k from a dealer doing it...which is $3-4k set aside for any voided warranty work that I may run into for the next 3-5 years. Good point there.

You mention that every boosted member here is confident with this platform and that it can handle the power. Given that, do you agree that the 5.0 and 10 speed transmission can handle this upgrade over the long term (10+ years)? This is a daily driver, and won't be on the drag strip, which should help maintain reliability over time. Are there any Ford breaking points that normally get covered under warranty that I should look out for (oil consumption, etc)--things that would normally need work with or without a supercharger?

Lastly, how well did your self install go? How long did it take? Did you run into any hiccups along the way, or had to make any corrections since the install? Any broken items or issues with the truck be unreliable?

 

My personal opinion would be to forego the supercharger, since your concern is with the warranty. Let's say you install it. Now every sound and chirp and clank is gonna make you think something is wrong. You won't enjoy driving it. Stock Coyote is tons of fun to drive already, you won't miss the supercharger on a daily/family vehicle. This really goes for any modification: you have to accept that it may void the warranty, even if it's a tried and true kit.

As for the engine and transmission combination, it's only been around for 2 years. Extrapolating that to 10+ years is impossible to do. If you said 4-5 years, that's doable.

 

Engine and transmission are mechanical parts. The more stress you put on them the shorter the life span.
However, if you drive it like a normal truck it should last as long as a normal truck. Stock supercharger power isn't really extreme enough to break much.
If anything, the stock cat's should be one of the first things to get replaced even with manufacturers tune.

Putting myself in your shoes, it sounds like the best bet may be to hold off on the supercharger for a few months until you put some miles on the truck and feel comfortable letting go of the factory warranty (or not).
Keep researching and doing your homework and I bet you will eventually talk yourself into it. However, it's a choice only you should make. It's your hard earned money after all.

The install isn't very hard especially on the Whipple. It's basically all bolt on stuff you can do in your driveway. If you don't feel comfortable enough you should be able to find a competent shop to do it for about 8-10 hour shop rate.

Keeping it real though the basic bolt on kit is just a gateway. Get ready to keep your pocket book open if you decide to make the plunge.