Owners of the newer model limited
edition Harley Davidson F-150 trucks receive a slightly detuned version of the
fabulous powertrain that comes in the performance oriented Lightning truck. Ford
rates the Harley trucks at 365 HP, which is about 20 HP less than the stock
rating of 385 HP for the regular Lightning. Although the Harley truck does have
about 20 HP less than a stock Lightning, dyno testing has shown that both of
them are under-rated by about 15-20 HP.
There are only 2 differences that set the Harley Davidson drivetrain apart
from the Lightning. First, and most importantly, the Harley truck features a
larger upper blower pulley which accounts for about a 2 psi LOSS in boost
againt the stock Lightning level.
Secondly, the computer is programmed with a richer, and therefore "safer"
air/fuel ratio and tune due to the utility nature of the Harley truck. Ford
knows that most Harley owners are much more likely to haul loads or tow with
these vehicles, so they tuned the computer with a safer air/fuel ratio than that
of the lean 13:1 that the Lightning comes with. This really doesn't have much
effect on horsepower, it is just mostly for safety, as the boost is the main
performance difference.
For those Harley Davidson truck owners who just can't stand the thought of
being overpowered by the lighter Lightning owners, we have created 2 different
dyno proven performance upgrades. By making these kits available in "stages" you
can choose whether you want to simply match or surpass the performance of the
Lightning trucks. Our entry level, or "Stage 1" package consists of our complete
95mm mass airflow and filter assembly with all necessary mounting hardware and a
dyno developed Superchips computer module. This kit is guaranteed to add an
average of 25-30 rear wheel horsepower, which is enough to slightly surpass the
rear wheel output of a stock Lightning.
Knowing that the Harley F-150 is at a minor disadvantage as far as boost is
concerned, our "Stage 2" package consists of the same items as the first kit,
but with a 4 psi lower crank boost pulley and correct belt. This gives the
Harley truck a total boost level of approximately 2 psi over that of a stock
Lightning. Do not confuse this with a Lightning truck that has been fitted with
a pulley for 4 MORE psi than stock, as that setup brings you to a level of boost
that would require a much lower level of timing if you were to safely tow or use
the truck for utitlity purposes. We feel that the level of boost that this
pulley gives is ideal for the typical daily driven Harley truck. Raising the
boost higher would certainly help the low RPM torque a little in the first gear
when you first floor it, but the peak horsepower would not be much better due to
the fact that you would have to keep the timing level low for the octane of the
fuel and the weight of the vehicle. With the "Stage 2" package installed, the
average rear wheel horsepower is increase by 50, with the peak torque and peak
horsepower gains coming in at a whopping 75 over stock.
Please look at the accompanying dyno charts to see a breakdown of the dyno
results. The test vehicle pictured (owned by Mark Kennemer) has raced against
both stock and modified Lightnings, and has really surprised a few of them. In
fact, his brother has a 2002 Lightning that was purchased with a chip already
installed. Just before re-flashing the chip to our profile and installing our
95mm mass airflow system, they raced each other. Mark beat his brother's 2002 by
a little over a vehicle length. After we re-flashed the computer and installed
our MAF system, the results flipped with his brother beating him by about a
vehicle length, so they were both pleased and were able to evaluate the value of
the product on the street away from the dyno.
If you are interested in purchasing one of these packages, please be sure to
specify the year of the vehicle, so that you will recieve a computer module that
is correct for your processor. If you have any questions about this or any of
our packages, please feel free to contact us during our regular business hours.