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We spend a lot of time focusing on Mustangs, but the best-selling Ford product by a wide, wide margin if the F-150 pickup. Many Mustang owners also happen to be F-150 fans and owners as well, and these trucks receive their fair share of aftermarket attention. Recently though, Ford has taken a different path, opting to offer a twin-turbo V6 engine under the hood of its workhorse as a way to boost fuel economy.
As it turns out, it is also a great way to boost performance. Pickuptrucks.com reports that one of our favorite tuning shops, Fastlane, has started tweaking the 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine under the F-150’s hood, with some (not so) surprising results.
In stock configuration, the 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine makes good power, to the tune of 365 horsepower and a whooping 420 ft-lbs of torque. For those keeping score at home, that’s 40 more ft-lbs of torque and an extra 5 hp over the 5.0. With just a little tuning and some basic aftermarket performance bits though, the power numbers really start taking off. Fastlane reports that the addition of some wide pipes and high-flow catalytic converters netted an additional 30 horsepower at the wheels.
That should put the truck in the mid-300’s for wheel horsepower, which drops the F-150’s 0-60 mph time by almost a whole second, as well as tearing down the drag strip in just a tick under 15 seconds at 92 mph. In accordance with aftermarket tradition, Fastlane also lowered its test truck and added a boost gauge to the A-pillar as well. And this is just the beginning, as Fastlane has plans (once they crack the EcoBoost’s computer encryption) to add their own, bigger turbochargers. 500 horsepower F-150 anybody?
