600+HP 2018 F-150 Runs Low 11s On 12 Pounds Of Twin-Screw Boost

We are well aware that the Gen 3 Coyote 5.0-liter engine in the latest Mustang is a potent performer when paired with a supercharger. However, that engine is also available under the hood of Ford’s latest pickups and truck owners like to mod their rides as well. Case in point is Dorian Johnson of Harrison, New Jersey, who had a plan to mod his 2018 F-150 Black regular cab FX4 from the get-go.

We dyno’d the kit and made 603 rear-wheel horsepower… — Dorian Johnson

“I bought the truck with intention of having a modern-day Lightning,” Dorian told us. “The blower was ordered two days after getting the truck in January, but I knew I wouldn’t receive it until March, so I decided to have some NA fun while waiting.”

Like its Mustang offerings, the Whipple F-150 system is complete right down to every hose and fastener. Of course, the centerpiece of this system is the Gen 3 2.9-liter supercharger.

That fun included an intake swap, some exhaust upgrades, and a custom E85 calibration. The results for this mild combo were solid.

“On March 3, the local track in Atco opened, so I took the truck to the track bone stock with a full tank of E85 in it and ran 13.4 at 102 MPH. After that, I got with Ken Osborne of OZ Tuning and assisted in his 2018 F-150 calibration development running his beta ‘Omega’ tune. With only the beta tune while still on E85 I ran a best 12.7 at 108 MPH, after which I added a PMAS cold-air intake, a 2018 Mustang intake manifold, and American Racing headers with high-flow cats. But while working on dialing those mods in, the Whipple arrived, so I moved straight to the install.”

Rob’s Performance in Belleville, New Jersey, performed the installation of the Stage 2 Whipple Superchargers system. The crew there noted that the system was well labeled and easier to install than some other blower kits it has handled in the past. With blower bolted on and its companion calibration flashed into the PCM, it was right to the rollers of the shop’s Dynocom chassis dyno.

Dorian’s truck was already pretty robust before the supercharger. He had already upgraded it with a 2018 Mustang GT intake manifold, a PMAS cold-air intake, and a set of American Racing Headers long-tubes with high-flow catalytic converters. He wanted more, so he called up Rob’s Performance in Belleville, New Jersey, to install the Whipple Gen 3 2.9-liter system. (Photo Credit: Dorian Johnson)

“We dyno’d the kit and made 603 rear-wheel horsepower in Fifth gear on the dyno. Then we unstrapped it and drove two hours to the track to test it out,” Dorian said. “Without any cool-down or even turning the truck off from the highway drive down it ran 11.5 at 121, 11.4 at 121, and 11.5 at 121, all in the first 20 minutes. Then after a 30-minute cool-down it ran 11.4 at 120 and 11.4 at 120 in hot-lap fashion with only three minutes separating the runs.”

To recalibrate the PCM controlling the latest Coyote engines, Whipple supplies its Gen 3 2.9-liter supercharger kits with a handheld flash tuner called the Tomahawk. This device uploads the fastidiously tested calibration included in the kit.

Skeptical of how well his truck would perform with the out-of-the-box calibration, even he was impressed by the kit’s as-delivered performance, which yielded those low-11-second e.t.’s.

As you might imagine based on his quick ascent into mods, Dorian’s truck was not going to stay in that form for long. In fact, he quickly added a custom calibration with an eye toward his eventual e.t. goal for the truck.

In naturally aspirated form, Dorian’s 2018 F-150 Black regular cab FX4 put down 379.4 horsepower and 327.4 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. Bolting on the Whipple Gen 3 tacked on an additional 224.2 horsepower and 152.3 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. These pulls were made in Fifth gear rather than the preferred Seventh gear (which is 1:1), to prevent hitting the speed limiter on the dyno.

“I am currently working with Ken Osborne at Oz Tuning on a custom calibration and the first and only pass with it I got kicked out of the track for no roll bar and running 11.1 at 125 on 93 That’s with stock 7-inch wheels, and stock everything,” Dorian enthused. “Literally the only mods are American Racing Headers with cats and Whipple kit and now the custom calibration from Ken. We believe it will run 10s easily on this calibration. Then I’ll install a Belltech lowering kit, Stifflers traction bars, a better wheel/tire combo, and shoot for low 10s on 93.”

Once he gets there, you can expect he’ll add more boost, better fuel, and gun for the single digits that were the plan all along. Until then, this is still an impressive bolt-on pickup running just 12 pounds of boost on 93 octane.

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About the author

Steve Turner

Steve Turner brings decades of passion and knowledge in the world of Ford performance, having covered it for over 20 years. From the swan song of the Fox Mustang to the birth of the Coyote, Steve had a front-row seat.
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