Ford’s Expedition line of full size sport utility vehicles are among the most popular selling vehicles in their class. With dependable quality, powerful engine choices, and a variety of trim levels available, they are the most diverse group around. Ford’s 5.4 liter V8 engines delivers smooth yet powerful performance, there’s very little that the manufacturer needs to improve on with exception of gas mileage. That’s where the aftermarket community comes in. There are a large number of available performance products that will increase your gas mileage and horsepower. Don’t worry about rising summer gas prices, here are a few products you can buy at auto retail outlets and install in the same day with basic hand tools.
Probably the easiest and most widely available performance part you can buy is a higher flowing air filter from. A performance air filter will do a couple things for you. A higher flowing filter will help the engine breathe better by intaking more clean air into your intake, therefore netting you 8-10 more horsepower and increasing gas mileage 1-3 mpg’s. Another great feature is the reusability of the filter, there are cleaning solvents available you can use or just rinse off the dust and debris. Therefore making your overall maintenance costs lower. These particular air filters are made by K&N and Airaid and are available at retailers like Wal-Mart, Autozone, and Pep Boys. A great addition to any vehicle for only $35-55 and you’ll notice the change immediately.
Another great performance add on is a custom exhaust. Custom exhausts not only look great, sound great, but you’ll get better performance because of its efficient design to dispel burnt gases. Kits are available from Flowmaster, Borla, Magnaflow and Ford and have all the available hardware and instructions to make installation a snap. And best of all, ready-made kits can be installed in several hours using just basic hand tools. Custom welded exhaust jobs can be done but may cost more money unless you can perform the welding duties. As a result, you will notice the difference in you 5.4 V8 and you’ll get more satisfaction over the throaty sound it will make on the street.
And finally, another fantastic modification is a performance chip. With a performance chip installed on your Expedition, you will net extra ponies and better gas mileage. Chips are designed to enhance the transmission shift points and fuel curve by relearning the computer’s dynamics with the new info on the chip. Chips are made by well known companies such as Hypertech and Superchips. Typically, they only cost about $80-100 and they can be installed in less than half an hour with basic hand tools. Don’t leave this inexpensive part off your customization list for better performance.
So as you can see, there are a lot of available parts that you can purchase at your local retail outlets. An approximate combined increase would be about 30-40 HP gain and about a 3-6 mpg increase. To maximize the increases, there are lots of other ways to modify your Expedition to achieve those numbers. For instance, there are conversion kits you can make that can transform your truck or suv into an electric/gas hybrid. Made popular by the Prius, hybrids will multiply your fuel economy and the IRS will pay you tax credits just for driving a clean fuel vehicle.