With more air and more boost,...
With more air and more boost, you run the risk of leaning out the motor and doing some piston damage. Luckily, there are several top tuners who have well-tested chips for just about every combination. Power Surge Performance supplied us with an Autologic chip specific for this combination. Shown are the Denso spark plugs (PN IT22), which have a colder heat range to make sure the ignition isn't blown out by the increased boost.
5.0&SF: What is the typical quarter-mile performance for each generation?
Sal: In stock form, '93-'95 Gen 1 trucks performed anywhere from 14.9 to 15.8. Ford's official time for the Gen 1 was 15.6. My personal '95 ran 15.60 on the nose, stock. The '99-'00 trucks ran anywhere from 13.7 to 14.1 on the average. Ford's official time for the '99-'00 was a laughable 14.6. My personal '99 ran 13.73 with 300 miles on it. For the '01-'03, Ford increased the horsepower, and it dropped the average e.t. to about 13.4-13.8 and pushed the trap speed a tad over 100 mph.
5.0&SF: What upgrades were done from 2000 to 2001?
Sal: From 2000 to 2001, Ford made changes to the Gen 2, both cosmetic- and performance-wise. Power was increased by a new lower intake design that now had about 2-3 inches of intake runner wall added in before the ports in the heads. The intercooler, redesigned to fix the leaking issue that the '99-'00s had, picked up one extra row of cooling fins. Ford also switched to a 90mm mass air meter, the largest ever used on a production Ford vehicle. The rubber hose from the airbox to the inner fender was also enlarged. Out back, the truck picked up 3.73 gears and an aluminum driveshaft. In the suspension department, the '01s got gas-charged Bilstein shocks all the way around, and polyurethane suspension snubbers replaced the previous rubber ones. Cosmetically, the '01 had new rims, new clear headlamps and foglamps, clear taillamps, LED third brake lights, and simulated billet bar-style grilles.
5.0&SF: Could you list some of the record holders-or outstandingly fast Lightnings-such as the fastest Gen 1, the fastest Gen 2, and so on?
Sal: Probably the most famous of all "fast" Lightning owners is Jason Brown. I met him at the first World Ford Challenge in 1998. Back then, his '95 Lightning ran 9s. From that point, Jason stepped up the truck in a serious way, rebuilding it to current-day Pro 5.0 specs while retaining the factory Lightning body. The truck ran as fast as 7.80s, with a single turbo, that came apart at the 1,000-foot mark. Jason redid the motor and went to a twin-turbo setup, which should have easily put the truck in the 6-second range. I've heard that Jason recently sold the truck to someone overseas, so I don't think we'll ever see it again, but the legacy will always live on. Jason is also one the nicest people you will ever meet.
As for the fastest Gen 2, that title is currently held by myself, with a best e.t. of 10.48 at 132 mph. This was done with a race weight of 4,760 pounds. I was on the way to the first 9-second pass recently when the crank snapped right after the eighth-mile. But I was doing over 110 mph at the eighth, a sign that the truck would have easily shattered my previous best. There are many others that are close to that time, so I'm sure that title may change hands in the near future-maybe before this even makes it to print.
5.0&SF: What is the bare minimum of parts needed to go 12s in a Gen 2 Lightning?
Sal: A typical Gen 2 can easily run high 12s with just one of our PSP custom chips, our air filter kit, and a 4-pound pulley kit. For maximum safe e.t.'s, there is other supporting hardware we suggest, such as traction bars (to limit driveshaft-breaking axle wrap), slicks (to maximize e.t.'s with good 60-foots), and a performance valvebody (for healthier transmission operation). Past that point, there are tons of other products that will drop the e.t.'s even further, to as fast as the customer wants to go. But the best part about these amazing trucks is that for less than $1,000 in parts, you can knock a full second off the truck's stock e.t.