Light02atl
11-26-2008, 04:31 PM
OK guys, there have been a lot of posts in various threads regarding performance options for these trucks, drone of the exhaust system, and trouble shooting.
Yesterday I spent 2 and a half hours on the phone with Mike Troyer. Today I spent another 2 and a half hours on the phone with him...HE LIKES TO TALK! If you do not know who he is, just search his name on google.
As you all know JDM is offering a "kit" for these trucks. It consists of a CAI setup, pulley, and 1 tune. This kit gives you up to 75rwhp and it costs $1800 + shipping.
Troyer is also offering a kit for these trucks. It consists of a CAI setup, pulley, and 3 custom tunes. Mike said he will make as many adjustments as necessary until you are happy with the tune. In comparison, I could not get JDM to call me back or email me when I said I needed my tune adjusted. The troyer setup is currently priced at $1000 shipped. In mid December, this kit is going up to $1200. Mike has said he has seen anywhere from a 68-82rwhp gain with this kit.
Why is the Troyer kit so much cheaper? The real question is, why is the JDM kit so expensive. It is my opinion that JDM had somewhat of a monopoly on the market for these trucks....not anymore. Mike has also said that he just doesnt feel comfortable overcharging people so much.
Will the troyer kit net you more MPG? Mike's response to this is...possibly. He said that some guys have gained up to 3mpg more, some have seen none. He attributes this to your driving style and what kind of gas you are putting in the truck. He does not tune for MPG, its just a byproduct of setting up the tune more efficiently. As I said, he doesnt not advertise better MPG, because that is not always the case.
How much more HP does the stage II troyer kit provide? The stage II kit consists of Dynatech longtubes, magnaflow cats, a 3.0" SC pulley, and a fuel system upgrade consisting of a dual hat fuelpump setup and two Ford GT pumps. 60lb injectors are optional. This kit should net you another 50rwhp+/-. The stage I and II kit combined will put your S331 at 450-470rwhp...depending on if you are using 91 or 93 octane. Mike said that is the maximum hp he feels comfortable pushing a stock engine to.
Correct pinion angle. Many of you may feel a vibration when accelerating. You MUST have your pinion angle checked. I suggest having it done at an independent shop, then bringing it to Ford for a warranty fix. Or you can shim it yourself. Some of these trucks have seen as much as negative 9 degrees on the pinion angle. It should be around negative 1-2 degrees. This wears out your rearend, robs you of some HP, and causes the vibration.
Exhaust drone issue. Mike and I discussed this at length today. He is offereing any S331 owner the chance to bring their truck to his shop in VA and he will custom make an exhaust kit at cost. He says he will need the truck approximate three days. We think we came up with the solution of running a dual magnaflow muffler setup with a 2.5 single I/O on each muffler. Each muffler would be 14" long, but because each are a single I/O, there is actually more material to deaden out the sound. Another option might be to add a resonator between the cats and the muffler. I hope someone brings their truck to him. I am thinking of having an exhaust shop mocking up this setup down here. We have a good one just south of Atlanta.
Some of you have had a ticking coming from your valve covers...or what seems to be your valve covers. If this ticking increases when throttle, it is more than likely the injectors and it is normal. If it ocmpletely goes away with throttle, it may be the cam phasers...a warranty issue.
I think I covered all the questions that everyone emailed me. If you have anymore, just ask. I am sure he addressed them in our conversation.
-Shane
Yesterday I spent 2 and a half hours on the phone with Mike Troyer. Today I spent another 2 and a half hours on the phone with him...HE LIKES TO TALK! If you do not know who he is, just search his name on google.
As you all know JDM is offering a "kit" for these trucks. It consists of a CAI setup, pulley, and 1 tune. This kit gives you up to 75rwhp and it costs $1800 + shipping.
Troyer is also offering a kit for these trucks. It consists of a CAI setup, pulley, and 3 custom tunes. Mike said he will make as many adjustments as necessary until you are happy with the tune. In comparison, I could not get JDM to call me back or email me when I said I needed my tune adjusted. The troyer setup is currently priced at $1000 shipped. In mid December, this kit is going up to $1200. Mike has said he has seen anywhere from a 68-82rwhp gain with this kit.
Why is the Troyer kit so much cheaper? The real question is, why is the JDM kit so expensive. It is my opinion that JDM had somewhat of a monopoly on the market for these trucks....not anymore. Mike has also said that he just doesnt feel comfortable overcharging people so much.
Will the troyer kit net you more MPG? Mike's response to this is...possibly. He said that some guys have gained up to 3mpg more, some have seen none. He attributes this to your driving style and what kind of gas you are putting in the truck. He does not tune for MPG, its just a byproduct of setting up the tune more efficiently. As I said, he doesnt not advertise better MPG, because that is not always the case.
How much more HP does the stage II troyer kit provide? The stage II kit consists of Dynatech longtubes, magnaflow cats, a 3.0" SC pulley, and a fuel system upgrade consisting of a dual hat fuelpump setup and two Ford GT pumps. 60lb injectors are optional. This kit should net you another 50rwhp+/-. The stage I and II kit combined will put your S331 at 450-470rwhp...depending on if you are using 91 or 93 octane. Mike said that is the maximum hp he feels comfortable pushing a stock engine to.
Correct pinion angle. Many of you may feel a vibration when accelerating. You MUST have your pinion angle checked. I suggest having it done at an independent shop, then bringing it to Ford for a warranty fix. Or you can shim it yourself. Some of these trucks have seen as much as negative 9 degrees on the pinion angle. It should be around negative 1-2 degrees. This wears out your rearend, robs you of some HP, and causes the vibration.
Exhaust drone issue. Mike and I discussed this at length today. He is offereing any S331 owner the chance to bring their truck to his shop in VA and he will custom make an exhaust kit at cost. He says he will need the truck approximate three days. We think we came up with the solution of running a dual magnaflow muffler setup with a 2.5 single I/O on each muffler. Each muffler would be 14" long, but because each are a single I/O, there is actually more material to deaden out the sound. Another option might be to add a resonator between the cats and the muffler. I hope someone brings their truck to him. I am thinking of having an exhaust shop mocking up this setup down here. We have a good one just south of Atlanta.
Some of you have had a ticking coming from your valve covers...or what seems to be your valve covers. If this ticking increases when throttle, it is more than likely the injectors and it is normal. If it ocmpletely goes away with throttle, it may be the cam phasers...a warranty issue.
I think I covered all the questions that everyone emailed me. If you have anymore, just ask. I am sure he addressed them in our conversation.
-Shane