Ford F150 Lightning

fpgapldguy

The '01 sounds fantastic, but I don't think I can wait that long! Waiting this long has been torture enough! I've been addicted ever since I test drove a '99 last month.

Hopefully, if the '01 does have a factory superchip and new air flow system, the '00 can be retrofitted to match the '01 specs. I'd love an add'l 90HP.

I found a used (5k miles) black '99 for $28k, but I'd prefer a "virgin" Lightning.

asdeman

I have seen multiple 99.5 Lightning with or more than 450 HP, including mine. I have invested in 2 mods so far costing me about $500.00 in have dyno
at 367 HP at the rear wheels which means that it
very easily pushing over 440 HP at the flywheel. I
will be doing another mod that will add addtional 10% which will put me at 470-480 range. I will have about 29,990 in the truck after all the mods in getting the truck on the A-plan. I already heard about the 2000 Lightning price increase what do you think the 2001 will be priced, starting at 34950 or more which I'll have more HP and alot better investment for dollar.

Later,
Terry
99.5 Red Lightning all options with superchip and Sal air flow system.

fpgapldguy

Terry (a.k.a. asdeman),

Do you have pre-mod dyno numbers? I'd like to see how much of a difference the mods make. $500 sounds like a bargain. I'll have to go to his webpage. I remember seeing it on F150online.com, which I plan to join as soon as I get my hands on my Lightning.

Also, what is the "A-Plan" you mention? I've also seen it on F150online.com but haven't found a description of it.

barlitz

Have you heard about the Thunder it is an Expedition supercharged made by svt, they are also coming out with the adrenalin which is an svt ranger V6 sohc supercharged.I read the thunder will do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and the adrenalin will be around 280 hp and very quick for a small truck.

scottj198

I am in the market for a new truck and like the idea of the lightning but I live in Iowa and the snow does fly here. Does anyone run snow tires in the winter or do all you lightning owners live in the south? As far as the "If you want to go fast buy a ..." comments, I already have a BMW M3. I really appreciate any of the comments that you lightning owners have.

Thanks,

Scott

fpgapldguy

I'm currently negotiating w/ a dealer on a '00 Lightning, but he says that the tow pkg & CD changer are options. Back on #192, you had stated that these are std. Would you let me know where you got the info so I can show him? I believe YOU since I see that Edmund's 10/4/99 base pricing is exactly the 7/19/99 pricing plus these options (I've been doing waaaaay too much researching).

Thanks.

fpgapldguy

98_svt_cobra,

I got the info from 800-FORD-SVT as did the dealer. Thanks anyhow. It looks like I'll be sending my deposit check tomorrow. Woohoo!

I also asked SVT when they were planning to start building the '00s, and he said that the start date had been moved from early-Dec to mid-Jan. It has something to do w/ the availability of the wheels.

masterloggie

I have been informed by the dealer which I ordered a 2000 Lightning from that production will not begin until Jan 2000 due to parts shortages. Can anyone verify this as being true?

fpgapldguy

I ordered a 2000 Lightning a couple of weeks ago, and the dealer said that the delay was due to a shortage of starters. I called SVT's hotline, and the guy said the delay was due to wheels. From what I have read on f150online.com's message board for Lightnings (a very good source of Lightning info, I might add), folks had been told by their dealers of the starter delay.

If you don't mind me askin', what kind of deal did you get thru your dealer? It took me a good 2-3 months of researching to find the right dealer.

masterloggie

I got it at dealer cost +$500 searching the wed. I am having it shipped to a delear near by and he is charging an additional $200 for drop shipment. Expensive wash job :-)

98_svt_cobra

$27,895 w/CD and Tow package. This was in the Cleveland area, we have several Big SVT dealers here.

fpgapldguy

Mine's on order for $28,528 + TTL. No tonneau.

masterloggie

Base Price was $26,182, trailer tow $208, 6 disc CD changer, 10 gals gas,FDAF assessment, delivery $640, $500 over invoice plus drop ship cost of $200 means I will take delivery of the truck for $28,048.
Deals can be made on this truck if you work at it, but many dealers will not deal with you.

moonshn

I just got my new K&N stock air filter replacement, I was going to get the cone type... But have heard that only draws warm air into your engine and would reduce power.

But Also I wanted to ask, has anyone tested a new pulley??? I want to get one just need to be pointed in the right direction. Can anyone e mail me a phone number??? rshosted@xmission.com

Also I've heard of a 'flip chip' that will give you between 25-35 hp depending on the level you choose, has anyone tried this?

barlitz

Check out the www.f150.com and click the lightning topic there is lots of good info on mods and experiences with the lightning

moonshn

I did go to the site www.f150.com and looked into it. It appears they have a switch chip. I decided to order it, but now I'm thinking of getting the cold air induction and the pulley kit. I wonder if I would be able to run stock gas with this combo. Race gas here cost $4.55 a gallon OUCH!

Well I'll be waiting for two days untill it shows.... waiting... waiting...

Does anyone know if the Downs cold air induction is just a cone type air filter or does it have some way of getting cold air from outside the engine compartment?

heavyhalf

The Ford Lightning owners of this world never cease to amaze. Out of two-hundred and forty posts to this message board, only ONE person has actually RACED his/her vehicle at a track and received a time slip. If there are any more recorded times out there, I guess nobody is saying.

If you folks want to quote PM mag., thats OK. Just remember, that magazine stats don't always tell the whole story. Get in that truck and run that thing at the track! Then, when you get into the 12's, come down to Atco Raceway in NJ, and you can give me a good run in my '86 GMC 1500 pickup,(after I get done dropping off 40 sheets of plywood.) Oh yea, I leave my tailgate off when I run at the track.

modvptnl

Yeah, yeah, yeah and you do this with an off the showroom stock truck that could pass 50 states emission tests. Give us a break.

keith24

".....86 GMC 1500.....get down in the 12's..." I guess it would be safe to assume your GMC ain't stock?! If your 1/2 ton GMC can run 12's AND actually be used to work, (the 40 sheets of plywood comment), that's just TOO COOL!!

Anyway, I know that racer-types don't like to divulge info about their rides, but the question still remains: What have you got in that thing?

keith24

modvptnl

Honest mistake on the Lightning, they stopped making them in '95(until '99) I think a Lightning with a supercharger should wax you if tuned right. 8-9 pounds of boost, 30lbs. injectors correct fuel pump, boost retard etc. The '96 Cobra would also destroy you with minimal mods. The Mustang magazine in Jersey has got theirs down to low 11's with just bolt ons, motor only.

So what's your point? Syclones and Typhoons were incredible. They don't make 'em anymore. Your truck is hot. They never made that one. Geez, I mean how many high 13 low 14 second vehicles that will tow 5000 lbs and carry 800 lbs can you buy off the showroom. FYI I don't know about NJ but your truck would never pass visual in NV. or CA. even if it passed the sniffer.

barlitz

I had a 99 lightning and it would beat a syclone, A Syclone would beat it off the line because of better traction 4 wheel drive and its a lot lighter but the lightning would catch it and over take it.I've blown away cobras I also beat a ram air and a couple of beamers. There is a lightning sight on www.f150.com where guys are doing all sorts of mods to there trucks including nitrous and superchips.I think one guy has gotten low 12's in the 1/4.

smark

Hey; Heavyhalf.....They didn't make the Lightning in 96. Maybe you should let your friend who owns one know that.

smark

Hey; Heavyhalf.....They didn't make the Lightning in 96. Maybe you should let your friend who owns one know that.

modvptnl

Already stated in post #246. So that makes with your 2 posts a total of three times. Thanx.

dhaack

For anyone who has ordered a 2000 lighting, do you have any eta on when your truck should arrive? I was just curious on how long it should take. I understand they haven't started building yet but I was still curious on how long it would take.


Dan

groupset

I saw K&N air filters mentioned in a previous post - I purchased one of those for my '94 Chevy K1500 in '94; when I took it out to clean it and re-oil it a couple of weeks ago I was amazed to see that the cotton inner element had completely disintegrated all the way around the circumference of the filter! (This means the engine ingested the filter fibers as it disintegrated.) Truck has 58,400 miles on it at present. I e-mailed K&N about this; they offered to replace it for free. I said no thanks; I wasn't impressed with the usefulness of their product. Then they wrote back; said it must have either been cleaned with gasoline or kerosene at some point; the summers were too hot in Oklahoma which therefore caused premature failure of the cotton element; or I needed to modify the cleaner housing to let in more air. I responded I had only cleaned it per their instructions with their cleaning solution, and if their customers had to modify their engines at their expense or move to Canada in order to use their product then their product has an inherent design flaw. Haven't heard back from the folks at K&N since...
Just wanted everyone to be aware of my experience with K&N before you plunk down your $$ to buy not only the filter but their cleaning and re-oiling products, too.

scape2

What are the specs for the 99/00 Lighting? HP/Torque? 0-60? Slalom? I got a goof in another room claiming his Toyota TRD supercharged can "eat any Lighting".

barlitz

Had a 99 lightning there is no way his toyota can beat a lightning,The lightning is one of the fastest production vehicles made 13th to be exact and that is compared with porches,ferrari's,vettes and vipers.It does 1/4 mile in 13.12 seconds and 0-60 in 5.6 that is from the factory. there are some guys in mid 12's at www.f150online.com just look for the lightning section.

brudner

the trd is a nice truck. much more practical than a lightnin. great engine etc but in a performance comparison with a L. its a tUrd. Sorry but true.

nycarl

Anyone know where the best prices are currently? I'm in Texas and I can't get a quote under MSRP. Who are the dealers in Cleveland (msg #235) selling for $27,895? Help!

barlitz

check out blueovalnews.com they have the specs for the 2001.5 lightning,HP has been bumped up to 375 along with some other new features.

fpgapldguy

I live in TX, too, and know what you've been going thru. The San Antonio dealer quoted a great price, but I didn't want to wait. I would have been 5th on a waiting list AFTER their 1st 9 came in. Much too long.

Try Mike Bass Ford in OH. ~3 months ago, the Internet sales mgr quoted $2k under MSRP. His name is Tom Turton and his email is:

tsturton@mikebassford.com

Good luck!

Also, if you haven't done so already, look at www.f150online.com's Lightning message board. Can't get better L info as well as chat w/ better people! They know their Ls!

mustangz

I am looking at lightning trucks. There is a 94 available. Is there anything special to look for or avoid with this model?

hleshot

I just bought a 99' lightning over my 94 Lightning. Both are great trucks and in response to the syclone comment above, everyone knows the syclone wasn't a truck (150 lb payload; no towing allowed) and thus it is not relevant. Moreover, the syclone engine had a life of 75,000 miles were most grenaded on their own.

My 94 lighting is awesome as are all of that year. I have not had one problem with my truck. Look for a few things though; check the inside of the exhaust pipe for oil residue, the shocks on this truck wore out soon as well. See when the last time these were replaced. If the owner says it has urethane bushings, I have yet been unable to find them, so do not pay extra. Chrome rims on this truck get dinged frequently and any tires aside from the standard Firestone Firehawk, which are okay tires, and the superb pirelli dragona and awesome yokahama AVS, are not taking advantage of the suspension tuning the SVT engineers did to this truck.

The sound system was terrible as well. DO NOT buy one with single gas tanks either. I'm told they came with single tanks, but I have yet to see them. None the less, steer clear.

If you wish for anymore help you can EM me at hleshot@aol.com.

mustangz

I'll keep an eye out for the items you mentioned
and thanks.
There is a 94 for sale at 11,500 and a 93 for 8,900. Both have comparable mileage and looks. Is there some major production difference that would cause a big price difference?
Is there a part of the VIN that identifies the lightning?

drew35

My brother in-law owns a 93 black lightning. He got it in 94 with 12k mi for only $15k, which included side steps, a prime design bug shield, bed liner and a fiber glass cover(ARE). The only problem(s) he has had with it was the he had to replace the bushings, as well as had a exhaust problem that was covered under warranty. Only modifications that he has done was put a K&N air filter, and he recently put a chip into it(sorry don't know the specs). He keeps good care of it and only uses it to tow his Sea Ray Ski Ray ski boat(which he got another great deal on), or when making a local trip to the store. He got new Firestone firehawks tires on it about 10,000 mi ago (he has about 45k on it now)and he can't stand them. He told me that "they are out-of-round" and can't get them balanced correctly. He doesn't care for the color, hard to keep clean, put he take good care of the paint, still looks brand new. He is very happy with it and it has been a great truck, whether he is towing his boat or just driving around town. As for the new lightning....Sounds impressive....but why a step side, they should of keep it with the fleet side, and I don't know about a supercharger!!!! and yes the VIN does identifiy the lightning, just hope your insurance agent doesn't know what a lightning is!!!!!!!!!!

mustangz

So what sequence of numbers/letters in the VIN identify the lightning?
And drew35, superchargers are real cool.
Expensive-YES-but they make a huge difference with the correct exhaust and super chip set up. My 97 GT has the Vortech. If you don't believe me, check with Rjperform@aol.com and tell him mustangz sent ya.

cobrar

can anyone tell me the results of the lightning vs vette run in the new hot hod. i only saw the cover online and by the sounds of it that you will puke when you see who won, it sounds like the lightning might have won. it does not suprise me because the 5.4 in the lightning is an awesome engine!

cobrar

well i answered my own question in #269. the final numbers in the hot rod race show the vette doing 13.27 quarter to the lightnings 13.68. what is amazing about this shootout is not that the vette was the winner but how that awesome lightning performed. hot rod mag is a little off base with the vehicle weights they listed. according to edmunds the vette comes in at 3307 lbs. while the lightning is 4670 lbs. that is a 1363 lbs. difference. with some minor tweaks on the lightning it will be running similar quarter times. i could leave my 95 r model in the garage which by the way has pulled a 12.9 quarter in stock trim and a 0.96 on the skidpad and take out my pickup truck (uhhhuuuhhh) and race all those pretty vettes out there. man you gotta love america!

bigsnag

Was that a stock Lightning? I have heard of similar numbers from guys with exhaust and chips. What tires were they running? ANy more details would be appreciated. Do I want a Lightning even more now, or what!!!

cobrar

as far as i can tell by reading the hot rod article it was a completely stock lightning on the factory goodyear tires but i will recheck the story to make sure and fill you in. you still got love the performance of this lightning.

cobrar

after rechecking the story neither car came right from there respective dealers. lightning came from svt in michigan to roush in so.cal. and the vette came from A and M specialists whoever they are. but both cars when they where dynoed came up near there factory advertised horsepower. the lightning showed 320 on the dyno which is about right since it is advertised at 360. the 2001 model will be increasing to 385 horsepower coming up. cant wait to see that animal.

a6chris

I'm looking into purchasing a F-150 XLT Supercab, styleside short bed and am unsure of whether I should take it with the V6 or the 4.6L V8. I'll be hauling on occasions accross country so I'll need to be able to cross mountains and a V6 in a truck just doesn't sound right in the first place. Is there a noticable difference between the two engines? I also do a lot of highway driving so it needs to be able to cruise nicely. Which is better, the V6 or the V8.

g8tr

the V8 is the better choice. While cruising on the highway, the engine does not work as hard and it is not as noisy. The gas mileage is not much different. I have the 4.6L, auto., and the 3.55 limited slip rear end and I'm getting around 16.5 mpg with city driving.

As for pulling, that too is the V8's domain. The V6 is good for light duty stuff and it is pretty strong. However, when comes to pulling over mountains, etc. I think you would be happier w/the V8.

Besides, it is better when you try to sell the truck later. Good luck and keep us posted.

a6chris

Ok, now that I know I'm going to get the V8, my dealer is screwing me hard! For a XLT Supercab, Flareside bed, 4X2 it's $27,650!!! For an the same thing but in an XL it's only $23,000!! With all the same options and everything! P/W, P/L, ABS, Remote entry, CD, A/C, 4 door, Automatic but why is the price gap so big?? Any thoughts??

wittb

I have been having problems with my 1990 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat shortbox 302 fuel injected engine. It is doing terrbile on gas on the highway. In town I get around 14 MPG, and on the highway I get 6 MPG. That is terrible, and my speed is only 75 MPH. I have checked the timing, changed the spark plugs changed out my big mud tires to highway tires, and changed all the differential and transfer case fluids, and it still has a large appitite for gas on the highway. Has anybody else had problems with the 302 regarding gas mileage. I have heard 302 can get 17-18 MPG on the highway. Please help if you can wittb

bigsnag

I'd like to have more info first, but my first guess would be the O2 sensor. Can you tell us more about how it runs. Any misses, etc? Thanks.

wittb

It runs real well, the engine was just rebuilt 20,000 miles ago. There is one thing when I put the truck in 4th gear (only a certain times) it feels like there is something dragging, like a viberation draging the truck back, when I push the cluch in it doesn't do it anymore. I am not sure about what size gears are in the rear end I would think it would be a stock size rear end. I am going to take the truck on a road trip tommarow, and drive about 70 MPH in forth there and fifth back and see if there is any differences.

hdford

I'm interested in getting information about this new Harley edition Ford F150. If anyone has any info on it or if you have seen one, email me at jcutsmt@juno.com I excited to find out if its going to have similar performance to the Lightning.

barlitz

That price is way to high tell him to take a hike,I bought a 99 F250 light duty XLT 4 door shortbed,4x4, 5.4,3.73 LS,factory tonneau,rear sliders, sticker was 31555. got them down to 26000.I've seen 4x2 advertised for under 20000 in Ma.that would be an xlt to.