For all the virtues of Ford's latest F-150, extreme performance is not one of them. It's a smooth, quiet truck with surprisingly good handling, but it's a bit short on power. And with no new Ford SVT Lightning in the works to light up your life, what's a sport truck fan to do?
Here's a no-nonsense answer: The Ford F-150 Eliminator. This concept, built by Performance West Group using readily available aftermarket components, sets the benchmark as the ultimate high-performance sport truck, bar none. Armed with a big-bore 5.4L Triton V-8 engine producing in excess of 700 horses at 16 pounds of boost, this high-caliber cannon has a chassis engineered to handle the power of this tire-smoking extreme machine, all wrapped in a muscular body that leaves no question as to its intent.
The 5.4L Triton engine pumping furiously at the heart of the F-150 Eliminator is equipped with a sophisticated 2.2L twin-screw Kenne Bell supercharger, augmented with an air-to-water intercooler that keeps intake-charge temperature low, allowing for maximum boost.
For daily street duty, the standard pulley that makes 9 pounds of boost produces 485 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque, says Jim Bell of Kenne Bell. Of course, swap to a smaller pulley and the party really starts. Not only that, Bell is working on an upgrade for a system that will push through even more air.
That's actually the easy part, because up until recently, Ford's electronic drive-by-wire system interfered with increasing the fuel flow to keep up all the extra airflow. Bell says that new SCT software circumvents the drive-by-wire system with reprogramming, and a single-use flash tool is now included with the blower kit.
With that technical hurdle overcome, Bell is ecstatic about the F-150's engine, "That three-valve 5.4L has one hell of a lot of potential-it just needs a supercharger."
Additional enhancements on the Eliminator F-150 include an advanced engine management system, Kenne Bell's Optimizer II, which maximizes power output with the supercharger, along with modules for boosting both fuel flow and spark voltage. The intake system includes the dual virtues of ram effect and cool ambient air.
To vent the spent engine gases, MagnaFlow supplied an ultra-low restriction after-cat dual exhaust system that flows into custom side pipes. Hardly the quiet type, the F-150 Eliminator makes its presence known in advance of its arrival with the kind of authoritative rumble that only a supercharged Ford V-8 can produce. Some might mistake that sound for the new Ford GT, but sport truck enthusiasts will really take notice when the Eliminator comes into view. The hunkered-down stance comes courtesy of Bell Tech's suspension, which not only lowers the ride with a 2/3 drop, but also stiffens the spring and reduced body roll with sway bars. To bring this smokin' street machine to a slammin' stop, eight-piston calipers from Stainless Steel Brakes clamp down on 15-inch vented, plated, and slotted rotors. Form follows function in taut skin stretched over the rippling power under the hood. At the sharp end of this pavement-pounding weapon is a carbon-fiber air dam for increased downforce. Brake-cooling ducts flank the air dam's central air inlet, and a diamond wire mesh accents the upper and lower grille openings
Bristling from the hood and custom front are sculpted outlets designed to vent the heat generated by the potent supercharged engine. The bed-rail cladding terminates in an aggressive spoiler attached to the tailgate, while a custom rear roll pan is ported for stainless steel rectangular exhaust tips.
Smothered in Sherwin-Williams Snow Blind White Metallic, the F-150 Eliminator was built with blinding performance to boot, making short work of virtually anything that has the audacity to challenge it.
The 411
Owner/hometown:Performance West Group Inc. / Bonsall, California
Year/make/model:'06 Ford F-150
Engine/drivetrain:5.4L Triton / Kenne Bell 2.2L twin-screw Blowzilla supercharger / Optimizer II / Boost-a-Spark / Boost-a-Pump / Denso Iridium spark plugs / MagnaFlow high-flow catalytic converter and Magnapak muffler / Warner's Performance 4-inch dual side exhaust system
Wheels/tires:22x9-inch Oasis Eliminator / Toyo Proxes S/T (front) 285/45R22 and (rear) 325/50R22
Suspension:Belltech lowering kit / Stainless Steel Brakes Corp. Model V-8 eight-piston calipers with slotted rotors
Body Mods:RKSport hood / front fascia / front fenders / rear roll pan / three-piece bed cap / spoiler / diamond wire grille set
Bodywork:RKSport and Mike Face Custom Paint
Custom Paint:Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes / Planet Colors Snow Blind White Metallic
Interior:Stock seats covered in Katzkin leather and vinyl trim / Auto Custom Carpeting floor carpets / Designer Mat custom-embroidered floormats / Wise Industries BedRug bedliner / Woodview carbon-fiber interior trim / Kenne Bell auxiliary gauges / Spectrum Glass Coating window tinting