Any automotive buffs out there

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

I saw a throttle body spacer for sale at a local dealer for my truck for 38 dollars. It's a helical bore throttle body spacer and from the book looks very simple to install. Says it improves the atomization of the fuel air mixture. Wife says that's all I need is more horsepower in the beast I drive. Anyone have any experience with something like this before I do it.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Well usually increasing the volume of the intake “which is what you are doing” will create more top end performance, and at the same time sacrifice low end response and power. However we need to know what you’re putting it on to start with.... IMHO I don’t think you’re going to notice a difference in just 1 bolt on application like a throttle body spacer. If you want more performance, In general the easiest way to get that is through a good performance air cleaner and an open exhaust. I.E. “Headers and a good set of performance mufflers “But that’s going to take more than 38 bucks without a doubt.

Something like a throttle body spacer is going give you the kind of difference you will notice
In few milliseconds that your going to gain running at the local quarter mile drag strip.

Andy is this the 4WD truck your working with?

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Yeah dog it's my big 4x4 truck and I already have numerous aftermarket modifcations which include.
1. Superchip
2. True Dual Exhaust with 18" glass packs and 5" x 18" chrome tips
3. 4.56 Black Diamond Gears
4. L&L ladder traction bars
5. Eaton Posi Lock Rear end
On the drive train side
1. 5" IFS Superlift Suspension Lift
2. 3" Superlift body lift
3. Single shock Steering stabilizer
4. 35" x 12.5" BFG All Terrain TKO tires on American Eagle 589 16x10 rims
There's more but those are the major things.

I know it wont add really noticable hp and performance but I love to tinker with my truck and get all out of her I can. I love working on it and adding stuff to it. I plan to get a "good hood" and extreme K&N air induction system for it for X-mas. I like the dual cobra hood scoop design. Headers will be next more than likely, but I'm trying right now to find a winch mount grill guard brush guard system that can accomodate the 3" body life since it changed the relation between the frame and the cab most systems don't mount up. I just got a XD9000i Warn winch and I'm itching to put it on the truck. She may not sound like much but I've had my truck in a few mud races in Lousiana and she does really good in the mud and has several heat wins under her belt in the stock division.

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

lol Andy, you forgot to mention that you backed off like a little girl when that beat up old truck with steel bars for bumpers was racing you .....hehehe...... of course, i don't blame you. You know that guy was just itch'n to put a dent yo azz!

[Daedelus]

is it sort of like one of those tornado intake things they show on tv? i heard they are pretty good. on your exhause you list glass packs are those the ones that just make noise compared to giving horse power boost?i cant remeber the name of the ones i had on my truck something like super flow. the real dual exahust is good.i could sugest more steering stabalizer shocks i had 4 in a 2 next to 2 configuration it was a big help
on the shimming. also 2 more questions. have you had any problem with the angle of the axle? and second do you have any problems with your turning radius?(specifaclly)
right turns. mine had a problem with making wide rt turns and fixed it with a drop down
pitman arm. ohh it looked nice all chrome but sucked cleaning it all the time for hours.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Well if you’re going to open up the exhaust by putting a set of headers on it “This will make a great improvement in H.P" It would not hurt to go ahead and get all the Air induction you can. The throttle body extension along with better air system than the stock one would make a noticeable difference. But headers are the fastest way to grab 30 and up HP...

I allways figure whatever air your going to take in you have to get out, or vise versa...

BTW... I thought that was the truck.... HE77 Of A TRUCK :)

[LA_MERC_Blown68Kamaro]

lol Andy, you forgot to mention that you backed off like a little girl when that beat up old truck with steel bars for bumpers was racing you .....hehehe...... of course, i don't blame you. You know that guy was just itch'n to put a dent yo azz!


I wouldn't waste your time on that mod.
I know folks who have done that mod and couldn't tell any difference.

Sabre, is that AVATAR that guy that sings that song that goes something like, "All day looooonnnnggg I like to sing this doo doo song, ooooouuuuhhhaaa, Trunk dunk Trunk Dunk Trunk Dunk, da da da da....?"
I thought I was the only one here who was twisted.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

The truck actually steers very well and for running large 35" tires pretty much still turns on a dime. I do have to replace my pitman arm every 2 to 3 years but I can't find a drop down pitman arm or a heavy duty pitman arm for a 2000 F-150 4X4 XLT supercab truck. If you can let me know. The exhaust is cat back glass paks. They are not the high flow brand that basically is just a glass pack without the glass, lol. What they did was simply put a large OD pipe (usually 5" to 6") inline on your exhaust and called it a glass pack. It really started out as people who had glass packs would "crystalize" the packs by getting them really hot and then putting a water hose up into the exhaust and turning on the water. What this does is cool off the polymer so quick that it breaks the polymer up and you end up blowing it out and you have no restriction. It gets loud after that. What most people don't realize is that over time this happens whether you want it to or not. I've had my glass packs for almost 4 years and I can tell they are louder now than when they started. I like it and they "rack" very easy and very loud now. I would like to find someone who would gut my cats for me. If any of you find your way to the LAN in Fevruary we'll have to go for a ride. Robby, where's some mud in New Orleans we can play in.

[TruckGuy]

I've seen several people use those throttle spacers before, but like Yellow said, they couldn't really tell a difference in power. put a good set of headers on it, a 3'' exhaust and a set of 2 chamber Flowmasters, and you will deffin. be able to tell a diff. in h.p. Do you have the 4.6 or the 5.4? Just remember, all those little bolt on mods are great, but if you really got the extra h.p. they claim, you could build a 1000 h.p. engine from nothin'! There is no replacement for displacement, unless you give it a bottle!

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

Can you say Bonnet Carre Spillway? Bring a winch!

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

<---- I can proudly say that I have pee'd on that trucks tire before :D

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

I got the winch but I need to find a winch mount that will fit my truck with the body lift. Working on that right now. The last time Robby and I went 4x4'en we made a little Nissan 4x4 truck jam itself into a ditch standing on its grill. Little trucks shouldn't follow trucks like mine and Robby's. The big toys go further, haul more, and go faster, so OUT DA WAY, peck.

That was a fun ride Robby, I still have the vision of you power sliding in your Z71 through that mud field like a GM commercial with all 4 tires kicking up large rooster tails. YEAP, that was fun.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

YEAP We need to go again! Like a Rock Baby, YEAP!

[Daedelus]

ok sounds cool should have seen you part in the first post metioning you had 35 BFG's
those are good tires friend of mine in our old club had his bfg's for like 10 years wow.
do you have enough clearance for bigger tires? i always wanted to do the smaller bfg's for the long trip to and fro from work and then have my big tires 44"x18"super swamper bogers for the weekend but i switched with a friend one time to get a ticket written off for tyres being to wide.and i looked so stupid pulling in the the CHP station with 33" bfg's on. they cop was like you going to leave those on? snickering,i just looked at him and laughed yeah selling it now. then would leave and go put the big boys on.
it was funny one time i was noting my gas milage being really bad(not that it wasnt always like 8 MPG) and checked my tyres and one was completely empty of air on pas rear.Funny thing was with the 6-8plytires it didn't sag at all and looked visually fine,but filling it with air from a compressor for like 15 minutes was no fun
Never did get to use those ties for mud mostly for sand on the beaches down in encinada,Mexico pulling all my friends quads on trailer. but they made hell of a noise on the freeway passing some one. the looks on poeple faces as they hear you roaring up next to them. Priceless..

oh for the up grades i would go with the other guys on this get a good intake/headers
mine was a 454. and whent with one of the new Edelbrock carb's and manifold
mostly because they had some # that was acceptible for smog stations like a certificate so they wouldnt fail me.

ok rambling on again.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Yeah, I can run larger tires. With the 8" of total lift I can put 37's and not have to trim the valance. I would like to put on some 38.5's or even 40's but my BFG's are still doing so well. I need to put a post up to see if someone has some large 16" rim tires lieing around they want to get rid of(36" to 40"). I wore my 35" x 12.5 thornbirds down to slicks.

[Daedelus]

i havnt bought any rims latley but do they make them in 16" i know i have seen like 20"-24" rims for escalades Etc. (oh could you see spinners on your truck) but i mean a good off road rim? i used to have the alcola rims that were 15" but 18" deep i know **** cepecks DC made 36 & 38 inch tires and i saw (not sure if they are still around)Micky thompson's (wernt they called thornbirds) off road tires (real aggressive side walls) in 39" and 35" but alway preffered the super swamper boggers in 40" and 44" well it been awhile sience i was in on this stuff so i might be out of date hehe.

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

there are two guys in town, one has a caddy deville and the other an olds 88...they have like 25" wheels on them - i mean the damn cars look jacked up...i do not possibly see how they are drivable, and I KNOW they think they are "cool" but I want to stop them and slap them, and tell them just how gosh darn stupid they look....just like the guys wearing pants like 12" too big for them,(i mean, why would ANYBODY want to walk around constantly holding thier waistband) or the guys that wear ball caps stupid...every time i see one of the ball cap gangstas i just wanna walk up and say "dude, your hats on crooked"...

[aCiD]

hummer h2 makes 36" rims which is freakin retarted, that would cost more than my truck all together, doh...

[Yammer Hammer!]

H2 on chrome 24's wow. Six 7 inch tv's 4 in the headrests 2 in the visors, and 1 36 inch plasma flat screen in the back. OMG! AWESOME. of course it would have to be black. chrome grille chrome doorhandles. Chrome pipes and chromed out mufflers! -Big Tymers- hehe
sorry doesnt make much sense just had to tell you what would look AWESOME. oh yeah 6 miles per gallon. that is hott........ not lol

[Daedelus]

lol i was just watching an eppisode of mtv's pimp my ride and thewere tricking out this chicks old surburban,brought back memories of mine. they fixed it up good and it had one of those california style lifts where the front is higher than the back. but they could have putting some big old tires on it and what did they do the whent with the big old rims and thin tires it looked so wierd seeing just alittle meat on the tires but overall they did a good job.