2001 XLS SOHC V6

The K&N is a good start - for wasting your money.

How fast do you want to go? How much money do you have? The two questions are directly related.

What kind of performance do you want? HP? Torque? Both? (Do you know the difference?) Handling? What?

Bill Funk Change "g" to "a"

mode of transportation, so nothing too extreme.*

do a major overhaul or blower or anything of that nature*

Again, nothing extreme...mayne just a 3 inch suspension.*

That help any???

I'd recommend a 6.0 Excursion with a big, honkin' chip........ if the daily driver you have isn't the daily driver you wanted.......

I wont entertain the whoopee K&N thing...... I have seen enough money spent from using these in the wrong areas. Air intake restrictions are a non-entity in minor performance modifications. Down and dirty.... a nitrous system will give the best bang for buck - a chip will likely help if it is programmable for nitrous but now exhaust restriction (which is usually a bigger problem than inlet restriction) starts to play but now we will need bigger injectors and a heftier fuel pump but now we are making enough power to break over-angled u-joints (if we don't get p*ssed at the vibration before).

The gains you are after a very vague..... any performance modifications you perform should be done as a combination..... "I want more of everything" just doesn't convey a desired end result and will, more than likely, deliver disappointing results.

A properly selected chip *can* deliver improved drivability (depending on your expectations)..... nitrous delivers more power but only at WOT. Higher numerical gear ratios give better crawling capabilities. Lower numerical gear ratios deliver higher speeds at lower rpms but take acceleration away.

Having got that out of the way...... do you want to tow a trailer or blast the quarter mile (pick one)....... do you want more power or better fuel economy (pick one), do you NEED more ground clearance or do you want to scare that pothole in your driveway? How big are the tires you're planning on scaring the pothole with?

Your car is many times more complicated than the device you are typing your messages on... this is a truth that may be hard to comprehend...

wifes only mode of transportation, so nothing too extreme.*

enough to do a major overhaul or blower or anything of that nature*

Again, nothing extreme...mayne just a 3 inch suspension.*

only mode of transportation, so nothing too extreme.*

to do a major overhaul or blower or anything of that nature*

Again, nothing extreme...mayne just a 3 inch suspension.*

Torque is more grunt at low RPMs, which will benefit from getting the engine to breathe easier. Get an exhaust (most get a cat-back system) that's bigger/less restrictive than stock; that should give you a small, but very cost effective, addition of grunt. It will also give you better mileage.

As for handling - the lift kit is *NOT* a handling performance add-on. The handling will suffer, but the truck will have better ground clearance (for off-road use) and look cool. The wife will probably not like it - that's not performance enhancing at all. :-)

The K&N doesn't do much; the stock paper filter will flow all the air the stock engine can use. It has a nice sticker in the box, tho; it (the sticker, not the filter) is worth 5 hp when you apply it.

More performance will mean getting a larger air/fuel charge into the engine. We're talking turbo or supercharger here; there are intake modifications that can add a little, but for the results, they are costly, and mostly only add sound and fury. Ford has done a pretty good job of wringing *reliable* power out of their engines (most mfgrs have); adding more isn't really easy or cheap. With electronic feedback fuel injection, you can install a "chip", but that will require high test fuel, the expensive stuff (locally, it goes for 20¢ extra per gallon). And, of course, what good is that power if you don't use it? There goes your mileage.

If you're still looking to hop up what's basically a small truck, there are really lots of ways to do it. Like I said, getting more air/fuel in is the best way; turbo or supercharger. Forget the lift kit; that does not enhance handling, it does the opposite.

However, there's another way to make your ride better; forget the go-fast stuff, and make it more betterer by adding better wheels/tires, customize the interior a little, get custome seat covers. Less cost than going faster initially, and down the road (adding race/performance mods reduces the life/reliability of the drivetrain; the tranny is not designed for more power),ad the local police won't have any reason to notice your ride except to admire it. (And that's far less expensive than them noticing it for how fast it goes!)

There are far better candidates out there for performance enhancements that can actually put the power to the road with far more control than an Explorer can. Buy a cheap used car with an eye to rebuilding it into a performance machine that you can drive safely, maybe even race (legally, of course). WHen it's down for building, you still have the Explorer to drive.

All this is only advice, of course. You can do whatever you want. Have fun, and good luck!

Bill Funk Change "g" to "a"