[Rob]

Anyone with a 2002+ Explorer, represent!

 

[Black Magic]

C'mon I know we have a few!

 

[JohnV]

Hey I am driving one of those. 2002 Explorer XLS V6 X-Charger, JBA Exhaust, Ground Force Lowering Springs, Helwig Rear Stabilizer Bar, 18 X 9 Cobra R Wheels, 285/50-18 Pirelli Scorpion Zero's.



I am falling in love with the Silver X! No doubt about it, we have figured out how to make these new generation Explorers really perform.



We have many mods for thes vehicles including headers, exhaust, intakes, billet grilles, rear wings, hood scoops etc.

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

John I've seen pics of that Explorer and it is beautiful!!! :drools:

 

[Rob]

Damn John. I had no idea you had that many parts for the 3rd generation Explorers already. Do you have any headers, etc. for the 2nd generation Explorers? Specifically the SOHC V6?

 

[JohnV]

That is a yes & no on the headers. There are no JBA Headers that are cataloged to fit the 98-00 V6 SOHC. They do have a part numbers for the 00-03 V6 SOHC. These headers will bolt up to your engine. But they mount differently at the headpipe. So a custom headpipe is a possibility. That will add cost to the project. What would be real slick is to have a custom y-pipe with a high catalyst from somebody like Randon Technologies. They did one for the Sport Trac. It is made on a special order basis. This happened because a member of .mysporttrac.com pushed for it and let them use his vehicle for the prototype. Honestly the gain from headers is not huge. The cost of the headers and high flow cats would be high for the h.p. gain realized. But it does contribute to the quest for improved horse power & throttle response.



The Mac Intake & Pro-M 75MM Mass Air sensor is an easy option for more power for the V6 SOHC.



If anybody wanted to try to make these headers work I would give them a killer deal.

 

[Rob]

How much are we talking?



Also, I do have a KKM intake, but I am running on the stock mass air sensor. Yeah I know, i really have to upgrade that....I'm getting to it. As far as performance, here are my mods:



- KKM Intake

- Flowmaster 50 series exhaust



I really wish I had more performance modifications, and would really like to benefit from the power. Now that I've got rims performance is definitely going to be where I will invest the rest of my money. I need to get an Apten chip bad but I want to wait until I have more performance mods to really utilize it. I'd have to get it reburned anyway I'm sure if I ever did something like a new exhaust system + new headers. What do you recommend John? A supercharger for right now is out of the question. So besides that.

 

[JohnV]

I say go with the Apten chip as soon as you can swing it. It will wake up your performance. You already have a good head start. The stock muffler & air box are very restrictive. Now that the exhaust flows better & the intake breathes better, it makes sense to increase engine management by way of the Apten Chip. Incresed fuel delivery, timing & transmission shifting will work well with the intake & muffler you already have. You will not have to reburn the chip if you want the big mass air sensor later. The difference would be very slight. If you could afford it, get the Pro-M & the Apten at the same time. If you want to feel better perfomance right away and can only swing one item, get the chip.



By the way the headers are about $400. The custom headpipe may be $100-$200. See your local muffler shop for that one.

 

[Rob]

Hmm, ok. So the headers arent completely out of the question, but they certainly aren't top priority. I forgot to mention that I am definitely going to get a Baummann shift kit before I get the Apten chip to firm up the shifts, something the V6 Explorers need desperately.



Thanks John, now it's just a matter of having the cash...

 

[JJ135]

I'm ready to start doing performance mods to my X, only I have the V6 ohv. I heard that they have more mods for this engine, is this true. If so what would be a good place to start? I was thinking about doing the intake and exhaust first. Oh ya, I checked out JohnV' site a couple of weeks ago, good stuff. I'm looking forword to picking up a few items from you.

 

[JohnV]

The intake & exhaust are the best place to start. We now have the Mac Intake for the V6 OHV for $144.95. We also have he Dyno Max exhaust that is very affordable. After that you can go with the chip, mass air sensor, throttle body & headers. You can do all these things in stages. I will post a picture of the Mac Intake as soon as I can.

 

[JohnV]

Here is a picture of the Mac Intake.

 

[FLIK]

New here and here is my X

 

[CGAH02]

i want to do engine mods for my 2002 v6 X but i cant find many mods to do. The only engine mod i have now is the volant cold air intake..anyone got any sugjestions or web sites.. im currently saving for the apten chip lol and if anyone has any ideas for that as well let me know.. thanks guys

 

[Snoozer]

John....Susie here. We didn't talk about chips yesterday. Is there something available for my 2002 V8

: Also....what about a supercharger for mine as well.



I did as you suggested and came over to check this place out. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Rob]

And thank you John!

 

[03_LTD]

Hi, I'm new here, just purchased my first Explorer less than a week ago, and look forward to having some fun with it. I used to hang out at F-150 Online (actually still do...) but traded my 1999 F-150 for the explorer. I had a SuperChip Flip-Chip in the F-150, but when I called about haveing the it reprogrammed I was told it wouldn't work in the 2003 Explorer. I have never heard of the apten chip, where can I do more research on this item. The only mods I had to my truck were and aftermarket Gibson Cat back exhaust and the Flip-Chip, and was very pleased with the improvements. I'd like to make similar improvements to my new X. The folks at SuperChips did mention they are currently working on a new micro tuner for the 03-04 Explorers, but it won't be available until mid 2004. The one available for the F-150 sounds nice, with three pre-programed settings plus the ability to set top speed limiter, shift points, shift firmness, and calibrate for changes to tire size or rear end gearing. Plus it also acts as a code reader. I'm thinking this my be my first performance mod! Has anyone else heard about these?

 

[Rob]

Hi, I'm new here, just purchased my first Explorer less than a week ago, and look forward to having some fun with it. ?I used to hang out at F-150 Online (actually still do...) but traded my 1999 F-150 for the explorer. ?I had a SuperChip Flip-Chip in the F-150, but when I called about haveing the it reprogrammed I was told it wouldn't work in the 2003 Explorer. ?I have never heard of the apten chip, where can I do more research on this item. ?The only mods I had to my truck were and aftermarket Gibson Cat back exhaust and the Flip-Chip, and was very pleased with the improvements. ?I'd like to make similar improvements to my new X. ?The folks at SuperChips did mention they are currently working on a new micro tuner for the 03-04 Explorers, but it won't be available until mid 2004. ?The one available for the F-150 sounds nice, with three pre-programed settings plus the ability to set top speed limiter, shift points, shift firmness, and calibrate for changes to tire size or rear end gearing. ?Plus it also acts as a code reader. ?I'm thinking this my be my first performance mod! ?Has anyone else heard about these?

Hey, WELCOME to ExplorerX! I tend to stay away from Superchips, etc. although I do try to keep up with what they put out. Apten chips, made by Apten Performance are by far the BEST chips you can buy. The reason why is because this guy, Brian Herron, can get unbelievable horsepower/torque gains out of your Explorer/Mustang/Thunderbird, etc. really any Ford. Why he is so good is because every single chip is custom tuned to YOUR modifications. So its meant to get the MOST hp/lbs of torque out of what you have to work with. The more performance oriented mods you have the more power you'll get in return.



There are several members of this forum and similar who have the Apten chips and honestly i haven't seen one dissatisfied customer. Really. Black Magic aka Matt on this forum got an Apten chip about two years ago....here's an article on our site about it: Apten Diablo Chip review.



Ford has tied alot of functions and technology that is integrated or works in conjunction with the CPU of the new Explorers/F-150's so it's basically untouched territory for chip manufacturers. I'm not sure right now if Apten has a chip for the 02+ Explorers but if he doesn't I know they are very close.



Apten chips can be setup to run on regular unleaded and super/premium unleaded with the same chip so if you need to run premium for awhile and get more horsepower and later on switch over to the regular unleaded mode, you can save some cash when you know you're not in need of extra hp. Bottomline the chips are custom tuned for every customers specific car, there is no generic chip like Superchips for example. They tune up the shift points and the result is outstanding.

 

[03_LTD]

Rob,



I'm confused! Your post stated: "I tend to stay away from Superchips, etc. although I do try to keep up with what they put out." and you provided a link to the Apten Website. The first think I see on their site states:



"November 2003 - Superchips Custom Tuning

We have now transitioned to Superchips Custom Tuning for our chip sales and dyno tuning. This new tuning package is excellent and we are excited to be able to offer our customers an even better chip. The new SCT chips are 4-bank chips that overwrite all four banks in the EEC. Superchips is the premier name in the chip business, and their custom tuning division is comprised of the sharpest tuners in the country. Their experience and knowledge combined with our technical background and customer service will lead to great things! Our relationship with SCT will benefit all of our customers, and you will see several new products in the coming months."



This sure makes it sound like the Apten chip and the Superchip are now pretty much one in the same! I'm not knocking either because I have no experience with the Apten Chip, but have owned a Superchip for over 4 years, and have been extremely pleased! So if the two have merged, the end product is bound to be awesome!

Thanks for the information!

 

[Rob]

Right after I posted that, I went to their website and read that. I definitely don't think they merged, I think what Apten is doing now if I understand it right is they are using the Superchips as their base and modify it from there. I'm as confused as you are on this.