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| The 5.4 liter, 3-valve Triton engine delivers 300 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, both improved for 2004 |
Refined Power
The new F-150 offers two engine choices – a 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton™ V-8 and a 4.6-liter Triton™ V-8.
The all-new 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton™ V-8 engine is designed with three valves per cylinder, variable cam timing and a host of other features that provide increased power – especially at low engine speeds – along with improved refinement and efficiency.
The new engine delivers 300 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 365 foot-pounds of torque at 3,750 rpm. The all-new, aluminum cylinder head – with two intake valves and one exhaust valve per cylinder for 24 valves in total – and an improved cast-iron block balance impressive power with better fuel efficiency and quieter operation.
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| The Triton features lengthened piston skirts, cracked, powdered piston rods and centrally located spark plugs |
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| Roller-design cam followers reduce noise and friction |
This new technology builds on Ford’s proven modular V-8 engine platform. Its predecessor, a 2-valve version of the 5.4-liter Triton™, has been named to Ward’s 10-Best Engines list six years running. It isn’t a single technology but rather a suite of enhancements that deliver these consumer benefits.
The new engine will be Ford’s first modular V-8 to use variable cam timing, which allows Ford engineers to optimize intake and exhaust valve actuation across the engine speed range. It is the industry’s first mass application of dual-equal variable-cam timing, which shifts the intake and exhaust valve timing together.
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| Variable cam timing adjusts the cams over a 50 degree range, to improve efficiency and power output |
Variable camshaft timing allows the valves to be operated at different points in the combustion cycle, to provide performance that is precisely tailored to specific engine speed and load at that instant. The driver does not notice that the cams are changing, but recognizes that there’s more power when it is needed.
In combination with precise control of spark timing, fuel injection and use of electrically controlled Charge Motion Control Valves in the intake runners, this technology produces improved power and torque, particularly at the lower engine speeds that are so important to applications such as towing and heavy hauling.
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| For 2004, the Triton is equipped with 3 valves - 2 intake and 1 exhaust |
With all-aluminum heads, single overhead camshafts, magnesium camshaft covers and a clean-sheet design approach, Ford’s engineers were able to develop a three-valve-per-cylinder engine that has virtually no weight penalty compared with two-valve V-8 engines. The three-valve head is dimensionally smaller than the two-valve design for the 5.4-liter engine, while offering more rigidity and strength. It also is easier to manufacture.
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| The charge motion control valves, shown closed, create small openings for the air and fuel, thus inducing turbulence in the cylinder and increasing burn efficiency |
At lower speeds and lighter loads, the new Charge Motion Control Valves (CMCV) – located at the end of each intake runner – are specially shaped to speed up the intake charge and induce a tumble effect in the combustion cylinder. This causes the fuel to mix more thoroughly, and to burn quickly and efficiently, with reduced emissions, particularly at idle.
The CMCVs are controlled by an electronic motor, and open at a predetermined point as engine speed increases. At higher engine speeds, they do not affect the intake charge at all. This allows undisturbed maximum flow into the combustion chambers at wide-open throttle.
New on both the 5.4-liter and 4.6-liter engines is a segment-first torque-based electronic throttle control that uses driver input from the accelerator pedal to actively modulate the torque at the drive wheels. It is a direct descendant of technology first used in fighter aircraft.
Replacing the mechanical throttle linkage is an accelerator position sensor, an electronic control circuit and an actuator at the throttle valve on the engine. The controller takes into account the current operating status of the engine and ambient conditions, and then operates the throttle as needed to best deliver the desired result.
This produces seamless and consistent engine response, improved fuel economy and enhanced integration of vehicle systems, such as the transmission, variable camshaft timing, vehicle speed control and idle speed control.
Improved 4.6-liter Triton V-8
Also available in the new F-150 is the 4.6-liter Triton™ V-8. It achieves 231 horsepower at 4,750 rpm and an impressive 293 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 rpm. Ninety percent of this torque is available at 2,000 rpm for strong towing performance and solid acceleration while hauling heavy loads.
In addition to the benefits of the new electronic throttle control system, the 4.6-liter modular V-8 has reduced hydrocarbon emissions for 2004 thanks to improved gaskets, seals and crankcase-ventilation plumbing.
The 4.6-liter Triton™ V-8 has two valves per cylinder and a cast iron block. It uses an upgraded version of Ford’s 4R70E four-speed automatic transmission, which has improved shifting controls, for smoother performance.
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| Camouflaged F150 test vehicle in action |
Enhanced Automatic Transmissions
Matched to the new 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton™ V-8 is a new 4R75E four-speed automatic transmission, an evolution of the 4R70E used on the current F-150. It is upgraded to handle the torque of the 5.4-liter engine, while taking advantage of patented upgrades to the 4R70E.
While final certification is not yet complete, Ford expects the new F-150 will offer competitive fuel economy.
The new 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton™ V-8 meets the U.S. federal government’s Tier 2, Bin 5 Emission Vehicle standard. The 4.6-liter Triton™ V-8 meets the Tier 2, Bin 10 Emission Vehicle standard.
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| The F150 Lariat Super Crew - pickup truck utility with sedan interior space |
Capability, Comfort and Convenience
Tough, capable and versatile, America’s pickup truck also has more interior spaciousness, features that contribute to ergonomic ease and new levels of refinement. The combination makes for a calm, quiet confidence that all drivers will appreciate.
Each of F-150’s cargo boxes – offered in 51⁄2-, 61⁄2- and 8-foot lengths – is more than 2 inches deeper than before, increasing usable volume. The total cargo volume of the 61⁄2 -foot box, for example, is 65 cubic feet, which is nearly 12 percent better than the current F-150, 13 percent better than Chevrolet and 42 percent larger than Toyota’s 6-foot box. That extra capacity could save a trip to the landscape supply or garden center.
The newly engineered chassis and seamless powertrains make pulling a trailer easier than ever. The 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton™ V-8 has excellent torque at lower engine speeds, and its sophisticated electronic throttle control provides seamless, instant response and consistent transmission shift quality. Four axle ratios – from 3.31:1 to 4.10:1 – are available, and all but the 3:31:1 can have optional limited-slip capability for enhanced traction.
The laterally stiff new rear suspension is very resistant to side loads, so trailer influence on the truck (in crosswinds, on rutted roads or alongside 18-wheelers) is minimal. This contributes to confident, stress-free trailering, aided by powerful new braking capability.
The maximum standard tow rating is 8,300 pounds, properly equipped, and the maximum payload capacity is 2,000 pounds. The optional Payload Group upgrades the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating to 8,200 pounds, raises the payload capacity to as high as 2,900 pounds and the towing capacity to 8,800 pounds.
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| The new F150's fully boxed frame has hydroformed sections for high torsional (twisting along the rail's axis) and bending (bending the rail lengthwise, or rotation about a perpendicular axis) rigidity |
At F-150’s core is a stout, fully boxed ladder frame with hydroformed front rails. Critical cross members are welded to the rails with a “through-rail” joint to prevent localized flex. “Wide-footprint” brackets attach the suspension, body and powertrain to the frame to maximize the strength of the attachment point. The entire frame is welded together, built to last.
The new body structure is improved by more than 75 percent and works with the stiffer frame to ward off squeaks and rattles. For the new F-150, the most aggressive use yet of structural adhesives on a Ford truck helps to spread loads over the length of a seam, to maintain long-term body stiffness.
Prototypes completed a 17-week corrosion test at Ford’s Arizona Proving Ground that included a gamut of torture, including Salt Bath, Humidity Chamber and Drying Chamber. Sixty cycles of this testing simulate six years of abuse in Canada’s rugged Maritime Provinces. Today’s F-150 prototypes were subjected to hundreds of testing cycles.
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| For 2004, the F150 features electronic throttle control, which improves throttle response and driver confidence in four wheel-drive mode |
In addition, the new F-150 has endured the equivalent of more than 5 million cumulative miles of engine testing.
Contractors and personal-use buyers may have different needs and wants in their F-150, but they all use the truck as a tool – to get the job done, to get their gear to the recreation area or to get to work between weekends. Ford knows that any good tool is easy to use, and has worked extensively to help ensure that all of its customers find F-150 a good “fit.”
People come in all shapes and sizes, of course, and the F-150 reflects that fact: It’s designed to accommodate a so-called 25th-percentile woman (approximately 4’10” tall) as well as a 99th-percentile male (approximately 6’4”). The cabin is wider than ever before and its front seat is roomier, yet the door armrests extend far enough for smaller drivers to use comfortably. Grab handles and optional running boards assist during entry and exit, and optional power-adjustable pedals join a standard tilt steering wheel for customizing the driving position.
A standard Tailgate Assist feature uses an internal torsion bar to help with raising and lowering the tailgate. The optional running boards were moved lower and farther outboard to be more useful for stepping up into the cab.
Essential to meeting Ford’s goals for the best driving experience available in a pickup truck was engineering quietness into the cabin. A quiet passenger cabin helps driver and passengers to stay alert and arrive relaxed, and has a profound effect on customer satisfaction.
The F-150 team tackled cabin noise with fanatical attention to detail.
As a result of their efforts, the F-150 cabin has highway cruise noise levels that are 2 sones quieter than the previous segment leader. While driving on coarse country roads at more moderate speeds, overall interior sound levels are 2.8 dBA lower than the previous leader.
During wide-open-throttle acceleration, the “speech articulation index” – a measure of how easily one can hold a conversation – is 5 percentage points better than the nearest competitor, above 3,500 rpm.
Liquid-filled engine mounts or “hydromounts” attenuate much of the engine’s noise and vibration before it can reach the passenger compartment. To further combat unwanted noise, the new F-150 has inset doors with improved seals, thicker front side windows, a laminated dash panel and noise-blocking air extractor vents at the rear of the cab. New double door seals contribute to the quiet ride.
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| Ford's Personal Safety System protects occupants with weight sensors embedded in the seats, seat belt pretensioners, bi-level air bag deployment and more |
Safety and Security
The all-new Ford F-150 has been engineered with a focus on safety. Across the line-up, the new full-size truck from the Tough Truck leader has the strength, technology and know-how to protect its occupants.
The new F-150 helps to protect its occupants with a structure designed to absorb crash energy and dissipate it before it can reach the reinforced passenger compartment. In the U.S. Federal Government’s frontal crash tests, the 2002 F-150 SuperCrew scored five stars for driver and front passenger protection.
In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s offset frontal crash test, Ford expects the new F-150 to earn high marks, based on extensive internal testing. It also has been designed to meet the new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, which regulates air bag as well as offset crash performance.
The new, strong hydroformed front frame rails are built with computer-designed front horns to help manage crash forces. In an impact, these areas of the frame are designed to collapse in an accordion fashion, dissipating energy before it reaches the passenger compartment.
Innovative design added additional space to this crush zone. Rather than being welded or bolted to the back of the fully boxed bumper beam, the front frame rails extend through cutouts in the beam to its front face, where they are welded in place. In a severe frontal impact, lower suspension control arms are designed to fracture, further absorbing crash energy.
The front crush structure is built from channeled steel sections welded together to form fully boxed frame rails. These sections meet the robust hydroformed frame ahead of the cab, providing a rugged steel platform beneath the entire passenger compartment. Reinforcements on the frame rails further improve the frame stiffness there. Combined with exceptionally stiff door sills and door openings, the hydroformed frame is able to help keep the main section of the frame from twisting during an offset crash. In the U.S. Federal Government’s side impact tests, the new F-150 is designed to retain its strong performance.
The new F-150’s portfolio of safety features now includes the Ford Personal Safety System™ and new occupant sensing technology.
With Personal Safety System™, frontal air bags offer multiple deployment levels to tailor inflation force to the severity of the crash, the driver’s safety belt use and the driver’s seat position, as determined by a sensor mounted to the seat track.
The Personal Safety System™ is augmented by advanced passenger-weight-sensing technology. If the sensor detects no weight on the front passenger seat – or very little weight, such as a newspaper, a half-dozen bagels or work gloves – the passenger-side air bag is automatically turned off. If more weight is detected on the seat, as with a small child, the air bag remains turned off and a light on the instrument panel illuminates with the message “PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF.” If an adult is seated properly in the passenger seat, the light is extinguished and the air bag is automatically switched on. Small children should always be seated in proper supplemental safety seats in the rear seats whenever possible, even with this system.
A vehicle occupant’s best line of defense in crashes remains the safety belt. The new F-150 has three-point belts at all outboard seating positions and all rear seating positions in SuperCab and SuperCrew. To encourage safety belt use, the new F-150 is equipped with Ford’s pioneering BeltMinder™ system, which prompts the driver and – for the first time in a truck – the front passenger to buckle up.
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| The optional flow-through center conssole with floor-mounted shifter, shown in the FX4 |
At both the driver and outboard front passenger positions, safety belts are equipped with pyrotechnic pretensioners and load-limiting retractors. In the first moments of a frontal impact, the pretensioners pull the lap and shoulder belts tighter, which helps to reduce slack in the belts.
The new F-150 has standard provisions for safely securing a LATCH-compatible child safety seat. There are three sets of LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) fixtures and top tether anchors across the rear seat of SuperCab and SuperCrew models, and a top tether anchor on the front passenger seat. Regular Cab models have both LATCH lower anchors and a top tether anchor on front passenger seats.
Numerous additional features help to protect customers, the new F-150 and its contents, including Ford's patented SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system, available keypad entry, remote keyless entry, spare wheel lock and standard lockable tailgate.
With 6 more inches of interior cab length on Regular Cab and SuperCab models, the F-150 provides more lockable stowage volume than ever before – up to 13 inches behind the front seat of the Regular Cab.
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| With 800,000 sales last year, the F150 leads not only the truck sector, but the entire automotive industry |
The F-Series Leadership Story
The story of the Ford F-Series is one of sustained leadership. From the construction site to the house next door, the full-size pickup has earned its place in the fabric of American life. F-Series is America’s choice. It outsells every other full-size truck brand. In fact, F-Series has been America’s favorite vehicle for 20 years running, as of December 2002.
Historically, Ford has led the industry with innovations such as a standard third door on SuperCab and the SuperCrew. These configurations gave F-Series customers true personal-use versatility – without compromising tough truck capability. When extended cab models were introduced in the 1990s, they accounted for less than 20 percent of the total market. Today, they represent approximately 80 percent of sales due to their increased passenger space and functionality.
“Ford’s F-Series leadership is well documented,” said Matt DeMars, executive director for Tough Trucks, Ford Motor Company. “We have a huge owner base and a reputation for toughness and durability that is unsurpassed in the industry. We used our customer insight to help us anticipate the 'next big thing' in the market, and we continue to give customers in this growing segment the most appealing products.”
The year 2001 culminated in an all-time sales record for the Ford F-Series of 911,597 units. Its nearest rival trailed by nearly 200,000 units, and Ford celebrated its 25th straight year as America’s truck sales leader.
The numbers tell why Ford is aggressively striving to maintain and extend its leadership as the best-selling full-size pickup. The F-Series is extremely important to Ford’s bottom line. It accounts for nearly 28 percent of Ford Division’s sales and 23 percent of Ford Motor Company’s total U.S. sales.
All text and images courtesy Ford Motr Company. Ford, the Ford emblem and Triton are registered trademarks of the Ford Motor Company.
