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The gain of going from a 3.0 to the SHO 3.4 is the same as is in the Taurus. 3.0 produces a rather wimpy 130-175 horse in most applications, while the Taurus 3.4 produces 235. This is even more than the (stock) 5.0 Explorer motor. However, the Explorer motor does produce far more torque (285 lb ft)Lets see---going from a 3.0 V6 to a 3.4 V8? OK, I give up........... Where's the gain? (aside from the improved sound output of the V8)
The gain of going from a 3.0 to the SHO 3.4 is the same as is in the Taurus. 3.0 produces a rather wimpy 130-175 horse in most applications, while the Taurus 3.4 produces 235. This is even more than the (stock) 5.0 Explorer motor. However, the Explorer motor does produce far more torque (285 lb ft)
I'm trying to look into which transmissions hook up to a 3.4 SHO and would work with a 4x4 application. The bolt pattern is IDENTICAL between the 3.0L "Cologne" Taurus-Ranger V6 and the 3.4 L Yamaha V-8. The 3.4 does have one substantial advantage over the Explorer motor, and that's engine space. It would require some substantial modification, but a forced-induction SHO V-8 could be the way to go, if ya want to push 300+. A twin-turbo SHO-V8 is going to be a powerful motor, and with the right axle ratio (4.88, 5.13) could actually be a very good motor for wheeling.
Plus, you're actually going to pick up economy over the 3.0 and 4.0 engines. The 3.0 is the black sheep of the Ford Ranger engine family because it produces BOTH less economy AND power than the 4.0 and in terms of power is a very, very mild gain from the 2.3/2.5 (something like 15-25 horse)