Ideas to Increase HP on 2.3 L Duratec

[ONRanger]

I have a 2.3 L I4 Ranger (2008) manual. I'd like to increase the performance without doing anything too drastic, and no, I don't want to drop in a 4.0 L V6...

Thanks in advance

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

Gasoline's air:fuel mix is 14.7:1 this is a WEIGHT ratio
14.7 pounds of air to 1 pound of gasoline
14.7 grams of air to 1 gram of gasoline

It is why Fuel Injectors are rated in "pounds per hour" of gasoline flow

The ONLY way to get more power from any engine is to increase the amount of AIR the engine can use
Its why a 4 liter engine has more power than a 3 liter engine, because it can pass more air thru so can add more gasoline which releases more power

Turbo or Super chargers FORCE more air thru an engine, so more gasoline can be used, releasing more energy
Nitrous Oxide Injection is, in essence, "compressed air", so more air in the engine means more gasoline can be added

If you just add more gasoline without adding more air you just get a flooded engine and less power


Colder air is heavier, "hot air rises" because it lighter, thats why all fuel injected Rangers come with a CAI(cold air intake) from the factory, it allows better performance, also why engines feel "peppier" in winter months with the colder air outside

If there is a simple way to increase performance on any engine, car makers will use it
Tuned exhausts(scavenging exhausts) were added back in the 1950s
Your Ranger has that, for mid-range power

Emissions systems are not what they once were back in the 1970's, after 1990 or so no emission system lowers performance................unless it is broken, lol

So to answer the question
You need to add more air to get more HP, as simple and as complicated as that
The "simple" bolt on stuff is already there, from the factory

 

[racsan]

lower gears in the rear end, wont really “make” more power but will feel like it! You most likely have 3.73 now, 4.10 is the next step up, not sure how much that little bit will help but should help some. Just source a used axle assembly and swap the whole thing out.

 

[pjtoledo]

whatever you do DON'T loosen the bolts for the harmonic balancer or cams unless you plan on re-timing the entire engine.

Mazda guys have the same engine, you might want to check in there.
I'm not trying to run you off, it's just that the Mazda Guys modify the Duratec way more than Ranger guys do.

if you decide on a cam swap, stock up on those "diamond washers", that's what holds the timing in place.

 

[ONRanger]

Welcome to TRS

Gasoline's air:fuel mix is 14.7:1 this is a WEIGHT ratio
14.7 pounds of air to 1 pound of gasoline
14.7 grams of air to 1 gram of gasoline

It is why Fuel Injectors are rated in "pounds per hour" of gasoline flow

The ONLY way to get more power from any engine is to increase the amount of AIR the engine can use
Its why a 4 liter engine has more power than a 3 liter engine, because it can pass more air thru so can add more gasoline which releases more power

Turbo or Super chargers FORCE more air thru an engine, so more gasoline can be used, releasing more energy
Nitrous Oxide Injection is, in essence, "compressed air", so more air in the engine means more gasoline can be added

If you just add more gasoline without adding more air you just get a flooded engine and less power


Colder air is heavier, "hot air rises" because it lighter, thats why all fuel injected Rangers come with a CAI(cold air intake) from the factory, it allows better performance, also why engines feel "peppier" in winter months with the colder air outside

If there is a simple way to increase performance on any engine, car makers will use it
Tuned exhausts(scavenging exhausts) were added back in the 1950s
Your Ranger has that, for mid-range power

Emissions systems are not what they once were back in the 1970's, after 1990 or so no emission system lowers performance................unless it is broken, lol

So to answer the question
You need to add more air to get more HP, as simple and as complicated as that
The "simple" bolt on stuff is already there, from the factory

Thanks for the clear explanation of fundamentals RonD. I believe some people take advantage of turbo 2.3 L engines from other Fords to increase air flow.

 

[ONRanger]

whatever you do DON'T loosen the bolts for the harmonic balancer or cams unless you plan on re-timing the entire engine.

Mazda guys have the same engine, you might want to check in there.
I'm not trying to run you off, it's just that the Mazda Guys modify the Duratec way more than Ranger guys do.

if you decide on a cam swap, stock up on those "diamond washers", that's what holds the timing in place.

That's a good idea. I knew it was a Mazda engine.

 

[ONRanger]

What about "tuning"?

 

[pjtoledo]

I'll have to defer to the performance guys, I haven't given much thought to tuning.

 

[RonD]

Its a Mazda L engine
Ford renamed it 2.3l Duratec and then turbo charged it for use in the larger 2019 Rangers and calls it 2.3l Ecoboost

It has been a good reliable engine for Mazda and Ford
Ranger model has 143HP with 154ft/lb of torque
Mazda 6 models have been tuned to 178HP but same torque
Cosworth modified them to produce 280HP, not a turbo, WOW, but for racing, so I would image you would be rebuilding it every month or so, lol

So yes tuning is an option, you can tune an engine for more power if you ONLY run Premium 93 octane fuel
Its tuned now so you can run regular 87 octane
Octane is not a power rating its heat rating, a gallon of 87 octane has the same energy as a gallon of 93 octane
But to run 87 octane you need to run a different spark advance so engine doesn't ping/knock
87 octane tends to "self ignite" on compression so spark curve needs to be different to prevent that