Simple Ford Bronco Whipple Tune Adds 59 HP, 82 LB-FT at the Wheels

This 50-state-legal ECU flash for the EcoBoost V6 is a big step.

byPeter Holderith|
Ford News photo
Share

0

Demand for the Jeep Wrangler-fighting Ford Bronco is still raging, and one of the truck's key advantages over its crosstown rival is the extra power it packs. Sure, the $75,990 Wrangler 392 gets 470 horsepower from a 6.4-liter V8. But as far as the trucks' more pedestrian versions go, the Bronco's 330-horsepower EcoBoost V6 is a cut above the 285 offered from the Jeep's 3.6-liter Pentastar.

If you want even more power from the Bronco, well, you're in luck. Whipple, a company known primarily for its superchargers, has released a flash tune for the twin-turbocharged engine, and the results are impressive. A dyno test from Florida's Lethal Performance revealed not only the wheel horsepower numbers for a mostly stock 2.7-liter Bronco, but also the massive gains from Whipple's flash tune on the motor.

Jared from Lethal Performance does state the rig has an axle-back exhaust; however, it was installed during both portions of the before and after dyno test, so the gains in the video below are strictly from the tune. 

Video thumbnail

The results here speak for themselves: 59 horsepower and 82 pound-feet of torque are gained over stock with the Whipple tune installed. The final tally is 312 hp and 400 pound-feet of torque at the tire, which gets close to the V6's rating at the crank. Those are solid gains for just a tune, and the guys at Lethal Performance also took the truck out with a GPS-based timing system to see if that gain translated into a better sprint to 60 miles per hour.

Previously, it was measured at 7.51 seconds to 60—pretty good for a big, heavy truck like the Bronco. After the tune, the Ford was able to just barely break into the six-second range with a recorded zero to 60 time of 6.99 seconds. Half a second is impressive for just plugging something into the OBD port and pressing download. Or is it upload? Either way.

Everything you need for these gains besides some 93 octane fuel can be bought on Whipple's website for $950, which is a reasonable price considering the gains. You'll be hard-pressed to find anything that's going to yield that sort of emissions-friendly horsepower at that price.

Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: peter@thedrive.com.

stripe
Car TechFord NewsNews by Brand