The Roush Stage II F-150 Supercharged

Available in three and, in special cases, four ascending levels of appearance and performance, Roush can outfit a '97 or later model F-150 to perform as well as its appearance suggests. The "Sport Truck Handling Package" consists of improvements to the stock suspension, tires, and wheels, while adding a mild custom look. The "Stage One" package adds even more style with a 10-piece body kit for 4x2 Regular cab and Super cab models in both Styleside and Flareside bed configurations. Finally there's "Stage Two," which combines the previous two, and as on our special test vehicle, adds a Vortech supercharger to make it cook as well as it looks. This particular truck was a special order for North County Ford of Vista, California, but it could easily be duplicated for interested and motivated buyers.

When adding a supercharger, it's always recommended that the transmission and computer chip be massaged by professionals to handle the increased power output. The reason for these vital modifications is that the addition of a heavy-breathing supercharger easily confuses what the computer recognizes as "normal" airflow, and the resulting increased torque and horsepower overwhelm the automatic transmission's built-in shift programs and normal ATF fluid flow. In this case, the tranny was given a shift kit courtesy JBA Racing, and the new performance chip is from Super Chip.

When it was all put together and taken to our test facility, the outcome was surprising. Most tuner packages try to improve one, sometimes two aspects of performance, usually sacrificing something else in the process. Even worse, wheel/tire swaps, lowering kits, and body modifications are likely to cause unwanted clearance problems and sometimes actually hamper handling ability. Want to increase horsepower? Then add weight and diminish braking-and you'll probably open Pandora's box inside your ECU. Want lower, cooler looks? Give up handling and ground clearance. Want a warranty? Then you can forget the idea of modification.

The Roush-designed package is well executed, complete, and warrantied. Best of all, it didn't break like other modified vehicles we've tested in the past. Also unlike the examples given above, every aspect of the truck's street performance was improved over the stock model.

The Roush Stage II F-150 Supercharged was nearly 2 seconds quicker at every point in the acceleration runs, and its 13-inch vented disc brakes helped it stop 11 feet shorter from 60 mph.

The real eye opener was in the handling. By lowering the front of the truck by 3.5 inches and the rear by 3.0 with Roush's own matched suspension components and Bilstein shocks (not just hacksawed versions of the stock coil units with drop-spindles), the Roush rocketed through the slalom cones at an astounding 61.8 mph-fast enough to beat a new Lexus GS 300-and stuck to the skidpad at 0.86 g-ousting BMW's legendary 540i Sport. Not bad for a pick 'em up truck.

How much would you pay to transform your F-150 into a Mustang GT? It isn't cheap, but neither is a Mustang. The packages range from $5000 to $13,000 if you go directly through Roush, and expect one of the 125 Roush Performance Ford dealers to add on a little more for themselves. As always, speed costs-even if it's in a pickup truck. And Jack Roush ought to know.