Yes, you read that right. Stock F-150s certainly aren’t slow, but have you ever wondered what it would be like to drive one with 770 hp?

Ford has been number one for decades when it comes to pickup truck sales. And when you’re at the top of your game, you don’t sit idle and let the competition catch up. In 2018, Ford rolled out several upgrades on its F-150 line of trucks including new grilles, a 10-speed transmission, and lots of new technology.

Boosting the Power of Ford F-150

So what happens when you take an unassuming 2018 Ford F-150 Sport with a 5.0-liter V8 engine which gets 395 hp and crank it up to 770 hp? Our friends over at The Smoking Tire recently got together with Triple Threat Racing to experience this first hand.

Triple Threat Racing took the standard 2018 Ford F-150 with the 5.0-liter engine Mustang and created their own Vortex Supercharger kit. The engine is the same one used in the 2018 Ford Mustang. The setup used YSi intercoolers at 18 psi. The YSi is a midrange for the Vortex superchargers and can actually achieve up to 1,400 horsepower. The result is a supercharged engine that achieves 770 hp with the stock transmission for a sports truck experience. The redline they were able to bump the engine up to was an insane 8,000 rpm.

How It Drives

As the above video shows, a 770-hp F-150 is one heck of an adventure.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that the power balance is felt low in the power band. The power is available immediately because there’s no gas buildup as there are in turbocharged vehicles. The experience makes you feel like you’re driving with a much larger engine with all its torque. The factory pulley was replaced with a smaller unit that helps the rotors move faster for an even greater boost.

The engine makes two distinct sounds. One is an energetic roar that shows off the engine’s power but isn’t overwhelmingly loud in the cabin of the truck. It’s loud on the outside because more power comes from more air and that increases the sound pressure. The extra forced air, or boost, is handled here by a wastegate spring.

Riding higher up in a truck causes your perspective of speed to be different than it would be riding in a regular sports car. It can seem like the truck is moving slower than it truly is. Plus the handling, despite the extra power, is the same. The truck is meant for navigating straight lines so taking curves at higher speeds should be handled carefully. At higher speeds in this supercharged truck, you can still get some wheel spin.

Braking is unchanged as stock brakes were used and you can short shift to an extent. The representative from Triple Threat Racing said that weight balance in modifying the truck was a little tricky. While the total weight of the vehicle was approximately 4,400 pounds, the back of the truck is lighter.

Minor adjustments have been made to the suspension system with basic shocks with CalTrac traction bars implemented. A three-inch front/five-inch rear drop kit was also used on the truck. There are plans to make further minor adjustments to the truck’s suspension.

Follow the Progress 

Those who want to follow the story of the modified Ford F-150 can follow Triple Threat Racing on Instagram where they will be posting updates as they are made. 

All images provided by the manufacturer unless otherwise noted.