Photo: Whipple
The Super Duty may start at $33,705 for the XL with the single cab and rear-wheel drive, but the most basic of specifications comes with the standard V8 flex-fuel gasoline engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. Add $2,045 to the tally, and you’re treated to the 7.3-liter Godzilla. The most powerful gas-powered V8 in the segment cranks out 430 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque.
Thanks to a cast-iron block with four-bolt and cross-bolted main bearings as well as the forged-steel crankshaft, the pushrod V8 also happens to be perfect for aftermarket modding. This gets us to Whipple’s supercharging systems, now featuring a 3.0-liter blower developed for the 7.3-liter Godzilla.
Whipple’s website reads “record-breaking Gen 5 technology coming soon,” and as you’d expect, the twin-screw supercharger has no price tag at the time of writing. Customers can only choose the finish (black comes at no additional cost, the others add $600 to the price), and that’s a bit of a shame given the hype surrounding the heavy-duty engine of the 2020 model year Ford Super Duty lineup.
A bolt-on kit that requires “no cutting or grinding,” the Stage 2 system differs from the Stage 1 by leveling up the throttle body from 80 to 132 millimeters. At the flywheel, Whipple quotes 700 horsepower and tons of torque.
750 pound-feet to be precise, which is seriously impressive for a gasoline-fueled pickup truck in the heavy-duty segment. In addition to an air-to-water intercooler, the supercharger also comes with a flash tool that allows the customer to calibrate the powertrain control module, read, and erase codes.
“But what about the 10-speed automatic transmission? That’s pretty hard to mod with aftermarket tools.” Whipple has found a way around this problem, namely a proprietary software that adds an air temperature sensor post intercooler while maintaining the stock sensor to vary spark advances through the rev range.
On that note, can you imagine the fuel economy – or lack of fuel economy – of the 7.3-liter Godzilla with a thumpin’ great supercharger on top of it? To put the blower’s displacement into perspective, the Dodge Demon’s supercharger boasts 2.7 liters.
Whipple’s website reads “record-breaking Gen 5 technology coming soon,” and as you’d expect, the twin-screw supercharger has no price tag at the time of writing. Customers can only choose the finish (black comes at no additional cost, the others add $600 to the price), and that’s a bit of a shame given the hype surrounding the heavy-duty engine of the 2020 model year Ford Super Duty lineup.
A bolt-on kit that requires “no cutting or grinding,” the Stage 2 system differs from the Stage 1 by leveling up the throttle body from 80 to 132 millimeters. At the flywheel, Whipple quotes 700 horsepower and tons of torque.
750 pound-feet to be precise, which is seriously impressive for a gasoline-fueled pickup truck in the heavy-duty segment. In addition to an air-to-water intercooler, the supercharger also comes with a flash tool that allows the customer to calibrate the powertrain control module, read, and erase codes.
“But what about the 10-speed automatic transmission? That’s pretty hard to mod with aftermarket tools.” Whipple has found a way around this problem, namely a proprietary software that adds an air temperature sensor post intercooler while maintaining the stock sensor to vary spark advances through the rev range.
On that note, can you imagine the fuel economy – or lack of fuel economy – of the 7.3-liter Godzilla with a thumpin’ great supercharger on top of it? To put the blower’s displacement into perspective, the Dodge Demon’s supercharger boasts 2.7 liters.
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