Ford Motor Company unveiled the next-generation Ford Triton light-truck V-8 gasoline engine
at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) convention in Las Vegas. A new
5.4-liter SOHC three-valve-per-cylinder Triton V-8 will power the 2004 Ford F-150 pickups,
due out next fall.
It features a stiff cast-iron block, lightweight aluminum heads,
magnesium camshaft covers and a composite intake manifold. It’s the latest member of Ford’s
modular V-8 family, the first three-valve and the first to use variable cam timing (VCT).
The engine yields a best-in-class 300 hp at 5,000 rpm and 365 lb-ft of torque at 3,750 rpm
(with 90 percent of that torque available between 2,250 and 4,750 rpm), improvements of 15
percent in power, and 5 percent in peak torque versus the 5.4-liter two-valve engine it
will soon replace. These enhancements should make it better for trailering.
