2023 Ford F-150 FP700 First Test: The 700-HP Gas Lightning

Having recently sampled a pristine OG Ford Lightning from the 1990s, believe us when we tell you: The Ford F-150 FP700 is the only modern successor to that exuberant original. As the name implies—or is intended to imply, if you ignore the modern-day all-electric F-150 Lightning—the FP700 is Ford Performance's bolt-on solution for energizing a Coyote V-8 with 700 horsepower (and 590 lb-ft of torque). This is done by bolting on a 3.0-liter Whipple twin-screw or Lysholm-type positive-displacement supercharger. The $12,350 kit also includes a set of 22-inch wheels, a rear-suspension lowering kit, and reasonably subtle graphics.

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Installing the FP700 Kit

Intrepid DIYers with a full SnapOn toolbox can try following the 46-page instruction manual to install the supercharger (another 48-pager covers the suspension and graphics install), but the smarter play is to let a Ford dealership or ASE-certified mechanic do the job (eight estimated hours for the engine work, six for the appearance and suspension bits). Doing so nets you a three-year/36,000-mile warranty. At the nationwide average dealer labor rate of $112/hour that comes to about $1,600, but obviously your local rates may vary.

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Lightweight Special

Kits are available for installation on various body styles and trim levels, but the FP700 concept is best enjoyed on the lightest trucks, so look for it to be applied to rear-drive, regular-cab, short-box XL and XLT trim trucks. Ford spec'd this $62,545 media test truck brilliantly, with one exception we'll get to shortly. Based on an XLT, it has the trailer-towing spiffs, locking rear axle, Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0, and a handful of other (very lightweight) niceties. Our truck tipped the scales at 4,567 pounds—700 pounds lighter than any other current-generation F-150 truck we've tested, albeit carrying 59 percent of that on the nose.

Climbing aboard invokes déjà vu with that 1994 Lightning. Our first impression: "Look how tiny the screens are!" But they totally get all the jobs done with wireless Apple/Android mirroring, a trailer-hitch alignment view, and 360-degree cameras. Another thing that keeps this truck from feeling as cheap as the plastics suggest is the way the drive modes alter the appearance of the instrument cluster screen graphics. There's even a Trail mode. Sure, it's a RWD truck on 22s, but lock that diff and go for it!

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How Fast Is the F-150 Lightning FP700?

In a straight line, the equally potent, slightly less torquey, but lighter FP700 closes about 85 percent of the acceleration gap between a Raptor and a Raptor R, hitting 60 mph in a (traction-limited) 4.1 seconds and tripping the quarter-mile lights in 12.4 seconds at 105.1 mph. Equivalent figures for the V-6 Raptor and V-8 Raptor R are 5.6 and 14.3 seconds at 94.0 mph and 3.7/12.1 at 111.8. The Ram 1500 TRX stats are 3.9 seconds and 12.5 at 108.3. Passing power is particularly impressive, whether from 50 to 70 mph or 80 to 100, it jumps down several gears and rockets ahead—especially in sport mode. But according to our test team, getting those results wasn't easy. The truck proved completely unlaunchable with the traction control off. After considerable trial and error effort, they finally found a "delicate dance" of a way: traction control on, sport mode, axle locked, hold brake, rev to 1,900 rpm, release brake, and carefully apply accelerator. The team also discovered a "line-lock" feature to facilitate burnouts that activates with both pedals applied.

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Autocross Champ

In braking and on our figure-eight course, this lightweight street racer smokes those desert-stormers, circulating our figure-eight course in just 27.8 seconds—0.6 ahead of the Raptor andTRX times, logging a maximum lateral grip of 0.80 g—those desert dogs are all back at 0.68 g. Our 60-0-mph panic brake took just 123 feet—6 feet ahead of our best Rams, 14 feet shorter than the best Raptor. But here again, obtaining those results is no picnic. The high, front-biased center of gravity and short wheelbase cause the rear end to dance around under hard braking, and the truck was eager to spin when accelerating out of the corners. Better braking performance might further improve corner entry, and improved tire grip would surely lower lap times. The FP700 kit comes with 22-inch wheels, but tire choice is left up to the customer or installer. One choice we don't recommend for a 700-hp truck is the General Grabber HTS60 fitted to this particular model.

Backing off from ten-tenths on a twisty public backroad, the FP700 does a commendable job of comporting itself, but the truck is too wide and the driver sits too high to enjoy a sporty-car vibe. Additionally, the standard F-150 steering and front suspension didn't offer much in the way of road feedback, and the brake pedal, with its long travel and lack of feel, is similarly typical of the donor truck's workaday roots.

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A Pussycat Around Town

Even in the most aggressive Sport and Trail modes, the FP700's throttle calibration remains gradual enough to prevent inadvertent burnouts leaving traffic lights. The ten-speed automatic shuffles gears imperceptibly when your hair's not on fire, jumping directly to the optimal gear whenever you suddenly drop the hammer. Twin-screws don't whine like Roots-type blowers, and we barely ever heard this one over the pronounced exhaust rumble, which borders on excessive. Perhaps the biggest buzzkill in daily driving is the way those giant tires and wheels pound over pavement imperfections. The footwear imparts a jiggly, never-settled ride on Michigan roads, eliciting constant interior rattles with only 7,000 miles on the odometer.

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Can It Tow?

Presuming the Whipple doesn't lower the towing capacity any, Ford rates its regular-cab rear-drive 122.8-inch-wheelbase V-8 truck with the towing package at 8,300 pounds. We hooked up our 3,500-pound party trailer just to see how the short-wheelbase handled it, and yes, hitting bumps with the trailer shook the truck a bit more than on our long-term Lightning, but there was no sense of the tail wagging the dog. Obviously, the engine never noticed this load, though the rear tires were quicker to break traction and squeal with the trailer attached. Unladen, the traction-control is amazingly adept at preventing tire squeal without the driver noticing significant power interruption.

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Is the FP700 Package Worth It?

It strikes us that average truck buyers will have occasion to accelerate quickly on pavement about a billion percent more often than they'll find themselves hustling across a desert. So this combination of truck performance hardware makes a ton more sense than most Raptor purchases—especially considering it can be installed on the lightest and least complicated of Ford's vast lineup of F-150s. There is a tiny voice inside our head that frets about long-term durability, considering the many updates made to the Predator engine to enable its 700-plus-hp output that are missing from this one (forged crankshaft, sinter-forged connecting rods, enlarged head bolts, etc. ). Maybe just swear off endurance racing. Bottom line, we'd be tempted to buy and install just the supercharger kit ($9,500 plus $900 installation) and prowl the Ford Performance catalog and wider aftermarket for suspension, wheel, brake, and tire options to further improve this truck's dynamics while calming its ride.