I looked up a few of my cars, and found some interesting things..

The AU LTD came up as 5.0 V8 (NP) which I believe is "normal power"?

But the 94 DC came up as 5.0 V8 (High Power)

Would this mean it was optioned with an XR engine?

What was the difference with a ED XR8 engine? Was it like the 6es with a cam and pressure reg or simly the ecu tune?

There was zero engine component or rated power differences in the standard E-series V8's, except EL2 & XH2 which got the explorer intake and a 20kW power boost. All E-series V8's were rated as HP. Only the GT's and Sprints got a marginally better spec'ed engine

The etis isn't working for me.

Not much does

So an EB-ED XR8 has NO DIFFERENCE whatsoever over a "standard" V8? all just 175Kw spec engines?

Interdasting.. I thought it was simply an ECU tune and maybe exhaust to make them a little more pokey?

PM me your VIN and Ill look it up Darcy..

The site was a little confusing at first..

actually the eb-ed xr8 is 165kw..

Thats right, 165...

Is that across the board though?

yep.. except for eb gt and ed sprint which were 195 or 200kw from memory.
afaik they were 165kw right up to early el. where the late el got the explorer manifold puting it up to 175kw..

ok, good to know.

pity the XR wasnt anything special though, maybe the diff made it a little quicker?

3.45:1 diff will reduce topend.

XR's didn't have speed limiter on them like GLi, Futura, Fairmont.

Ys, but increases acceleration.. So it would make the car Quicker, not faster...

I thought limiters only came in with the AUs?

Limiters were all through the E series. Speed limited to 180kph.

Ok, coming to think of it Ive only felt safe enough in an AU to get that fast.

All the earlier ones shook too much around 160 LOL.

The EF and early EL XR8's were 170 kw, exhaust was different and bigger intake snorkel. Tune may have been slightly fiddlede to accomodate.

Late EL XR8 was 185kw.

Early El XR8's were still 165kw. They still had the same crappy High Output intake, the same crappy E7 cylinder heads, the same cam and the same hideously crap exhaust manifold.

The only mechanical difference between all the HO (cough cough) spec engines was in the early 90's the engines were built with factory fitted forged pistons. As for electrical, all of the pre smartlock EB V8's ran a barometric air pressure sensor (same as fox body mustangs with the A9L and A9P ECU's). It's nothing more than a Map sensor with the house disconnected.
With the introducion of smartlock Ford AU ditched the BAP. At the same time in the US the SN95 mustang came out and they didn't have a Bap either. They also had the air intake temp sensor relocated from the base of the #5 runner to the air intake pipe before the throttle body. Something we didn't here until the 98 Explorer V8 engine was dumped into the AU Falcon (the windsor was gone from everything except the F truck and explorer from around 94/95 onwards. Everything else was 4.6 modular).

Now with the late EL V8 and the explorer intake, its different than the AU explorer. The EL still has an EGR port and it still has the intake temp sensor at the #5 runner position. The AU doesn't have EGR because it has fast burn GT40P heads which have no provision for EGR.
The reason the AU with its better heads and intake only makes 10 more kW than almost anything before it is it because it has a smaller cam and matching weak valve springs. You have to remember this engine came from a low revving 4x4/Suv not a pony car like everything before it.