1. Tuning
The stock 2.7L and 3.5L EcoBoost engines have a lot of hidden power that tuning can unleash. There are many engine and transmission settings that can be adjusted to meet your preferences. Some examples of settings that can be adjusted are, transmission shift points, torque converter lock/unlock, turbo boost curve, intercooler volume, torque curve, fuel injector duty cycle, and much more! Tuning will give you the most power for your dollar!
A performance catback exhaust will improve exhaust gas flow out of the engine and will improve the sound of your truck. There are many catback systems available, I encourage you to search for videos of them so you can hear how they sound before purchasing one. Keep in mind the best flowing mufflers will be straight through with no obstructions. Many turbo mufflers have obstructions, so check the internals of the muffler before you buy one.
Selecting a new intake and air filter can be tricky because there are many products and opinions on this topic. My suggestion is to look at the manufacturer’s test data for the various intakes and purchase the one with the best airflow data that is better than stock. The ideal intake will have a larger than stock opening at the front of the truck that pulls in cold air and routes it through large pipes to a larger than stock air filter and then to the turbos. The filter element should be high efficiency and flow lots of air. To the contrary, intakes that are open to the engine bay pull in hot air and are not as efficient.
4. Intercooler
A high volume intercooler will lower the temperature of the pressurized air from the turbo before it enters the engine’s throttle body. This is very important when running lots of boost because the air can get very hot when it is compressed by the turbo. With tuning and an upgraded intercooler you will have more boost and more spark advance which will result in significant power gains.
If you are tuned and running all the upgrades listed in this article, you will want to buy a set of cold spark plugs. They dissipate heat faster than the stock plugs and will lower your cylinder head temperature and prevent knock. I do not recommend cold plugs for an untuned stock engine. For tuned and upgraded engines, the cold plugs are cheap insurance to prevent engine damage.
Feel free to chat with us if you have any questions about performance upgrades for your truck.
