Nervous about Downpipe / Intercooler Upgrades

[dinojc86]

Hi Guys,

My 2015 SHO w/PP is stock at the moment.
I bought:
1) Upgraded turbo piping and cold air induction from Ecopower.
2) Livernois Down Pipes
3) On waiting list for Gearhead Intercooler
4) Also plan to get the thermostat, bar map, spark plugs and Gearhead tune.

Speaking to a local mechanic about adding these components and he had some concerns about how the upgrades and tune would affect highway driving and transmission performance.

Are these upgrades plug and play or am I biting off more than I can handle.

Any comments and/or advice about how your car performed after you installed these upgrades or similar upgrades.

Thank you

 

[limited02]

You'll be more than fine and the car will do everything it does, but better. Only thing I've read is the GH tune can shift very firm and I'm sure @mattr66 can soften that up per your request.

 

[SM105K]

Answers in bold....

Hi Guys,

My 2015 SHO w/PP is stock at the moment.
I bought:
1) Upgraded turbo piping and cold air induction from Ecopower.
This is just a really nice upgrade away from the plastic intake pipes. These will help eliminate boost leaks. The EPP intake will drop wastegate percentage help make your turbos breath in easier.
2) Livernois Down Pipes
These will help your turbos flow better, thus making them more efficient.
3) On waiting list for Gearhead Intercooler
This will drop IAT's in temperature thus making the engine run more efficient.
4) Also plan to get the thermostat, bar map, spark plugs and Gearhead tune.
I don't agree with the T-stat thing. The Map Sensor will read boost in a more refined way making the car run more efficient. The plugs will help with detonation, and the GH tune will really help with power delivery, economy (if you can keep your foot out of it) and driveably.

Speaking to a local mechanic about adding these components and he had some concerns about how the upgrades and tune would affect highway driving and transmission performance.

Don't be suprised if you get better driveability, better mileage, and way better performance. The SHO should have come out of the factory like this.
Thank you!

Are these upgrades plug and play or am I biting off more than I can handle.

Pretty basic, I have done all of my mods in my sig in my garage on jack stands with how to videos/articles, and basic mechanics tool box.

Any comments and/or advice about how your car performed after you installed these upgrades or similar upgrades.

My car is amazing with my Mods. I would still daily it if I had too.
Thank you

 

[grayj1979]

i have exact same car just hit 40k miles and am planning gearhead tune and intercooler. I also admit i dont want to destroy my daily driver lol

 

[dinojc86]

Answers in bold....

Thank you for the reply.
I read about hard shifts after the GH tune, that soften after awhile. I was told you need to drive it in D for awhile as well as drive it in S for awhile to allow the tune to adjust.

In regard to t-stat, I see some using a 160 degree and some using 170 degree. I too am not sure how big an impact this has, but it is cheap and easy enough so why not.

I am just old school, the 1994 Mustang 5.0 is the newest car I have modified, total different animal.
I an a little nervous about these new computerized cars and tunes.
This forum is very helpful and a source for good info.

 

[dinojc86]

i have exact same car just hit 40k miles and am planning gearhead tune and intercooler. I also admit i dont want to destroy my daily driver lol

Do you have any upgrades now or just stock?

 

[grayj1979]

Do you have any upgrades now or just stock?

HR sport springs, KN drop in filters, window tint and vinyled out the chrome around the windows. Other than that stock as well. Planning to do PTU and RDU service at next oil change, and will feel like im pretty much ready to go.

 

[FiveLeeter918]

no worries if tuned correctly. Bought mine with 20k miles, installed all of your mods plus more, and still drive like stock just faster with almost 85k miles on the clock.

 

[SHOdded]

I would say if you are installing the tune as the last component, take the time to drive conservatively/moderately till then. You will be just fine.

 

[4sfed]

Absolutely! You won't be sorry. If you DO wait...you'll be mad at yourself once you feel the difference.

Also...make sure you trust your tech...THAT can ruin a good plan too.

If you don't want to put the tune on the car yourself, I would advise trying to be there for the tune to be put in place. That way you have a chance to watch the process, when you DO do it yourself (I said "do do"). That is something you don't need your tech to do...but if you're nervous, at least you'll have the chance to watch it be done first.

I got my 2015 with 16,000 miles on it, July of 2018. I've done these mods and a couple more. It's my daily driver with absolutely no regrets. In fact, July will be 2 years and I'm currently at 46,000 miles. Trust me...you will LOVE driving it.

 

[802SHO]

Excited/nervous bc you know you're about to have a lot of fun! Go for it you'll love it!

 

[StealBlueSho]

Hi Guys,

My 2015 SHO w/PP is stock at the moment.
I bought:
1) Upgraded turbo piping and cold air induction from Ecopower.
2) Livernois Down Pipes
3) On waiting list for Gearhead Intercooler
4) Also plan to get the thermostat, bar map, spark plugs and Gearhead tune.

Speaking to a local mechanic about adding these components and he had some concerns about how the upgrades and tune would affect highway driving and transmission performance.

Are these upgrades plug and play or am I biting off more than I can handle.

Any comments and/or advice about how your car performed after you installed these upgrades or similar upgrades.

Thank you

Those are basic upgrades for this platform and historically are perfectly fine with a good tune. If you are going with Gearhead then you will receive their auto octane tune which is rock solid.

The upgraded hot pipes and intake system from EPP isn’t just for looks for power increase. The stock plastic tubing is known for boost leaks which can put undue stress on the turbos to maintain boost. So they help significantly.

The down pipes will help the turbos breathe easier and should also help reduce the heat on the PTU. You may need defoulers as the LMS downpipes will throw a code. Gearhead will not modify emission equipment. EPP catted downpipes will not throw codes if you haven’t already purchased the LMS ones.

Gearhead intercooler is a must! Colder charge air helps EVERYTHING!!

The Tstat, 3bar, and spark plugs are supporting cast..

Nothing to worry about with that setup at all. I have been running Gearhead for at least two years now and I trusted Matt with my basically new 2016 SHO PP to go full bolt on with upgraded turbos at 500awhp...

I have personally not had issues with rough shifts but that’s an easy adjustment for tuners.

Enjoy! And welcome!

 

[dinojc86]

Those are basic upgrades for this platform and historically are perfectly fine with a good tune. If you are going with Gearhead then you will receive their auto octane tune which is rock solid.

The upgraded hot pipes and intake system from EPP isn’t just for looks for power increase. The stock plastic tubing is known for boost leaks which can put undue stress on the turbos to maintain boost. So they help significantly.

The down pipes will help the turbos breathe easier and should also help reduce the heat on the PTU. You may need defoulers as the LMS downpipes will throw a code. Gearhead will not modify emission equipment. EPP catted downpipes will not throw codes if you haven’t already purchased the LMS ones.

Gearhead intercooler is a must! Colder charge air helps EVERYTHING!!

The Tstat, 3bar, and spark plugs are supporting cast..

Nothing to worry about with that setup at all. I have been running Gearhead for at least two years now and I trusted Matt with my basically new 2016 SHO PP to go full bolt on with upgraded turbos at 500awhp...

I have personally not had issues with rough shifts but that’s an easy adjustment for tuners.

Enjoy! And welcome!

Thank you for the information.
I have the car almost two years, so what you are saying is basically what I have been reading all along.

You did give me a new concern now with the LMS downpipes, I bought the catted pipes and I thought only the non-catted would throw a code.
I will make sure to get an inspection before I do the install. This way if I have an issue I have some time to research what a defouler is, lol.


UPDATE.
I was able to get a refund on the LMS downpipes from CARID.
Now I can get the EPP catted pipes

 

[ridered74]

FWIW, I have the LMS catted pipes and all the mods and run gearhead tune, my check engine light has never come on. It did come on the month I ran unleashed tho.

 

[dinojc86]

FWIW, I have the LMS catted pipes and all the mods and run gearhead tune, my check engine light has never come on. It did come on the month I ran unleashed tho.

Ok, but the comments above had me recheck the LMS pipes and they are for off road and I did not see that, otherwise I would not have bought them. Glad to have caught it while I could get a refund. I am now leaning towards these PPE downpipes. More expensive but 49 state legal.

https://www.ppeengineering-onlinest...FLEX-Ecoboost-V6-25-high-flow-Cats-130001.htm

 

[SM105K]

The PPE downpipes are amazing. I love mine.

 

[StealBlueSho]

Ok, but the comments above had me recheck the LMS pipes and they are for off road and I did not see that, otherwise I would not have bought them. Glad to have caught it while I could get a refund. I am now leaning towards these PPE downpipes. More expensive but 49 state legal.

https://www.ppeengineering-onlinest...FLEX-Ecoboost-V6-25-high-flow-Cats-130001.htm

Had mine coated in ceramic for heat shielding. Quality is top notch!

 

[High on Ethanol]

Gearhead is bar far the best shifting tune for a daily driver. It reminds me of an AMG, with smooth crisp upshifts and perfect downshifts. I have run it 1000s of miles and usually run it hard at every light and it sees Mexico at least 4x a month. I even have SSM hybrid mounts and no complaint about harsh shifts from any passengers I've had.
I've tried a few tuners and Matt tweaks way more settings than anyone else I've tried, which makes it my choice for daily driving. I'm still looking to buy an Ortiz tune and give them a fair review.

 

[Wsho]

Should be another three more weeks for my PPE downpipes to get done can't wait. Should go real good with my new 13+ exhaust manifolds and turbos which I have to order next week.

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

I had PPE Downpipes on my Ford Flex as well as a 3 bar sensor, 10gpm methanol spray nozzle and a Torrie tune.
I did not have any drivability issues nor did I get codes from downpipes for the first 30K I had them on. Once they coded Torrie just turned off the code in the tune.
Any flashing of your ECM will void your warranty if you still have one. When I had my engine issue ( totally my fault), Ford told me that even though tune was now stock, that I had flashed the ECM over 100 times and the last flash point was 12 miles before I took it in. This was on a 2010, so the newer the vehicle, the more information they likely can pull out of the ECM.

Once my engine issue was resolved, I drove the Flex for another 75,000 mi with a mild tune and no mechanical issues except for some whine in my transfer case that the dealer found, but I hadn't noticed. This happened at around 93K. Considering how hard I drove the AWD system in the first 35K, my Flex definitely OVER achieved.