So, with having my suspension/steering/wheels/tires upgrade all gone through (minus the rear spring add-ons) I've decided it would be a good time to start looking into the powertrain upgrades. Just looking for everything that's available out there for our trucks. Thinking of just doing tuner/intake/exhaust but am willing to look at everything! Thanks for the help!

 

First of all....I wish that I could mod my truck as much as you get to!

As for the mods, most of us just go for the tuner (5 Star is highly recommended). I will be getting one myself when my warranty runs out.

Regarding the intake it wont realistically net you any gains, and in some cases can provide poorer filtration. This is more of a preference thing though.

Being that I have a 5.0 V8, I could not pass up the opportunity to get an aftermarket exhaust setup. The sound is far too addicting.

As with all modding, it is all personal preference. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

Good Luck!

 

It seems like the only thing most people do is the intake, exhaust, and tuner which is fine, I'm not looking to spend money on things that don't do anything or aren't worth the money.

 

I'm with you completely on the aftermarket exhaust. I like the sound that I do get from my Coyote in my 2011 F150. And it took three years of having the truck to get the deal that I did end up getting, but the wait was worth the deal, (wife runs the bank).
I removed all of the stock exhaust, from the resonator on back and went with a Series 70 FLowmaster, 1 in, 2 out, with 3" tips at the rear bumper.

Unk Bob

 

Bumping this back up for more opinions!

 

Anyone? lol

 

I've been asking the same questions you are for my 6.2 and I've gotten the same answers. Unless you're ready to do some real spending(blower kits, cams, ect.), then the common upgrades are intake(personal preference), exhaust, and tuner. I've gone with resonator/muffler delete, 3.5" pipe/4" tip, flowmaster 10 series, single out dump in front of rear passenger wheel. Did it on both my 6.2 and my wife's coyote. It's a very aggressive/loud setup, but I love it! I've been looking into blower kits, but it's looking like that's going to be around a 6k investment. Next will be a tuner. I'm not thinking I'll need intake until I go with any real engine upgrades.

 

A couple things to consider: The factory airbox and exhaust flow more than enough CFM for an engine in stock form. You can replace them for sound/appearance purposes, however don't expect any performance gains out of them. Second is the factory stainless exhaust is designed to take a beating. If you live in the rust belt like I do, be sure you spend the extra to get a decent T-304 stainless steel (vs. T-409). T-304 has a higher chromium content, making it more resistant to corrosion. All that said, I did spend the money on an aftermarket system myself.

Tune from a reputable shop will be the best bet for performance improvement.

Just my .02.

 

When you said drivetrain, I was thinking trans, driveshafts, rear end, etc.

For the engine, most mods are a waste of $$$. A "cold air intake" kit will actually put warmer air into your intake. This is true for almost all kits on the market. They will also put dirtier air into your intake in almost all cases. So there are no true gains to be had, and even if they did flow more air the effect you would get is lower fuel economy because more air in = more fuel in to keep the stoi ratio where the ECU is happy.

Exhaust will decrease your low end torque, possibly increase upper end horsepower, and make more noise. They sound great but aren't going to give you good gains for a pickup truck.

A tuner can make the truck feel better by altering the trans. torque management and ignition timing, but overall power gains are small. Make sure you use a reputable tuner who knows exactly what they are doing. These modern dual cam VVT engines need guys who know their stuff to tune them so you don't end up with catastrophic issues later down the road.

 

I would agree for a full system with headers and high flow OR cat delete, but the factory resonator and muffler are a flow-through design and not restrictive like the factory mufflers of yester-year. A cat-back system should not effect low end torque, though it will not add to performance.

OEM muffler cut away:



Pic from resonator:

 

A CAI isn't going to give you anything but a cool sound from the front, and an aftermarket exhaust will give you a cool sound from the rear, in some cases.
Be careful on that exhaust, some think the over the top noise and drone from a Roush sound good. I had one, I hated it, right along with the loss in mileage and performance.
I now have an adult system for the last 3 years or so. I recommend the Borla SType, zero drone, and a nice sound that gets better the more it's run. And the complete system is 304 SS.
I'd suggest if you really want that CAI, an Airaid set up with dry filter and sock.My intake tube is still dust free and spotless after 2 years with that.
Now after you do the CAI and exhaust, get a good tune and tuner. Again, I recommend, an SCTX4, and tunes from MPT. Their 93 Race tune really works, it'll bark my 315/70/17 KO2s going into 3rd. Plus with that tune, you can put it in Tow/Haul mode, and the gear changes will be close to stock speeds, but still firmer.
MPT will have you fill out their tune request form. They ask what kind of mods you have done, tire size, etc.

 

My biggest thing is that I want to change the exhaust tip to black but I'd also like to change the outlet style. I know I don't want the downpipes as I want to retain the cats and not have the stinky smell from not having them. So, I'm debating changing the catback to a different style outlet. I would kind of like to have something similar to the Harley exhaust. But yes, I don't want something that's annoyingly loud. A little louder is fine, but I know it's not going to sound like a 6.2 or 5.0.

As far as the CAI goes I may or may not do it. The idea is just to get a little more sound out of the turbos. There's just so many options it's hard to decide.

After I get them I plan to get a tuner as well. Thinking of going through 5 Star and the XCal4.

 

Yes, I was talking transmission, driveshafts, and rear end stuff as well. Basically mods and upgrades for the entire drivetrain.

 

I'm trying to decide what style exit I want for the exhaust. Part of me wants to go with the Harley dual tip style, but part of me wants the dual bumper exit too. Also, I'm thinking it would be best to retain the factory resonator and just do a resonator-back. I have a feeling a lot of the aftermarket catbacks sound like **** is because they delete the resonator and use a louder muffler which seems to be a recipe for drone and raspy-ness. The biggest thing is wanting to delete the factory chrome tip and go black, but also something a little more aggressive looking and sounding. Nothing crazy, the factory exhaust just looks a little wimpy and sounds a little too wimpy. Thinking of maybe going with this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-F150-F2...RUl5QG&vxp=mtr

It's inexpensive, dual bumper exit, and includes tips and hardware. It retains the stock resonator as well. I could just paint the tips or spend another 20 bucks for the black powdercoated tips.

 

Ohman! I thought you had a 5.0. Well, same principles apply, and an exhaust and CAI will let you hear those turbos!