Upgrade Path for Increasing Power

[P. A. Schilke]

It has been my experience that the biggest gain over a stock config is the exhaust. Free that up for the biggest gain in a stock setup. A cai is fine,but one needs to free up the exhaust first. I'm not much on tuners as an exhaust system and cai doesn't void the warranty.

Hi George,

You are partially correct as you have to get the air into the motor and then the exhaust out. You really need both. A improved exhaust with an intake restriction will result in nothing... The whole induction, exhaust system needs to be addressed. The Turbo addresses getting air into the motor, so maybe the Exhaust takes advantage of this, but from forum members that have done exhaust mods, I sense there is not much gain.

What I do not know is if aftermarket exhaust manufactures need to be certified for Pass By Noise...A government requirement of OEM.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

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[Psykostevo]

Curious, have any of you seen the inside of the Ranger intake manifold?

this thing is a mess of garbage on the inside. I wonder if porting all of those “fins” out of it would benefit in better airflow.

 

[lohchief]

Less restriction in the exhaust should easily lower exhaust temps.

 

[lohchief]

Hi George,

You are partially correct as you have to get the air into the motor and then the exhaust out. You really need both. A improved exhaust with an intake restriction will result in nothing... The whole induction, exhaust system needs to be addressed. The Turbo addresses getting air into the motor, so maybe the Exhaust takes advantage of this, but from forum members that have done exhaust mods, I sense there is not much gain.

What I do not know is if aftermarket exhaust manufactures need to be certified for Pass By Noise...A government requirement of OEM.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Hi Phil,
Somewhat true. But today's intake systems seem to be pretty good at flowing air. The exhaust offers much more restriction than the intake does. Freeing that up will allow the stock intake system to really flow better. HOWEVER,I will not use an oiled filter. Not K&N,not anybody's.My last cai was made by Volant,and it used a huge dry microfiber filter.

That was added AFTER the cat-back duals,and it did make a difference,but not as much as the catback system. Together,they played very well with each other. I just wrote to my favorite aftermarket exhaust manufacturer to see what they might have for me. I have been running Heartthrob exhaust systems since 97,and they always sound great.

As for the 'pass by noise',I'm not looking for open pipes,and in fact I don't like them at all. And not to be a smart **s,I don't really care what the govt requires of an oem exhaust as mine never stay on. Around my valley,kids with wrx's and fart cans are noisier then a hemi with an aftermarket performance exhaust. And the leo's don't care either,unless they are street racing.

Another thing I don't believe in doing is messing with the factory tune. I'm 68 years old,and had my share of muscle cars back in the day,so I'm well over that stuff. I want maximum efficiency from what I said I'm going to do,for my truck. Now,in the future if the factory decides to offer a diesel ranger,then I will buy one. But if not,this new ranger suits me just fine ;}>

 

[treimche]

Another thing I don't believe in doing is messing with the factory tune. I'm 68 years old,and had my share of muscle cars back in the day,so I'm well over that stuff. I want maximum efficiency from what I said I'm going to do,for my truck. Now,in the future if the factory decides to offer a diesel ranger,then I will buy one. But if not,this new ranger suits me just fine ;}>

This thread isn't about miles per gallon, but about smiles per gallon

 

[lohchief]

I've already had my 'smiles per gallon' back in the muscle car days,(60's and early 70's). Now I want,and have a truck that is fast,powerful and efficient. By improving overall efficiency,one is also improving performance. Just not to the level that most want. And if a tune does leave a trace,that COULD void the warranty,I don't want or need it. And yes,I am familiar with the Magnuson-moss act.

 

[Racket]

I'm wondering if opening the exhaust allows the turbo to hit peak pressure faster and higher? From the downpipe out, or just a larger diameter exhaust.

I know it sounds obvious, but there may be more mechanics to it than just a bigger back door.

 

[lohchief]

Has anyone figured out what parts should be changed in order to easily increase the power of these Rangers? Obviously a tune is the big one, but from there, what should we be changing next? Downpipe? Exhaust? Intake system? Intercooler piping?

I'm very interested in some bolt ons after I get a tune installed. One thing I don't want, is a loud exhaust system. My Ranger is my comfy/nice daily driver and winter beater so I want to keep it that way. I would definitely be open to adding an electric cutout in the exhaust if the cat-back is a big restriction. This way, if I wanted max power, I'd press a button and have open unrestricted exhaust.

You can do anything that comes to mind, but take a look at the muffler first. This was posted by a fellow ranger owner. After seeing this I had the muffler removed, (and mine had the same restriction), and just ran a straight pipe to the factory resonator. And yes, removing or replacing the stock muffler did make a big difference.

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