Mechanically and Technologically Competent, but New to Cars - Need Suggestions

[PaloAltoLawyer]

@PaloAltpLawyer, does your new AirRaid CAI use the dry filter or the oiled filter? If it's the oiled filter, be very careful not to over oil it when you service it. Oiled filters are known to gum up air flow sensors. I have first-hand experience with that.

Thanks for the tip. It has the oiled filter. Any tips on how to service it without over oiling it? I bought the AirRaid cleaning kit. Should I just follow those instructions or do you have any suggested deviations?

Also, do you have recommendation on when/how often to service it?

 

[waddellw]

Thanks, Waddellw. I appreciate the guidance. I might just give throwing a CAI in the truck this weekend (depending on work availability and how quick I can get the parts). Do you run the K&N with the stock tune?

At the risk of derailing the thread, I enjoy being an attorney. I am a transactional/corporate attorney for technology companies in Silicon Valley. The hours can be tough because you are always 100% on call for your clients, but it can be very rewarding. If you want more information on law school admission and success, career types, what it takes to make it to Biglaw with the large starting salary, etc., feel free to PM me. I don't think my fellow Raptor enthusiasts want me going into the vagaries of the LSAT here.

I ran the stock tune on it for a while and even no tune I felt it was more responsive, later I added a while suite of 91 octane 5 star tunes made for my intake and exhaust mods and it made it really come to life! Sorry I didn't respond sooner!

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[bigrig]

For me I went with the following and have liked it so far:

• The Tune by SVC
• MBRP Exhaust with turndown and resonator (PM Rick - @RDFTS - on this thread he will be able to get you a good deal on this setup)
• Pedal Commander (I am running both The Tune and the Pedal Commander at City level +3 for everyday driving)

My thoughts on CAIs
For the cost I feel that you can do better things with your money. That said, we all like to spend our money on our trucks so that isn't a great argument.

Note on the Pedal Commander
A buddy of mine running a PM on a 2010 Raptor was driving and all of a sudden lost the use of the gas pedal (went into dead-pedal mode according to the PM team). It does this when there is something amiss with the PM or the input signal to the PM. It seems sketchy, but given the alternative of accelerating in an uncontrollable manner, I guess they probably opted for the right way to handle the situation. At any rate, some folks on the forum have blamed the PM for weird things happening to their trucks. Just good to know that before you buy one. Like I said though, I am running it and haven't had any trouble to date, and really think it livens up the acceleration.

Other Exhaust Options
Corsa Sport is pretty sweet. Form me if I were choosing between Borla or Corsa, I would go Corsa hands down. If Corsa made a turndown setup, I would probably be running that over the MBRP.

PSA
One thing to also be mindful of, when it comes to the power of your truck, is to clean out your MAF sensor regularly (I do it every oil change) with a good cleaner like the one made by CRC. A dirty MAF robs our engines of power and throttle response.

Other upgrades
If you want more reasons to spend your money, another upgrade I would suggest would be a frame support kit like the one offered by RPG. I am running the stage 3 with HD springs and shackles and have been very happy with that setup. But even going with stage 1 is an important step for any raptor being driven offroad to box-out and protect the frame.

Help
Your username and competency with working on computers suggest you live in my neck of the woods (San Jose). If you ever need a help wrenching on your truck PM me. Always willing to lend an extra set of hands.

Using your truck for its intended purpose
I have been on a handful of runs with the ROC group. I have had a great time at each event I have attended, so if you are interested in getting your truck dirty, they have several events that aren't too far out of the way for folks in the Bay Area. Pismo and Hollister are easy destinations too. Be warned though, once you go down the offroading path, the list of upgrades is going to grow quickly

 

[Ruger]

Thanks for the tip. It has the oiled filter. Any tips on how to service it without over oiling it? I bought the AirRaid cleaning kit. Should I just follow those instructions or do you have any suggested deviations?

Also, do you have recommendation on when/how often to service it?

I also have the AirRaid CAI, but I opted for the newer non-oiled filter. I did that because I had a K&N filter in my previous truck, it threw codes, and I wound up at the dealer paying for a cleaning of the intake system. Lesson learned.

My sense is that the tendency when oiling filters is to spray on the oil, observe where the oil appears to be lacking, and immediately spray on some more. Be patient. Let the fresh oil spread through the filter material. If you do that, there is every chance that an hour later you will need no additional oil. I'd also wipe off excess with a paper towel.

How often? That, of course, depends on how dusty the conditions are where you drive and play. These filters actually filter better when they're dirty, but I wouldn't go beyond 30,000 miles between cleaning/reoilings.

 

[PaloAltoLawyer]

For me I went with the following and have liked it so far:

• The Tune by SVC
• MBRP Exhaust with turndown and resonator (PM Rick - @RDFTS - on this thread he will be able to get you a good deal on this setup)
• Pedal Commander (I am running both The Tune and the Pedal Commander at City level +3 for everyday driving)

My thoughts on CAIs
For the cost I feel that you can do better things with your money. That said, we all like to spend our money on our trucks so that isn't a great argument.

Note on the Pedal Commander
A buddy of mine running a PM on a 2010 Raptor was driving and all of a sudden lost the use of the gas pedal (went into dead-pedal mode according to the PM team). It does this when there is something amiss with the PM or the input signal to the PM. It seems sketchy, but given the alternative of accelerating in an uncontrollable manner, I guess they probably opted for the right way to handle the situation. At any rate, some folks on the forum have blamed the PM for weird things happening to their trucks. Just good to know that before you buy one. Like I said though, I am running it and haven't had any trouble to date, and really think it livens up the acceleration.

Other Exhaust Options
Corsa Sport is pretty sweet. Form me if I were choosing between Borla or Corsa, I would go Corsa hands down. If Corsa made a turndown setup, I would probably be running that over the MBRP.

PSA
One thing to also be mindful of, when it comes to the power of your truck, is to clean out your MAF sensor regularly (I do it every oil change) with a good cleaner like the one made by CRC. A dirty MAF robs our engines of power and throttle response.

Other upgrades
If you want more reasons to spend your money, another upgrade I would suggest would be a frame support kit like the one offered by RPG. I am running the stage 3 with HD springs and shackles and have been very happy with that setup. But even going with stage 1 is an important step for any raptor being driven offroad to box-out and protect the frame.

Help
Your username and competency with working on computers suggest you live in my neck of the woods (San Jose). If you ever need a help wrenching on your truck PM me. Always willing to lend an extra set of hands.

Using your truck for its intended purpose
I have been on a handful of runs with the ROC group. I have had a great time at each event I have attended, so if you are interested in getting your truck dirty, they have several events that aren't too far out of the way for folks in the Bay Area. Pismo and Hollister are easy destinations too. Be warned though, once you go down the offroading path, the list of upgrades is going to grow quickly

Thanks for the thorough response and tips, Bigrig.

You are correct that I am in your area. I work in Palo Alto and live in Mountain View. I very much appreciate the offer to lend a hand when working on the truck and the referral to the ROC Group. I will send you a PM regarding your offer of assistance and your local off-roading recommendations. If you enjoy working on the truck, I could definitely use a hand installing a new exhaust when and if I go that route.

For the benefit of the thread, did you find the Corsa Sport exhaust to be enough of an improvement over the stock exhaust to be worth it? I am this close to pulling the trigger on it, but for the >$900 I would like to be confident there is a performance and/or sound gain commensurate with its cost.

Finally, it sounds like you have had your raptor for sometime. Any issues with the smog check? When it comes time, I would have the AirRaid CAI and possibly the Corsa Sport. My understanding is that these items are CARB compliant and shouldn't cause me a problem.


Thanks in advance.

---------- Post added at 10:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 AM ----------

I also have the AirRaid CAI, but I opted for the newer non-oiled filter. I did that because I had a K&N filter in my previous truck, it threw codes, and I wound up at the dealer paying for a cleaning of the intake system. Lesson learned.

My sense is that the tendency when oiling filters is to spray on the oil, observe where the oil appears to be lacking, and immediately spray on some more. Be patient. Let the fresh oil spread through the filter material. If you do that, there is every chance that an hour later you will need no additional oil. I'd also wipe off excess with a paper towel.

How often? That, of course, depends on how dusty the conditions are where you drive and play. These filters actually filter better when they're dirty, but I wouldn't go beyond 30,000 miles between cleaning/reoilings.

Thanks, Ruger. Helpful to know when and where to deviate from the instructions. I picked up the pre-filter as well for when I go off-road. Hopefully that will reduce cleaning intervals.

I am heading to Tahoe in a few weeks.

 

[bigrig]

...did you find the Corsa Sport exhaust to be enough of an improvement over the stock exhaust to be worth it?

You have to want it a bit louder but if you are looking for a sound that makes you feel like you are driving a 6.2 without the aggravation of drone on long freeway drives, I couldn't suggest a better option. I do in fact have the Corsa setup in my garage at the moment, I am toying with the idea of franken-fabricating an adapter to mate the MBRP resonator with the Corsa muffler. But until that happens we could try installing it on your rig so you could get an idea before you buy. I took a video of the truck with the Corsa (with resonator) and the MBRP (without resonator) though I am not sure the quality of the video really shows off the difference. But you should notice a difference between those two and stock.

Corsa Sport with stock resonator:


MBRP without resonator:


I recently put the MBRP resonator on because the MBRP straight pipe exhaust was a little too much drone on long highway drives for me. I do think the resonator mellows out the MBRP setup so it is good enough, but I still prefer the Corsa. As I noted previously, I went with the MBRP because I wanted to avoid dinging/snagging the exhaust when offroading. Most will say that this is something you don't need to worry about, but I take comfort in the fact that the pipes are tucked away. As a side note, angling the turn-down on the MBRP setup makes the bass vibrations less noticeable than when it is pointed straight down. Unfortunately I learned that angling it also makes the exhaust point almost directly at the emergency brake cable line, which ended up melting some of the plastic outer housing. I have since taped it up with some high temp fiberglass heat shield tape.

Finally, it sounds like you have had your raptor for sometime. Any issues with the smog check?

My truck is still too new, I haven't had to get it smogged yet. But since the exhaust (on both setups) is behind the catalytic converter it shouldn't affect the smog test.

I am not totally sure about the AirRaid CAI, but if you have documentation that says it is CARB compliant then you should be OK. When you look at the AirRaid website for the 6.2L they all say "50 State Street Legal." So I expect that setup is fine.

I'll hit you up on PM, would totally be willing to help you out with the exhaust.

~bigrig

 

[gryGhst17]

I'm in the South Bay too! Let's do a hollister day!


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[PaloAltoLawyer]

I'm in the South Bay too! Let's do a hollister day!


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I am in!

---------- Post added at 08:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 AM ----------

You have to want it a bit louder but if you are looking for a sound that makes you feel like you are driving a 6.2 without the aggravation of drone on long freeway drives, I couldn't suggest a better option. I do in fact have the Corsa setup in my garage at the moment, I am toying with the idea of franken-fabricating an adapter to mate the MBRP resonator with the Corsa muffler. But until that happens we could try installing it on your rig so you could get an idea before you buy. I took a video of the truck with the Corsa (with resonator) and the MBRP (without resonator) though I am not sure the quality of the video really shows off the difference. But you should notice a difference between those two and stock.

Corsa Sport with stock resonator:


MBRP without resonator:


I recently put the MBRP resonator on because the MBRP straight pipe exhaust was a little too much drone on long highway drives for me. I do think the resonator mellows out the MBRP setup so it is good enough, but I still prefer the Corsa. As I noted previously, I went with the MBRP because I wanted to avoid dinging/snagging the exhaust when offroading. Most will say that this is something you don't need to worry about, but I take comfort in the fact that the pipes are tucked away. As a side note, angling the turn-down on the MBRP setup makes the bass vibrations less noticeable than when it is pointed straight down. Unfortunately I learned that angling it also makes the exhaust point almost directly at the emergency brake cable line, which ended up melting some of the plastic outer housing. I have since taped it up with some high temp fiberglass heat shield tape.



My truck is still too new, I haven't had to get it smogged yet. But since the exhaust (on both setups) is behind the catalytic converter it shouldn't affect the smog test.

I am not totally sure about the AirRaid CAI, but if you have documentation that says it is CARB compliant then you should be OK. When you look at the AirRaid website for the 6.2L they all say "50 State Street Legal." So I expect that setup is fine.

I'll hit you up on PM, would totally be willing to help you out with the exhaust.

~bigrig

Thanks, Bigrig. Very helpful. After our discussion, I did some more looking on exhausts. I found a great deal on the Magnaflow 15588; about ~$570. I really like its deep throaty sound and the reviews are pretty positive on this site and others. I figure I would take the good price and upgrade to the Corsa if it drones too much or doesn't give me what I am looking for. It may come in by this Friday if you want to meet up and to try putting it on this weekend or next.

If the Magnaflow doesn't break in well, I will definitely take you up on your very generous offer to try the Corsa and may upgrade to that if it works out. Alternatively, you can convince me my truck needs to be 100% off-road compliant and I move to your preferred turn down system.

I confirmed that both the CAI and the exhausts (both Corsa and Magnaflow) are California emissions compliant, at least according to the various websites. I am hoping the smog checker agrees when it comes time to bring it in.

Let me know if you would like to lend a hand on the exhaust this weekend or next. No pressure. Either way, we should meet up soon. I can travel to your neck of the woods. I am interested in seeing your frame kit. PM me anytime.

Thanks again.

 

[bigrig]

I'm in the South Bay too! Let's do a hollister day!


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Cool! I will PM you both about this. I might know another Raptor that would want to join too.

 

[PaloAltoLawyer]

Hi All:

Thankfully (and hopefully) there are new Raptor owners everyday. I started this thread and thought I would post the mods I have since gone with and some quick thoughts on each. Hopefully it helps someone who was in my shoes not too long ago. Mods are listed in order of install.

Pedal Commander: Definitely worth it. I agree with the majority opinion on FRF that seems to tend in the aggregate highly positive. Reduces input lag significantly and having the ability to adjust the throttle response on the fly is definitely nice. The truck is much more responsive and feels like it should have come from the factory this way.

AirRaid CAI: I understand the prevailing opinion on CAIs is more mixed than with regard to the Pedal Commander. But I think this CAI was well worth it. I picked mine up on sale for about $220 with shipping. If nothing else, it gives the truck an amazing growl that I just love. The sound augments the ride for me and the CAI just makes it much more enjoyable to drive. I didn't notice a marked improvement in power or MPG (as expected), but the growl is enough for me. I have gone off-road with it and it held steady. Haven't gotten it dirty enough yet to require cleaning and thus cannot comment on the cleaning process.

MagnaFlow Exhaust: I understand the Corsa Xtreme is probably a better choice overall (seems to be the crowd favorite on FRF), but my wife and townhouse neighbors probably appreciate my choice of the MagnaFlow. And at half the price, my bank account thanks me too. It has a slightly louder than stock rumble that I really like, the chrome tips look good and at high acceleration it really growls, with limited to no drone at highway cruising (at least for me). The muffler itself is also very compact and over very rocky terrain I had no problems. Sometimes I wish it was louder at low RPMs, but overall very happy with it.

RPG Stage 2 Kit: Definitely worth it. Great peace of mind going forward (I want my truck to last forever) and looks great too. Many thanks to Rick@FreedomMotorSports for helping me broker the sale.

R1 Concepts Rotors and Pads: Just got these on and no demanding applications yet so verdict still out, but so far so good. For anyone that cares to look carefully, the rotors look pretty cool and stopping power feels very good and given the strong reviews here, I have some peace of mind with regard to longevity and handling tough situations. Also, no more initial backup whine that I had with the stock rotors and pads. Extreme gratitude to Rick@FreedomMotorSports for getting these to me during the Labor Day sale and Bigrig for blowing his Saturday morning helping me get these installed!