spd downpipes and k&n inlet pipes

[leinad1904]

Alright guys, just made a 500 mile trip with the new downpipes and inlet tubes. If anybody is on the fence about doing this, just do it. I was hesitant for a while, but I wish I would've done it sooner. I hate aftermarket exhausts and deletes on our ecoboost trucks. To me, they're annoyingly loud and drone way to much. These are sort of a "sweet spot" for me.

The downpipes sound slightly more throaty and just a tad louder. The sound clips do not do these any justice. The new normal exhaust mode is like the old sport, the new sport is like old baja, and the new baja is crazy. I punched it under a tunnel today in baja and it screamed. Cruising on the highway in normal mode is just barely louder. My wife didn't even notice it with the radio on and all the road noise. Under regular acceleration you can tell it's more throaty. And wot it sounds amazing. For me, these really are awesome, bcuz again, I hate drone and annoying loud exhausts when driving normal. Cold starts and idle after warming up are slightly louder than normal as well.

With the windows down and driving around the neighborhood, stop sign to stop sign, the turbo noise is also significantly louder. I'm not sure if it's just the downpipes, or the combination of downpipes and inlet tubes, but it's definitely noticeable.

The quality, fit, and finish of the SPD downpipes 10/10. I've installed various exhaust systems, downpipes, and even complete turbo kits on cars and trucks in the past, and I have to say the fit of these downpipes exceeds anything I've ever done.

When removing the oem exhaust, I'll suggest having 2 different size crows foot wrench's. I believe it was a 13mm for the exhausts sleeve clamp at the rear end of the downpipes. The bolts are on the top side of the clamp and damn near inaccessible. I didn't have enough leverage using a standard wrench and there's not enough room to get anything larger like a breaker bar in their. The other is a 22mm crows foot wrench to remove the o2 sensors from the oem downpipes. If you have a 22mm wrench it'll probably work if you can add extra leverage. But the 22mm crows foot with a breaker bar worked perfectly. The old crescent wrench with a hammer method was not cutting it LOL.

The k&n inlet tubes was an awkward installation. The passenger side is a tight fit and reaching all the way down in the engine compartment was kind of pita. I have my LVJ relay panel mounted on my battery tray and it was my way for the install. So I went ahead and removed the relay panel and the battery to have more room to work. The instructions say to trim 3/8" off the passenger tube, near the turbo end, "if you have a 2023 model or later." I have a 2022, and I couldn't get it into position without trimming. So if you also have a 2022 and can't get it, don't feel bad, you aren't the only one. These aren't boost tubes where they're under a lot of pressure, so it's not going to matter. As long as you're able to get the tube inside the rubber adapter and tightened down with the hose clamp, you're good to go.

View attachment 458011


View attachment 458012

I'd like to add some things to this for the next guy to read. I ordered the SPD Alpha Catted Downpipes from @Johnny@Apollo-Optics and they shipped very quickly and were at my door within a few days. I also ordered the K&N inlet tubes directly from K&N.

SPD downpipes: Fit and finish are excellent, these things are works of art! I did have a slight QC issue, luckily I found it before I started the truck. Make sure you inspect inside the pipes before you install them! It looks like when they drilled the hole for one of the o2 sensor slots there was a piece of metal pipe just barely hanging on. It happened to fall off during install, and for some reason I had the idea of hitting the pipe with my hand to make sure nothing rattled before I started the truck. When I did hear a rattle, I unbolted the exhaust to find the piece of metal in there. Pulled it out, no big deal. Installing the downpipes wasn't too difficult overall. The stock pipes are awkward to get off. The o2 sensors can be pretty f'n tight too....I managed to get 3 of the 4 off. I broke the 4th one, had to replace. Not SPDs fault at all, this was an OEM thing. Pics of the metal piece:


K&N Inlet tubes: K&N sent me the absolute dirtiest pipes they had sitting in their warehouse, and to top it off none, and I repeat NONE of the holes were deburred. Luckily I had a deburring knife around. Little work with that, a hose, and some rags, I was able to proceed with install. The passenger side is an absolute nightmare to install...I feel like this beer I'm drinking is well deserved. I eventually got the pipe in place after a lot of cursing, sweating, and a little bit of bleeding. Once it was there, I could not get that damn rubber boot over it. I found if you took this part pictured below off, you can easily get the pipe down there with the boot already attached. There are 3 10mm bolts holding it on, you can move it away just enough to fit the pipe down. It is connected to the turbo as well, i'm not sure what it is....wastegate actuator? wastegate controller? idk, i'm not a mechanic but this is it. Take this off and it gives you tons of room to work:


Sound: The description of the sounds from @FmaxTurboSi and @WTX are spot-on accurate. It's a bit louder and does have a less "refined" sound to put it best. Baja mode at high RPM does make the stock exhaust sound a little......fart can raspy. But it's a v6 so that's expected. Sounds good overall, normal driving sound is not affected. The inlet tubes let you hear the turbos a bit more, sounds aggressive. Overall i'm satisfied with. both purchases!

Butt dyno: Confirmed increase in horsepower. Seriously feels like there is a difference.

Thanks to @Johnny@Apollo-Optics, I can't wait to hear the equal length trombone from SPD!

 

[FmaxTurboSi]

I'd like to add some things to this for the next guy to read. I ordered the SPD Alpha Catted Downpipes from @Johnny@Apollo-Optics and they shipped very quickly and were at my door within a few days. I also ordered the K&N inlet tubes directly from K&N.

SPD downpipes: Fit and finish are excellent, these things are works of art! I did have a slight QC issue, luckily I found it before I started the truck. Make sure you inspect inside the pipes before you install them! It looks like when they drilled the hole for one of the o2 sensor slots there was a piece of metal pipe just barely hanging on. It happened to fall off during install, and for some reason I had the idea of hitting the pipe with my hand to make sure nothing rattled before I started the truck. When I did hear a rattle, I unbolted the exhaust to find the piece of metal in there. Pulled it out, no big deal. Installing the downpipes wasn't too difficult overall. The stock pipes are awkward to get off. The o2 sensors can be pretty f'n tight too....I managed to get 3 of the 4 off. I broke the 4th one, had to replace. Not SPDs fault at all, this was an OEM thing. Pics of the metal piece:
View attachment 459537View attachment 459539

K&N Inlet tubes: K&N sent me the absolute dirtiest pipes they had sitting in their warehouse, and to top it off none, and I repeat NONE of the holes were deburred. Luckily I had a deburring knife around. Little work with that, a hose, and some rags, I was able to proceed with install. The passenger side is an absolute nightmare to install...I feel like this beer I'm drinking is well deserved. I eventually got the pipe in place after a lot of cursing, sweating, and a little bit of bleeding. Once it was there, I could not get that damn rubber boot over it. I found if you took this part pictured below off, you can easily get the pipe down there with the boot already attached. There are 3 10mm bolts holding it on, you can move it away just enough to fit the pipe down. It is connected to the turbo as well, i'm not sure what it is....wastegate actuator? wastegate controller? idk, i'm not a mechanic but this is it. Take this off and it gives you tons of room to work:
View attachment 459540

Sound: The description of the sounds from @FmaxTurboSi and @WTX are spot-on accurate. It's a bit louder and does have a less "refined" sound to put it best. Baja mode at high RPM does make the stock exhaust sound a little......fart can raspy. But it's a v6 so that's expected. Sounds good overall, normal driving sound is not affected. The inlet tubes let you hear the turbos a bit more, sounds aggressive. Overall i'm satisfied with. both purchases!

Butt dyno: Confirmed increase in horsepower. Seriously feels like there is a difference.

Thanks to @Johnny@Apollo-Optics, I can't wait to hear the equal length trombone from SPD!

Yeah the passenger side k&n tube is a nightmare lol. I had to trim the tube 3/8” like they instructed to for the other year trucks. I had to slide the rubber boot/adapter on to the turbo first, and then stick the inlet tube on after.

Glad you got it all on though! Enjoy that well deserved beer!

 

[Johnny@Apollo-Optics]

I'd like to add some things to this for the next guy to read. I ordered the SPD Alpha Catted Downpipes from @Johnny@Apollo-Optics and they shipped very quickly and were at my door within a few days. I also ordered the K&N inlet tubes directly from K&N.

SPD downpipes: Fit and finish are excellent, these things are works of art! I did have a slight QC issue, luckily I found it before I started the truck. Make sure you inspect inside the pipes before you install them! It looks like when they drilled the hole for one of the o2 sensor slots there was a piece of metal pipe just barely hanging on. It happened to fall off during install, and for some reason I had the idea of hitting the pipe with my hand to make sure nothing rattled before I started the truck. When I did hear a rattle, I unbolted the exhaust to find the piece of metal in there. Pulled it out, no big deal. Installing the downpipes wasn't too difficult overall. The stock pipes are awkward to get off. The o2 sensors can be pretty f'n tight too....I managed to get 3 of the 4 off. I broke the 4th one, had to replace. Not SPDs fault at all, this was an OEM thing. Pics of the metal piece:
View attachment 459537View attachment 459539

K&N Inlet tubes: K&N sent me the absolute dirtiest pipes they had sitting in their warehouse, and to top it off none, and I repeat NONE of the holes were deburred. Luckily I had a deburring knife around. Little work with that, a hose, and some rags, I was able to proceed with install. The passenger side is an absolute nightmare to install...I feel like this beer I'm drinking is well deserved. I eventually got the pipe in place after a lot of cursing, sweating, and a little bit of bleeding. Once it was there, I could not get that damn rubber boot over it. I found if you took this part pictured below off, you can easily get the pipe down there with the boot already attached. There are 3 10mm bolts holding it on, you can move it away just enough to fit the pipe down. It is connected to the turbo as well, i'm not sure what it is....wastegate actuator? wastegate controller? idk, i'm not a mechanic but this is it. Take this off and it gives you tons of room to work:
View attachment 459540

Sound: The description of the sounds from @FmaxTurboSi and @WTX are spot-on accurate. It's a bit louder and does have a less "refined" sound to put it best. Baja mode at high RPM does make the stock exhaust sound a little......fart can raspy. But it's a v6 so that's expected. Sounds good overall, normal driving sound is not affected. The inlet tubes let you hear the turbos a bit more, sounds aggressive. Overall i'm satisfied with. both purchases!

Butt dyno: Confirmed increase in horsepower. Seriously feels like there is a difference.

Thanks to @Johnny@Apollo-Optics, I can't wait to hear the equal length trombone from SPD!

Thanks man! Super nice review and thats sad to hear about the K&N set up. I cant say ive seen that out of my own or customer set ups and be sure to let them know as feedbacks well appreciated. Ill also inform SPD about the issue you had as well so it can be checked better in the future.

As for the equal length trombone, its well worth it and coming soon.

 

[leinad1904]

Yeah the passenger side k&n tube is a nightmare lol. I had to trim the tube 3/8” like they instructed to for the other year trucks. I had to slide the rubber boot/adapter on to the turbo first, and then stick the inlet tube on after.

Glad you got it all on though! Enjoy that well deserved beer!

Thinking more about it, I probably could have gotten it down there easier had I trimmed 3/8” off. That also would have made getting the boot on a lot easier, either that or taking more of the outer plastic at the lip of the tube off with the deburring knife. It had a thick rib on the passenger side. The drivers side boot/adapter slid on the tube a lot easier.

Thanks man! Super nice review and thats sad to hear about the K&N set up. I cant say ive seen that out of my own or customer set ups and be sure to let them know as feedbacks well appreciated. Ill also inform SPD about the issue you had as well so it can be checked better in the future.

As for the equal length trombone, its well worth it and coming soon.

Yeah, I’ve ordered stuff from K&N before and never had anything like this show up. Definitely not the norm!

 

[WTX]

I went ahead and ordered the trombone, I knew I would eventually get it. Why delay the inevitable? I politely and kindly asked SPD to hurry up and ship.

 

[Johnny@Apollo-Optics]

I went ahead and ordered the trombone, I knew I would eventually get it. Why delay the inevitable? I politely and kindly asked SPD to hurry up and ship.

Nice! You definitely wont regret it

 

[leinad1904]

I went ahead and ordered the trombone, I knew I would eventually get it. Why delay the inevitable? I politely and kindly asked SPD to hurry up and ship.

Hell yeah! I’m hoping I get mine before I go on a road trip to San Diego in August.