FmaxTurboSi
Full Access Member
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.
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.