To downpipe or not to downpipe???

[Beau Guillot]

Hello all. While I don't have a raptor, I have a limited with the HO motor and similar exhaust set up. I have the SPD catted downpipes sitting at home and, after reading some posts, I'm not sure if i'll be gaining anything from putting them on. Definitely putting on the turbo adapters and figured the factory DP will have to come off anyway so why not add the DP. Has anyone done or seen before and after dyno runs just adding the DP with no other mod? I think I remember Winfield commenting on a post saying the factory DP is sufficient and no gain in adding an aftermarket DP. I was watching a turbo adapter and DP install video on a '18 Raptor on youtube...

. In the comments, the guy who made the video "Offroad Addictz" replied to a question about a CEL said this...

"We made less power, truck ran rich and you could smell fuel pretty badly. We tested this platform heavily and made more power with stock DP's all day. Never got a CEL in 860 miles we drove on those DP's, so this wasn't the issue. Higher flow cats usually work in your favor, not in this setup."

Another question about going with a catless or catted DP and his answer was...

"Wouldn’t go either. They don’t add any power. I had them removed off the truck over a year ago".

What do you guys who have put them on think? I'm torn at this point. I can install them or send them back to SPD and use the $800+ towards a goosetune (Currently running MPT). Not really wanting to spend that kind of money on just some added whistle to the exhaust note without an increase in power.

 

[Gdog]

Im curious, for those who have installed this is there really a noticeable difference? bang for your buck per say? the installation appears to be a biotch and it sure as hell isn't cheap.

 

[digscruze]

I had considered going this route but I called MPT beforehand and they told me that it’s a waste of money. Pretty much no gains on multiple trucks they’ve dyno’ed and not really worth it. With that said I’m not sure if these are best to be coupled with the turbo adapters for them to have a significant difference but if it were my money I would go Goosetuned, as that would be the best bang for your buck.

 

[TwizzleStix]

If the aftermarket downpipes, catted-or-uncatted, provided some bolt-on power increase I would have them on my truck. The stock turbos are the power-limiting component, NOT the downpipes. ALL the reputable tuners have stated that the DPs do not offer a power advantage ON THIS TRUCK. That said, most other OEM platforms do benefit from aftermarket downpipes.

Ford has done a GREAT job of building and tuning their ecoboost engine systems such that the "normal" bolt-ons don't provide anything other than bling. Especially in this new TTv6 for the Raptor. It has both direct and port injection that eliminates the DI intake valve carbon buildup.

The most effective aftermarket addition is simply a good flash-tune to bring the engine closer to the maximum potential. I prefer the Cobb AccessPort device and the support of the Cobb Tuning Team. Their OTS maps are very good and bring significant power increases and transmission tuning to support it.

IMO, the most effective tuner for the Raptor is Winfield of Goosetuned and his E-xx tunes. I prefer to do my own tweaks to the Cobb OTS maps, but I don't have a dyno or the experience of Winfield, so I'll be purchasing his services very soon myself. I need to order an Ethanol Content Analyzer for my truck to make it easy to keep tabs on the fuel mix. Winfield already has charts to estimate the E-85 needed, but I already have an ECA with Bluetooth output on my FocusRS, so the Raptor is next.

 

[Beau Guillot]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'll be returning them this week

 

[noorj]

Downpipes will only show appreciable gains if you're really "pushing the turbos" or running upgraded turbos, backpressure at rated power (450bhp) is only about 40kPa which indicates the exhaust/catalyst system flows well from the factory.

Always depends on the goals, but I think factory downpipes are best from 90% of people

 

[Beau Guillot]

Shipped them back yesterday at a cost of $103. Should've done more research before pulling the trigger. CVF intercooler, 170 degree thermostat, turbo adapters and new plugs going in next week!

Anyone know if the ngauge is locked to the truck or can it be sold and used on a different vehicle?

 

[TwizzleStix]

Shipped them back yesterday at a cost of $103. Should've done more research before pulling the trigger. CVF intercooler, 170 degree thermostat, turbo adapters and new plugs going in next week!

Anyone know if the ngauge is locked to the truck or can it be sold and used on a different vehicle?

You can clear it with a reset file from HPTuners and it is back to "open". However, it MUST be uninstalled from your truck, ie flashed back to stock. I had to go through the original tuner to get mine cleared for another vehicle...

 

[KeithV]

I can install them or send them back to SPD and use the $800+ towards a goosetune (Currently running MPT)

I'm deciding on which tune to go with and have been reading about them. MPT seems to be one of the better ones for both engine and tranny tuning. I know Goosetuned is highly rated also, but is it worth the extra money to switch to that? How much more will you really get out of it? Just curious what makes the change worth the money.

 

[Beau Guillot]

I'm deciding on which tune to go with and have been reading about them. MPT seems to be one of the better ones for both engine and tranny tuning. I know Goosetuned is highly rated also, but is it worth the extra money to switch to that? How much more will you really get out of it? Just curious what makes the change worth the money.

I was expecting more from their 93 PRX tune. There's more power but nothing earth shattering. People posting things like,, "Wow!! Completely different truck" and "Holy $hit, what a difference" with the MPT tune. I Didn't have that experience. I haven't got a chance to put many miles on it since the install so I'll give it a little more time. Anxious to see how it feels after installing the above mentioned mods. But I'm stuck offshore for another week. Had the tune in for about 2 days before I left for work. It's tuned for the 170 degree thermostat which I haven't installed yet so I didn't want to run it very hard. I did put my foot to the floor a couple times. While I felt the additional power down low, there wasn't much of anything up high.

I did research the various tuning companies before I purchased through MPT (Unlike my research for downpipes). After narrowing it down, I went with MPT because of feedback on this forum and others, the ngauge and the price. The price is half of the goosetune and I honestly like the ngauge better than the access port (visually). As to how they work, I can't comment as I've no experience with the Access port. Is the AP with Goosetune worth an extra 6 to 700? I don't know. I like the Guage readout variations on the ngauge and how small it is compared to the AP. Not really sure on the power difference between the 2 tunes. It would be nice to see dyno results on the same truck with the same mods between the MPT 93 tune and the Goostune stage 2. But I don't think the data is out there. Different tuners have Different approaches... Some run more boost and less timing and others more timing and less boost. At least that's my understanding.