• Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

    Welcome to the #1 Explorer ST Forum and Explorer ST community dedicated to Explorer ST owners and enthusiasts. Register for an account, it's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the Explorer ST Forum today!


Can someone help me ballpark estimate hp gain...

MonkeysWashingCats

Member
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Messages
36
Reactions
6
Points
2
Location
Southern California
#1
I was wondering if anyone with some knowledge could help me ballpark it on hp gains from the following mods:

Whipple IC
SPD downpipes
XDI fuel pump
Borla S-type exhaust
afe filter

I plan on tuning once the hardware is on.

I'm curious what kind of hp gains I could reasonably expect. 550-ish with the right tune maybe?
 

Messages
65
Reactions
17
Points
7
Location
San Jose
#2
Imo your not going to get much gain without a tune because your not increasing the boost level any. If you make 10 over standard with that list I'd be happy because they are mostly supporting mods to increase boost reliably and therefore HP.
 

UNBROKEN

4000 Post Club
Messages
4,218
Reactions
4,912
Points
352
Location
Houston, TX, USA
#3
The air filter and Borla will be a combined single digit increase. Look at the Thermal R&D/Whoosh Motorsports exhaust and get something that may actually help.
That with the rest of your list and an E85 tune will get into the ballpark you’re thinking.
 

OP
MonkeysWashingCats

MonkeysWashingCats

Member
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Messages
36
Reactions
6
Points
2
Location
Southern California
Thread Starter #4
What is it about the thermal vs borla systems is so different that it would equate to one system providing more gains than the other?
 

UNBROKEN

4000 Post Club
Messages
4,218
Reactions
4,912
Points
352
Location
Houston, TX, USA
#5
What is it about the thermal vs borla systems is so different that it would equate to one system providing more gains than the other?
The Borla is 2.25” and retains the oem mid pipe. Thermal is 2.5” all the way to the downpipes. Neither are big power makers but the Thermal has more potential. Borla is all oem size...you could just do muffler swaps for 1/4 the price.
 

OP
MonkeysWashingCats

MonkeysWashingCats

Member
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Messages
36
Reactions
6
Points
2
Location
Southern California
Thread Starter #6
The Borla is 2.25” and retains the oem mid pipe. Thermal is 2.5” all the way to the downpipes. Neither are big power makers but the Thermal has more potential. Borla is all oem size...you could just do muffler swaps for 1/4 the price.
I totally forgot about the diameter difference between the two systems. Thanks for the reminder! Well hindsight is 20/20. The Borla is already on Vicky. I'm not willing to swap out to the thermal system at this point so I guess that'll be my bottleneck once I cap everything off with a tune. Unbroken, I've read enough of your posts at this point that I give your words weight on here, so any thoughts on where I should look for that tune once Everything is on the ride?
 

TMac

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,695
Reactions
1,454
Points
262
Location
Knoxville, TN
#7
I'm just going to give my opinion here...what is it you want to accomplish? HP figures are nice, but are you looking to run in the 12s, the 11s, the 10s? All of the comments here are valid, and if I were going to pick an exhaust system, I'd probably go for the Thermal, but actually even a dual 2.25 system like the Borla is still nearly 8" of of total exhaust area. A 3" system is a bit over 7" of area. I can point you to numerous dyno tests on the internet showing engines pumping 750+ hp through a single 3" mandrel exhaust with muffler. That is much more than even the best upgraded turbos are capable of producing on the ST platform currently, so unless you're looking for a lot more, your Borla is probably fine, exhaust-wise.

My point being that if you look at what you're trying to do first, people on this site could give you a better idea of what you need to accomplish it. I can't remember who, but at least one member here is completely stock other than an air filter and a tune and runs in the low 12s (according to their posts). Yep, not as fast as a Trackhawk, but will destroy 99% of anything on the street for about $750 in mods..
 

OP
MonkeysWashingCats

MonkeysWashingCats

Member
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Messages
36
Reactions
6
Points
2
Location
Southern California
Thread Starter #8
I'm trying to make my truck faster. Figured that was implied :sneaky:

I appreciate all the information though. I understand that the tune corresponds to additional boost and that all of these mods are related to supporting increased boost. I'll post up more once I get the IC installed and the truck tuned. I didn't see any reason to mess with the ecu until I have all the hardware mounted and ready for that cherry on top of the sundae.
 

TMac

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,695
Reactions
1,454
Points
262
Location
Knoxville, TN
#9
I'm trying to make my truck faster. Figured that was implied :sneaky:

I appreciate all the information though. I understand that the tune corresponds to additional boost and that all of these mods are related to supporting increased boost. I'll post up more once I get the IC installed and the truck tuned. I didn't see any reason to mess with the ecu until I have all the hardware mounted and ready for that cherry on top of the sundae.
I get that you want to make it faster, I'm just trying to give you bang for the buck info. You can bolt everything on that you want then tune. In fact, there are already those that have exactly the parts you're talking about with a ZFG tune running in the mid to high 11s.
 

OP
MonkeysWashingCats

MonkeysWashingCats

Member
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Messages
36
Reactions
6
Points
2
Location
Southern California
Thread Starter #10
I get that you want to make it faster, I'm just trying to give you bang for the buck info. You can bolt everything on that you want then tune. In fact, there are already those that have exactly the parts you're talking about with a ZFG tune running in the mid to high 11s.
I really do appreciate the help! From what I've read on here it sounds like the ZFG customers have been happy with what they got. That's probably where I'll look once I'm ready. Seriously, thanks for the information.
 

UNBROKEN

4000 Post Club
Messages
4,218
Reactions
4,912
Points
352
Location
Houston, TX, USA
#11
If you don’t need a tune right now I’d wait on ZFG. If you put that XDI pump on you’ll need a tune and I’d recommend PBD if you do that and just have to have a tune right now.
 

OP
MonkeysWashingCats

MonkeysWashingCats

Member
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Messages
36
Reactions
6
Points
2
Location
Southern California
Thread Starter #12
If you don’t need a tune right now I’d wait on ZFG. If you put that XDI pump on you’ll need a tune and I’d recommend PBD if you do that and just have to have a tune right now.
Well I'll be doing the last bit of work (the IC, fuel pump and low temp sensor) in about a month and all of them going on at the same time. I'll get in touch with ZFG and see what they recommend.
 

Explorer ST Posts



Top