Well, I’m going to kind of put my foot in my mouth here—some of the assumptions I made about the 2025 ST turbo setup turned out to be a bit off. Full disclosure: there wasn’t much hope for tuning the 2025s until about a month ago, so most of the 2025-specific R&D had been put on the shelf.
Where I Went Wrong:
My biggest assumption was that the new “Garrett” turbos would be better—mainly because moving to an electric wastegate actuator (EWGA) is a huge upgrade over the old vacuum gate. That part is true: we were able to push these turbos into the low 20s PSI range without issue. In fact, we could push even further, but we quickly noticed they stopped making additional power beyond a certain point.
Mistake #1:
They’re NOT Garrett turbos. Despite the Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor moving to Garrett units with EWGA, the 2025 Explorer ST (and the ‘24+ F-150s) stuck with BorgWarner turbos. I assumed Ford would follow the same trend—wrong move on my part.
Mistake #2:
I also assumed they’d be the same size or bigger. Historically, from 2011 to 2023, F-150 turbo sizing either stayed the same or increased with each generation. But in 2024, Ford reduced the turbine size on the 3.5L F-150. That should have been my clue…
What the Dyno and Data Revealed:
Once we got Andrew’s 2025 ST on the dyno, I knew something was up. We made solid numbers, but the top-end power wasn’t where I expected it to be, even though the logs looked promising. So I had Andrew at CR Performance Engineering crack open a set of the new turbos ahead of his scheduled R&D—and sure enough, Ford downsized them.
Turbo Sizing Comparison:
2020–2024:
2025+:
Yes, the 2025 turbos are physically smaller—but that doesn’t automatically make them worse. These are clearly the next generation of BorgWarner aero, and the data supports that. They spool faster and hit harder down low. But on the top end, that smaller turbine seems to choke off exhaust flow. You hit a point where “more boost” just doesn’t equal more power.
What’s Next?
Well… now it’s time for upgrades. Andrew's already diving into R&D, and we’re excited to see what he can come up with for these new setups.
Stay tuned—big things are coming!
Where I Went Wrong:
My biggest assumption was that the new “Garrett” turbos would be better—mainly because moving to an electric wastegate actuator (EWGA) is a huge upgrade over the old vacuum gate. That part is true: we were able to push these turbos into the low 20s PSI range without issue. In fact, we could push even further, but we quickly noticed they stopped making additional power beyond a certain point.
Mistake #1:
They’re NOT Garrett turbos. Despite the Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor moving to Garrett units with EWGA, the 2025 Explorer ST (and the ‘24+ F-150s) stuck with BorgWarner turbos. I assumed Ford would follow the same trend—wrong move on my part.
Mistake #2:
I also assumed they’d be the same size or bigger. Historically, from 2011 to 2023, F-150 turbo sizing either stayed the same or increased with each generation. But in 2024, Ford reduced the turbine size on the 3.5L F-150. That should have been my clue…
What the Dyno and Data Revealed:
Once we got Andrew’s 2025 ST on the dyno, I knew something was up. We made solid numbers, but the top-end power wasn’t where I expected it to be, even though the logs looked promising. So I had Andrew at CR Performance Engineering crack open a set of the new turbos ahead of his scheduled R&D—and sure enough, Ford downsized them.
Turbo Sizing Comparison:
2020–2024:
- Compressor: 41mm x 51mm
- Turbine: 44.9mm x 40mm
2025+:
- Compressor: 39.15mm x 49mm
- Turbine: 43mm x 38.65mm
Yes, the 2025 turbos are physically smaller—but that doesn’t automatically make them worse. These are clearly the next generation of BorgWarner aero, and the data supports that. They spool faster and hit harder down low. But on the top end, that smaller turbine seems to choke off exhaust flow. You hit a point where “more boost” just doesn’t equal more power.
What’s Next?
Well… now it’s time for upgrades. Andrew's already diving into R&D, and we’re excited to see what he can come up with for these new setups.
Stay tuned—big things are coming!
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