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Exhaust Upgrade -- Short vs. Long Term Plans

Brady2705

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Hi All,

New Maverick owner, I love this forum -- appreciate all the tips and wisdom I can find on here. I'm a previous Mustang owner, loved the bolt-on-mods available for that vehicle, and I'm looking to make some of the same improvements to my new 2.0L Maverick. The single biggest gripe I've got with my Maverick is the tone -- it just sounds like a weed-wacker. I know, it's a 4-banger, so what did you expect ... but I just can't stomach it. I love driving in sport mode, the thing is as responsive and quick as I could have ever expected ... but it just sounds JV. So here's my dilemma:

- I'd like to add a new cat-back exhaust system, and I've spent a lot of time going through the forum to see the opinions on Magnaflow/etc. While a new catback system would address my concerns over tone, it feels like it would be a premature investment until a larger downpipe is available, as without that, there really won't be any performance gains to speak of, so you're just sinking $600+ to get a better tone, and then I may have unforeseen complications down the road when I want to add a new DP. It feels like it would be better to wait until the market catches up, and then purchase a DP and catback system simultaneously, to ensure the install works flawlessly. Ideally, paired with a CAI, that's where I want to go ... full bolt-on adjustment to the systems breathing capabilities.

- So ... if there's any logic behind that train of thought ... what's the best recourse to address the tone while I wait? I never had aftermarket exhaust tips on my Mustang; it always seemed to me it was just a visual thing. The little research I've done seems to suggest a wider tip could deepen the tone, which is what I'm looking for in the short run. Does anyone have thoughts/experience here? If I could adjust my tone for a $60 tip, that would be great while I wait for the market to flesh out the bigger long-run prize (new DP and catback system).

Appreciate any thoughts folks are willing to offer -- thanks!
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Deerslayer1980

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There is a DP available. PM Ivang79. I'm going to get one soon and gut the 2nd cat. I'll keep the stock muffler. It should sound and perform great. These things move out with just a tune and intake. I'm running an open style homemade 4" intake. I ran with a box for a while. Same 1/4 mile times with or without a box.
 
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Brady2705

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And hell, while I'm already soliciting opinions ... I'm leaning towards the AFE CAI since that box seems to be tunneled to only pull in air that's passing through the radiator/front-end (colder air), rather than the open K&N that's pulling in air from the entire engine bay (hotter air). Price looks to be negligible between the two (I'm finding AFE for $315, vs. K&N for $300), so just curious if folks have opinions there. I had a K&N style CAI on my Mustang, and loved it ... but I've never had a turbo before, and I've seen folks express opinions about the added importance of ensuring your CAI pulls are as cold as possible with a turbo, and the open K&N filter falls short in that arena.
 

Brian_J

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And hell, while I'm already soliciting opinions ... I'm leaning towards the AFE CAI since that box seems to be tunneled to only pull in air that's passing through the radiator/front-end (colder air), rather than the open K&N that's pulling in air from the entire engine bay (hotter air). Price looks to be negligible between the two (I'm finding AFE for $315, vs. K&N for $300), so just curious if folks have opinions there. I had a K&N style CAI on my Mustang, and loved it ... but I've never had a turbo before, and I've seen folks express opinions about the added importance of ensuring your CAI pulls are as cold as possible with a turbo, and the open K&N filter falls short in that arena.
IIRC, @Buschur monitored the under hood air temps and found that, when air is flowing, the air inside the engine compartment wasn't much hotter than outside. IMO, get whatever cai you prefer, then back it up with a good intercooler since the oem one is mediocre at best.
 

Buschur

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We offer cat backs, front mount intercoolers, catch cans and intakes along with custom tunes for our packages.

There has been way more "arguing" on all the products we've released than there needs to be, especially at this point, on what works and doesn't.

I've spent the last 33 years building turbo 4 cylinders, we test every single product we build before selling it and won't sell something unless it works, period.

Our cat back is available in a "longer"version for people who want more flow, it's longer towards the front of the truck, you can figure out what I'm talking about....it's the lightest exhaust you'll find for the truck and has the highest ground clearance. All mandrel bent, 304 grade stainless, TIG welded, built here in our shop. The intakes, no need for a complicated box, it makes ZERO difference, we did the testing and posted it all already. The intercooler is a needed upgrade as the stock one absolutely SUCKS.

As for the downpipe, it is not the restriction, the downpipe on the truck has the primary cat in it, removing it is going to cause CEL issues and at this point with the EPA nobody is willing to turn those codes off in the tune. A good high flow cat may or may not trigger a CEL issue but the size of the turbo itself is the limiting factor, not the downpipe/cat. We will release a downpipe when we finally release a turbo upgrade.

I say all this with the absolute proof our parts work as we are currently the quickest and fastest Maverick out there. Our truck has no weight reduction, factory tires/wheels, all of our parts we offer with no secrets or gimmicks and has ran a best of 13.25 at 102 mph. The tracks here are closed now, unfortunately, as I am about 90% certain the truck can run 12.9's now the way it sits.

The other upside is it's been 100% trouble free (other than the junk radio issues) for 13,000 miles, first day we owned it it was on the dyno. It also consistently knocks out 33 mpg on the highway.
 

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One thing that the average owner does not look closely enough when buying cold air intakes and exhaust is that you will often be making so little power over stock in normal driving conditions that it is pointless. An intake that makes "25hp" is going to make that at wide open throttle and only at much higher than average RPM. If you are going to be driving the truck like that a lot then of course it is money well spent. But for the average driver it is just an expensive ornament.
 

ShadowBlack XL440

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Hi All,

New Maverick owner, I love this forum -- appreciate all the tips and wisdom I can find on here. I'm a previous Mustang owner, loved the bolt-on-mods available for that vehicle, and I'm looking to make some of the same improvements to my new 2.0L Maverick. The single biggest gripe I've got with my Maverick is the tone -- it just sounds like a weed-wacker. I know, it's a 4-banger, so what did you expect ... but I just can't stomach it. I love driving in sport mode, the thing is as responsive and quick as I could have ever expected ... but it just sounds JV. So here's my dilemma:

- I'd like to add a new cat-back exhaust system, and I've spent a lot of time going through the forum to see the opinions on Magnaflow/etc. While a new catback system would address my concerns over tone, it feels like it would be a premature investment until a larger downpipe is available, as without that, there really won't be any performance gains to speak of, so you're just sinking $600+ to get a better tone, and then I may have unforeseen complications down the road when I want to add a new DP. It feels like it would be better to wait until the market catches up, and then purchase a DP and catback system simultaneously, to ensure the install works flawlessly. Ideally, paired with a CAI, that's where I want to go ... full bolt-on adjustment to the systems breathing capabilities.

- So ... if there's any logic behind that train of thought ... what's the best recourse to address the tone while I wait? I never had aftermarket exhaust tips on my Mustang; it always seemed to me it was just a visual thing. The little research I've done seems to suggest a wider tip could deepen the tone, which is what I'm looking for in the short run. Does anyone have thoughts/experience here? If I could adjust my tone for a $60 tip, that would be great while I wait for the market to flesh out the bigger long-run prize (new DP and catback system).

Appreciate any thoughts folks are willing to offer -- thanks!
I have been considering the AfE Rebel stainless side exit exhaust. Looks like it is on sale now too. Anyone have any experience with this exhaust?

https://afepower.com/afe-power-49-3...-steel-cat-back-exhaust-system-w-polished-tip

Ford Maverick Exhaust Upgrade -- Short vs. Long Term Plans 1669905633425


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es7129

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es7129

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There is a DP available. PM Ivang79. I'm going to get one soon and gut the 2nd cat. I'll keep the stock muffler. It should sound and perform great. These things move out with just a tune and intake. I'm running an open style homemade 4" intake. I ran with a box for a while. Same 1/4 mile times with or without a box.
And he’s running 12s with the catless downpipe and no CEL due to the defouler.
 
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Brady2705

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Wow, thanks to everyone for the wisdom and replies! If it wasn't already painfully obvious, I'm an absolute novice in this world, so I appreciate folks entertaining my rookie questions. I'm really just looking to make my Maverick a fun daily-driver -- basically, I'm interested in performance, but not at the expense of becoming street-illegal. Hopefully that makes sense -- I'm not looking to take this thing to a track and race it, I just want to maximize the fun on my daily drive :)

If I distill what I'm reading above, in addition to what some experienced gear-heads passed to me in the office today, it sounds like the following are reasonable conclusions:

  • CAI is great, but only if supported by a better intercooler, and likely a tune that accounts for using 93 octane and having improved aftermarket options
    • Related, one of the gear-heads in the office told me today that a tune will void your factory warranties ... any truth to that? I never tuned my Mustang, but assumed (ignorance) that it looked like something you would plug into your OBD2 sensor, choose your settings, and it would retune the ECU to your performance specs ... which, to me, seems like something you should easily be able to reverse back to stock, so why would it void the warranty?
  • Since I'm trying to stay street-legal, an aftermarket downpipe might not make sense, as what's available seems to strip the catalytic converter out, which would knock me out of compliance with emission standards ... so living with the existing turbo and downpipe is likely a long-term-must.
  • Given the above, I probably shouldn't worry so much about prematurely purchasing a cat-back-exhaust system today, as it sounds like I'm unlikely to ever touch the downpipe ... so find something I'm confident I like the tone of, and don't worry so much that it's not doing much for me performance-wise (part of enjoying my daily drive is not hating the sound of my engine)
Is that a fair summation? CAI, intercooler, catback exhaust, and possibly a tune ... and I've essentially maximized what I can do to make the car more enjoyable/fun to drive without jeopardizing emission compliance?

Thanks all for your wisdom!
 
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LM42

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Wow, thanks to everyone for the wisdom and replies! If it wasn't already painfully obvious, I'm an absolute novice in this world, so I appreciate folks entertaining my rookie questions. I'm really just looking to make my Maverick a fun daily-driver -- basically, I'm interested in performance, but not at the expense of becoming street-illegal. Hopefully that makes sense -- I'm not looking to take this thing to a track and race it, I just want to maximize the fun on my daily drive :)

If I distill what I'm reading above, in addition to what some experienced gear-heads passed to me in the office today, it sounds like the following are reasonable conclusions:

  • CAI is great, but only if supported by a better intercooler, and likely a tune that accounts for using 93 octane and having improved aftermarket options
    • Related, one of the gear-heads in the office told me today that a tune will void your factory warranties ... any truth to that? I never tuned my Mustang, but assumed (ignorance) that it looked like something you would plug into your OBD2 sensor, choose your settings, and it would retune the ECU to your performance specs ... which, to me, seems like something you should easily be able to reverse back to stock, so why would it void the warranty?
  • Since I'm trying to stay street-legal, an aftermarket downpipe might not make sense, as what's available seems to strip the catalytic converter out, which would knock me out of compliance with emission standards ... so living with the existing turbo and downpipe is likely a long-term-must.
  • Given the above, I probably shouldn't worry so much about prematurely purchasing a cat-back-exhaust system today, as it sounds like I'm unlikely to ever touch the downpipe ... so find something I'm confident I like the tone of, and don't worry so much that it's not doing much for me performance-wise (part of enjoying my daily drive is not hating the sound of my engine)
Is that a fair summation? CAI, intercooler, catback exhaust, and possibly a tune ... and I've essentially maximized what I can do to make the car more enjoyable/fun to drive without jeopardizing emission compliance?

Thanks all for your wisdom!
You pretty much nailed it. You would see really good gains doing just that. I did that same thing on my 2016 Focus ST when I bought it, minus the intercooler and it was MUCH faster than stock. Almost too much as in 1st gear became useless on that fwd only car. It would just spin the tires off in first.
 

1fifty

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…and I've essentially maximized what I can do to make the car more enjoyable/fun to drive without jeopardizing emission compliance?

Thanks all for your wisdom!
After you get the sound you want, spend $200 here to make it more fun to drive. Rear sway bar upgrade
 
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Brady2705

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Anyone have experience with performance modules? After seeing a tune would indeed void my warranty, it looks like this module would not.

Again, as a novice, it seems to me like the biggest difference is a custom-tune essentially rewrites the ECU, which voids the warranty ... whereas this just plugs into the OBD2 sensor, and the ECU essentially learns new behaviors ... but since you never "overwrote" the ECU, there's no issue. Am I understanding it correctly? And if so, is this a viable alternative for someone like me, who doesn't want to void a warranty or lose my "street legal" status?


https://www.performancechiptuning.com/stage-2-performance-chip-module-obd2-for-ford/#product-reviews
 

es7129

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Wow, thanks to everyone for the wisdom and replies! If it wasn't already painfully obvious, I'm an absolute novice in this world, so I appreciate folks entertaining my rookie questions. I'm really just looking to make my Maverick a fun daily-driver -- basically, I'm interested in performance, but not at the expense of becoming street-illegal. Hopefully that makes sense -- I'm not looking to take this thing to a track and race it, I just want to maximize the fun on my daily drive :)

If I distill what I'm reading above, in addition to what some experienced gear-heads passed to me in the office today, it sounds like the following are reasonable conclusions:

  • CAI is great, but only if supported by a better intercooler, and likely a tune that accounts for using 93 octane and having improved aftermarket options
    • Related, one of the gear-heads in the office told me today that a tune will void your factory warranties ... any truth to that? I never tuned my Mustang, but assumed (ignorance) that it looked like something you would plug into your OBD2 sensor, choose your settings, and it would retune the ECU to your performance specs ... which, to me, seems like something you should easily be able to reverse back to stock, so why would it void the warranty?
  • Since I'm trying to stay street-legal, an aftermarket downpipe might not make sense, as what's available seems to strip the catalytic converter out, which would knock me out of compliance with emission standards ... so living with the existing turbo and downpipe is likely a long-term-must.
  • Given the above, I probably shouldn't worry so much about prematurely purchasing a cat-back-exhaust system today, as it sounds like I'm unlikely to ever touch the downpipe ... so find something I'm confident I like the tone of, and don't worry so much that it's not doing much for me performance-wise (part of enjoying my daily drive is not hating the sound of my engine)
Is that a fair summation? CAI, intercooler, catback exhaust, and possibly a tune ... and I've essentially maximized what I can do to make the car more enjoyable/fun to drive without jeopardizing emission compliance?

Thanks all for your wisdom!
You summed it up well.
Addressing everything listed you should be low 13s or possibly high 12s.

I’m not familiar with Ford’s systems but flash tuning usually leaves a footprint. Most ECUs have a flash counter so the dealer would know it’s been flashed. They’d still have to prove the tune caused the failure and it doesn’t void your entire warranty, just the part that was proven to have failed from the tune.

If you’re worried about flash footprint you can also get a piggyback instead (JB4 or RaceChip). Both have legitimate gains, and with just the JB4 e30 tune I’m in the high 13s.
 

Dueces

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I say all this with the absolute proof our parts work as we are currently the quickest and fastest Maverick out there. Our truck has no weight reduction, factory tires/wheels, all of our parts we offer with no secrets or gimmicks and has ran a best of 13.25 at 102 mph. The tracks here are closed now, unfortunately, as I am about 90% certain the truck can run 12.9's now the way it sits.
I love it when the "no weight reduction" gets used from Mr. Buschur. "My truck has no weight reduction, but I did have my wife drive 45 minutes to the track to drive it so I could save 100lbs!" His truck is not the quickest or the fastest Maverick, he just uses a technicality to claim this.

Buschur's Mav has ran 13.2@102mph at the track with his wife driving to lose 100lbs.

I've ran 12.75@108mph with about 210lbs removed, and basically all the standard bolt ons.

Ivang79 has ran 12.88@106mph(he's dealing with a factory speed limiter currently) and this was full weight.

If you want to have a fast Maverick, it's the same formula as almost all turbo car builds. Intake, intercooler, tune(E30, 93, 91, 87 plenty of options), downpipe and Cat-back. Then the name of the game power to weight, IE: weight reduction. I get you don't want to go that far, just showing options....

After you master that, then it'll be turbo upgrade time, and "probably" transmission upgrade time!

Don't worry though, my .5 second faster Maverick doesn't count because it was on a Dragy that is always within .04 seconds of all my quarter mile track passes....

I'm not trying to sell you parts, I'm just telling you what works.
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