Fast Mavericks upgraded turbo

[Shoptruck]

Hey all. As I sit here searching for a larger turbo for my 2nd maverick I can't help but wonder how many of the FM turbos made it out to people. And of those, how many ended up installed. If you have one, installed or not, chime in just to satisfy my own desire for knowledge. And if you have one and decided not to install.. let me know. I'm looking for a turbo lol

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[Cherokee]

I’m good with my stock Turbo,
I can smoke a Subaru :’P

 

[KEMeyer]

Has anyone here found out how far the HP can be boosted before the engine goes boom?

 

[happyfer22]

Has anyone here found out how far the HP can be boosted before the engine goes boom?

The 2.0L EcoBoost can handle somewhere between 300–350 hp safely, depending on how it's tuned and driven. GROUP IV engine OIL - A MUST -

But here's the real limiting factor — it's not the engine, it's the 8-speed automatic transmission (8F35). That trans was originally designed for around 260–265 lb-ft of torque, which is already being pushed by the stock tune (277 lb-ft).

So while you can squeeze more power out of the engine, going much higher on torque without addressing the transmission is a risk. That’s the real bottleneck — not the block.

 

[happyfer22]

Hey all. As I sit here searching for a larger turbo for my 2nd maverick I can't help but wonder how many of the FM turbos made it out to people. And of those, how many ended up installed. If you have one, installed or not, chime in just to satisfy my own desire for knowledge. And if you have one and decided not to install.. let me know. I'm looking for a turbo lol

SAVE YOUR $$ .
The 2.0L EcoBoost can handle somewhere between 300–350 hp safely, depending on how it's tuned and driven. GROUP IV engine OIL - A MUST -

But here's the real limiting factor — it's not the engine, it's the 8-speed automatic transmission (8F35). That trans was originally designed for around 260–265 lb-ft of torque, which is already being pushed by the stock tune (277 lb-ft).

So while you can squeeze more power out of the engine, going much higher on torque without addressing the transmission is a risk. That’s the real bottleneck — not the block.

 

[Shoptruck]

SAVE YOUR $$ .
The 2.0L EcoBoost can handle somewhere between 300–350 hp safely, depending on how it's tuned and driven. GROUP IV engine OIL - A MUST -

But here's the real limiting factor — it's not the engine, it's the 8-speed automatic transmission (8F35). That trans was originally designed for around 260–265 lb-ft of torque, which is already being pushed by the stock tune (277 lb-ft).

So while you can squeeze more power out of the engine, going much higher on torque without addressing the transmission is a risk. That’s the real bottleneck — not the block.

My maverick is past the 350hp and will soon be over the 400whp.. if it breaks. I will address it then.

 

[colinl]

SAVE YOUR $$ .
The 2.0L EcoBoost can handle somewhere between 300–350 hp safely, depending on how it's tuned and driven. GROUP IV engine OIL - A MUST -

But here's the real limiting factor — it's not the engine, it's the 8-speed automatic transmission (8F35). That trans was originally designed for around 260–265 lb-ft of torque, which is already being pushed by the stock tune (277 lb-ft).

So while you can squeeze more power out of the engine, going much higher on torque without addressing the transmission is a risk. That’s the real bottleneck — not the block.

What's your references/sources for these assertions? Until that is demonstrated, I feel that your statements are 100% speculation unless you're either speaking from having experience with at least one Maverick modified to these levels whether as an owner or a tuner, and it's not helpful.

People from the Focus ST and/or Focus RS community own Mavericks and have tuned them. The 22-24 2.0 ecoboost is not the same as what any Focus ST used, despite the displacement and rated HP similarities, and the RS 2.3 is radically different other than the physical size of the block itself. The new '25 2.0 ecoboost is even more different from what a Focus ST had since it's port and direct injected.

But let's take a stop back and talk about you kind of setting these arbitrary guidelines.

First of all-- it's completely on the person paying the bills what's worth it, how much risk to take, if this is their daily driver or just a project that they can go days/weeks without driving, etc. I have only seen reports of one or two engines (one documented here on MTC) that have blown and both had a lot of miles (60-100k+) so it's not like people tune their trucks and it only lasts 10k miles after.

I have seen a number of reports of transmission replacements but there is no correlation to being tuned; it's much more, in my opinion, about ATF level and not following Ford's ridiculous 150k service interval for the 8F35. (Apparently they think that first service is full replacement?) Besides issues with them completely dying, I have seen a few 8F35s with issues with shift solenoids. Very few - and some of them were stock, not tuned. There are some people using launch control with their Livernois tunes - and even none of those have broken yet, or if they did, they aren't posting about it.

 

[KEMeyer]

The 2.0L EcoBoost can handle somewhere between 300–350 hp safely, depending on how it's tuned and driven. GROUP IV engine OIL - A MUST -

But here's the real limiting factor — it's not the engine, it's the 8-speed automatic transmission (8F35). That trans was originally designed for around 260–265 lb-ft of torque, which is already being pushed by the stock tune (277 lb-ft).

So while you can squeeze more power out of the engine, going much higher on torque without addressing the transmission is a risk. That’s the real bottleneck — not the block.

Thanks for the details, Happy.

 

[colinl]

back on topic -

Fast Mavericks is gone. I am 95% sure that the turbos Ivan was selling are made by these guys, who have started selling them direct:
https://crpengineering.com

The upgrade service is appealing if you get a turbo from a salvage yard, which, these days is a more realistic thing to do as there are unfortunately some Mavericks wrecked that are not getting rebuilt. Plus, obviously, you can get that same turbo from a late-model Escape or Bronco Sport Badlands, also.

 

[happyfer22]

What's your references/sources for these assertions? Until that is demonstrated, I feel that your statements are 100% speculation unless you're either speaking from having experience with at least one Maverick modified to these levels whether as an owner or a tuner, and it's not helpful.

People from the Focus ST and/or Focus RS community own Mavericks and have tuned them. The 22-24 2.0 ecoboost is not the same as what any Focus ST used, despite the displacement and rated HP similarities, and the RS 2.3 is radically different other than the physical size of the block itself. The new '25 2.0 ecoboost is even more different from what a Focus ST had since it's port and direct injected.

But let's take a stop back and talk about you kind of setting these arbitrary guidelines.

First of all-- it's completely on the person paying the bills what's worth it, how much risk to take, if this is their daily driver or just a project that they can go days/weeks without driving, etc. I have only seen reports of one or two engines (one documented here on MTC) that have blown and both had a lot of miles (60-100k+) so it's not like people tune their trucks and it only lasts 10k miles after.

I have seen a number of reports of transmission replacements but there is no correlation to being tuned; it's much more, in my opinion, about ATF level and not following Ford's ridiculous 150k service interval for the 8F35. (Apparently they think that first service is full replacement?) Besides issues with them completely dying, I have seen a few 8F35s with issues with shift solenoids. Very few - and some of them were stock, not tuned. There are some people using launch control with their Livernois tunes - and even none of those have broken yet, or if they did, they aren't posting about it.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply and for raising some good points. It’s great to see more people in the Maverick community diving into the potential of the 2.0L EcoBoost.

Let me clarify my position and also share the logic and experience behind it:

On Power Gains & Engine Limits

You're right that each owner's build, risk tolerance, and budget are different. I’m not setting “hard limits” for everyone — I’m simply pointing out that while the 2.0L EcoBoost can safely reach 300–350 hp, the true mechanical bottleneck is the 8F35 transmission, which Ford _GM designed for ~260–265 lb-ft of torque. That’s not speculation — that’s what it was rated for across several models, and the stock Maverick already pushes those numbers.



So, while the engine can go higher, the transmission may not be able to support aggressive long-term increases in torque — especially without proper supporting mods or maintenance.


My Preventive Maintenance Strategy (Not Theory — Practice)

I follow a strict and informed approach to fluid maintenance. Specifically:

I replaced the factory fill engine oil at just 495 miles, because early oil contains elevated metal content from the break-in period. I use GOUP IV 5W-30 100% synthetic, which holds viscosity far better than the Ford bulk blend.

And importantly — I will be replacing all Ford bulk fluids in the transmission, PTU, and rear diff at 10,000 miles to remove early wear metals, then maintain a 30,000–40,000-mile service interval from there.

Why? Because removing the factory fill early and replacing it with high-performance fluids significantly reduces long-term stress on the drivetrain and helps prevent silent failures like solenoid sticking, thermal breakdown, or sheared viscosity.

​

In Summary:

I’m not saying you can’t mod your Maverick above 300 hp — I’m saying that if you do, be mindful of what’s downstream of the engine. My approach is about maximizing longevity and reliability by addressing weaknesses before they become problems. And if someone else chooses to push their setup harder — that’s totally their call. We can all learn from each other's paths.

Also, for anyone curious about how EcoBoost engines wear or respond to poor maintenance — I highly recommend watching this video:

It's eye-opening.

Respectfully,

 

[Cherokee]

The 2.0L EcoBoost can handle somewhere between 300–350 hp safely, depending on how it's tuned and driven. GROUP IV engine OIL - A MUST -

But here's the real limiting factor — it's not the engine, it's the 8-speed automatic transmission (8F35). That trans was originally designed for around 260–265 lb-ft of torque, which is already being pushed by the stock tune (277 lb-ft).

So while you can squeeze more power out of the engine, going much higher on torque without addressing the transmission is a risk. That’s the real bottleneck — not the block.

That’s why I never Invade the top 20% of my engines power. I never ‘Punch it’ I’m smooth up the tach with my power. My gas pedal will never feel the floor board.
My Ecoboost is a fast little pony for being box stock.
And,
I can still smoke any Subaru :’P

 

[colinl]

I can still smoke any Subaru :’P

apparently there are not any STis on your roads?

 

[Cherokee]

apparently there are not any STis on your roads?

I have not seen a single one yet. Dealer is too far away.

 

[colinl]

It's eye-opening.

Respectfully,

I'm good on the video, thanks. So you have watched some videos and read some specifications and formed opinions that you feel confident enough in to suggest as advice to others.

Learning from others obviously is important. We don't advance as fast, as easily, or as cheaply without gathering data from others. However, actually doing it and living through that experience and any associated challenges has a lot of value beyond whatever you can observe from forums, youtube, and so on.

There's nothing special about a Bronco Sport Badlands with 300 wheel horsepower. There are many Maverick owners right here with that. Those people are the ones who have not, yet, broken their 8F35 transmissions en masse.

 

[colinl]

I have not seen a single one yet. Dealer is too far away.

They're no longer sold, but the first WRX STi hit the road in 2004, 20 years ago, with a rated 300 hp and it weighed about 500 pounds less than a Maverick ecoboost awd.

I was just pointing out that your comment was a little silly.

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