Ford F150 3.5 EcoBoost Performance Upgrade Guide - 500whp+

Ford ditching most of its V8 engines, with the exception of the 5.0 Coyote, in the F150 is actually great news for performance. The 3.5L EcoBoost engine is twin-turbocharged which makes adding power super easy and affordable and these engines can handle plenty more than 500whp reliably. 

Gen 1 F150's from 2011-2016 can make about 450whp and Gen 2 trucks from 2017+ can make 500whp with just a tuner, intake, downpipes, and intercooler. If we throw ethanol fueling into the mix we can bring these numbers upwards of 500whp for Gen 1 and a huge 600whp on Gen 2 engines. However, ethanol fueling or water-methanol injection does require some more advanced tuning and fueling upgrades so we'll cover fueling upgrades in a separate article.

In this guide we're going to break down each performance upgrade for the 3.5 EcoBoost F150, discussing performance benefits and power gains of tuning, intakes, downpipes, and intercoolers. 

2011-2016 vs 2017+ F150 Power Limits

The second gen 3.5 EcoBoost received some huge upgrades from a performance standpoint. First, it got more capable turbochargers. But secondly, and most importantly, it received port injection on top of the direct injection it already had which is huge from a fueling standpoint.

Because the Gen 2 engines are more capable they will typically make about 50whp more than a Gen 1 F150 with the same modifications. Additionally, the 2017+ F150's can make it to 600whp on the stock turbochargers and stock fueling system with E85 fueling. The first gen 3.5 EcoBoost will start tapping out once you push beyond the 500whp mark and running full E85 fuel will require a high-pressure fuel pump upgrade that can run over $2,000.

3.5 EcoBoost F150 Performance Upgrades

1. Tuning
2. Cold Air Intake
3. High-Flow Downpipes
4. Larger Intercooler

These simple bolt-on modifications can be purchased for less than $2,000 and will easily and reliably add more than 100whp to your F150. See - not being a V8 isn't so bad after all.

1) F150 Tuning

Tuning is the most important mod for any 3.5 EcoBoost. It's where the big power gains come from, offering the biggest horsepower per dollar of any mod on the list. Furthermore, it is the building block for all other upgrades, helping maximize the benefits and gains the other mods on this list provide.

Benefits include:

• 50-100whp+ and 70-125wtq+ power gains
• Improved turbo efficiency
• Better throttle response
• Optimized power band
• Fuel economy improvements
• Functional tunes: mpg, towing, etc.

There are a lot of routes to go here: flash tuning, piggyback tuning, and custom tuning are what you'll have to consider and decide between. Our two favorite options are the JB4 by Burger Motorsports as a piggyback tuner and the SCT X4 with custom tunes by 5 Star Tuning if you want a flash device with customized tunes. The JB4 is going to be the easiest option for people looking for easy plug-and-play power gains but the SCT flash tuning option is best for people looking to really dial in their engines with custom flash tuning.

Price: $400-$600 | Shop F150 Tuners

2) Cold Air / Performance Intakes

The term cold air isn't the most accurate - but with higher boost levels from tuning and with a larger intercooler like we will discuss below the most important thing is bringing in as much additional air as possible. With tuning an upgraded will net you up to about 10whp making it worthwhile for power gains - but it also has a number of other benefits.

In addition to power gains the added airflow will increase turbo efficiency resulting in faster spool, better throttle response, and it'll even have some minor fuel economy benefits as well. Ultimately, it's important to bring more air into the engine once tuning is added making an intake upgrade a must.

We manufacture a dual filter open air intake for the 3.5 EcoBoost from 2015-2024. Our intake will have the biggest airflow gains on the market - resulting in the best performance. Our filters are Made in the USA and our intake offers the best combination of price, performance, and quality.

Price: $299 | Buy our F150 EcoBoost Cold Air Intake

3) High-Flow Downpipes

Power is all about efficiency - moving air into and out of the engine as quickly as possible. With a tuner and extra airflow from an intake it's now important to get the air out the engine faster. The downpipes on the 3.5 EcoBoost house the catalytic converters which are restrictive and create exhaust backpressure. Backpressure is bad for exhaust flow and has a ton of downsides like hotter engine and exhaust gas temps and decreased turbo spool. Ultimately this reduces engine and turbocharger reliability.

The inefficiency of the factory downpipes means that we can get great power gains out of downpipes. Furthermore, it is also a great reliability upgrade to cool temps and improve engine and turbo health.

• 10-25whp+ and 25-30wtq power gains
• Lower engine temps and EGTs
• Faster turbo spool
• Increased turbo and engine reliability
• Slightly deeper and louder exhaust note

The wide power gains really depend on whether you opt for catless or catted high-flow downpipes. Catless offer the biggest performance benefits and are cheaper but high-flow offers emissions benefits while still getting the job done. 

High-flow downpipes are going to be the most expensive item on this list but you really shouldn't skip them. They are great for performance and really make a difference for engine health and reliability. Catless are even better and less expensive, you just have to weigh the possible emissions implications.

Price: $500-$750 | Shop F150 3.5L Exhaust Upgrade

Cat-Back Exhaust Upgrades

The downpipes are the most restrictive part of the exhaust which makes them the most important to upgrade. But if you want to go a step further and upgrade the cat-back portion of the exhaust then there is some benefit to this as well. It won't offer huge power gains (~5whp) especially for the price but it does help further reduce backpressure so if you have the budget for it and want the louder more aggressive sound then it's worthwhile.

4) F150 Intercooler Upgrades (FMICs)

My favorite upgrade on any turbocharged engine, like the 3.5L EcoBoost, is a larger intercooler. With tuning and all these other mods we now have a lot more air coming into the engine and this causes problems for the factory intercooler. What ends up happening is a thing called heat-soak where the intercooler can't efficiently keep up with the volume of air passing through it, leading to hot air being sent into your engine. Hot air is terrible for performance and even worse for reliability.

Upgrading the intercooler improves the volume of air the intercooler can support and also decreases intake air temps (IATs). This makes an intercooler one of the best performance and reliability upgrades on the F150.

• 10-20whp power gains
• Lower IATs
• Healthier engine temps = more reliability
• More consistent performance
• Decreased chance of engine knock

With great power gains and even better reliability improvements an intercooler is absolutely worth it if you are tuned - especially if you are in a hot climate or tow things with your F150.

Boosted Performance F150 Intercooler - $599

4 Mods for 450-500whp

Ultimately, these four upgrades: tuning, intakes, downpipes, and intercoolers can take the Gen 1 to about 450whp and the Gen 2 F150 to about 500whp. Once we start looking to push past those levels we're going to need first to start thinking about ethanol fueling or water-methanol injection as the factory fueling systems will need additional support. From there you will soon need to upgrade the stock turbochargers. And then with upgraded turbos you can start pushing into dangerous territory where you can risk engine failure without upgrading internals and other major components. So, yes these engines can be pushed further but it does get quite expensive once you start talking about exceeding these power levels.

For most F150 owners these four upgrades and the added 100whp+ of power will be more than enough. But if it isn't, stay tuned for our other articles on turbo upgrades and fueling modifications. Also, we make some of the best intakes and intercoolers for EcoBoost engines so be sure to check out our store and email us with any help you need as you modify your 3.5 EcoBoost F150.