Intercooler for daily driving?

Hi folks, I'm finally getting around to install the Ford Procal tune on my car, from what I'm reading here and elsewhere an intercooler is the next biggest upgrade I can make to a factory car. Will it matter for daily driving? The only other modification I have power wise (if you can call it that) is a catback.

I don't have one on mine... people here swear by them though. If I were to track my car, I'd definitely get one. Hwy driving, not going over 80 mph (expect in bursts for some people), what is the point?

Ford did not include one with the procal... if it needed one, seems they would have done that.

And make sure your dealer is okay with the intercooler, if you ever need warranty work.

To answer your question, will it matter for daily driving? Hell no... not one bit. And I've run my car pretty hard, even in summer down south in the August heat for hours...

Now I'll let the intercooler freaks get all bent out of shape, turn read, put ice on their butt hurt, and respond....

jtmat said:

I don't have one on mine... people here swear by them though. If I were to track my car, I'd definitely get one. Hwy driving, not going over 80 mph (expect in bursts for some people), what is the point?

Ford did not include one with the procal... if it needed one, seems they would have done that.

And make sure your dealer is okay with the intercooler, if you ever need warranty work.

To answer your question, will it matter for daily driving? Hell no... not one bit. And I've run my car pretty hard, even in summer down south in the August heat for hours...

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This was my thinking too, I'm a pretty tame driver except for those "moments," track literally 1-2x a year lol. Also it was your writeup of said tune that convinced me to pull the trigger, can't wait to install it.

I ran my ecoboost with the stock intercooler for the better part of a year and upon changing it out found that it made a world of difference. The car just overall runs better with cooler temps and its noted through the driving. Next to a catch can (everyone swears) I would say this is probably the most important thing you could upgrade on your ecoboost

kiszl said:

I ran my ecoboost with the stock intercooler for the better part of a year and upon changing it out found that it made a world of difference. The car just overall runs better with cooler temps and its noted through the driving. Next to a catch can (everyone swears) I would say this is probably the most important thing you could upgrade on your ecoboost

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To be honest with you . You are in Florida and the Ambient air temp is what 99 degrees through out the summer months and you temps run higher than if you were up here in the Northern states where we get 80 s to 90 degree temps through out the summer months ..
Granted I do agree that the first aftermarket intercoolers outperform the OEM POS , but there still remains the fact that cooler air temps need to be considered .

City drivers should get a better intercooler . Highway milers not so much .. southern and desert driving Upgraded intercoolers are a must ..

I driven 3 years now without an upgrade and have been waiting for summer to upgrade as I have experienced heat soak and do mostly city driving .. I love to get in front of the crowd just to cool the temps down ...

I think suspension mods are a mùst ..and 1 does not have to go overboard with all of the $200.00 parts with the ecoboost ..

Brian V said:

I think suspension mods are a mùst ..and 1 does not have to go overboard with all of the $200.00 parts with the ecoboost ..

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Suspension wise I intend to do the BMR lockout kit, already have the Ford Racing strut brace and cowl brace installed, then at some point I will revisit lowering (aka how many new potholes in Buffalo).


Intercooler wise, although I'm doubting I'll go through with it, stock location or go big with the grille shutter delete?

Miadhawk said:

Suspension wise I intend to do the BMR lockout kit, already have the Ford Racing strut brace and cowl brace installed, then at some point I will revisit lowering (aka how many new potholes in Buffalo).


Intercooler wise, although I'm doubting I'll go through with it, stock location or go big with the grille shutter delete?

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I say go with BMR lockout kit first since it's cheaper and much easier to install. With your style of driving, you may get more benefit out of it over upgraded IC. Don't get me wrong, stock IC does suck and if your budget allows, it's a worthwhile upgrade.

Miadhawk said:

Suspension wise I intend to do the BMR lockout kit, already have the Ford Racing strut brace and cowl brace installed, then at some point I will revisit lowering (aka how many new potholes in Buffalo).


Intercooler wise, although I'm doubting I'll go through with it, stock location or go big with the grille shutter delete?

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I definitely recommend upgrading the intercooler, especially now that you're running the FP tune. Even on the stock tune an intercooler is a good upgrade over stock. I would run a stock replacement type, my preference would be the CP-E or the new Garrett unit. You can find a used CP-E for fairly cheap in the for sale section, which is much cheaper than new and you can even retain the Grill Shudders. As jtmat mentioned, you may want to check with your dealer about adding the part just to make sure they're ok with it.

cp-e unit is great value if you find one used or get a new one it is still cheaper than most and very high quality. Slight normal driving improvement.

The stock IC is good for one 2nd gear pull then it gets heat soaked, which will lower power for the next pull, unless given proper time to cool down. I have the FP tune as well and installed the street MAP intercooler after. It does make a difference. No longer does it heat soak after back to back pulls. My butt dyno also feels a stronger pull in the high rpm range, even in the first pull. The biggest benefit is how the car performs in hot weather. Normally, in 85+ degree temps, with the stock IC, the car felt boggy. Now, the car feels less boggy in hot temps. It definitely does something, not like a CAI where its just looks/sound. Dont expect tons of power, its a slight power upgrade, but more of a consistent power/cooling/reliability upgrade

I can’t really disagree with jtmat for daily driving. You really don’t need it for that. Mostly.

But you don’t need the FPtune for a daily either, and you have that. So, why did you get the tune? That same reasoning can be applied to an intercooler I’d bet. It seems the FP tune and an intercooler is a proven solid pairing. I really don’t need either myself, but I’m happy I’ve got both.

In the case of the IC there is no dispute (unlike other things like catch cans and such) there is solid hard irrefutable proof that the stock IC is pretty much garbage (a nice word for inadequate) , so whether you deem it necessary of an upgrade or not is really up to you, doesn't change the facts though.

I have ATM on a stock tune and it is obviously a different car. More power and more consistent power. I my option it’s the best for the stock turbo. Check the designs and numerous post’s of the front runners on this forum.

jtmat said:

And make sure your dealer is okay with the intercooler, if you ever need warranty work.

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There’s no legit reason a dealer could deny warranty work for a bigger intercooler unless it's installed incorrectly or you had to make some other mods (like eliminating the shutters on the bigger intercooler, but even that shouldn't hurt anything). Denying warranty work because of an upgraded IC is like denying it due to a catback exhaust.

I'll just say you can't go wrong with any intercoller upgrade. No matter what any naysayer would say. Just research the facts. IT WORKS, in any situation.

The only time I would become one of these "naysayers" is in regards to having to purchase an extremely overpriced intercooler to make great power.

I've been in to turbo 4 cylinders for about 17 years.... wow I'm old. And once the ebay china brands have a bolt on solution it's almost always just as good.

Most of my experience comes from the DSM game. I've had my DSM for over ten years (still have it btw) and these silly arguements against an intercooler are just.... silly.