Looking To Get FRPP tune/CAI but have questions about FMIC, charge pipes, & radiator

[TheDonSalami]

i bought a '17 ecoboost premium (non-pp) back in july. I came from a 2001 honda accord v6. With that said, I LOVE driving this car. I mean I loved driving my accord and driving in general. i take cruises all the time. this mustang is so much fun but all these things you can do to it got me curious and I'm looking into getting the ford racing tune/cai and i had a few questions:

for daily driving do i absolutely need an intercooler after I install the tune right away?

if so, do i need to change the charge pipes?

and do i need a better radiator?

My game plan currently (and things might change down the line) is to spend the next 4 years paying this bad boy off so it won't really touch the track for awhile. The next four years this bad mama jamma is gonna be my DD (probably gonna buy a beater and use that as my commuting car afterwards) but i wanted to get the tune/cai while its still under warranty (i just hit 10,000 miles).

I know this topic has been beaten to death with a giant wrench but i couldn't really make heads or tails of most of the threads (newbie to car stuff and there was so much information to process) so i appreciate any and all information you guys can provide! thank you!

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[Rob0381]

i bought a '17 ecoboost premium (non-pp) back in july. I came from a 2001 honda accord v6. With that said, I LOVE driving this car. I mean I loved driving my accord and driving in general. i take cruises all the time. this mustang is so much fun but all these things you can do to it got me curious and I'm looking into getting the ford racing tune/cai and i had a few questions:

for daily driving do i absolutely need an intercooler after I install the tune right away?

if so, do i need to change the charge pipes?

and do i need a better radiator?

My game plan currently (and things might change down the line) is to spend the next 4 years paying this bad boy off so it won't really touch the track for awhile. The next four years this bad mama jamma is gonna be my DD (probably gonna buy a beater and use that as my commuting car afterwards) but i wanted to get the tune/cai while its still under warranty (i just hit 10,000 miles).

I know this topic has been beaten to death with a giant wrench but i couldn't really make heads or tails of most of the threads (newbie to car stuff and there was so much information to process) so i appreciate any and all information you guys can provide! thank you!

Most on here will tell you to def get the intercooler even if you only plan to lightly mod the car. The stock cooler is junk, and keeps the engine from performing at an optimal level even with a factory tune. Here in KS on a 90 degree day the car will retard timing from the first pull because it’s unable to bring in consistently cooler air. To me an upgraded intercooler is a must from the get go. That rings even more true once you upgrade the engine tune.

I don’t have upgraded charge pipes but I would assume they are a lot like an aftermarket exhaust, the larger pipes and mandrel bends offer smoother flow of air, which can in turn get the cooler air to the important parts of the engine a lot faster. An aftermarket exhaust uses larger piping and mandrel bends to get exhaust gasses out of the engine quicker. Someone with more experience with charge pipes please chime in.

 

[Spykexx]

Most on here will tell you to def get the intercooler even if you only plan to lightly mod the car. The stock cooler is junk, and keeps the engine from performing at an optimal level even with a factory tune. Here in KS on a 90 degree day the car will retard timing from the first pull because it’s unable to bring in consistently cooler air. To me an upgraded intercooler is a must from the get go. That rings even more true once you upgrade the engine tune.

I don’t have upgraded charge pipes but I would assume they are a lot like an aftermarket exhaust, the larger pipes and mandrel bends offer smoother flow of air, which can in turn get the cooler air to the important parts of the engine a lot faster. An aftermarket exhaust uses larger piping and mandrel bends to get exhaust gasses out of the engine quicker. Someone with more experience with charge pipes please chime in.

I went with the ATM intercooler on the stock tune, and I'll tell you first hand the car feels so much more happy being pushed hard. Especially multiple times in a row. Doing some back road runs, on the stock intercooler after a few miles it felt like a dog. Just didn't feel like it wanted to keep being pushed. After the ATM, it keeps pulling happily through the entire run.

There's a thread here somewhere that's long as hell that posts up just how terrible the stock intercooler temps are. Even in daily driving it shits all over itself. Does it matter THAT much from stop light to stop light? If you don't give one ounce of care into performance...not really. But to keep charge temps down, cylinder temps down a little and to keep the power you should be making...you'll want one. Remember, this isn't like an N/A motor. It will start pulling time once those temps hit around 100* (Which takes literally no time on the stock IC).

But going with the tune...I'd say 100% get an IC. Even the blah stage 1 IC's are posting way better temps than the stock one. I was amazed at just how crap it was once I removed it.

 

[Spykexx]

67 degree day on the stock IC. First pull jumped it to nearly 130*. and after that....it was all down hill. The stock IC just cannot recover.

 

[TheDonSalami]

ok so i should definitely get an intercooler. atm seems a little hardcore. i was thinking cpe or mishimoto. now, should it be immediate that i install the intercooler or can i hold off a month or two?

 

[Rob0381]

ok so i should definitely get an intercooler. atm seems a little hardcore. i was thinking cpe or mishimoto. now, should it be immediate that i install the intercooler or can i hold off a month or two?

You’ll be fine, but I would upgrade the intercooler before you install the tune.

 

[Spykexx]

I wouldn't say it's an immediate need. But I agree with Rob, I'd get it changed before the tune. Seeing as the temps are still good outside and still a bit cool, not a problem.

And from what I seen, I'd choose the CP-e over the mishimoto.

 

[TheDonSalami]

alright cool! thanks so much for your help, man! should i worry about the charge pipes now? or later when i start tracking it?

 

[TheDonSalami]

I wouldn't say it's an immediate need. But I agree with Rob, I'd get it changed before the tune. Seeing as the temps are still good outside and still a bit cool, not a problem.

And from what I seen, I'd choose the CP-e over the mishimoto.

yeah ,i was looking at the big intercooler thread and i think that might be the route i go but someone also said the ATM is just a bit more in price but its way better so ill have to figure out if i wanna future proof it or just settle.

 

[Spykexx]

alright cool! thanks so much for your help, man! should i worry about the charge pipes now? or later when i start tracking it?

To be honest, I've seen mixed results on the aftermarket charge pipes. I use stock. Many that have pop-off issues are also aftermarket as well. I'd say if you were gonna change them, you could do it whenever. The IC is the most important factor between the two IMHO.

The CP-e is pretty damn good for being a stage 1. But remember you can still get 10% off the ATM, making it $620. a KILLER deal for such a damn good intercooler. I mean you are talking about less than $100 difference.

 

[TheDonSalami]

To be honest, I've seen mixed results on the aftermarket charge pipes. I use stock. Many that have pop-off issues are also aftermarket as well. I'd say if you were gonna change them, you could do it whenever. The IC is the most important factor between the two IMHO.

The CP-e is pretty damn good for being a stage 1. But remember you can still get 10% off the ATM, making it $620. a KILLER deal for such a damn good intercooler. I mean you are talking about less than $100 difference.

is that 10% from a forum discount code?

 

[Spykexx]

is that 10% from a forum discount code?

Yes. MUSTANG6G10OFF

 

[TheDonSalami]

Ughh now I have more thinking to do lol. But you'd have to remove with the AGS to install the ATM. I heard some users here had problems when they disconnected and reconnected the AGS. Is it just isolated cases?

 

[Spykexx]

Why would you have issues? I took mine off, but cut the motor out of the AGS and left it plugged in. Literally zero difference. You'll lose a hair of efficiency because of the additional airflow, but you'll gain a ton of airflow to the radiator and IC.

 

[TheDonSalami]

Why would you have issues? I took mine off, but cut the motor out of the AGS and left it plugged in. Literally zero difference. You'll lose a hair of efficiency because of the additional airflow, but you'll gain a ton of airflow to the radiator and IC.

I remember reading about some people seeing error codes when they reconnected it

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