Which comes first, intercooler or exhaust?

[Dave TBG]

I've got my suspension, chassis and brakes where I want them and my warranty is up in a few weeks anyway, so it's time to think about adding a few HP. My car is a year round daily driver and I'm not likely to track it in the foreseeable future, so I'm not looking for huge gains, just better throttle response and maybe a little more at the top end instead of dying off at 5k rpm.
I'm thinking I should be good with an intercooler upgrade, downpipe (catted), resonator delete and a tune. I'm undecided on mufflers right now, I don't think they are the weak link in the exhaust system so that can be the last step.
If I understand correctly, the intercooler and exhaust can both be stand-alone upgrades without a tune, so I assume it would be best to install those first and tune later, correct? If so, does it matter which of the other upgrades is done first? Is there any airflow issue with the stock intercooler that changes the throttle response or restricts higher rpm performance, or is it 100% about the inlet temps? I don't t feel like heat soak is my biggest issue right now so im leaning towards starting with the dp and Y pipe. I'm hoping that improves the exhaust sound a little as well.
Thoughts?

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[Coyote Chase]

Intake, Intercooler, downpipe, tune, in that order (plus catch can).

 

[Dave TBG]

Intake, Intercooler, downpipe, tune, in that order (plus catch can).

Thanks, I've seen it mentioned that there's no point changing the intake on the '18 and up cars, apparently it's the same setup as the GT and it is more than capable of providing unrestricted air flow well past 400 hp. The Ford Performance tune does include an intake for the '15-'17, but only includes a drop in filter for the '18-up. I have the drop in upgrade so, baring new information, I've got that covered.
You're input on IC before exhaust is noted, could you expand on the reasoning? Also, a catch can is on the list. Thanks.

 

[TeeLew]

With an Eco, the intake is unnecessary. An intercooler should be your first performance mod. A catch can should probably happen prior.

 

[JLTH2183]

With any turbocharged vehicle the best modification is a free flowing exhaust system over the stock system. Get catless downpipe and 3 inch free flowing exhaust with a tune and up the boost a little.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

Tune first for biggest gain. Make sure you tune with someone that offers tunes for life. That way you can adjust tune as you add other performance parts.

 

[DRU842]

I went with the intake side first, on my early 2017, when taking the steps to increase performance, along with Cobb Accessport and tune. Daily driver where high temperature was main concern. Went back about 8 months later for the downpipe and exhaust upgrade. Biggest jump in performance from the first changes but sound improved dramatically with round two.

 

[TeeLew]

The truth is, the first step can be a fairly large one. I'm not including maintenance items like a catch can and fuel pressure sensitivity.

A larger intercooler is necessary to cool the intake air to take advantage of the engine as it is. Once you can cool intake temps, then you can get more aggressive with your tuning. You'll need an Accessport tuner. A lot of people use the stage 1 tune, but a real engine tuner like Ryan Martin is well worth the money. To reduce intake tract flow resistance you can put in a free flow air filter, Air-raid intake tube and mandrel bent hot/cold side pipes, what the hell, go with the bigger BOV. An aftermarket downpipe is good for power & a quick turbo spool. You also have to be concerned about detonation/pre-ignition, so that means colder spark plugs. Shit, we might as well have Ryan write us an E30 map at this point. Should I get a new turbo?

 

[PRG3k]

Nothing much matters unless you address the biggest Achilles heel of the EcoBoost first. Heat management. Buy an intercooler. You can go catless and get a pro tune first if you want, but once this motor is at operating temp and you sit at a couple of stoplights, you won't be much better off than before because of all the timing being pulled from the skyrocketing charge temps. Not to mention you're at an elevated risk for detonation with higher charge temps in the first place. These cars run hotter than hell and only perform as well as they can manage heat. An IC should be your first power mod for an Eco. Requires no tuning, direct swap, relatively cheap, and most secondhand units on the classifieds work just as well as brand new ones. They're a lifetime part as its just essentially plumbing with no moving parts. Unless you hit something on the road or blow a turbo and spew oil through the charge system, they require no maintenance at all. Since you're in Jersey and have long, cold winters, a smaller, stock replacement unit would suit you perfectly fine.

Then couple a downpipe, drop-in filter, and a tune together an you've got a street light monster.

 

[KewlWinter]

You definitely should do the intercooler first. Doesn't matter what other bolt-on you do to gain power, once you heat soak that stock intercooler, you are done. The PCM will pull your timing and your power will decrease. Always look at your ultimate goal and the mods you anticipate making to achieve it, then think of each item on your list in terms of what will lay the best foundation for the next item(s) on the list.

 

[Dave TBG]

OK, look like a pretty clear consensus for intercooler first. I'm back to the drawing board on a couple of details though.
I hate the factory lower grill and it seems like a "while I'm in there" thing, I guess I need to find something I like to replace it. That seems like enough of a conundrum but that's probably the easy one.
I've spent the last few days reading catch can threads. I started out looking to see which one was best but once I started reading I realized I'd read most of them a couple years ago and decided I didn't need one. So now I'm rethinking that decision but I'm still not seeing much actual data, just opinions and assumptions on both sides.
I come from VWs, I'm familiar with the problems that some DI engines have. I'm also aware that some DI engines don't seem to have fouling issues. I've got a number of questions I've never seen addressed in any of the posts here and I doubt anyone here has the answers but there is one question that can be answered. Does anyone here know of a Ford 2.3 that has actually had enough fouling that it affected performance and had to be rectified?
I get that it "could" be a problem, one user even predicted that we'd start seeing posts about cars running poorly in the next year (early 2019) due to fouling as more cars hit 60-80k miles. That user was last seen a few months later and I haven't seen the threads he predicted.

 

[PRG3k]

When I put my intercooler in I just bought a lower grille delete to open that space up, help the intercooler breathe a little better and just show off the intercooler which I stenciled on a nice big 'GARRETT' logo. Looks very cool. I bought the bottom section of this and it looks so much better. The 2018's and up have a different grille design than the first iteration of the S550 but I'm sure similar things exist. Might want to consider it. The intercooler is pretty simple but it you want to delete the lower grille, its a lot easier to remove the bumper, set it face-down on some carpeting or a towel, and pop it out from the back.

These motors can chew up spark plugs depending on things like how rich your tune likes to run, etc. I really don't remember hearing of plug fouling to be a widespread problem on anything other than cars with aggressive tunes. But spark plugs, especially the OEM ones which are actually pretty good all things considered, are very cheap. I run the OEM's. The way I see it, if I'm chewing up and spitting out plugs at a fast clip, it makes more sense to go through the cheaper OEM stuff.

 

[Dave TBG]

When I put my intercooler in I just bought a lower grille delete to open that space up, help the intercooler breathe a little better and just show off the intercooler which I stenciled on a nice big 'GARRETT' logo. Looks very cool. I bought the bottom section of this and it looks so much better. The 2018's and up have a different grille design than the first iteration of the S550 but I'm sure similar things exist. Might want to consider it. The intercooler is pretty simple but it you want to delete the lower grille, its a lot easier to remove the bumper, set it face-down on some carpeting or a towel, and pop it out from the back.

These motors can chew up spark plugs depending on things like how rich your tune likes to run, etc. I really don't remember hearing of plug fouling to be a widespread problem on anything other than cars with aggressive tunes. But spark plugs, especially the OEM ones which are actually pretty good all things considered, are very cheap. I run the OEM's. The way I see it, if I'm chewing up and spitting out plugs at a fast clip, it makes more sense to go through the cheaper OEM stuff.

Thanks, grill delete might not be a bad idea. I really like the lower grill from the Bullitt but the gloss finish won't go with my matte (Black Accent) grill.
I keep hearing about "1 step colder" plugs, I'd planned to go that route in the near future.

 

[ANS]

1st) intercooler
2nd) mishimoto or csf radiator (if non performance package)
3rd) drop in green air filter
4th) denso spark plugs
5th) sct or cobb tune
6th) afe intake tube

 

[DUNDEM]

IC, not even debatable.

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