Is an Aftermarket Intercooler Upgrade Worthwhile?

[FirstFord]

A thousand years ago when I began my journey into hot rodding, one of the basics was that the very first modifications to be made was swapping out the factory exhaust manifolds for headers. There was a fundamental principal behind this: before you added a larger carburetor, bigger cam, or anything else to increase the fuel/air going into the engine, you had to have a way for this higher volume of fuel/air to escape and exit after it was ignited. Nowadays, any hot rodding I do is still of the old-school variety, on old cars with non-computerized engines. I never jumped on the modern technology train (autmotively speaking), but that is another story for another day (and is not the subject/purpose of this post).

I have an average understanding of turbochargers, their function, how they work, etc., and I know that the intercooler is an important component of the system. I may be wrong about this, but my understanding is that nowadays upgrading the intercooler is one of the first modifications to make before other mods - high performance tunes, etc. (maybe somewhat on par with the old days of the first thing you do is adding headers?). I have also read that there are numerous benefits to upgrading the intercooler on the 3.5 twin turbo engine, even if no other horsepower-seeking mods are made, such as when towing or hauling. Conversly, I've read that the factory OEM intercooler is perfectly adequate for the 3.5 and if your planning on leaving the engine stock, then making any intercooler upgrades is a waste of money.

I currently have no plans to make any horsepower increasing modifications, although I have been tempted to entertain the Ford Performance Tune, just to get the torque curve flattend out. I have been on the fence for some time about upgrading the intercooler. However, after reading @TheGoatman 's recent comments on installing the Livernois intercooler, it may have pushed me over the edge and pull the trigger on buying that unit. But it also drummed up additional questions:

I do some occassional towing/hauling, and I suspect that that may be the only scenario where a benefit to an intercooler upgrade would be realized. Am I correct? If so, then it may not worth doing it.

Yes, I am aware of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, but I still have concerns regrding a dealer declaring that the intercooler upgrade will void my warranty, or worse - void the ESP that I paid for.

I thought I would throw this out to the forum brain trust for some input. Looking forward to reading your comments.

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[TheGoatman]

I am on a stock calibration with no other mods at the moment so I can talk about improvements on a stock truck. I notice it reduced hesitation in City and the surging uphill in 10th gear when running 87 octane. This is in everyday driving, no towing.

ill put it this way, i took off the afe cai and 180* thermostat after the intercooler bc i found the mod that addressed what i was looking to solve. The cai was fine, improved mpg, and performance but I want this truck to look oem.

is it actually the cooling the bigger unit provides or the actual intake flow path through it, including the smooth elbow, idk. Makes no sense to me but the results are somewhat obvious to me

 

[FirstFord]

I notice it reduced hesitation in City and the surging uphill in 10th gear when running 87 octane.

I am not experiencing any drivability issues at all (hesitation, etc.) - in fact, the truck runs great. I'm not looking to solve any current issues as I really have none, but I do wonder if an intercooler upgrade wouldn't be an improvement; something good for the truck....

 

[Eskram]

It can't hurt.

Will you get more power, probably not.

Will you be able to maintain your existing power levels run after run, and/or in hotter weather, yes. Less heat soak and cooler IATs (near ambient) are a good thing.

 

[FirstFord]

Bumping. Looking for more input from the forum brain trust. I'm interested in the pros/cons, and particularly interested in a possible void to a ESP warranty. Thanks.

 

[FirstFord]

I was really hoping to get more input on my original post, but I guess it is looking g like there just isn't that much interest in this. I'm going to bump it one more time, then I'll leave it alone.

 

[lrb_35128]

Sorry... Just noticed the thread.

It would be hard for Ford to justify voiding warranty for an increase in cooling capability, especially if you installed a quality IC. (eg: One of these: https://www.cvfab.com/collections/intercoolers-for-3-5l-f-150-ecoboost)

Turbos are more efficient the cooler you keep the intake charge and the more effectively you flow both primary and wastegate (downpipe) exhausts. If you live or routinely drive in a high heat area or put the engine under heavy load, a larger IC will be beneficial.

The almighty Porsche 911 Turbo S loses power due to heat soak after a few full throttle pulls with the stock ICs. Most of the issue is resolved with a free flowing exhaust and larger ICs. - Your F-150 would benefit similarly.

My plans include both a larger radiator and larger IC to better manage/mitigate heat issues.

 

[Dragonus18]

Sorry... Just noticed the thread.

It would be hard for Ford to justify voiding warranty for an increase in cooling capability, especially if you installed a quality IC. (eg: One of these: https://www.cvfab.com/collections/intercoolers-for-3-5l-f-150-ecoboost)

Turbos are more efficient the cooler you keep the intake charge and the more effectively you flow both primary and wastegate (downpipe) exhausts. If you live or routinely drive in a high heat area or put the engine under heavy load, a larger IC will be beneficial.

The almighty Porsche 911 Turbo S loses power due to heat soak after a few full throttle pulls with the stock ICs. Most of the issue is resolved with a free flowing exhaust and larger ICs. - Your F-150 would benefit similarly.

My plans include both a larger radiator and larger IC to better manage/mitigate heat issues.

Just understand that if you activated Ford pass than any modifications you have done get sent directly to Ford. It's not likely that it would cause a problem being that it is just a better intercooler but know that the dealer can use it against you if something goes wrong.

 

[Gutshot]

Just understand that if you activated Ford pass than any modifications you have done get sent directly to Ford. It's not likely that it would cause a problem being that it is just a better intercooler but know that the dealer can use it against you if something goes wrong.

Any????
I suppose that mods to the vehicles electronics maybe, but an intercooler, tires, exhaust, intake parts, etc?? I think that’s it’s possible that Ford could DIG into your truck, but as far as throwing a red flag and alerting them is far fetched.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Any????
I suppose that mods to the vehicles electronics maybe, but an intercooler, tires, exhaust, intake parts, etc?? I think that’s it’s possible that Ford could DIG into your truck, but as far as throwing a red flag and alerting them is far fetched.

Bottom line: if you modify the truck in a way that affects something like power production, the manufacturer can assert it voids that part of the warranty. In some cases you're better off waiting until the warranty period is over.

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