F-150 EcoBoost Picks Up Over 100 Horsepower with a Tune

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F-150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine makes 316 rear horsepower before the tune, 420 after.

The 2018 Ford F-150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 offers 375 horsepower from the factory, but thanks to the ease of forced induction tuning technology, this twin turbocharged mill can easily be tweaked to make more power. The video above comes from the Baker Engineering LLC YouTube channel and it shows how much power your newer F-150 with the bigger of the two EcoBoost V6 engines with just a tune, and the results are impressive.

F-150 Build Details

The scant video details explain that this F-150 came into Baker Engineering for a tune, but it was stock when it arrived. The details claims that it made 316 horsepower stock and 420 horsepower after the tune, but there is an issue. This Ford truck clearly has an AFE air intake system that we can see in the video, and it definitely has some exhaust upgrades, as it is louder than stock.

2018 F-150

Considering that the 3.5-liter EcoBoost offers 375 horsepower at the crankshaft, 316 wheel horsepower would lead to a drivetrain loss ratio of about 15%. The industry standard for drivetrain loss is 15 to 18%, so it is possible that the stock number was stock, or it could have had the exhaust and intake upgrades. That being said, a muffler delete and a cold air intake kit aren’t going to lead to huge power gains, so this F-150 could have had the intake and exhaust before and after the tune.

2018 F-150 Engine

In any case, we know that when this Ford truck made 420 rear wheel horsepower, it has a cold air intake setup and unspecified exhaust upgrades, along with a custom engine tune.

Dyno Results

The dyno sheet for this 2018 Ford F-150 is included here and if you don’t know how to read a dyno sheet, here is a quick rundown.

The stock line graphs are in blue, with the lighter blue line representing engine torque while the darker blue line represents horsepower. The tuned line graphs are the green lines, with light green being the torque and dark green represents horsepower. In both cases, torque peaks right away, around 3,750 RPM in stock form and around 4,000 RPM tuned, while horsepower peaks in stock and tuned form between 4,750 and 5,000 RPM.

2018 F-150 Dyno Sheet

The stock numbers were 316 horsepower and 399 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels, but with the tune, this 2018 F-150 peaked at 420 horsepower and 501 lb-ft of torque. In other words, this truck gained 104 horsepower and 102 lb-ft of torque with a tune and perhaps a cold air intake and muffler delete.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

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