On the bottom end of the hose you can wrap a piece of scotch gard pad over the end with a zip tie to act as a filter. I've used pieces of that stuff several times to make small filters and it works great. Good post, Thanks!
I've had multiple conversations with people on this topic and have gotten alot of good feedback, even from non Ecoboost guys. one thing I've noticed is on the topic of which direction the air should spin, people (and myself) have a tendency to compare the characteristics of airflow to water.. and obviously they are very different. However my theory still remains, that these are nothing more than silencers. They could be blenders or made to direct airflow, however there is no actual mechanical function to these...the turbos are doing all the work for these veins to even potentially function...it's pretty simple though, if you're worried about it. Leave them in!
I asked chat gpt and this is what it said. Take it with a grain of salt of course because chat gpt is often wrong, or just sort of "wings it" lol, interesting response though. One big problem I have with gpt is that it sort of gives the sheep response...like if you mention some ailment it's like "see your primary care physician" blah blah. Like even with things that I know the real answer it'll give like the response you would get from like mainstream media or something lol. So if they do it to silence something like the turbos, or make something eco-friendly, or w/e else, chat gpt will give the response they want you to hear, not the real response from w/e engineer thought of putting the thing in there lol. Here's gpt's response: "The plastic components you’re referring to in the intake tube of your 2014 F150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost engine are known as turbulence generators or air straighteners. Their primary purpose is indeed to improve airflow. By creating a more laminar flow of air (reducing turbulence), they help the air to enter the turbochargers more efficiently, which can enhance the performance of the engine. However, these components can also have a secondary effect of reducing the noise produced by the turbos. When people remove them, they often notice an increase in turbo noise, which confirms this secondary noise-dampening function. It’s important to note that while some may remove these parts to hear the turbo sound more clearly, doing so can potentially affect the performance and efficiency of the engine. The design of these components is the result of extensive research and development to ensure optimal engine performance and longevity. Removing or altering them without a proper understanding of their function and the engine’s requirements could lead to unintended consequences."
I've read all the comments in this video and other and I'm still completely torn. What I got out of everything is; *** not supporting or agreeing, just listing what I've gathered*** If you have everything completely bone stock on your Eco boost, removing the fins will slightly decrease throttle response. The Fins help turbos spool boost at low RPM's increasing throttle response (slightly). The Engineers from Ford designed the performance of this platform to be ran as bone stock to give the end user the best overall user performance. With these installed it's there to help throttle response and extend turbo longevity. My first thought was all aftermarket intake companies don't have this on their platform why would Ford?... Ford must have added the inlet fins for obviously benefits (stock platform) where aftermarket Intake systems are usually designed to be added for systems knowing additional mods will be there? Yes these inlet fins can removed along with the VTA mod, but you will see a slight decrease in throttle response, MPG will also slightly drop however you will gain some cool noises from the turbo inter cooler (electronic blow off valve) I have done the removal of the inlet fins/ VTA mod and I did notice a slight decrease of MPG and throttle response. Though I haven't gone over 40 miles with these installed My MPG prior to installation was around 19 average. My new average sits around 15. Curious to see some real numbers/ stats from a Ford Engineer on this.
Ford is no longer using these silencers. They stopped sometime mid 19 builds. Many 3.5 HO and reg 3.5 owners with late build 19s and 20s are saying their trucks are coming with out them. If they helped the turbos wouldn't ford still be using them? I've noticed over the past few years all noise dampening things are being removed from the intake and turbo inlet tubes. Look at a complete stock intake system on a 17 3.5 and then look at a 19. The big can looking parts on the pipes are gone now which were noise reducing items.
19 down to 15 mpg, with just the removal of the 2 silencers and the VTA mod?? I'd say that was a huge loss of efficiency, not a slight decrease in economy. 21% loss in fuel economy is crazy.
Put a metal screen over the tube to keep packrats and other critters out. I had them get into my intake and nest. I also took off my K&N filter after seeing what it was passing through that coated the tube and mass air sensor.
Someone should seriously email Ford directly and, or an engineer there, and ask them what their function exactly is. The only thing I can think of besides making the turbos a little quieter is that it "pre-spins" the air before entering the turbos, thus reducing the workload on the turbos themselves. I guess over tens and tens and tens of thousands of miles I can see this extending the life of the turbos, but probably not.
I'm currently trying to figure it out. I think it spins the air so that it flows more smoothly. It's funny because people used to put similar things into their intakes to get a turbo whistle sound in non-turbo cars back in the day lol. I don't remember how the design was on those, but maybe this is the opposite design so it silences or something? Either way, I would think that if it silences the turbos it would restrict airflow. I wonder if there's some way to test this.
So in my experience, I removed both of them and my intake started surging when WOT accelerating, especially uphill. I could not figure out what was causing it to save my life. Then I decided to put them back in and low and behold the surging stopped and it was smooth acceleration all the way through.
The silencers spin the air in the same direction the turbos spin so that the air is already turning in the right direction when they come in contact with the turbos blades. Without them, the turbos become louder because the blades are chopping through a solid wall of air and the stress of rotating that air through the blades is now being put entirely on the turbo itself. The louder turbo sound isn't the turbo working more efficiently. It's the sound of the turbo having to work harder and the added pressure on the blades and bearings.
I have yet to see any aftermarket "performance" air intake ever use this. No other turbo'd vehicle (that I've owned, or heard of) has used these. I'm almost certain the Ford Explorers with the SAME ENGINE don't use them, MY OPINION...they're nothing more than a baffle designed to not disrupt airflow and reduce sound. And lets be real.. were not talking about a high efficiency, all out, performance race engine here. It's a truck engine. Most guys threw these away without even knowing it when then put on a full aftermarket air intake and are seeing way better gains in performance/economy.
@@KravasGarage See, the problem is, engineers don't think this far ahead. These were put in place to prevent a problem created by cutting costs of production somewhere else. An after market intake on a forced induction system is always going to give noticeable gains, but the question is, can the stock set up handle the extra load and for how long? It's like bolting a supercharger onto a stock Honda civic motor. Sure, it's going to haul ass, until the original components fail under the added pressure and your engine blows. You can't expect to push parts designed to make your vehicle run economically beyond their limits and expect them not to fail prematurely. I'm sure the difference in performance with our without these parts is negligible with the aftermarket intake being the real reason for the boost in performance. Those little fin are only there to take the workload of spooling up the air off the actual turbo itself. Nothing more. If anything, it should run better with them installed, especially with how tiny the eco boost turbos are.
@@mikalhernandez I know this is late in the game but I appreciate your debate here. I just bought a 2018 3.5 and I'm going to be doing my basic entry level bolt ons I do w/ every car I own to improve driveability beyond stock. I'm no mechanic but I'm a science nerd. Both of you are right. However, as we know how cars work we both of you could be scientifically right, but the ECU's calculations ruin it and negate any gains. If the turbo is working harder, its working hotter and thus that reused gas, is going to be metered as such. Would love to see this tested on a dyno.
@@ryanw1284ryansrants Yeah that's what I was thinking. If we could see like temps, hp, torque, somehow measure airflow or maybe boost (idk much about turbos) with enough data we could finally get a real answer to this. Even drive an answer to how it affects longevity based on these variables.
Dont ever leave a open hole into any part of your engine. vent to air means you got a half inch open hole into your intercooler. perfect for mice, wasps, any critter under a half inch basically. if your gonna do it. put 2 or 3 dryer sheets over the open hole and tighten them down. all animals and insects are looking for a small and warm place to live...
The thing that makes me really think though is is it about who knows more, or who tells the truth? Obviously the team of ford engineers know more, but their goals aren't exactly the same as many of ours. They are often focused more on mpg's due to government regulations, or the whole "eco-friendly" thing because that's the big narrative these days. So yeah, hook this guy and a team of ford engineers up to a lie detector and I'll believe those guys obviously. There's just a lot of lies floating around these days because they are designing things a certain way and don't want us changing them, such as the VTA mod lol.
It’s proven that vortex or tornado thingy doesn’t improve fuel efficiency nor horsepower but actually hurt it so it makes no sense to use the silencer device it only hurts fuel economy
I wonder if we could test this by just driving normal, never really getting on it more than usual, and seeing the mpg's on the dash, then take them out and do the same.
Hello, I ask you about the discharge hose that remains without the cap, it is not necessary to put a filter or something so that dust or mud does not enter, since I saw that some put a filter on it or it does not affect that it is exposed
Theoretically, this valve is only open when it is discharging boost pressure, so nothing should ever go in, however it's possible for it to draw a quick vacuum before the valve can shut. So using a filter isn't a bad idea. Especially if you tend to drive in dusty areas..
@@KravasGarage Of course, if more than anything because of the dust that is not something that when charging pressure gets into the engine, since as you say when you release the accelerator it blows the excess air, there, it does not harm the engine at all, right? or am I waiting for a raptor these days and it is one of the modifications that I want to make
The hell with the dealership only thing they know is what the computer tells them it's not going to hurt anything I had a 14 I did it too an now I have a 2020 f150 fx4 I did it too an there's nothing wrong with them
These extend life of turbos, people call them silencers because yes the turbo noise is louder with them out. The turbos are louder because they are working harder now. Ford wouldn’t use the $ for these pieces if they are just to silence the already quiet turbos dude, think about it.
Turbos chopping and grabbing at air? Exactly what you don't want. The pieces you removed should definitely be spinning the airflow in the same direction as the turbos as you say they do. You do want the inlet air flow to match the turbos spin in order to reduce turbulence and increase air flow. However, if your goal is sound over power and it sounds good to you, who cares if your losing throttle response and causing an imbalance in your engine. Did you ever wonder why those two diffusers are not identical? The intake tubes from the air filter to the turbos are not identical and don't flow identically. That would equal a power imbalance across the two sides of the engine. Maybe those diffusers are there for more than sound suppression, maybe they help to balance the airflow as well. Maybe we should all think about that before undoing what trained and experienced engineers have done as part of creating this advanced power plant.
Well I don't entirely disagree and appreciate your comment! Beings the two turbos pull air from the same air box and charge to a common tube, I can't imagine there being much change in balance. I certainly could be wrong, I was wrong if I gave the impression that removing these would be "better" for the engine. I believe that these do very little to nothing at all other than dampen noise, especially given that the most effective power gains are accomplished through full aftermarket systems that eliminate the entire factory engineered intake..
Don Hart You are correct. There is data showing that these pieces have a purpose for the efficiency and not to silence it. If you think about it why would it silence the turbo. If this was the case if I welded 4 fans in my exhaust it’s going to quiet it? Not at all. They are for directing the air too the turbo.
john Clark Yes.. no one said your truck wont run without it. You just won’t be taking advantage of what many knowledgeable engineers created. Your choice.
@@aaaron19 believe what you want. They don't do squat. I have seen a dyno that showed they decreased 1.5 HP. That is just normal variance from 2 different pulls. Worth the increased turbo noise to me.
I don't have a before and after, but the truck seems to be sitting pretty at 17.6 mpg running e15 fuel on a back highway commute through hilly country that has a few steep hills that usually require it to downshift ... So I'm happy with that!
On the bottom end of the hose you can wrap a piece of scotch gard pad over the end with a zip tie to act as a filter. I've used pieces of that stuff several times to make small filters and it works great. Good post, Thanks!
bottom end of the hose is connected to the intake. it should be air tight. you mean scotchgard the end of the hose coming off the intercooler.
Did this today, sound amazing! I love my truck more now!
I've had multiple conversations with people on this topic and have gotten alot of good feedback, even from non Ecoboost guys. one thing I've noticed is on the topic of which direction the air should spin, people (and myself) have a tendency to compare the characteristics of airflow to water.. and obviously they are very different. However my theory still remains, that these are nothing more than silencers. They could be blenders or made to direct airflow, however there is no actual mechanical function to these...the turbos are doing all the work for these veins to even potentially function...it's pretty simple though, if you're worried about it. Leave them in!
I asked chat gpt and this is what it said. Take it with a grain of salt of course because chat gpt is often wrong, or just sort of "wings it" lol, interesting response though. One big problem I have with gpt is that it sort of gives the sheep response...like if you mention some ailment it's like "see your primary care physician" blah blah. Like even with things that I know the real answer it'll give like the response you would get from like mainstream media or something lol. So if they do it to silence something like the turbos, or make something eco-friendly, or w/e else, chat gpt will give the response they want you to hear, not the real response from w/e engineer thought of putting the thing in there lol. Here's gpt's response:
"The plastic components you’re referring to in the intake tube of your 2014 F150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost engine are known as turbulence generators or air straighteners. Their primary purpose is indeed to improve airflow. By creating a more laminar flow of air (reducing turbulence), they help the air to enter the turbochargers more efficiently, which can enhance the performance of the engine.
However, these components can also have a secondary effect of reducing the noise produced by the turbos. When people remove them, they often notice an increase in turbo noise, which confirms this secondary noise-dampening function.
It’s important to note that while some may remove these parts to hear the turbo sound more clearly, doing so can potentially affect the performance and efficiency of the engine. The design of these components is the result of extensive research and development to ensure optimal engine performance and longevity. Removing or altering them without a proper understanding of their function and the engine’s requirements could lead to unintended consequences."
I've read all the comments in this video and other and I'm still completely torn.
What I got out of everything is;
*** not supporting or agreeing, just listing what I've gathered***
If you have everything completely bone stock on your Eco boost, removing the fins will slightly decrease throttle response. The Fins help turbos spool boost at low RPM's increasing throttle response (slightly). The Engineers from Ford designed the performance of this platform to be ran as bone stock to give the end user the best overall user performance. With these installed it's there to help throttle response and extend turbo longevity.
My first thought was all aftermarket intake companies don't have this on their platform why would Ford?... Ford must have added the inlet fins for obviously benefits (stock platform) where aftermarket Intake systems are usually designed to be added for systems knowing additional mods will be there?
Yes these inlet fins can removed along with the VTA mod, but you will see a slight decrease in throttle response, MPG will also slightly drop however you will gain some cool noises from the turbo inter cooler (electronic blow off valve)
I have done the removal of the inlet fins/ VTA mod and I did notice a slight decrease of MPG and throttle response. Though I haven't gone over 40 miles with these installed My MPG prior to installation was around 19 average. My new average sits around 15. Curious to see some real numbers/ stats from a Ford Engineer on this.
Ford is no longer using these silencers. They stopped sometime mid 19 builds. Many 3.5 HO and reg 3.5 owners with late build 19s and 20s are saying their trucks are coming with out them. If they helped the turbos wouldn't ford still be using them? I've noticed over the past few years all noise dampening things are being removed from the intake and turbo inlet tubes. Look at a complete stock intake system on a 17 3.5 and then look at a 19. The big can looking parts on the pipes are gone now which were noise reducing items.
19 down to 15 mpg, with just the removal of the 2 silencers and the VTA mod?? I'd say that was a huge loss of efficiency, not a slight decrease in economy. 21% loss in fuel economy is crazy.
Put a metal screen over the tube to keep packrats and other critters out. I had them get into my intake and nest. I also took off my K&N filter after seeing what it was passing through that coated the tube and mass air sensor.
Awesome video! Thanks for the easy mod advice. Sounds great.
Someone should seriously email Ford directly and, or an engineer there, and ask them what their function exactly is. The only thing I can think of besides making the turbos a little quieter is that it "pre-spins" the air before entering the turbos, thus reducing the workload on the turbos themselves. I guess over tens and tens and tens of thousands of miles I can see this extending the life of the turbos, but probably not.
I'm currently trying to figure it out. I think it spins the air so that it flows more smoothly. It's funny because people used to put similar things into their intakes to get a turbo whistle sound in non-turbo cars back in the day lol. I don't remember how the design was on those, but maybe this is the opposite design so it silences or something? Either way, I would think that if it silences the turbos it would restrict airflow. I wonder if there's some way to test this.
So in my experience, I removed both of them and my intake started surging when WOT accelerating, especially uphill. I could not figure out what was causing it to save my life. Then I decided to put them back in and low and behold the surging stopped and it was smooth acceleration all the way through.
The silencers spin the air in the same direction the turbos spin so that the air is already turning in the right direction when they come in contact with the turbos blades. Without them, the turbos become louder because the blades are chopping through a solid wall of air and the stress of rotating that air through the blades is now being put entirely on the turbo itself. The louder turbo sound isn't the turbo working more efficiently. It's the sound of the turbo having to work harder and the added pressure on the blades and bearings.
I have yet to see any aftermarket "performance" air intake ever use this. No other turbo'd vehicle (that I've owned, or heard of) has used these. I'm almost certain the Ford Explorers with the SAME ENGINE don't use them, MY OPINION...they're nothing more than a baffle designed to not disrupt airflow and reduce sound. And lets be real.. were not talking about a high efficiency, all out, performance race engine here. It's a truck engine. Most guys threw these away without even knowing it when then put on a full aftermarket air intake and are seeing way better gains in performance/economy.
@@KravasGarage See, the problem is, engineers don't think this far ahead. These were put in place to prevent a problem created by cutting costs of production somewhere else. An after market intake on a forced induction system is always going to give noticeable gains, but the question is, can the stock set up handle the extra load and for how long? It's like bolting a supercharger onto a stock Honda civic motor. Sure, it's going to haul ass, until the original components fail under the added pressure and your engine blows. You can't expect to push parts designed to make your vehicle run economically beyond their limits and expect them not to fail prematurely. I'm sure the difference in performance with our without these parts is negligible with the aftermarket intake being the real reason for the boost in performance. Those little fin are only there to take the workload of spooling up the air off the actual turbo itself. Nothing more. If anything, it should run better with them installed, especially with how tiny the eco boost turbos are.
MANIACAL FORTE comparing a supercharger to removing air baffles....... baffles my mind.
@@mikalhernandez I know this is late in the game but I appreciate your debate here. I just bought a 2018 3.5 and I'm going to be doing my basic entry level bolt ons I do w/ every car I own to improve driveability beyond stock. I'm no mechanic but I'm a science nerd. Both of you are right. However, as we know how cars work we both of you could be scientifically right, but the ECU's calculations ruin it and negate any gains. If the turbo is working harder, its working hotter and thus that reused gas, is going to be metered as such. Would love to see this tested on a dyno.
@@ryanw1284ryansrants Yeah that's what I was thinking. If we could see like temps, hp, torque, somehow measure airflow or maybe boost (idk much about turbos) with enough data we could finally get a real answer to this. Even drive an answer to how it affects longevity based on these variables.
i followed your video to a T on my 2014 ford f150 fx4 and man the difference! i wished i could give u 2 thumbs up! thank you!!!
Explain the difference. I'm curious
@@pinedac2001 moarrrrr powaaaaa
Dont ever leave a open hole into any part of your engine. vent to air means you got a half inch open hole into your intercooler. perfect for mice, wasps, any critter under a half inch basically. if your gonna do it. put 2 or 3 dryer sheets over the open hole and tighten them down. all animals and insects are looking for a small and warm place to live...
I trust any video with "way much more better"
Maybe you should? I don't know many top-level english literacy scholars with phds who care that much yet become ASE-certified mechanics.
@@ryanw1284ryansrants I was saying I liked it and you got offended 🤣
@@ryanw1284ryansrants wtf are you talking about.
yeah clearly this guy knows better than a team of expert engineers at ford lol.
The thing that makes me really think though is is it about who knows more, or who tells the truth? Obviously the team of ford engineers know more, but their goals aren't exactly the same as many of ours. They are often focused more on mpg's due to government regulations, or the whole "eco-friendly" thing because that's the big narrative these days. So yeah, hook this guy and a team of ford engineers up to a lie detector and I'll believe those guys obviously. There's just a lot of lies floating around these days because they are designing things a certain way and don't want us changing them, such as the VTA mod lol.
I have a 2012 Ford F150 ecoboost and I capped off both of the hoses. Should I remove the cap from the bottom one and put a filter instead?
The bottom snout off the BOV needs to be vented.
@@KravasGarage perfect! Thank you
@@shellzhimselfyes do not cover it! I put a filter like a small k&n filter over it I bought off Amazon.
I have the 3.5 Ecoboost on my 2016 Fore Explorer Sport and it seems the intake system doesn’t have these anywhere.
What if water goes in there?
It’s proven that vortex or tornado thingy doesn’t improve fuel efficiency nor horsepower but actually hurt it so it makes no sense to use the silencer device it only hurts fuel economy
I wonder if we could test this by just driving normal, never really getting on it more than usual, and seeing the mpg's on the dash, then take them out and do the same.
those act like rifling the air - the fins -
Hello, I ask you about the discharge hose that remains without the cap, it is not necessary to put a filter or something so that dust or mud does not enter, since I saw that some put a filter on it or it does not affect that it is exposed
Theoretically, this valve is only open when it is discharging boost pressure, so nothing should ever go in, however it's possible for it to draw a quick vacuum before the valve can shut. So using a filter isn't a bad idea. Especially if you tend to drive in dusty areas..
@@KravasGarage Of course, if more than anything because of the dust that is not something that when charging pressure gets into the engine, since as you say when you release the accelerator it blows the excess air, there, it does not harm the engine at all, right? or am I waiting for a raptor these days and it is one of the modifications that I want to make
The hell with the dealership only thing they know is what the computer tells them it's not going to hurt anything I had a 14 I did it too an now I have a 2020 f150 fx4 I did it too an there's nothing wrong with them
These extend life of turbos, people call them silencers because yes the turbo noise is louder with them out. The turbos are louder because they are working harder now. Ford wouldn’t use the $ for these pieces if they are just to silence the already quiet turbos dude, think about it.
Its louder because its vented to the atmosphere, not back into the intake. Most performance turbo cars have them vented to atmosphere.
Turbos chopping and grabbing at air? Exactly what you don't want. The pieces you removed should definitely be spinning the airflow in the same direction as the turbos as you say they do. You do want the inlet air flow to match the turbos spin in order to reduce turbulence and increase air flow. However, if your goal is sound over power and it sounds good to you, who cares if your losing throttle response and causing an imbalance in your engine. Did you ever wonder why those two diffusers are not identical? The intake tubes from the air filter to the turbos are not identical and don't flow identically. That would equal a power imbalance across the two sides of the engine. Maybe those diffusers are there for more than sound suppression, maybe they help to balance the airflow as well. Maybe we should all think about that before undoing what trained and experienced engineers have done as part of creating this advanced power plant.
Well I don't entirely disagree and appreciate your comment! Beings the two turbos pull air from the same air box and charge to a common tube, I can't imagine there being much change in balance. I certainly could be wrong, I was wrong if I gave the impression that removing these would be "better" for the engine. I believe that these do very little to nothing at all other than dampen noise, especially given that the most effective power gains are accomplished through full aftermarket systems that eliminate the entire factory engineered intake..
Don Hart You are correct. There is data showing that these pieces have a purpose for the efficiency and not to silence it. If you think about it why would it silence the turbo. If this was the case if I welded 4 fans in my exhaust it’s going to quiet it? Not at all. They are for directing the air too the turbo.
I have had my swirl vain out for 20,000 miles with no issues. Still get 20mpg, still super fast. 2013 3.5 115,000 miles
john Clark Yes.. no one said your truck wont run without it. You just won’t be taking advantage of what many knowledgeable engineers created. Your choice.
@@aaaron19 believe what you want. They don't do squat. I have seen a dyno that showed they decreased 1.5 HP. That is just normal variance from 2 different pulls. Worth the increased turbo noise to me.
does this hurt the life of the truck in anyway. i just picked up a 2013 eb for work/daily and dont want to cause any damage
Since it’s been a while since you did this video is there Any downside to the silencer removal?
None, runs just like the day I bought it.
@@KravasGarage have u had any issues ? I wanna do it on my 2011 but it has 200,000 miles
2022 models dont cone with them..
Is that a oiled k&n? if so if any oil goes to a hot turbo it may crack it
Only if you overdo it when you reoil them or dont let them dry. Out of the box this is a myth.
Did you gain any gas mileage?
I don't have a before and after, but the truck seems to be sitting pretty at 17.6 mpg running e15 fuel on a back highway commute through hilly country that has a few steep hills that usually require it to downshift ... So I'm happy with that!
I'm averaging 17.5 without modifications.....just an FYI, not a judgement
buttwheat75 I’m averaging 15 stock 2015 platinum 3.5eb
i get 14mpg
I get on the hwy 9.4km per litre ! Good clean Canadian air makes a difference 😎
i’m done hearing this this is such bullshit. the compressors are 3’ AWAY! look at an older turbo car. these are nothing but NVH reducers.