Having fun without losing towing capability

Soon2Be25ST · Feb 23, 2024

Hey all,

1st post here. Wife gave me the green light to purchase a '25 ST over the summer. Currently drive the most boring SUV in existence which is a Kia Sorento lol. I love everything about the ST. Perfect to load up the kids and wife, plus having a good amount of speed and power. I'm normally an Audi kinda guy, but I'm not dropping $100k on an SQ7.

I want to know what mods would help, or at least not hurt, the towing capability? I do plan on towing a 21ft camper 1-2x per year which is pushing close to the max for the '25 ST.

I was thinking along the lines of a rear sway bar and maybe a front sway bar to help with body roll. Also thinking of getting an aftermarket exhaust, but something on the quite side (but louder than stock). I don't want to do any tunes or engine mods because I want to keep the warranty, and not have a dealer try and blame that for a potential failure. I definitely will once the powertrain warranty is up though lol. Any other things that could help that don't involve running the risk of pissing a dealer off for a warranty repair?

MikeyP · Feb 23, 2024

Go with a rear sway bar. Front is a pain to install and doesn't provide much benefit. Also the Steeda Subframe Bushing Inserts are a must-do cheap upgrade. They help with wheelhop if you're tuned, but also just help the rear of the car feel more planted and controlled if you're stock.

The Thermal 2.5 is a great choice, I'm happy with mine. The 3.0 sounds a bit better but is a bit louder. There is no performance benefit, just better sounds.

An intercooler is always a good choice to help maintain the power and keep IAT temps low. The stock intercooler on this car is a joke. We'll have to see if the current ones on the market fit the revised 25 nose.

2020FordRaptor · Feb 23, 2024

Soon2Be25ST said:

Hey all,

1st post here. Wife gave me the green light to purchase a '25 ST over the summer. Currently drive the most boring SUV in existence which is a Kia Sorento lol. I love everything about the ST. Perfect to load up the kids and wife, plus having a good amount of speed and power. I'm normally an Audi kinda guy, but I'm not dropping $100k on an SQ7.

I want to know what mods would help, or at least not hurt, the towing capability? I do plan on towing a 21ft camper 1-2x per year which is pushing close to the max for the '25 ST.

I was thinking along the lines of a rear sway bar and maybe a front sway bar to help with body roll. Also thinking of getting an aftermarket exhaust, but something on the quite side (but louder than stock). I don't want to do any tunes or engine mods because I want to keep the warranty, and not have a dealer try and blame that for a potential failure. I definitely will once the powertrain warranty is up though lol. Any other things that could help that don't involve running the risk of pissing a dealer off for a warranty repair?

That’s probably good to start off with if you are worried about warranty. Do not get the front sway bar as it is not worth it. Could use the FordPerformance tune to hold you over until the powertrain warranty is up.

banniar · Feb 23, 2024

The notes on FP tune on the Ford site states "**Trailer towing not recommended**". If you don't want to jack with warranty coverage and tow at rated capacity, you are gonna want to stick with stock tuning.

2020FordRaptor · Feb 23, 2024

banniar said:

I wouldn’t see any reason why you couldn’t tow. @ZFGracing any explanation? I feel like you would know. I haven’t seen any towing concerns on your guys tune. Why would Fords be any different.

banniar · Feb 23, 2024

Most performance tunes recommend no towing unless it is specifically meant for that purpose. ZFG has tow specific tunes, and I'm pretty sure towing is not supported on the performance and race versions they sell. I've read something about the exhaust temperatures getting hot enough to cause damage if you bog down the performance tunes with an extra 5000 pounds of load.

Soon2Be25ST · Feb 24, 2024

Thanks everyone for the tips/advice.

If I were to get the FP module am I able to swap between the stock tune and FP tune? Since I only plan on towing 1-2 times a year I could simply just revert it back to the stock tune, right?

https://www.lethalperformance.com/f...l-2020-2022-explorer-st-3-0l-m-9603-ex30.html

Flyman · Feb 24, 2024

Soon2Be25ST said:

Thanks everyone for the tips/advice.

If I were to get the FP module am I able to swap between the stock tune and FP tune? Since I only plan on towing 1-2 times a year I could simply just revert it back to the stock tune, right?

https://www.lethalperformance.com/f...l-2020-2022-explorer-st-3-0l-m-9603-ex30.html

Yes

Caster · Feb 24, 2024

Just my $.02 on towing, you may want to consider air bags for the rear to prevent squatting. They are inexpensive ($125), made in USA, lifetime warranty, and not hard to install. My toy trailer tongue weight is 350 pounds and it squatted my 2022 ST a fair amount. It wasn't over excessive but looked kinda goofy. I ordered a 2025 ST and these will be going on shortly after I get it.
Air Lift 1000 Air Suspension Kit 60855

banniar · Feb 24, 2024

Soon2Be25ST said:

Technically yes, but the FP warranty requires installation by a certified mechanic. If they see a recent key cycle reset while investigating problems, I'd expect some challenge. From Ford's perspective, they can't tell what tune you were running prior to that reset. You may want to look into the details of the FP tune before going that route anyway. I've seen some conflicting info regarding the equivalency of the factory warranty and what you get with the FP tune. The conclusion I (and many others here) came to is get a better aftermarket tune and be prepared to pay the price if something breaks.

jrgoffin · Feb 24, 2024

There’s a lot of info out there that can be found with a search.

That being said, here’s a perfect recipe for a DD that will tow without missing a beat:

Ford PIU rear sway bar and matching [stiffer] shocks. All the Steeda stuff will rust and rot if you have to deal with snow and salt.

For a fantastic sound, the Gibson axle-back exhaust rocks. Gives a nice throaty V8 rumble with no rasp or drone since the stock resonator is retained. Fantastic value at around $500 as well.

A Gearhead Auto-Octane tune works very well for daily driving along with towing (with my 21’ pontoon, never have had a problem). Even better, you aren’t “stuck” always having to run premium fuel or switching between tunes. Add a big intercooler to make it even better.

The stock springs work very well, and if you tow, the droop won’t slam the tires in to the wheel wells. The aftermarket springs other than Steeda drop the ride height too much unless you add bags.

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Having fun without losing towing capability

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