Boosted for the Daily, Built for the Weekend - Our F150 Full Intake System and Exhaust Overhaul
Posted by Derrick Lovell on
As an off-road shop, we’ve built plenty of trucks designed for dirt, rocks, and everything in between. But this time, we wanted to take a slightly different approach — creating a hybrid build that’s just as comfortable commuting every day as it is putting power down on demand or hitting the trail on the weekend.
While we’ve spent years building capable off-road trucks, we know there’s a massive group of F-150 owners who lean just as heavily into performance. This build is for them.
The goal here is to create a well-rounded daily driver — something that’s comfortable on the street, capable when it needs to hit the dirt, and able to deliver real power at the push of a pedal. It’s not meant to be an all-out race truck or a dedicated off-road rig, but instead a balanced setup that excels in both worlds.
For this project, we selected a range of proven performance parts to improve airflow, efficiency, and overall power delivery. One thing we did intentionally was combine components from different manufacturers — specifically pairing CVF downpipes with an AWE exhaust system. We knew going into it that mixing brands could potentially introduce fitment challenges, but both companies produce high-quality products. We wanted to test this combination ourselves, not only for our own knowledge but so our customers can better understand what they might encounter when building a similar setup.
We also took things a step further with a rear bumper conversion to run the AWE 0FG dual exhaust system which is designed for Tremor model F150s. We know we’re not the first to do a conversion like this, and we definitely won’t be the last. However, this is an area a lot of customers are interested in but may not know where to start or what parts are required to make it work. Our customers rely on us to go through the trial and error, and that’s exactly why we take on builds like this.
Performance Parts Added & What They Do
To get the most out of the 3.5L EcoBoost platform, every part we installed plays a role in improving airflow, efficiency, and consistency. On a turbocharged engine like this, power isn’t just about one part — it’s about how everything works together.
CVF Hot & Cold Side Piping
Replacing the factory plastic piping with aluminum eliminates expansion under boost and improves airflow efficiency. These upgraded pipes are designed to maintain boost pressure more consistently while improving durability.
Performance Benefits:
- Maintains more consistent boost pressure
- Reduces risk of boost leaks under load
- Improves airflow efficiency and throttle response
- Better durability compared to factory plastic piping
This upgrade helps ensure the power you’re making actually reaches the engine consistently without loss.
Example Image of OE compared to CVF Aluminum Pipes*
CVF Dual Filter Cold Air Intake
This system improves airflow into the turbos by reducing restriction compared to the factory intake system.
Performance Benefits:
- Increased airflow to the turbos
- Faster turbo spool and improved throttle response
- Supports higher horsepower levels when combined with other modifications
- Increased intake efficiency for improved overall performance
While intake gains alone are typically moderate, they are an important part of maximizing airflow throughout the system.
- https://hotshotoffroad.com/collections/2021-f150-intakes-intercoolers/products/dual-filter-cold-air-intake-2021-f150
CVF Titan V2 Intercooler
The intercooler is critical for managing intake air temperatures. The Titan V2 features a significantly larger core than stock, designed to dramatically improve cooling efficiency and reduce heat soak.
Performance Benefits:
- Lower intake air temperatures for denser air and more consistent power
- Reduced heat soak during aggressive driving or towing
- Improved power consistency in hot climates
- Better cooling efficiency under sustained boost
This is one of the most important upgrades for maintaining consistent performance, especially in demanding conditions.
CVF Catted Downpipes
The factory downpipes are one of the biggest restrictions in the EcoBoost exhaust system. CVF replaces them with larger diameter 3” mandrel-bent piping and high-flow catalytic converters, significantly reducing backpressure. This allows the turbos to spool faster and operate more efficiently.
Performance Benefits:
- Faster turbo spool and improved throttle response
- Reduced exhaust restriction and turbo strain
- Manufacturer-reported horsepower and torque gains, especially when paired with tuning
- Increased exhaust flow for better overall turbo efficiency
Downpipes become especially beneficial when paired with additional airflow upgrades and tuning.
AWE 0FG Dual Exhaust System
The exhaust system completes the airflow equation. After improving flow through the downpipes, the rest of the system needs to keep up.
We installed AWE’s 0FG dual exhaust system designed for the Tremor platform, which required a full rear bumper conversion including bumper caps, brackets, hardware, and mounting pieces.
Performance Benefits:
- Reduced exhaust restriction after the turbos
- Improved exhaust scavenging and turbo efficiency
- Enhanced exhaust tone and overall driving experience
- Better overall airflow through the entire exhaust system
We initially tested the non-resonated version (Part #3020-33402), which was extremely aggressive and loud. While it sounded great for some applications, it was a bit much for the balanced daily-driver setup we wanted. We ultimately switched to the resonated version (Part #3015-33402), which delivered a deeper, cleaner sound while still maintaining strong character.
J&L Oil Catch Can
The EcoBoost platform is known for oil blow-by, which can contaminate the intake system over time. The catch can helps separate and collect oil vapors before they can re-enter the intake tract.
Performance Benefits:
- Reduces carbon buildup inside the intake system
- Helps maintain long-term engine efficiency
- Protects intercooler and intake piping from oil contamination
- Helps preserve long-term engine performance and reliability
While not a direct horsepower modification, it plays an important role in maintaining consistent performance over time.
Installation & Challenges Along the Way
As expected with a custom setup like this, we ran into a few challenges during installation — especially with the exhaust system.
CVF Hot & Cold Side Piping
The install itself is fairly straightforward, but it definitely takes time. A lot of the work areas are extremely tight and difficult to access. If you’re only installing the hot and cold side piping on its own, the process is much simpler. In our case, we tackled the piping, intercooler, cold air intake, and turbo inlet piping all at the same time, which added quite a few additional steps.
One thing we found incredibly helpful was removing the wheel well liners. This gave us much easier access to the lower turbo inlet pipes from the wheel well rather than trying to reach everything from up top. The area is very narrow, so creating as much workspace as possible made the install significantly easier.
CVF Dual Filter Cold Air Intake
The intake install itself was fairly straightforward, especially when paired with the upgraded piping system. However, routing becomes extremely important when doing multiple airflow upgrades simultaneously.
If even one pipe is slightly clocked or routed incorrectly, it can throw off the alignment for the rest of the system. Thankfully each correction is simple, but it can become time consuming if you’re not paying close attention during assembly.
CVF Titan V2 Intercooler
The intercooler install overall was very straightforward, but there are a few things worth noting to help make the process easier.
One area we had to do some adjusting on was the lower radiator and intercooler air shutters. The "Box" for these shutters has to be removed. Once removed, there is still a border trim piece that sticks further back towards the intercooler quite a bit. Due to the increased size of the new intercooler, we had to trim about an inch or so all the way around to be able to fit. Easy to do, but youll notice right away you need the extra clearance.
The second piece of advise we have involves the lower elbow clamps (and most other areas with these clamps) supplied by CVF are extremely tight fitting. These pressure-style clamps are something we’ve personally found troublesome over the years when it comes to performance applications. We experienced similar issues on our Bronco build where these same style clamps would occasionally pop off under heavy boost, causing check engine lights and a major loss of power.
Because of that experience, we strongly recommend either stepping up to a slightly larger clamp size or switching over to the OG traditional stainless steel hose clamps for added peace of mind.
Again, routing is also very important when reinstalling all the piping. Even having one pipe slightly off can affect alignment throughout the system.
CVF Catted Downpipes
The first issue came up with the downpipes and O2 sensors. The sensors were heavily seized into the factory pipes. After breaking two sensor bits and using a significant amount of penetrating oil, we were eventually able to remove them safely. We installed a set of the O2 sensor spacers provided by CVF (we used the largest size) and have had no check engine lights or issues since. Even though this 2021 only has 27k miles on it; these suckers were still a doozy to get out safely.
Next, we ran into a problem with the downpipe hanger mounts near the transfer case. One of the hangers was welded at the wrong angle, making it impossible to properly align with the mounting points. This misalignment also prevented the donut clamp from sealing correctly, causing a major exhaust leak. After troubleshooting, we determined one side was far enough off that the best solution was to cut the hanger off completely. Once removed, everything aligned and sealed properly.
AWE 0FG Dual Exhaust System
Let us start by saying this was our first time running an AWE system on one of our own shop trucks. We’ve been longtime Corsa fans, but we also know AWE has become a huge seller for us — and now we understand why.
The construction quality of the kit is excellent, and the sound is honestly impressive. It gives the 3.5L EcoBoost a tone that almost makes it want to act like a subtle 5.0 without trying too hard. At startup and idle, it carries a nice deep V8-style tone, while under wide open throttle it shifts more toward the aggressive Raptor-style V6 sound. Most importantly, it avoids becoming raspy or screechy, which is something many EcoBoost exhaust systems struggle with.
Overall, we are extremely happy with how the system sounds and performs.
That said, fitment was definitely the biggest challenge. We’ve seen many reports mentioning AWE fitment can sometimes require extra work, and unfortunately we experienced some of that ourselves.
Now, the downpipe-to-midpipe issue is not something we can blame AWE or CVF for since we were intentionally mixing two different brands. We fully expected that area to potentially require modifications. Although both systems are marketed as 3-inch setups, we discovered the CVF downpipes were slightly oversized while the AWE midpipe was slightly undersized. This mismatch created a persistent leak and created a loss of backpressure which yielded a noticeable power drop as well.
On top of that, there was also a noticeable gap between the flanges. As we tightened the connection, the flange ears would bend inward while simultaneously pushing the pipes apart, making it nearly impossible to create a proper seal.
We tried multiple solutions — adding spacers, using exhaust sealant, trying different clamps, and even exhaust tape — but nothing fully resolved the issue. In the end, we had a local fabrication shop build a custom flange connection. That final step completely solved the problem and gave us the proper seal, sound, and performance we were looking for.
Additionally, even some of the AWE-to-AWE connections — specifically the midpipe to muffler and muffler to rear Y-section — did not want to fully seat together. This left small gaps where exhaust leaks could occur around the clamps.
Thankfully, with some heat we were able to slightly expand the sleeve connections and get everything seated properly. Once adjusted, the problem was solved.
If we were doing this install again, we would absolutely recommend building the system from the rear forward first and leaving the midpipe connection for last. This would allow tighter and cleaner fitment throughout the rest of the exhaust before final alignment.
How It All Works Together
The real gains come from how these parts work together as a complete airflow system:
- Intake + Intercooler = more, cooler air entering the engine
- Piping = efficient delivery of boost pressure
- Downpipes + Exhaust = faster and smoother airflow exiting the engine
When combined, setups like this are capable of supporting significant horsepower gains on the EcoBoost platform once proper tuning is added.
Final Takeaways
This build highlights just how much potential the 3.5L EcoBoost platform has when you improve airflow and efficiency across the board. Each component plays a role in increasing performance — not just peak horsepower, but responsiveness, consistency, and overall drivability.
It also shows the reality of mixing aftermarket components. Even when using high-quality parts, small differences in design can create challenges that require real-world problem solving. That’s exactly where we come in — our customers look to us to work through the trial and error so they can build with confidence.
For anyone looking to create a truck that can handle daily driving, light off-road use, and deliver strong performance on demand, this setup is a solid foundation.
We’re not done yet. The next step is adding a custom tune to fully unlock the potential of these upgrades. Once that’s complete, we’ll be able to maximize the performance gains from every component installed and truly bring this build to life.
We will be sure to continue updating our build along the way. But as always if you need some help with your F150 build, please reach out to us anytime.
-Derrick @ HSO
