Differences between 2017 Sport and 2017 FPIU?

[Blackout2017]

The Wikipedia article about the FPIU (referencing a 2013 Ford Fleet brochure) says the following: "Many standard features that were fitted to the FPIU were not available on the standard Ford Explorer, including 75 mph (121 km/h) rear impact protection; a police calibrated ECM for high performance driving & long idling times; a heavy duty cooling system that included a larger radiator, an engine oil cooler, transmission cooler, power transfer unit (PTU) cooler, and police-calibrated radiator fan settings; a 220-amp alternator; heavy duty 13-inch brake rotors with special ventilation & 18-inch five spoke steel wheels; true dual exhaust; a police-tuned suspension with heavy duty components; raised ride height; steel deflector plates along the underbody; reinforced frame points; reinforced front door hinges; factory provisions to add emergency equipment, and a specially tuned electronic stability control system tailored to emergency style driving."

Further in the article it states that minor changes were made in the 2016 model year, but major changes weren't made until the 2020 model year.

I know the Explorer Sport had some performance features that were not available on the other platforms, and I'm curious if anyone is aware of a list of items that were included on the FPIU that were also utilized on the Sport. I'm specifically interested in the heavy duty cooling system (larger radiator, engine oil cooler, transmission cooler, and PTU cooler), and the heavy duty 13-inch brake rotors with special ventilation. Also, I'd like to know which of these components that weren't added to the Sport are at least compatible, and if so if they are available commercially.

My 2017 Sport is going to be an ongoing project for me, something of a hybrid between the Sport and the FPIU. I've seen quite a few people buying retired FPIU's and turning them into civilian commuters, but not too many people doing it the other way around. I'll also be adding performance parts, so I have no idea how much of a hodge-podge I'll be making, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the process.

EDITED TO ADD: I think I read that the FPIU had a 220 amp alternator (changed to 250 amps in 2020), but searching for OEM part information it looks like the standard Explorer alternator for 2017 was 210 amps, so maybe not a significant enough difference?

[I posted this here rather than the FPIU forum because the question is about modding a Sport, but if a moderator feels it's a better discussion for there, please move it or ask me to delete this and repost it there.]

 

[Fix4Dirt]

i do think the brskes was a PIU only option iirc and wont fir civ models they needed the wheels or something i vaguely remember. not sure on the rest. nicemproject!

 

[mguy13sport]

The brakes and drivetrain is the same on EB police cars as the Sport/SHO/Flex with EB. The Sport tow package adds cutout/ducting in the lower air dam that directs air toward the oil pan and PTU area for additional cooling. The PTU also has a cooler attached to the side of the unit on tow package.

The ECU is probably tuned differently on police cars but Id recommend an aftermarket tune to achieve best performance on both models.

 

[Blackout2017]

i do think the brskes was a PIU only option iirc and wont fir civ models they needed the wheels or something i vaguely remember. not sure on the rest. nicemproject!

Thanks! It will be a fun project, and I'll be posting pics as I go.

The brakes and drivetrain is the same on EB police cars as the Sport/SHO/Flex with EB. The Sport tow package adds cutout/ducting in the lower air dam that directs air toward the oil pan and PTU area for additional cooling. The PTU also has a cooler attached to the side of the unit on tow package.

The ECU is probably tuned differently on police cars but Id recommend an aftermarket tune to achieve best performance on both models.

Good info, thank you. I am thinking about the Livernois 3 bar MAP sensor and tuning.