Say Hello to EcoHell..

[EcoHell]

Hello everyone. My name is Bill and I live on Long Island, NY. I just picked up my new daily, named EcoHell. She is a 2018 Explorer Sport, with the 401a package in White Platinum.

My first two mods were installed today..Weathertech floor mats and window deflectors. I am looking at aftermarket wheels and tuning package (looking into Livernois right now, but who knows). Now if you are wondering about the name of my daily, wellll, there is a family of vehicles having "Hell" in their name.

Say hello to MonSoonHell:

And my retirement gift to myself is BloodyHell:

MonSoonHell was a 2012 Audi S4, Prestige, 6spd Manual and highly modified. I sold her in June. BloodyHell is a 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo, 6spd Manual and highly modified.

I don't plan on going crazy with EcoHell, just the modifications I mentioned above. I am falling more and more in love with her every time I drive her. I have questions and hope someone can answer my questions or at least point me in the right direction..

1) besides not being able to pass an emission inspection with the Livernois Motorsports T460 Performance Package, is there other packages that has shown to be reliable and pass an emission inspection?

2) I have seen a 22x9 (F) and 22x10.5 (R) set up, which I like.. what is the widest rim and what offset can i go with?

3) Lastly, are there any Long Islanders out there with modified Sports?

Thanks in advance for looking, reading and responding back. Stay tuned for more mods and more toys..

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Bill.
When changing tire/wheel sizes, keep in mind that the electronics governing things like Traction Control, ABS etc. have all been set up for the OEM size. Also, the general rule is to stay within 3% of the OEM size to prevent possible brake and suspension related issues. If you do not plan on using dedicated Winter tires kepp in mind that a wider tire will make driving in snow/slush more tricky. A narrower tire is better for that. Good luck and have fun.

Peetr

 

[Joel Cady]

Great looking rides Bill. I have some of the mods you are looking into, though I opted for 20x10.5 wheels and I decided against the CAI and exhaust from Livernois. Currently I run the 3bar 91 octane (smooth-shift) tune, which requires the 3bar map sensor.

My understanding with the emission readiness is that the tune needs to be returned to stock and driven shortly before the testing begins. Since the stock tune requires the stock 2bar map sensor, you must replace it before returning to stock. I have heard that for the t460 kit that includes high flow cats, the 3bar tune disables the rear o2 sensors. However, returning it the stock tune and 2bar map sensor, the exsport returns to stock function for the o2 sensors as well, which should behave as unmodified during emission testing. I keep the stock 2bar map sensor in the glove box with a torx and it only takes about 5-10 minutes to replace and retune. Little issue for once a year emission testing.

I decided against the CAI and the exhaust for personal reasons (family hauler) and I felt like the performance to cost ratio wasn’t worth it. However, the 3bar tune/3bar map sensor/thermostat was most definitely worth it.

For wheels I chose the 20x10.5 Velgen VMB5’s and I’m running 295/45R20 Hankook ST06 tires. Again I chose to go on the comfort side and have a little thicker rubber between the road and I. I have seen that Velgen offers 22’s as well. There are several members that have Velgen’s running 295 width and it seems that 305 may also be possible without rubbing. I am running H&R lowering springs and can for certain that the 295’s have never rubbed so if you don’t plan to lower yours, you may have a little more wiggle room. The guys at Velgen are awesome to work with and know the exact size and offsets for the Explorers. Give them a look www.velgenwheels.com

Hit me up if you have any questions. Best of luck to you on your new project!

Joel

 

[EcoHell]

Joel - Thanks for responding. Very informative. I actually contacted Livernois Motorsports and inquired about their Level 4 Performance Package and the emission inspection issue, since I live in NY. I spoke with Jake. After hearing my concerns, instead of playing salesman, he spoke of putting together another package starting with their Level 2 Performance Package, and adding what I would need to provide me the best bang for the buck (so to speak), plus their lowering springs. Sooo, the package should arrive tomorrow (Thursday) and i cannot wait. I spoke with my nephew who owns a performance shop on Long Island and EcoHell should be tuned by Saturday. Next step is purchasing new wheels and tires and I will definitely give a try. If I don't see what I need at Velgen Wheels, my nephew has a business relationship with MHT, where I purchased three sets of rims from already.

I will definitely have pictures of EcoHell transforming from stock to modified. There is also another modification that I have not mentioned, however, it was scheduled for next week. It will change the appearance of EcoHell (besides the wheels),

 

[Joel Cady]

Can’t wait to see it. Good luck!

 

[EcoHell]

Ok..my go fast(er) parts arrived from Livernois Motorsports. Tuesday, EcoHell will be dyno'ed stock for a base. Next the install of the down pipes, plugs, thermostat and 3 bar map sensor will occur. Then the tune will be installed. Once I feel a difference after the install, EcoHell will again be dyno'ed to see the difference(s). I am still debating to install their CAI unit, especially after reading the other thread about CAIs.

Next comes the lowering springs install. I am still deciding what aftermarket wheels to go with. My stockers will be my winter wheel setup.

Sooo, my question is who has an aftermarket CAI and a tune and are you running into a heat soak issues? For those with a Livernois Motorsports packages are there any negatives you are running into with the tune and CAI?

Thanks for reading and look forward to receiving your responses...

 

[MarioMatos]

Post Dyno

 

[EcoHell]

Alright, ran into my first hiccup. LMS is working with me, however, the rear camber bolts seen in the photo above are for the fronts. There are part numbers on the plastic bag that indicate they are for the front, when looking them up in the shop parts computer. The bolts are clearly too small for the rear. Any one else recently order their lowering kit and have this issue?

I am not worried about my stock rims, but I am ordering 20x10.5 wheels all around and am worried about alignment issues.

 

[EcoHell]

Ok..here are some pictures of the install of the Livernois Motorsports (LMS) parts.

First...stock dyno run:

Then we moved onto the downpipe install:

These pipes by American Racing bolt up and are a perfect bolt on product. With the above picture you can see before the bolts when in, it was a perfect fit.

Next the lowering springs were installed. The springs are H&R 51630 with rear camber bolts (or so we thought). This is what LMS sent in the package, having a part number of 81280..

I contacted LMS through emails and phone calls for two days. I sent photos showing their camber bolts were for the front and not the rear. They claimed they were the correct bolt. I ultimately contacted their source for the camber bolts and purchased two rear camber bolts. They will be here on Monday. This is what the bolt is supposed to look like, having the part number of 84130:

I contacted LMS and said I would return their camber bolts and they can see for themselves. My concern was they were sending the wrong camber bolts to other customers, where it could become a safety issue. If used one would only be able to capture 3 threads at the most, which looking at the nut you would not be able to utilize the nuts special feature where it is tapered at the end to basically lock onto the threads. One doesn't have to install the bolt to see this occurring, simply place the bolt next to the OEM bolt installed. My shop would not attempt to install for safety and liability reasons.

Since we had this issue, we held off on the springs and installed their Windstorm CAI. Unfortunately there was an small issue with this product. The CAI comes with an Air Temperature Sensor (ATS) wire extension that does not fit the OEM ATS itself. The issue is the guide or alignment tabs of the OEM ATS matching the grooves for their ATS wire extension. A simple fix is to snip and file off one of the OEM ATS guide/alignment tabs. I am not sure if this is a change in the 2017/2018 models, as the Livernois Motorsports ATS wire extension comes with a tag saying it is for earlier models of Ex.

Anyone have an earlier model Ex that installed their CAI kit and if so did you have this issue as well?

The second day EcoHell was still on the lift. Still working with LMS on the camber bolts and having purchased the correct camber bolts..we buttoned up the install of the springs. Plus, I have not received my new rims yet, so the stock camber bolts will work until they arrive.

Anyhoot, I apologize for not taking additional pictures of the install, but being retired I am enjoying driving BloodyHell for my daily chores and of course I get in conversations everywhere I go. So here are pictures of the before and after stance of EcoHell:

Before:

After:

 

[EcoHell]

I just want to give LMS a shout-out for their products and their customer service. I wasn't expecting the process for their tune(s), but I get it. Their customer service has been what I expected.. true professionals.

 

[slicky]

I did not have to modify the ATS on my 16. Plugged right in.

 

[EcoHell]

Thanks Slicky for responding. I will advise LMS when I speak to them about the camber bolts.

 

[Countryboy07]

Looking good! Judging by your past rides, this one is going to turn out great as well. How's the exhaust note with the new down pipes?

 

[peterk9]

Looking good! Judging by your past rides, this one is going to turn out great as well. How's the exhaust note with the new down pipes?

Welcome to the Forum.

Peter

 

[HamHands]

What was the stock tune Dyno numbers for Horsepower and Torque. You said you ran the Dyno stock but failed to post the results!of that Dyno Chart, Hahahaha, just kidding! But seriously, I'm interested in your numbers so post em' please!

Your ride looks good, really good there "EH". I think those stock wheels are dead sexy. They would be a perfect 10 if the were powder coated black, and would save you some serious coin or/and allow you to put that into more HP/Torque boosts! YMMV... But I'm sure your new rims will be great too. Mine have a half dozen scrapes due to the Hankook's sidewall having nearly zero protrusion past the rim's lip. I'm having mine smoothed out/cleaned up & powder coated when it's time for some new meats soon enough though! I'm staying with the stock size but would like a set of Mud Terrains after seeing how well my 15' Rubicon on 35's handles water clearance, dry traction, & both on and off road performance...

I installed Southern Sports Inc, (SSI's) 93 Octane tune (sans) the 3Bar MAP and the thermostat on Saturday. To say I'm impressed with the Horsepower and Torque increase is an understatement. This is how she should have came from the factory. She's running nice and lean. Currently, I don't see the need for the 3BAR Map, (that might change when I do a Cat-Back Exhaust Swap though.) From all the research I've done it seems the stock Air Intake is more than up to the task of delivering/pumping lots of clean air into the engine; she's running cool with the stock thermostat as well. It's August in Atlanta, so I'm keeping an eye on the temperature aspect and can swap in the 170* thermostat should I see the need. Lastly, I drove my 15' stock for 3 years and reading a lot about beefing up the 3.5Ecoboost's performance, (and waiting for my BTB warranty to expire.) My research pointed to doing a full Cat-Back system really DOES do a good job of expelling all the exhaust gasses and is paramount to be paired with a good tune!!! This combo is a true & worthwhile HP/Torque upgrade to the 3.5Ecoboost. So I'm looking into a full cat-back bolt on that sounds deep and throaty, (the antithesis of the resemblance of the dreaded japanese lawnmower sound, HaHaHa!)

***Please excuse the back porch. A tree hit our house and it's been rough dealing with contractors! ***

Since these photo's i've had the front driver and passenger side windows tinted to 17% to match the rear windows and sun roof(s)... Talk about cooling down an interior in this Atlanta heat and making an already comfortable ride even more-so!

 

[EcoHell]

Sorry for not posting lately. Been busy enjoying retirement. I updated EcoHell with new wheels. I like the OEM wheels, just wished they were wider. So I decided on Niche Vosso's. Same styling as OEM, but better, IMO. Specs are 20x10.5, offset of 40. Tires are Hankook's 295/45/20s. I will let the pictures do the talking...

The difference between OEM (right) and Niche (left)..

The install pics:

The stance of the rear is sick..I will take more pictures tomorrow.

 

[san~man]

Very nice so far

I'd like to hear the exhaust tone with the downpipes and the stock catback, should you have time to make a vid!

You have a link for the downpipes by chance, or are those the LMS ones?

 

[EcoHell]

Very nice so far

I'd like to hear the exhaust tone with the downpipes and the stock catback, should you have time to make a vid!

You have a link for the downpipes by chance, or are those the LMS ones?

I will try to make a video after the holiday weekend. And yes they are the "LMS one", they are made by American Racing Headers - located on Long Island New York.

 

[Stephen Cannon]

Good props on LMS I am sending back my calibrator and having it re-flashed from my 2014 Taurus SHO to the 2018 Explorer Sport. Same engine even the CAI intake box is the same. Might take a couple of weeks but I think it will be worth it. Those rims are nice and about as close to stock looking as you can get.

I have had it a week and already done the following mods.

1. LMS 3.5 E/B Tuning well not exactly. I transferred the CAI box from my Taurus over but a start. The Removable washable filter is nice.
2. Weather Tech Vent Visors in channel smoke. Blends in very well with the Metallic Blue paint and the Black pillar trim. Go with W/T the in Channel ones work the best. If installed correctly will look like they came from the factory. Even my Fedex Driver didn't know they were installed until I showed him.
3. Weather Tech NO DRILL Mud Flaps, very easy took longer for me to read the directions than to actually install. Rears weren't quite that quick but still only about 10 minutes per side. Recommend a Ratchet wrench or a real low profile ratchet/socket. I believe mine was very small like 5-6-7 MM something like that. The rear back up retaining nut was 11mm and again easy to access from underneath. Fronts are just as described turn wheel full left for drivers side and full right for passengers side. With all tools and parts available in place should take about 30 minutes for whole vehicle.
4. DAYTIME Bright LED Puddle mirror lamps. The courtesy/approach lamps for the outside mirrors are good but when you see how bright the LEDS are compared to factory you will switch. Check eBay and they usually have some with different logos. My Taurus had the SHO logo ones I have seen the Generic Ford Logos available. Pretty much all mirror lamps from roughly 2010 ish current....possibly earlier but most are the same so switch out is easy. Pop out old ones, swap connections and pop in the new ones. Literally plug and play some newer one might be a little tight for install but they will stay in place.

 

[JEFFSMACHINE]

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