Hello everyone! Today we will be talking about charge pipes. Enjoy!
What Are Charge Pipes?
Charge pipes are separated into two different parts, hot-side and cold-side charge pipes. The hot side charge pipes are what connect the turbochargers to the intercooler, and where the BOV is placed on 2020-2021 vehicles. The cold side charge pipes are what connects the throttle body to the intercooler, and the part where you can add a BOV to 2022+ vehicles do not have an BOV.
Stock vs Aftermarket Charge Pipes
The stock piping flows fairly well, but the weird kinks in the design create some restrictions. There are some gains to be had with aftermarket charge pipes, albeit they are not very big. Maybe a one or two tenths of a second shaved in the quarter mile, and maybe a few AWHP. The gains usually will not be able to be felt by the butt dyno. If you are FBO and chasing the fastest time, charge pipes will be a good upgrade, but if you are simple bolt-ons then the money is best spent other places.
Something to note however, is that for the 2025 model year, Ford updated the connections between the intercooler and charge pipes. If you have a 2025 ExST and want an upgraded intercooler (which I highly recommend), you will need aftermarket charge pipes or 2020-24 charge pipes. Same goes for charge pipes. If you want charge pipes, you will need a aftermarket intercooler or 2020-24 intercooler (although if you are replacing the intercooler anyway, just get the upgraded units). This is because the aftermarket intercoolers and charge pipes were not updated to the new connections on the 2025s.
Aftermarket Charge Pipe Comparison
AFE
I do not recommend aFe’s charge pipes. There have been multiple instances of bad welds inside of the piping, and with other offerings that have never had that problem, that is not acceptable.
FenFabrication
Fenfab’s reputation precedes them. Known their impeccable quality products, FenFab’s charge pipes do not differ from the FenFab norm. Highly recommend as usual.
CV-Fabrication
Newest to the market, CV-Fab’s charge pipes tend to be the cheapest option, especially with Tyler Clark’s code (TYLERCLARK1). When included in the intercooler and charge pipe bundle, it is even cheaper then other offerings. I have not heard any complaints about these units, so they seem like a great option.
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