Leading the Pack: Unleashing Performance with Premium Ford Ranger Exhaust Upgrades

While most ute owners are happy just to know that they have a vehicle that can keep up with the pack, Ford Ranger owners aren’t content unless they’re leading it. For the second year running, Ford’s mid-sized behemoth is the best-selling 4WD in Oz, and that’s in no small part due to its behemoth-sized performance.

With more than 292kW on tap in its twin-turbo Raptor trim, Rangers not only have the power to tackle the toughest hauling and climbing jobs in Australia, they’re eager performance parts recipients when you’re in need of even more grunt. From inline throttle controlling, to twin-charged supercharger engineering, the iconic Ford EcoBlue and EcoBoost blocks installed in Rangers are built to take just any mod you can throw at them. It’s simple mods like aftermarket exhaust upgrades, however, that yield the biggest bang for the buck.

Make a Premium Ranger Exhaust System Your First Upgrade

It’s a fact: while exhaust upgrades have been a tried and true way to boost output on all kinds of engines for decades, they naturally deliver better results on some engines than others. Ford’s Eco engines are in that category, and high-performance 3.0“ Ford Ranger exhaust upgrades are all they need to establish themselves conclusively as one of the most powerful families of engines in Australia, that just happens to power its favourite 4WDs.

As a wholly Australian-designed 4WD, it’s understandable why an Australian-made Ranger exhaust system would be the best for the job. Aussie engineers understand that in an environment where high temperatures are an unavoidable power draw, the key to big power is moving as much heat and spent gas away from the engine as possible, and high-quality 3.0“ aftermarket Ford Ranger performance exhausts excel at:

• Scavenging as much heat and spent gas away from the engine as possible;
• Creating sufficient exhaust flow velocity to ensure spent gases are quickly evacuated; and,
• Removing any sources of backpressure that could potentially hamper exhaust gas movement.

Make no mistake: regardless of whether you drive a classic PJ, PK, or PX, or one of the new, market-conquering Next-Gen T6.2s, a high-flowing Ranger exhaust has everything you need to make your Melbourne-born Ford an even better performer. You only have to look at what one of these premium Ranger exhaust upgrade kits consists of to understand why it should be the first upgrade every Ranger driver thinks of.

Optimal Tube Configurations with the Perfect Diameter 

Although it may not be in the way that you’d think, size matters when it comes to aftermarket exhaust systems. Bigger isn’t always better; that’s because pipes whose diameter is too large will invariably allow spent gases to linger in the system, effectively strangling an engine’s scavenging.

3“ mandrel bent, aluminised or stainless steel tubes are the perfect diameter for aftermarket Ranger exhausts; and with a lineup of 4-, 5-, and 6-cylinder turbo and non-turbo engines ranging from the misery 2.2l straight 4-cylinder diesel, to the jaw-dropping 3.0l EcoBoost V-6 twin turbo to work from, these aftermarket Ranger pipes are sold in configurations that include:

• Turbo-back setups, either with or without cats or mufflers;
• Cat-back setups, with or without centre muffler and tips; and,
• Full, and DPF back setups with single tip, or twin tip side exits.

The 3“ pipes used with aftermarket Ranger performance exhausts are also designed to be more effective at drawing power-robbing heat away from engines than OE tubes. Australia’s climate is uniquely problematic for turbos, but the increased flow velocity of an aftermarket Ford Ranger performance exhaust allows for both faster turbo spooling and complete system cooling.

Here’s What an Exhaust Upgrade Means for Your Ranger’s Performance

No matter if you use your Ranger for long hours of tradie or ranch duty, or the occasional away-from-the-pavement adventure, you expect crisp, nimble responsiveness when you press the accelerator. And while it’s certainly possible to ramp up performance with ECU chip, or transmission tuning, an aftermarket Ranger performance exhaust system is the best way to utilize the Ford’s natural power envelope, without altering any of the ECU’s factory characteristics, or risking voiding the warranty on your powertrain.

The performance boost you’ll get from making a low-restriction Ford Ranger exhaust system swap is hard to ignore, and it’s going to include:

• An instant improvement in throttle responsiveness;
• A significant increase in low-end torque; and,
• An increase in peak power on the top end.

Whether you need the extra power on the bottom end for off-roading or hill climbing, or in the mid- or upper-ranges for passing or merging while towing a trailer, upgraded Ranger exhaust systems are able to free up the power these 3100kg utes can always use to stay in motion.

Heat Treatments that are Beneficial to Scavenging and Power

Although there’s no way to overstate the importance of scavenging spent gases to get the full benefit from upgraded Ford Ranger exhausts, the role they play in heat removal is just as important. That’s because retained heat not only raises air intake temperatures, but can also lead to damaged EGR valves, as well as DPF and turbo wastegate/turbine failures on diesel models.

The ideal solution for power-robbing heat retention is heat treating, and the tubes supplied with premium Ford Ranger exhaust upgrade kits are treated to achieve the following:

• A decrease in power-robbing engine bay temperatures;
• Increased resistance to heat cycling and environmental exposure; and,
• Increased corrosion resistance due to exhaust gases.

Heat-resistant coatings help to improve the heat transfer properties of aftermarket Ford Ranger exhaust systems by locking heat in. And not only are these coatings beneficial to scavenging and exhaust gas evacuation, but also to power production across the board.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, with its combination of payload, reliability, and Australian roots, it’s no wonder that the Ranger is the country’s number one 4WD. That doesn’t mean it can’t benefit from an exhaust upgrade though, especially one that’s also built Australia-tough.

3.0“ Ford Ranger exhaust upgrades are the best way to unleash the extra power that these marvels from Melbourne have to offer. They give Rangers everything they need to stay Australia’s mid-sized leaders.