Best F-150 Mods: Where to Actually Start
Ford, F-150
The mods most F-150 owners do first, in an order that makes sense, with real prices and an honest note about which ones have a published power figure and which ones do not.
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| part | price | gain | $/hp |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPR Products Plug N Play Passenger Oil Catch Can Separator 2015-2020 | $149.99 | no published figure | — |
| MPT Custom 93-Octane Tune (3.5L, 17-20) 2017-2020 | $300 | +142 hp / +131 tqmanufacturer claim | $2 |
| S&B Filters Cold Air Intake 75-5122 2018-2026 | $379 | +14-28 hp / +17-27 tqcommunity estimate | $14-27 |
| MBRP Exhaust 3" Cat-Back, Race Profile Dual Pre-Axle Exit (ARMOR Lite) 2015-2020 | $514.99 | no published figure | — |
| FOX Shocks 2.0 Performance Series Rear IFP Shock 2009-2026 | $199.98 | no published figure | — |
Search "best F-150 mods" and you get the same list every time: intake, exhaust, tune, leveling kit, lights. The list is not wrong. What those pages leave out is the part that decides whether you are happy in six months, which is the order you do things in, what actually fits your truck, and which of those parts has a real published power number behind it and which one is just a good sound.
This page is the starting point. Each section says what the part does in plain language, what to check before you buy, and links to the full guide here when you are ready to pick a specific one.
Two things to settle before you spend anything
Know your engine, not just your year. An F-150 badge covers the 3.3L V6, the 2.7L EcoBoost, the 3.5L EcoBoost, the 5.0L V8, the PowerBoost hybrid, the 3.0L Power Stroke diesel, and the Raptor. Parts are not interchangeable between them, and buying for the right year but the wrong engine is the easiest way to end up shipping something back. Your engine is on the door jamb sticker, or in a VIN window-sticker lookup.
Assume no horsepower number unless one is shown. This is the uncomfortable part of truck parts. Across the F-150 catalog here, most parts carry no published power figure at all, and plenty of the ones that do are a manufacturer claim rather than a dyno sheet. Every part page on this site labels which it is, and where nobody published a figure, it says so instead of guessing. If a number matters to you, buy from the parts that actually have one.
1. Start with the cheap stuff that is not a mod
Before any power part, the things that make the truck easier to live with every week cost less than one exhaust and you will notice them daily: a bed mat, floor liners, bed lighting, real ratchet straps, a code reader. None of it adds horsepower and all of it earns its keep.
Full list: The Under-$50 Stuff Actually Worth Putting in Your F-150
2. An oil catch can, if you have an EcoBoost
This is the least exciting thing on the page and the one most worth doing early. Direct-injected engines route oil vapor from the crankcase back into the intake, and on the EcoBoost that vapor bakes onto the intake valves over time. A catch can, or a clean side separator, intercepts that vapor before it gets there. It adds nothing. It prevents something.
Most are a genuinely easy install, no cutting, hoses that connect where the factory ones did. You do have to empty it, which people forget.
3. A tune, if you want a real number
If you want measurable power for the money, a tune is where it is on these trucks, and it is not close. The EcoBoost engines in particular respond to a recalibration far more than any bolt-on part does, because the factory calibration leaves a lot on the table for emissions and fuel-flexibility reasons.
Two honest caveats. A tune can affect your powertrain warranty, and dealers can and do detect them. And the big numbers you see quoted are almost always on 93 octane; on 87 you get considerably less. Check which fuel the figure was made on before you judge it.
Deeper: F-150 5.0L Stage 1 Build, F-150 3.5L EcoBoost Stage 1 Build (2017-2020), and 2021+ F-150 5.0L Tuning, Explained Plainly.
4. A cold air intake
Swaps the factory airbox for one that pulls cooler, denser air and usually a reusable filter instead of a paper one. This is the easiest power part to install on the truck, typically about an hour with hand tools, and it is the one where published figures vary most widely between brands. Some publish a dyno figure for your exact engine. Many publish nothing at all.
If you live in an emissions-testing state, check for a CARB EO number on the listing before you buy.
5. A cat-back exhaust, for the sound
Be clear with yourself about why you are buying this one. A cat-back replaces everything behind the catalytic converters. On a modern turbocharged truck it changes the sound a lot and the power very little, and most cat-back systems in this catalog publish no horsepower figure at all, which is its own kind of answer.
That is not an argument against buying one. It is an argument for buying the one that sounds the way you want rather than the one with the biggest claim on the box. Things that actually matter: drone at highway speed, tip placement, and whether it clears your hitch and spare.
Deeper: Best F-150 5.0L V8 Cat-Back Exhaust by Generation.
6. A leveling kit or shocks
The factory F-150 sits nose-down so it stays level when loaded. A leveling kit lifts the front to match the rear, which most people do for the stance and for tire clearance. A shock upgrade is the other half, and on a truck with any miles on it, fresh shocks change how it rides more than the kit does.
The thing to know before you order: lifting the front changes alignment and can change how the truck wears tires. Budget the alignment, not just the parts.
Deeper: F-150 Suspension Guide: Leveling Kits, Lift Kits, and Shocks by Height.
7. Wheels and tires, last and most carefully
This is the mod that changes the look most and the one most likely to go wrong, because it has the most numbers that have to agree: bolt pattern, diameter, width, offset, backspacing, and load rating. Get the offset wrong and the tire rubs. Get the load rating wrong on a truck you tow with and you have a real problem, not a cosmetic one.
It also changes your speedometer and can affect your fuel economy, so it is the one to do after you have settled the suspension, not before.
Deeper: The F-150 Wheel Buyer's Guide: Bolt Pattern, Offset, and Load Rating by Brand.
8. Lighting
Headlights, taillights, and bed or bar lighting. Straightforward, visible, and the category where fitment is usually simple and quality varies enormously. Check that anything road-facing is DOT compliant for your state.
Deeper: Truck LED Lighting: Headlights, Taillights and Light Bars That Actually Fit.
What people get wrong
Buying the exhaust first. It is the most satisfying purchase and the least measurable one. Nothing wrong with doing it, just know what you are buying.
Stacking parts without a tune. On the EcoBoost especially, bolt-ons do far less on the factory calibration than they do with one. An intake and an exhaust on a stock tune is mostly a sound change.
Trusting a claim because it is printed. A manufacturer claim is a claim. A dyno figure with a fuel grade and an rpm attached is evidence. They are not the same thing and this site labels which is which on every part.
Ignoring the second half of the bill. Bigger tires want an alignment. A tune wants good fuel. A lift wants new alignment specs. Budget the whole job.
Where to go next
If you know what you want, go straight to the part list: every F-150 part in the catalog, or build the whole thing side by side and see the total.
If you want the numbers behind a category before you commit, the answer pages count what is actually published: F-150 cat-back horsepower claims, F-150 intake horsepower claims, and how hard each one is to install.