Improving The Air Intake And Sound On The 2020 F-150 Sport Truck

(Marc)>> You're watching Powernation!

(Brandon)>> Up next, we put a bow on our 2020 F-150 project.

(Rob)>> What we're going to be doing today is put a long term protection on it.

(Marc)>> We give it a ceramic coating that will last for years.

(Brandon)>> We upgrade our exhaust and our o-e-m air filter and put it to the test at Nashville Super Speedway.

(Marc)>> James from EBC stops by and takes it on a test drive.

(Brandon)>> And we visit a history making venue and do something few people get to do. [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ]

(Marc)>> Welcome to Music City Trucks. I'm Marc Christ and Brandon's out running some errands. We'll be catching up with him later. Today we are jumping back on our 2020 F-150 giveaway that we're doing with EBC Brakes. Now this thing has come a long way from where we started. Check it out.

(Brandon)>> We started with a stock 2020 F-150 XLT. Nothing special, but it does have the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, which is cool and all, but we've got some plans to turn this thing into a sweet daily street truck. We lowered the F-150 with coil overs and a flip kit, put on some EBC brakes, threw on a set of 22-inch wheels and tires, added bed storage and seat covers, and even swapped out all the chrome for color matched trim and body parts.

(Marc)>> Well I absolutely love the way this truck is turning out, and the finish line is in site, and by the end of the show today we are gonna be putting a bright red bow on this beautiful red truck. And the best of all, when it's all done it's gonna be given away to one of you folks. Now to make this thing look its best for a long time we've got Rob here from Sonax USA. Rob thanks for coming in.

(Rob)>> Thank you for having us. We always enjoy your projects.

(Marc)>> It's always a pleasure having you guys here. Sometimes we hit you with a curve ball and sometimes it's one we just lob right in there. Hopefully, this is the lob.

(Rob)>> This is your typical o-e-m paint that comes pretty easy to work with, and the removal of scratches and squirrels is typical for what most automobiles are on the road.

(Marc)>> Now where are we with it right now?

(Rob)>> We did a quick buff this morning. [ buffer humming ]

(Rob)>> What we're gonna be doing today is put a long term protection on it. It's a Sonax ceramic product. Three years protection, very easy to apply but the durability is really, really good.

(Marc)>> Now you say ceramic and to me the dollar signs start popping up.

(Rob)>> I think most people when they think of that they think it's very expensive, and of course the durability and the chemistry that goes behind these products there's a reason why it is expensive from a professional standpoint. So, what we're gonna be applying today is our ceramic coating kit. CC-36, which really stands for ceramic coating 36-month protection.

(Marc)>> What is ceramic coating?

(Rob)>> Ceramic coating is exactly what it says it is. It's tiny glass particles that bond together to form a layer of protection. So obviously a ceramic is going to be more durable than a natural wax product that will start to break down immediately after you apply it. the true benefit of it is just the durability of it, and also the depth of shine and the extreme gloss that it creates. If you apply a booster every six months you'll get 36 months of protection. So, the kit is very simple. It comes with our base coat number one. So, you apply that over the surface with the truck as is right now. You will apply that over. You will allow it to cure for about an hour, and then you come back over with the number two can of base coat, and really that is just something that will lay up a very smooth final layer over and really brings out that depth of gloss.

(Marc)>> So what do we need to do to get started?

(Rob)>> Let's get busy.

(Marc)>> Before applying Sonax ceramic coating the vehicle needs to be cleaned and wiped down.

(Rob)>> Step one, the base coat. The can has number one. Use the number one sponge. You simply wrap the microfiber. Spray it away from the paint so you don't get any overspray. What we'll do here is we'll work in small little sections, and it is simply you're just coating the paint. And I always crosshatch just to make sure that I have full coverage. And the reaction that's happening right now to the paint is simple. It's just bonding to the paint, it's leveling the paint, and you're just creating a ceramic layer over the clearcoat.

(Marc)>> I can see it changing.

(Rob)>> Yep, and you're starting to see the reaction now. So, once it reacts you'll see it flash. Basically, that says I've bonded to the paint, wipe me off. It'll take us probably an hour and a half to two hours to apply the entire truck, and it's as simple as that. We'll just move on to the next section of the paint, and just keep moving around the truck until we've completed.

(Marc)>> You can really feel like you put that second step on how smooth it is, and it looks amazing.

(Rob)>> It really finishes it out nice.

(Marc)>> You do good work.

(Rob)>> You do good work.

(Brandon)>> Coming up, we head to Nashville Super Speedway for some final testing.

(Brandon)>> Well I'm not gonna lie. The final product turned out way better than the rendering did. I love the waves, and the swoop thing we've got going on. Got the wheels and the tires on the truck. Got it aligned, and there's one last thing we want to do to this truck, and that's gonna be getting a little bit more air in and out of this engine, which is gonna include a cold air intake, an exhaust system, and throwing a tune on this truck to kinda free up a couple horsepower out of this stock V-6. First thing we've got to do is get rid of that o-e-m intake and replace it with this cold air intake that we got from Summit Racing. [ Music ] So, here's the new intake box. I'm gonna install this inlet in the same holes. There we go! That is a tight fit. The cover for the air cleaner. Now I usually don't like running an air cleaner but that's one I'd run. Let's move on to the exhaust. [ mechanical humming ]

(Brandon)>> Now to bump up the sound quality on our F-150 we went with this Corsa Exhaust muffler back kit that we got from Summit Racing as well. [ drill humming ]

(Marc)>> Well as they say, moment of truth.

(Brandon)>> You want to hear it?

(Marc)>> Yeah, let's do it. [ engine starting ]

(Marc)>> Quiet in here. [ engine revving ]

(Marc)>> I'd say done!

(Brandon)>> Nothing's ever really done.

(Marc)>> It's done enough to go to the track.

(Brandon)>> Let's do it!

(Marc)>> Well we're back at Nashville Super Speedway. We've got our F-150 here all finished up, and we're getting ready to do some more testing with it.

(Brandon)>> I'm so glad I was able to make it this time. We're pretty much gonna be doing a repeat of last time, 60 to zero, zero to 60, slalom. And with everything we put on the truck I know it's gonna do better.

(Marc)>> It better do better.

(Brandon)>> Marc we did the exhaust, we did the cold air. There's one last thing.

(Marc)>> The trifecta!

(Brandon)>> Tune! It's all yours.

(Marc)>> I'll handle it. For our tuner we decided to go with the SCT BDX. This is a handheld tuner that comes pre-loaded with the tunes for your vehicle. This thing also has wi-fi capabilities. So, if you need to update the handheld, or if you've got a custom tune, your tuner can send the tune to the cloud. You can pull it down, load it into the vehicle. We're just gonna use the pre-loaded tune on our F-150 here. So, what this thing does is it takes the factory tune out of the vehicle's computer and it stores it inside the handheld, and then it uploads the SCT tune to the vehicle in its place. So, you always have your factory tune stored in your hand held if you ever need to put it back to stock for whatever reason. Let's do some testing. [ engine revving ]

(Brandon)>> Zero to 60? Three, two, one, go! [ engine revving ]

(Marc)>> That one was 6.9.

(Brandon)>> 6.9 seconds! Second run! [ engine revving ]

(Marc)>> Little bit too much wheel spin that time. That was 7.4. I'm ready for a third run. [ engine revving ]

(Brandon)>> Yeah, 6.7, very nice! [ engine revving ]

(Brandon)>> At least he didn't roach that run.

(Marc)>> That was 7.4 again.

(Brandon)>> That's not bad.

(Marc)>> The fact that we got two in the sixes is pretty good. You want to do braking?

(Brandon)>> Yeah, let's do braking. [ tires squealing ]

(Marc)>> That's a stop! 121 and 6-inches. [ engine revving ] [ tires squealing ]

(Brandon)>> Dude, you serious? Look at that! That mark right there.

(Marc)>> A whole truck length.

(Brandon)>> 104 - 10? There's two things happening today. It's really hot, and the truck's doing better than it did before. I call that a win.

(Marc)>> Alright, 97 feet 6 inches.

(Brandon)>> Not only did it stop in the same spot the first time, but as they get hot they get shorter.

(Marc)>> Let's do the slalom.

(Brandon)>> Cone, cone, cone! [ tires squealing ]

(Brandon)>> 11.83 minus one, two, three cones. That's six seconds added onto that, 17.83. Alright, slalom number two, and... [ Music ] [ tires squealing ]

(Brandon)>> 12.24 minus one cone. I've figured it out. The truck handles so much better now that you don't really know what to do with your hands.

(Marc)>> The stability control kicked in, and it cut engine power. So, I'm gonna turn Stabili-Track off and try it again.

(Brandon)>> Round three! [ tires squealing ]

(Brandon)>> We d-n-f'ed that last run. [ tires squealing ]

(Brandon)>> That is a clean 12.33. So, we knocked half a second off the truck. Here's what we got for our results compared to how the truck did stock.

(Marc)>> The slalom was a bit of a wash, but if you don't count my infractions the truck was about one mile per hour faster through the cones.

(Brandon)>> Zero to 60 was pretty flat but it was a hotter day, and we did have some traction issues.

(Marc)>> But where the truck did make noticeable gains was in the braking test. The average of our three good runs stock was 123 feet. The new average, 107 feet. A 16-foot shorter average, wow! Let's go back to the shop.

(Brandon)>> Find something else to tinker with.

(Marc)>> Get in, it's hot! Our buddy James from EBC Brakes stops by, and we even let him hit the open road in our upgraded F-150.

(Brandon)>> Well it's time to put a bow on our F-150 sport truck, and that's gonna be with this CoverCraft form fit car cover, and they even put the logo on the windshield for us.

(Marc)>> Alright James, here it is.

(James)>> Wow, it's all covered up Marc.

(Marc)>> Well we did that on purpose.

(Brandon)>> Look who it is.

(James)>> Hey Brandon, how are you doing?

(Brandon)>> Good!

(James)>> Good to see you. Well, I'm desperate to see this truck. It's been a long time coming, and I'm here in person. Look at this beautiful cover with the EBC Brakes logo on it as well.

(Marc)>> It's gonna protect the truck but also it allows us to have this big unveiling for you. So here we go. Take a look!

(James)>> Wow, the color is so striking. You don't see many 150s in this red, do you?

(Marc)>> It's race red, is the color.

(James)>> And there's no chrome. It's all black, which is perfect. It looks so much better with no chrome.

(Marc)>> It's a completely different truck.

(Brandon)>> And I'm glad we both like the '80s, '90s wave graphics.

(Marc)>> The truck obviously looks a lot different. We lowered it, which is gonna help with the handling. We added some engine upgrades. You'll see the interior here in a minute, but you know. Upgraded the braking system with the EBC USR rotors and the Greenstuff pads, and of course we added the graphics. All of the detail work really brought it all together.

(James)>> It does look quite a bit lower. Brandon how much lower is it?

(Brandon)>> It's three and a half inches lower in the front and four inches lower in the rear. So, it still has a little bit of a front rake, which I kinda like.

(James)>> It looks so much better.

(Brandon)>> And with the 22s on here the proportions look really good.

(Marc)>> I'm really happy with how it turned out. We do have a couple of surprises for you. First off, don't you want to go out and go for a ride in the truck?

(James)>> I'd love to go and have a ride. That's my dream.

(Marc)>> We'll do you one better. You drive!

(James)>> Thanks Marc, that's awesome.

(Marc)>> Let's do it! This is kind of a different animal. This is a pickup truck.

(James)>> The thing is though this is one of our biggest markets. American trucks we sell tons and tons of brake parts for American trucks because literally you can just change the brake pads and it'll have a totally different feel to the car. It's like a cheap upgrade but it works so well.

(Marc)>> That's one of the things, especially when it comes to people who like to upgrade their performance, or people who are just using their truck as a work truck, or for towing. What's great about your products is whether it's a sport truck, like this one, or if you're gonna be using your truck for towing or working you guys have a product for that.

(James)>> That's right, and we've just got a new product Marc called EDPlus, Extra Duty Plus, for the fast trucks and the heavy towing trucks, and that's gonna be released very, very soon, before SEMA 2022.

(Marc)>> Oh wow! Well, we're gonna go to the Grand Ole Opry right now if you're up for it? It'll be an interesting experience.

(Brandon)>> Up next, we make history and visit a well known circle.

(Marc)>> And we're giving it all away to a lucky viewer. This is gonna be cool!

(Marc)>> Well this is it, James. I don't know if you've ever been here before.

(James)>> No never. This looks incredible this place.

(Marc)>> This is the Grand Ole Opry. Let me tell you, it is grand!

(James)>> Wow!

(Brandon)>> This is what Nashville's known for.

(James)>> It's incredible. What an iconic building!

(Marc)>> Nothing is more iconic in Nashville than the Grand Ole Opry, and we're gonna get an up close and personal look.

(James)>> Let's go and have a look. The home of country music is the Grand Ole Opry. A weekly live music show in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1925 by George D Hay when his one-hour barn dance show was first heard on WSM Radio, and is still the longest running radio broadcast in US history. [ Music ]

(Marc)>> Alright, right this way.

(James)>> Wow!

(Marc)>> Pretty cool, huh? So, this is it. You can see it's not a really huge venue in scale.

(James)>> It's a really intimate venue.

(Marc)>> You get to come see your favorite artists here on a very legendary stage. It's pretty cool.

(Drew)>> Hey, my buddies from Music City Trucks. Come on up. Welcome to the home of country music. I've been in your garage, and it's about time for you to come to my garage. Come on over and I'll show you what's going on here. So, this is the home of country music for nearly 100 years. Last October we completed our 5,000th consecutive Saturday night show. It's been here since the early '70s. The famous circle that was actually brought from the Ryman where it was previously the home for almost 50 years before it came here, and it has seen them all. That is Johnny, and Dolly, and Porter, and Garth, and Carrie Underwood last week, and all the new young artists as well. We just inducted Lauren Elana and Carly Pierce to membership at the Opry, and it's just a very exciting place. I share it with you guys. This is my garage.

(Marc)>> Thanks for giving us this private tour. I have to ask since I'm standing on the stage here. Is it okay.

(Drew)>> You can absolutely stand there. There's a superstition that you may not ever be invited to be an Opry member if you don't stand there with an instrument.

(Marc)>> I don't think that's gonna happen either way. Okay, I'm gonna do this.

(Brandon)>> Got a little colder in here.

(Drew)>> Did you feel it?

(James)>> Gives you shivers.

(Marc)>> That is super cool.

(Drew)>> Porter Wagner, all the greats.

(Marc)>> My favorite show I saw here was Eric Church. He played an accoustic set. He went over by like an hour.

(Drew)>> Alright James, what do you think? You want to stand where the greats all stand?

(James)>> I'm gonna give it a go Drew.

(Brandon)>> Did you hear that?

(Drew)>> It's speaking to you?

(James)>> You can feel it!

(Brandon)>> I guess we all get a go, can we?

(Drew)>> Please, we get that a lot.

(Brandon)>> Yeah, I can't sing.

(Marc)>> That's awesome! Well, we've done it all now. Can we go outside?

(Drew)>> Absolutely, I love this. Trucks and country music got together like.

(Marc)>> Greens and cornbread.

(Drew)>> Yeah, peas and carrots, absolutely, sunshine and coffee. I've got something I want to show you too.

(Marc)>> Awesome!

(Drew)>> So this thing looks fast sitting still. That is just such a good looking truck.

(Marc)>> It is race red.

(Drew)>> So we talked about inside how well country music and trucks go together. You know what else goes together with trucks? A good four-wheeler. You arrive in style, and you get on the trail in style. So, we want to add this to the package and the giveaway, and this is the whole McGill here.

(Marc)>> Well I don't what to say other than thank you.

(Drew)>> Only thing I can say is that I'm sorry I'm not eligible cause this is a good looking package.

(Marc)>> Drew thank you so much again. Really appreciate it. It was a wonderful time here. We actually have plans. So, we're gonna hit the road. We have a road trip planned. James, get in the passenger seat.

(Drew)>> This thing needs to be on the road.

(Marc)>> Thanks Drew!

(Brandon)>> We going on a little pilgrimage?

(Marc)>> I think that's what they call it. [ Music ]