Whipple Stage 1 kit gives Ford Bronco Raptor a 60-horsepower boost

Whipple Superchargers is making it easier for Ford Bronco Raptor owners to extract more power from the twin-turbocharged V6. It released a Stage 1 tuning kit that increases horsepower and torque, improves drivability, and changes parameters like the transmission's shift points.

Stock, the Bronco Raptor's 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 delivers 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque. The tuning kit adds up to 60 horses and 80 pound-feet when the six-cylinder burns 93-octane gasoline, bringing the SUV's total output to 478 and 520, respectively. More power is difficult to argue against, especially in a performance-oriented off-roader, and the kit makes more of the engine's torque available at about 2,000 rpm for a more linear power curve. It also updates the 10-speed automatic transmission's shift points to make better use of the extra power. And, Whipple claims that buyers who install its Stage 1 kit will gain the ability to install jumbo, 44-inch tires and install bigger axles.

The bundle also includes a beefier intercooler called Mega Cooler with a 58% greater internal core volume and a 144% increase in external fin surface. Whipple notes that the Mega Cooler achieves a 32-degree drop in temperature on a dyno, and it adds that the real-world number should be higher. In turn, the colder air brings more oxygen to the engine and let the tuner increase the ignition system's spark advance.

Several other software updates are part of the kit. It increases the Bronco Raptor's top speed to 135 mph (up from 111 mph for the stock SUV), deletes the stop-start system, and makes changes to the pedal mapping. The factory-programmed driving modes remain.

On-sale now, the Whipple Stage 1 kit costs $1,850 (the available semi-gloss black finish costs $50 extra) and takes about two and a half hours to install. Whipple says that no major mechanical modifications are required to fit the kit because it consists of bolt-on components. However, there's no word yet on whether the software will be legal in California, which began cracking down on ECU tunes in 2021.

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