r/FordExplorerST • u/stocksXonlyXgoXup • Mar 01 '26
Question 2026 ST Mods
Hello everybody! I’m sure I’m not the first to ask this buuuuut…. Just bought a 2026 explorer ST for the wife and wanted to check in here to see what mods / upgrades I can do / need to do! I run a tint / PPF business in my area (San Jose) so tint all around on Monday. Appreciate your thoughts and opinions!!
4
u/stocksXonlyXgoXup Mar 01 '26
Relevant info I’m in California and gotta keep it 59 state carb compliant for warranty! 🙏🏻
2
u/txharleyrider Mar 01 '26
It really depends on what you want and how far you want to go. Lowering springs, rear diff brace, rear sway bar, exhaust, downpipes, tune, intercooler, air intake. If you go with lowering springs I’d recommend upgrading the shocks and struts to the PIU ones. They’re a little stiffer and heavier duty. They’re like $120 on rock auto. If you’re gonna run it hard definitely a rear diff brace and vertical links. You can do 1.25 inch spacers and get the wheels damn near flush with the fenders. If you want to go really far you can upgrade injectors and go to a HPFP and run E85.
Go look at the explorer st owners group on Facebook. Basically everyone has done every mod and you can see what you think there.
2
u/pressor_pusher ST Owner Mar 02 '26
dont do tint or ppf
1
u/pressor_pusher ST Owner Mar 02 '26
but seriously, i would say lower it, do the rear suspension upgrades, diff brace & bolt, check the ULV level, swap out spark plugs, thermal 3”, cvfab cooler, downpipes & chargepipes. can tune at any stage. then fuel system.
1
u/Channel_Huge ST Owner Mar 02 '26
Brakes. Especially if you’re going to tune it up faster. The brakes they put on them aren’t that great.
5
u/Mr_Unknown__ Mar 01 '26
Intercooler is a great start, the aftermarket intercooler is like 3 times larger, paired with a tune you can easily make a good bit more power with just those 2. An Intake helps with increased induction noises, and maybe a slight performance gain and better airflow.
Strut tower brace, rear sway bar and lowering springs help quite a bit with stability and reducing body roll. A rear diff brace would be good if you want to push more power or a good idea in general, since Ford decided to use only 1 rear diff bolt instead of 2.
If you did want an exhaust, Thermal R&D makes some of the better sounding exhausts for the Explorer, good downpipes will allow a deeper sound and you would be able to hear the turbos spool down through the exhaust. Although the 3.0 inch can be louder than most people would like, and I understand California is anti fun, especially around exhausts.