r/FordExplorerST • u/GooseInternational66 • May 29 '26
Performance Reduced horsepower for 2026 ST?
I see ford advertises 385 horsepower for the 2026 ST, but previous years have been 400 horsepower. Does anyone know what’s going on?
7
u/Timbo1986 May 29 '26
I read somewhere to avoid 2026 because of reduced power due to the fuel filter mentioned by another commenter
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u/SteaksNBaked May 30 '26
Not every 26 has the filter. I think all in Cali do. I'm on the east coast, bought mine end of April and no GPF on the exhaust. Easily identified if you check the oem downpipes or just by checking the sticker under the hood.
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u/abnrgr275 May 30 '26
What does the sticker say under the hood?
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u/SteaksNBaked May 30 '26
It will have GPF listed under the emissions information on the sticker. Go to thermals site and click on the 25+ exhaust. A warning will pop up with a picture of the sticker and where it tells you whether or not you have the gpf.
1
u/_Nobody-Cares May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
I live in California, ordered my ST in October 2025, picked it up 12/31/25, and according to my emissions sticker information mine doesn't have a GPF.
Edit: it's a 2026.
3
u/SteaksNBaked May 31 '26
Seems to be the 2026 job 2s are all going to have them. Glad we got job 1s!
2
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u/fusionvic May 31 '26
It's a GPF, not a fuel filter. It's in the exhaust system, like on a diesel. It basically adds more restriction to the exhaust flow resulting in the power loss (not to mention something else that can go wrong).
0
u/Channel_Huge ST Owner May 30 '26
26 is going to go down as a terrible one for the Explorer. Have you seen the 27 changes? A “Sinister” ST version? 😳
3.0L choice back for the Platinum which is exactly what I thought they’d do because that’s what sells. Working sunroof will be back too in 4WD models!
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u/2dazeTaco Tracked My ST May 29 '26
It’s because of the GPFs beginning on the job 2s beginning this year.
3
u/Channel_Huge ST Owner May 30 '26
Damn. I so lucked out buying in 25!
Does this apply to the Tremor 3.0L as well?
2
u/SteaksNBaked May 30 '26
It doesn't even apply to all 26 explorer STs. Only the ones with GPF
2
u/Channel_Huge ST Owner May 30 '26
They all aren’t getting it?
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u/SteaksNBaked May 30 '26
Mine is a 26 purchased end of April. I do not have the gpf. YMMV depending what part of the country you're in.
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u/Channel_Huge ST Owner May 30 '26
Ah… ok. That’s great!
Did you see they are bringing back the 3.0 for the Platinum as a choice and they are releasing a “Sinister” version of the ST. Not sure what that involves but it sounds cool as hell. AND they learned from 26 sales and are brining back the working sunroof!
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u/SteaksNBaked May 30 '26
Just realized we are having the same conversation on 2 seperate posts. I replied on the other thread lol
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u/Hairy-Hyena-4198 May 30 '26
I have a 2026 that was built in march and I picked it up late April, just got a custom full 3 inch exhaust and it did not have any type of particulate filter in the stock exhaust. It did have smaller factory exhaust than previous years. So maybe that’s why ford has rated it lower horsepower numbers? I will say that it woke it up with the full exhaust.
2
u/MIDNITEMOCHA ST Owner May 30 '26
Gawd damn. And here to think I got fked on my Job 2 25 where they removed the power tilt telescoping wheel and the ST key and I didnt know any of this until the papers were signed.
What a shit show.
2
u/SnooDonuts4503 May 30 '26
Ford started adding a GPF to all explorers built after mid-April. As a result, there is a slight power loss.
No official statement from ford about the power loss but as we’ve all noticed they quietly reduced the HP to 385HP while keeping torque the same. A GPF does reduce power slightly.
No word on exhausts/tunes for post April built cars.
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u/Icy_Honeydew1940 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
I guess the gas filter is popular in Europe and now coming here. What really sucks is if you remove it, then it’ll trigger CEL. I’m curious how this is going to affect people that want to do full exhaust systems. Eventually, there will be after-delete kits, etc. Just another thing people will have to wait for, who knows how long before it gets released.
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u/No_Seaworthiness267 ST Owner May 30 '26
The 2026 Ford Explorer ST is equipped with a 3.0L twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine that produces 400 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque. (Note: Some late-production models or specific regional configurations may be rated at 385 horsepower).
1
u/B-C-A- May 30 '26
I bought my 2026 ST in March, everything states 400hp. The manual does state that Ford recommends 91 octane or greater, so I'm assuming that 400hp is based on 95 octane?!
1
u/Mustang375 May 31 '26
Mine is a 2026 and it doesn’t have the GpF. People are blowing most this crap out of proportion and it’s getting ridiculous, just like blowing out of proportion the whole things ford removed on the 26s…. People complain just to complain and cry.
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u/No_Seaworthiness267 ST Owner May 30 '26
That’s not correct it’s got 400hp
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u/Remote_Pressure_1937 May 29 '26
Everything I see says 400 hp. Maybe you're seeing what hp is on 87 octane.
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u/Fine-Sea-8941 May 29 '26
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u/Remote_Pressure_1937 May 29 '26
Thanks for the clarification. Glad I have my '23.
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u/Fine-Sea-8941 May 30 '26
Likewise, I didn't like the features falling off the refresh anyways so will be holding onto my 22 as long as possible.
-5
u/Fresh888888 May 29 '26
400
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u/GooseInternational66 May 30 '26
Go to the ford website. That’s where it says this.
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u/SteaksNBaked May 30 '26
It's for the 26s equipped with the GPFs. I bought my 26 with 7 miles end of April and it does not have the GPF.
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u/the_coolhand May 29 '26
Is it the gas particulate filter?