Install Guide: Turbosmart Blow-Off Valves on our 2011 F150 EcoBoost Project Truck!

Installing aftermarket atmospheric blow-off valves (BOVs for short) is nothing new for turbocharged vehicles, but new BOVs are an especially popular upgrade for the 2011 to 2012 F150 EcoBoost trucks. The factory blow-off valves don't really have all that great a sound, and can start to struggle to hold boost pressure in heavily-modified and aggressively-tuned EcoBoost F150s. While there are a ton of BOV options out there, one of the most popular is the Turbosmart Kompact Dual-Port BOV. These little guys drop right into place of the stock BOVs, have adjustable softness and firmness settings, and can handle high-powered applications with ease. While they do take some dialing in, Turbosmart's BOVs are a hassle-free and high-quality option for the EcoBoost trucks, so we got pair in for installation on our 2011 F150 EcoBoost Project Truck.

There really just isn't much of a comparison between the Turbosmart Kompacts and the stock BOVs. The stockers are made out of plastic and are held together by their mounting screws. The Kompact BOVs are billet with a fully sealed and self-contained design that just blows the factory blow-off valves out of the water. To get these bad boys on our truck, we headed down to Extreme Performance out in Goodyear, Arizona, to get some help from Kris, Marty, and the rest of the guys with our installation. Two things to note about our install. First, it was pretty simple, but it's much easier if you take of the front wheels (which may be necessary, if you're running big wheel and tire combos). Second, I didn't get many good images of the passenger's side BOV getting installed. There just weren't any good angles. However, we did get good shots of the driver's side and the install is exactly the same. I promise.

We found the easiest way to attack the stock blow-off valves was through our truck's wheel wells. Kris's first step for removing the factory valve was to remove the air line bundle from its bracket and disconnect the line going into the nipple on the valve. Be careful, because it's really easy to break off the nipple.

With the line disconnected, all Kris had to do was remove the screws holding the stock BOV in place.

When loosening the last screw, try to get a hand under the BOV, as it pretty much just cames apart for Kris and the less parts bouncing around your garage or engine bay, the better.

Once the last screw is off, the stock BOV just fell away.

With the stock BOV out, Kris easily dropped in the Turbosmart BOV and screwed it into place.

Once the new BOV was completely screwed on, Kris connected the air line to the BOV's fitting and placed the line bundle back on its bracket.

The process is exactly the same for the passenger's side of the truck, and then you're finished up.

The Turbosmart BOVs sound pretty cool, but you may (or may not) have to dial in their performance and sound by adjusting their firmness settings. In any case, these blow-off valves are a pretty easy upgrade for the 2011 to 2012 F150 EcoBoosts and comes highly recommended.