First 10-Second EcoBoost Explorer ST Is In Hot Pursuit Of Single Digits 

There’s an irony to seeing a former police cruiser set drag strip records. The same vehicle built to chase down speeders is now the one that has other EcoBoost SUVs in hot pursuit. For years, the stock-turbo 3.0-liter Explorer was locked up until a retired Police Interceptor Utility landed in the hands of a racer named Luke Litten and a tuner named Winfield Raglin of GooseTuned busted it out of 11-second jail. It wasn’t quarter-mile dreams that drew Litten to the retired Explorer Police Interceptor Utility; however, it was the reality of saving about 10 grand on a daily driver. 

I love competition, and the results show: from just being a work beater to being transformed into the quickest and fastest track-proven, stock-turbo 3.0-liter Explorer… — Luke Litten, Owner

“I was at an EcoBoost event racing my GooseTuned 2022 F-150 Raptor with one of my friends last summer. His Explorer ST was running in the mid-11s with a tune, intake, intercooler, and of course, some weight reduction,” Litten recalled. “I was impressed with it. Anyway, I started looking into Explorer STs for a daily/work beater to keep some of the miles off the Raptor, as I was putting 30 miles a day on it commuting to and from work. Started looking into the Police Interceptors as they were a little more budget-friendly and better suited for a true beater with the utilitarian interior.”

Bought as a bargain daily driver to save mileage on his record-setting EcoBoost Raptor, the pursuit-spec workhorse seemed harmless enough with rubber flooring, spotlight mounts, and fleet trim. However, the twin-turbo, 3.0-liter EcoBoost under its hood couldn’t care less about its stint serving the public interest. Now it pursues the dual role of commuter and drag strip dominator.

A week into ownership, the special-service Explorer ST surprised everyone. Still rough from service life and running nothing more than a conservative GooseTuned 93-octane calibration, the 130,000-mile SUV dipped into the 12s at full weight. This people hauler was simply hauling. It pushed Luke and GooseTuned’s Winfield Raglin down the path toward a record-setting run. Before long, the stripped-down fleet hauler was the first stock-turbo Explorer to run full-weight 11s on pump gas while still looking the part of a fleet-vehicle beater.

“Another push was the community. There were initially a lot of haters, and that just added fuel to the fire,” Litten explained. “I honestly wanted to stop at a 12.50 with full weight on the street. I love competition, and the results show: from just being a work beater to being transformed into the quickest and fastest track-proven, stock-turbo 3.0-liter Explorer.”

Not just burning haterade, this SUV ran 11s on 93-octane, but it now swills an ethanol blend leaning on a Nostrum Stage 3 fueling upgrade, tuning for an E85 target rather than maxing out the blend. On the other end, the exhaust wasn’t chosen for noise, as CVFab downpipes and a quiet Thermal R&D system are designed to stabilize boost control and survive repeated track heat. Even cooling was pragmatic: a simple aftermarket intercooler purchased on eBay keeps the air-charge temps in check.

“We know the 3.0-liter engine is very strong, but knowing that doesn’t mean we can be irresponsible. A lot of the failures we’ve heard of with this platform could have been avoided; so we took the analytical tuning approach we always take and went to work,” Winfield Raglin, of Goose Tuned, explained. “Owning several and tuning Ecoboosts professionally 8-10 hours a day really helps the data-gathering process. This PIU is really no different. The skill gap here boils down to EcoBoost experience.”

Even more telling was what they didn’t touch. The 10R80 transmission remained stock internally and needed no heroics to survive. Instead, the driveline around it was reinforced the way you’d armor a foundation before building a tower. Livernois rear diff bushings, Fenfab and Steeda bracing, JXB driveshaft support, and fresh OEM dampers gave the Explorer a solid foundation. 

The suspension wasn’t built to plant violently, but to hook repeatedly. At the track, Litten lowered tire pressures, bolted Mickey Thompson ET Street Rs to factory wheels, and used a GooseTuned transbrake strategy that launched at surprisingly low rpm. With less shock and more traction, the fastest passes always came from restraint.

“So often people drive these cars way too aggressively and will power through wheel hop, launch at too high of an RPM, etc.  It takes someone who is also in tune with their car to drive it successfully,” Raglin added. “…Suspension helps a lot with the ET, and before we did it, there really wasn’t much out there for the PIU system. So testing and tuning that really led to some great launches!”

That philosophy carried the PIU past expectations. By midsummer, it produced a 10.87 at 125 mph. Weeks later, it backed it up with a 10.84 at 128 mph, still on stock turbos, the untouched long-block, the original transmission, and now more than two dozen official 10-second passes in the books. Between runs, there were no magic tweaks, just cool-down time, tire checks, and subtle launch refinements. The SUV even retained the same calibration for grocery trips, commutes, and record attempts.

Winter has returned, and this people mover is back in full commuter mode, running the same calibration that rewrote the platform’s potential. Though it looks like it might be undercover waiting for a speeder, it is the ride that could outrun the competition. Now that stock-turbo history is written, the next target isn’t a secret. Somewhere ahead, this ex-police hauler is hunting its first 9-second pass.