The AP will really wake the car up when you get a good tune on it. But on the contrary, our cars weak point is the intercooler. Swapping that out won't make any power changes without a tune, but it will be beneficial. I know "both" isn't exactly the answer you're looking for, but, I'd get both.

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Get the AP 1st. They pop up used all the time. You'll spend 350 to 400 on one and it's the best bang for your buck. Then save up for the intercooler.

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Get the Depo and the SCT X4... with a custom tune you will be a little over 600...

 

Just get the Mountune b1 kit, it should be around ~$800 soon with the 10% holiday discount come 4th of July

https://www.mountuneusa.com/mountune-Focus-ST-B1-Package-p/ap3-for-001b1.htm

 

Thank you so much. I appreciate the help. I'll try to track down a used AP and then I'll keep my eye on that mountune kit for the 4th.

 

My opinion- You can buy a new AP3 off a tuner and get a much better tune (tune is free if you buy the AP usually) for $500 and get the Depo for $350 when it's in stock and it's a much larger intercooler that would result in lower temps and maintain lower temps. OR, get a used AP3 for like 350-400 and a flash tune for $50 and it's cheaper or the same price as the Mountune kit with a better intercooler. The filter can be had for $40-50 shipped. There are also used Intercoolers. I wouldn't go the Mountune kit and settle.

you do not need an intercooler piping kit. stock is adequate.

Correct. Unless you go big turbo you don't need upgraded charge pipes.

 

you do not need an intercooler piping kit. stock is adequate.

 

The AP is going to be one of the best investments you make for the car.
If you pick one up from a tuner like @brian60 said they'll include their tuning service with it which is great.
Go with a lifetime tune for sure since you're mostly stock? This way your car will perform the best it can with the upgrades it has and you can revise your tune as you continue to modify.

The Depo intercooler is a good intercooler for sure, it will handle the power you're looking to put down unless you're going to break the 500+ HP range then you might want to look for something beefier like their 5.5" but even then it might be overkill.
As for the charge pipes your factory pipes are fine even into the big turbo range. The only benefit you'll get is you can put the hard pipes on and locate a universal BOV onto the cold side (factory cold pipe is rubber, hot pipe is steel)

As for what @TS13FST stated with the mountune kit, I would be leary of that kit if you decide you want to go more of a custom kit. The mountune upgrade bundle is great but then you're stuck. The kit they sell doesn't allow you to have the AP flashed after the initial kit.
If you end up going big turbo you'll have to get another AP as it can't be modified once used or unmarried and sold later as Mountune has some other system they use even though it looks like a generic AP.

Best of luck! a lot of great info in these forums. Enjoy the car!

 

As for what @TS13FST stated with the mountune kit, I would be leary of that kit if you decide you want to go more of a custom kit. The mountune upgrade bundle is great but then you're stuck. The kit they sell doesn't allow you to have the AP flashed after the initial kit.
If you end up going big turbo you'll have to get another AP as it can't be modified once used or unmarried and sold later as Mountune has some other system they use even though it looks like a generic AP.

This statement is not correct. The Mountune MTune handset is a custom firmware handset that does not work like a standard AP. It comes with the MP275 and MR300 kits. I believe it can also be purchased separately. Mountune also offers a Cobb AP with custom tuning which is what comes with the B1 kit that has been mentioned in this thread. I purchased my AP from Mountune and ran custom tuning from Randy when I was running Stage 1. I am currently Stage 3 using Stratified tuning and the same Cobb AP.

 

Core thickness will impact pressure drop as well. Steeda/CPE is 3.5". Mountune is 2.0".

Ultimately buy the parts that fit what you want for the money you want to spend. I and others are perfectly happy "settling" for Mountune parts. Not trying to play fanboy here (though I do like their parts). I also do not want to mislead a forum member. Pick the parts that fit your needs. Blanket statements that one part is better than another are typically not great statements unless they are well qualified or a part is obviously inferior. "Steeda/CPE cores are better at cooling charge air temps than the Mountune unit" is a fair statement. "Steeda/CPE are better than the Mountune unit" is not a completely factual statement. They are better in some aspects. Just depends on your goals.

Steeda/CPE/Depo can typically be had cheaper than Mountune and are perfectly good upgrades for a vast majority of people upgrading their intercoolers.

 

Core thickness will impact pressure drop as well. Steeda/CPE is 3.5". Mountune is 2.0".

Ultimately buy the parts that fit what you want for the money you want to spend. I and others are perfectly happy "settling" for Mountune parts. Not trying to play fanboy here (though I do like their parts). I also do not want to mislead a forum member. Pick the parts that fit your needs. Blanket statements that one part is better than another are typically not great statements unless they are well qualified or a part is obviously inferior. "Steeda/CPE cores are better at cooling charge air temps than the Mountune unit" is a fair statement. "Steeda/CPE are better than the Mountune unit" is not a completely factual statement. They are better in some aspects. Just depends on your goals.

Correct, however there have been tests showing there is no worrisome pressure drop in any of the 3.5" units. There is a little bit of some with the 5.5" units though which I would certainly understand since it's a mammoth.

I also stated I was giving my own personal opinion very clearly before making any statement at all, so it should be taken as such by the OP should he choose to acknowledge it. Differences in opinion, but my opinion is that he will be better equipped for his money with the options I suggested and the goals he probably has in mind (assuming he has similar goals to the majority of us who don't track or worry about the technical where the Mountune option may have a slight edge. No hate to anyone else including yourself

 

I appreciate all the info. It's nice when people actually help instead of just being know it alls. I ordered the mountune kit with the bar and plate intercooler. I dont plan on dragging or autocrossing the car for several years. Right now it's my daily driver and I wanted something to protect the engine for the times I drive 'spirited'. I read on the kit that they will provide free tune adjustments for the first 30 days and then after that I have to pay, so I dont think I'm stuck for good with the tunes, but I could be wrong. The mountune customer service was fast and informative for the questions I asked them so that's helpful. I'll post pics of the kit once I get it installed. Thanks again everyone

 

I read on the kit that they will provide free tune adjustments for the first 30 days and then after that I have to pay, so I dont think I'm stuck for good with the tunes, but I could be wrong. The mountune customer service was fast and informative for the questions I asked them so that's helpful. I'll post pics of the kit once I get it installed. Thanks again everyone

You will not be stuck using their tunes. You will probably be happy with the product. Their part quality is excellent and Randy's tunes are solid. Overall Mountune customer service is great with a few caveats.

1. When parts are backordered expect to wait... No idea why they backorder so often, but they could probably do better business if they did not run out of stock so often. I am currently waiting on a part that has been backordered for over 2 months now. Not a big deal, because I expected it just something to be aware of.

2. Your 30 day tune window will be 30 days. Make sure you start tuning when things arrive and that you have your tune the way you want it within 30 days. After that, you will have to buy tuning to get them to work with you again. Randy was easy to work with when I was using his tunes. I switched to Stratified to try something different than what I had when I went stage 3. Figured I could go back to Randy if I did not like the Strat tune, but I have been happy with it.

3. Sometimes their instructions are really good. Sometimes they are not. Their intercooler instructions are not. However, if you use the PDF (available here: https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/instructionsheets/FordInstSht2363-IC-AA.pdf) and take your time you should be able to figure it out. The printed versions they send are much harder to use than the PDF due to print quality of their instructions.