I just took ownership of a 2014 F150 STX with the 5.0. To say I'm impressed is an understatement, what a great truck! And for stock, the exhaust doesn't sound too bad at all...when your lean on it a bit. I'm wondering if I can make it a little better. I had a 93 F150 with the 5.0 and put on a 1-in, 2-out Flowmaster 40 and absolutely loved it. Good sound through the whole range without being obnoxiously loud. So when I got my 2005 F150 with the 4.6 I was ready to do the same thing to it...till I heard a similar truck with a Flowmaster something on it...and it sounded like a go-cart. Kept the 2005 for ten years and never did the exhaust upgrade. But now I have the 2014 5.0 and I'm thinking I'm dealing with a whole other beast. I'm looking for deep rumbly sound all the way from idle to top of the scale without being to look-at-me loud. Just something subtly authoritative.
Anybody done an exhaust upgrade with that kind of result? Is twin tailpipes out of the muffler necessary or will a single do it. Granted I do like the appearance of twin tailpipes but is it necessary? What muffler? Flowmaster, Magnaflow, Bassanni, who/what? Would appreciate the advice of folks that have been there. Thanks.

 

I have the 3" MBRP Single In Single out Cat Back Exhaust in 409 Stainless Steel with a 304 SS polished muffler on my 2013 F150 5.0. Here is a video of how it sounds. To me, it is louder than the video portrays. It really woke up the performance and improved the mpg of my tuner.

 

I have the Borla S-type and love it. It is a SI/DO muffler. Not light on the wallet at almost a grand, but the overall quality and warranty is worth it. I think this setup would check the box for "something subtly authoritative" as you mentioned. They have a louder system called "ATAK" if you'd prefer that.
System:



Sound comparisons:

 

Mueckster, thanks for the link. I had not considered MBRP but for single pipe system that sounds awesome. I'll add that to the consideration list. Does that system come with its own resonator?

 

Robbgt, I reaaallly wish you hadn't sent me that link. That S-type systems sounds bad-*ss, exactly what I want. I hate it because it costs about twice as much as I was hoping to put into it. I may have to save a little longer but I'm growing impatient. Thanks guys, y'all rock!!

 

Yes, it does. Got it on one of those Black Friday type deals. Paid ~$478 and got a $50 rebate back from MBRP. It is also offered in aluminized at a substantial savings.

 

I totally agree. I want one of these exhausts for my truck. But don't want to drop that kind of dough for one. However this is the same system as the Ford performance exhaust system (since Borla makes them for Ford) and their price is $1200 or there about on Ford parts website.

 

Haha sorry fellas, it is a bit pricy. As with most things, you get with you pay for. Some of the cheaper systems use lesser grade stainless or aluminized steal. That may be fine in southern states, but up here I need it for winter protection. I don't think you would be disappointed with the system.

This one has some more in-cab clips and was the one that convinced me to get the system. It really is "just right" in that at lower RPMs it's mellow but wakes up when you get on it. There is also zero drone at any RPM:

 

Here's mine. Worth every penny of the $90 I spent.

 

I totally agree with you Robb. However getting the wife to ok that kind of expenditure when there is nothing wrong with the stock exhaust is a whole other issue.

 

I told my wife I wanted to change out my exhaust system to gain some hp/torque and little more mpg for towing our travel trailer. I wasn't concerned with trying to make it sound more aggressive. I took advantage of a good deal (Black Friday/Rebate) on the MBRP system and ordered one without consulting her. She wasn't upset with my purchase, but sat quietly and looked kind of frustrated when she first rode in the truck after its installation. She commented on how I made my nice quiet truck "loud". I told her how much difference you could feel in the power. I also told her I was considering changing the muffler to a quieter version because the loudness was bit more than I expected, but there would be a loss of power. I let her drive it to see for herself. She quickly changed her mind and said "we can get used to it". I haven't towed with it yet, but have seen much better acceleration, pulls steep overpasses/bridges more easily, and gets an ~.5 mpg increase in combined driving.

 

What some people may not realize is exhaust gases are corrosive. My truck is all stock, but I cant see myself cutting the stainless steel exhaust off and putting a plain steel exhaust on for more noise. (I had the one truck that had a flowmaster wannabe muffler, and it fell apart, and I put a stock type muffler back on it if it had been left alone I wouldn't have had to spend the money to fix it)... and I don't believe these aftermarket exhaust help the power much at all if any. its not worth 500-1000 for 5-10 HP. This is just my opinion, and I enjoy a high performance car or truck.

 

Yup, agreed. I did lots of research on this before purchasing my system. Borla uses T-304 stainless. Ford also uses the EXACT same Borla system "rebadged" for their "Ford Racing" performance system. That's good enough for me.

I had a Flowmaster exhaust on both an old Fox mustang 5.0 and OBS f-150 with 5.0. They were both starting to rust out before selling.

Agree again, they add a negligible amount of performance gains. The restrictive piece in these trucks is the exhaust manifold, cats and y-pipe. It was WAY to much to do a full system from stainless works or another vendor. Really was just interested in the sound. For me it was worth the $900 I spent on it. To each their own.

 

I love the way my Roush exhaust sounds!!

2013 Ford F-150 FX4 5.0L

 

I was just stating my opinion for myself. I have no objection if someone wants to personalize their trucks to the way they like them to be. its their right to do what they want to do to their truck. I haven't done anything to my truck to personalize it LOL...