Ive been looking into getting a true duals setup on my 02 f150 4x4, and it seems like the major hiccup in the idea is the placement of the gas tank. Most places want to use a one in/two out muffler or a kit from flowmaster than custom bend a system and use two mufflers, bc the driver-side pipe would need 4 extra bends in it (if both sides come out the back)

Is there any real advantage to going with a true dual setup, or should I just go with a kit I can pick up from summit racing? The short term purpose is for the sound (Ive got a 5.4, Id like to hear it too) but Id also like to make a little bit of extra power to offset the 33" BFGs Im going to put on it when the stock goodyears wear out.

 

your not going to notice a huge difference in power with exhaust only.....to offset the tires you'll need gears to compensate the difference in gear that you lost from the tires.....a good rule of thumb is for every inch up in tires size add a tenth to your gear to keep stock....

good luck

 

Try replacing the muffler with a stright pipe first. It's cheap and do it yourself. With all the catalytic converts on it, it's not at all loud, nice mellow sound.

 

I had a cat back dual exhaust system made for my truck with no mufflers, and had some chrome tips put on and it sounds great. Cost about $200 at a local muffler shop.

 

is that legal.....to have no mufflers on and just the cats....cause if it is i'm doing that and putting 2 high flow cats on my truck.....i live in PA...anyone have any ideas

 

I put true dual's on my 03 FX4 with the 5.4 in it. I cut off my Y-pipe and made a 90 deg. angle on it and welded it on the spot, so I got 2 pipe on the pass. side leading to the back. I didn't put on no mufflers either, with the 4 stock cat. Its sounds great. Expessly in the cold about 5 degress out and start it up it rapps load and sound grrrrrret. It cost about $200 for the bent pipe. Gas mph drop, but thats because it got a cold air intake, true dual exhuast, brush gaurd, and 285/70/17 bf goodrich A/T tires. so I get about 14 MPG.

 

i have true duals on my 99 with no cats and 12" glasspacks angled at 45s with 3 1/2" tips and the truck sounds amazing, loud and great tone, no cackle, the set-up is illegal, but unless u live in the polluted southwest most police shouldnt give you to much hell about it, if u go with the no cats, make sure they weld the O2 sensors into the new pipe, true duals is the definite way to go!!!

 

Spending the money and time for true duals, IMO, isn't worth it. Y-pipe setups are the most common, and they work just as well, and only a very well trained ear can hear the difference.

 

Only bad thing about y pipes, is ya cant brag that you have true duals! All in all a y pipe exhause is still single exhaust. If you read any performance car or truck magazine, they do try and sell you on alot of y pipe kits and stuff, but then when you go and read the articles about the vehicles in them, most have true duals!

 

If you really want true duals, do headers and high flow cats and route the pipes out side the frame ralls (just behind the front wheels) and out just in front of the rear wheels. Thats about the only way to have even pressure (which is what headers are suppose to do) on both sides. But if you do this don't forget to add heat shelds above those pipes.

 

I think what I may do is get a pipe kit from summit for $90 and a SI/DO Deltaflow 40 muffler for about $90, and let a shop install it all for another $50. That way, itll stay legal, itll sound good, itll have mandrel bends in it, so it ought to flow good, and icing on the cake, itll be dirt cheap. I could be on the road again for less than $250, and the 5.4 should sound like what it is.

 

250 bucks does sound nice and cheap!

 

Im still wondering about the prefabbed american thunder or force II setups from flowmaster. Anybody have good/bad experience with either of them?