I just bought a 2003 f250 with a 6.0 with 127,000 miles on it. it is bone stock motor wise, has a 4 inch pro comp lift with 305 tires. I was wanting to change the stock exhaust/pipe to help my truck breath better. I dont want anything performance wise, just to help breath better, improve gas mileage and sound a little better. I heard a 4 inch pipe all the way through would improve gas mileage and allow it to breathe better. is this true? sorry if its a dumb question. this is my first diesel and im just trying to learn like i did with gas vehicles. so my question is what do you do with the exhaust or pipe to get better air flow, sound better, and get better gas mileage?

Thanks

Garrett

 

If i were you forget the exhaust for now and buy a scangauge to moniter the the condition of the motor. You need to see what the oil temps and water temps are , they should be within 15 degrees this will show you the condition of the oil cooler. Also some will say change out egr cooler but the 03's are fullpoof.

 

It's the nature of the beast with a diesel engine, the better it can preform the more efficient it is. I don't know what your mileage goals are, but the lift & tires aren't going to help you. With that said, yes...a 4" system will allow your truck to breathe better. If your not in an area where annual emissions testing is required you could use an "off road" system that deletes the cat. (The disclaimer) If you remove the cat you can't legally drive it on public roads. And no one around here breaks the law. With an '03, your not going to get a V8 rumble like your used to with a gasser. The turbo is going to sound like a turbine/jet engine at idle through an opened up exhaust. Mileage gain...I picked up about 0.5 to 0.75 on average when I opened my exhaust up slightly (a certain part fell off one day). The biggest advantage to an aftermarket exhaust is the reduced EGT (exhaust gas temperatures). If your running the truck hard or pulling heavy allot, it will help your truck.

For some reason I can't get all of the emoticons to work this morning, strange.

 

I just put the mbrp 4" turbo back off road with muffler delete, was only $249 shipped, only took me 2 hrs to install, very simple only sockets wrench and of course don't forget the sawsall cause that stock down pipe ain't coming off with out it, now I have full 747 at take off sound , but I also agree, you need to get some baselines on monitoring some things ie, coolant temp vs oil temps, ficm voltage, trans temp, and all these are possible from a cheap but robust scan gauge 2 a must have for these beasts
MBRP S6212PLM MBRP Performance Series Exhaust Systems

Search: Scan gauge | Scan Gauge | AutoZone.com


And oh congrats on the purchase

Oh btw the stock turbo down pipe is 3" the aftermarket 4" turbo back systems like the one i purchased utilize 3.5" then it goes to 4" after around the cat. Not many people use 4" turbo down pipe due to clearance issues

 

Thanks guys I appreciate it. I actually ordered my scan gauge last night and should be here next week. I can't take the cat out cause I have emissions testing which sucks. So based off all this what do ya think I should do? Just take a 4 inch from the turbo back, or 4 inch all the way? Im still trying to figure and understand all this out lol.

 

banks all the way back on mine.....sounds like a 747.....

 

GMANGH15 if you are going to leave on cat then straight pipe it no muffler, because with cat on there is no much diff in sound when you take off the muffler.

 

Since you have to keep the kitty in place, why don't you run a cat-back 4" system. If you drop the muffler, the truck won't be any louder than if you ditched the cat & keep the muffler. Might check with RiffRaff and see if he has what your looking for. All of the exhaust kits/systems he sells have free shipping.

Riffraff Diesel Performance Parts: - Exhaust Systems Complete

 

So what are the differences between the cat back and the turbo back besides where the pipe starts? Also where I live I have emissions testing so I think I gotta leave the cats in. Idk I need to double check but what's gonna be the best bang for my buck with the exhaust here?

 

That's it, the difference is where the aftermarket pipe starts. Cat back means it starts right after the kitty; turbo back means it's the complete system. I think most systems have an option to leave the kitty in if you want to open most of it up (turbo back). Just like the oil, batteries and tires...what's best for your truck is what your willing to spend on it. It's all a matter of opinion.

 

I have run a Bank's Monster exhaust on my last two Powestrokes Run them from the turbo back and they have been really good. No problems with the install.