I need soem opinions. I'm sick of 10 mpgs for my 1990 f250 w/ 5.8 e4od. I'm trying to decide which would help more, Ford shorty racing headers for $305, Gibson headers for $360, an Edlebrock cat back system for $264, or a K&N FIPK for $213. The added power and torque from any of these will be nice, but my main concern is gas mileage. Any suggestions appreiciated.

 

It wasn't a listed option but a bigger fuel mileage gain can be found with careful tire selection than any of the items you mentioned.

Within your list; headers AND the cat back. . . .though, personally, my choice would be a GIBSON cat back if I couldn't/didn't want to make my own.

FWIW, HTH, and all that applicable alphabet soup.

 

The various websitesI went to didn't list Gibson cat bakcs for my truck in a dual exhaust. Thats what I have now, so i figured I shoudl stay with that. About the tires, I'm running 235/85/16 with a 3.55 rear diff. Any suggestions on different sizes?
Thanx.
BTW, what does FWIW and HTH mean?

 

First, 10 sounds low. I get 13 with my 1996 5.8. When was the last time you did a tune up? Do you have your check engine light on? What gearing do you have? Do you tow? Whats youre driving style?
Whats youre budget? As for the performance upgrades, when choosing a header, you really should look for an 'equal length' shorty header. I love my Bassani ceramic coated, equal lengths. You should investigate Gibson, JBA, or Bassani for headers (www.proficientperformance.com should give you a good choice). A catback is also a good choice. I have never heard an edelbrock system, so I cant comment. I have run Flowmaster, dynomax, gibson, and bassani. They are all good choices, but depend on youre preferred tonal range. DO NOT waste your money on an FIPK. http://performanceunlimited.com/projectmpg/ Four Wheeler magazine did a test on a vehicle, and the FIPK was part of the test. The stock air box, with a drop in K&N filter, and special tape made more power consistently than the FIPK. One last thing, depending on your budget, it doesnt make too much sense to get high flow headers and a high flow catback, without freeing up the bottleneck point being the stock Y pipe. http://proficientperformance.com/Mer...&Store_Code=PP Bassani makes a high flow Y pipe for the F150 (should fit the F250 too AFAIK) with 3" tubing, and a 3" in/out high flow cat. Thats it for now.


Rich

 

I bought the truck in April, and am gonna tune it up soon. What else do I need after plugs, wires, dist. cap and rotor, oiil change? Check engine light is not on, have 3.55 non LS, trying not to be aggresive driver these days, tow 3000 lbs maybe once a week. My budget is limitedd, but will spend a few bucks to get quality. I don't whant to sound like a crotch rocket, but don't rreally have a preference for tonal range, although I think I'd like a deeper sound. Want to keep butget low, but if getting new headers and cat back would be almost pointless without a high flow Y pope, I'd dump some extra cash in for that.

 

Thats basically all you need for the tuneup. You also might want to consider flushing your tranny, unless it had been done recently. The E4OD has to be flushed regularly. Yes, you definatley do not want to skimp on exhaust components, you'll just kick yourself in the end. The brands I listed before for headers are all great quality. Is interior resonance an issue for you? That will also help determine what kind of muffler you choose. Gibson has the quietest interior in the market, yet make the same power as the others. Im sure youve heard flowmasters before (everyone and their uncle has run one). Dynomax and magnaflow are both good too. Headers and catback without the Y isnt necessarily pointless. Better flow at either end is still going to be an improvement over stock. With the addition of the high flow Y, you will just unleash the true potential of the combination (figure if you hold a Heinz ketchup bottle upside down, they dont flow well at all. Much like the stock Y.)


Rich

 

All those tune up items I can buy and install, but should I get a timing light and check that too. I just flushed the e4od, so thats taken care off. I'd rather not get too much more noise inside the cab, so I'm goona check out Gibsons. I'm also gonna give some serious thought to the high flow Y. Thanx for the advice

 

I guess you could check the timing. I have never had to (its easier for me to have my local garage check it every once and a while). Id give bassani a call and ask them if it will fit the F250. I dont see any reason it wouldnt, unless the heavier 250 has some added crossmembers or something. It should be essentially the same exact truck as the half ton. I ran a Gibson catback on an 01 F150 and was very pleased with it. It was quiet in the cab, but gave off a low rumble at the tail pipe. Some say its too quiet, I liked it.


Rich

 

Well, it sounds like you are getting good advise on the tires and stuff. Cool - huh? I love this place.

HTH = I Hope That Helps

FWIW = For What It's Worth


Sincerely,
Captain Fuzzy

 

yeah, this is a great forum to help fix my rig up, plus i'm learning alot

 

thanx for the help wheelMA1

 

No problem. I have learned most of my knowledge from FTE. I am glad that I can help.


Rich

 

so should I get a cat back system or new headers first?

 

Go with the cat back first your truck will run and sound better, then go with the headers. Thats what I did and it worked very well. I didn't have anything done to the stock y pipe and can tell you that the Ford racing shorties and Magnaflow exhaust helped alot.

I'm not an expert but there probably wouldn't be much if any gains by doing the headers first , the stock exhaust would choke down the additional exhaust flow from the headers.




Keep on truckin' ...Mike

 

Well, you arent going to notice a huge change with only the catback. But, if you were to go the header route, and for-go the catback for now, you wont flow as well on your back end to meet with the new flow provided by the headers. Thats the problem with exhaust components, they are cumulative. If you are looking for a definitive answer, I would say go with the catback first. You also might want to look into some sort of coating (Jet-hot, thermal barrier, ceramic...all basically the same) for the headers. They lower underhood temps. For each five degrees colder under the hood, they say you can make an additional horse power. If you are really serious about upgrading something like this, you might consider swapping whatever components out that you want at once. I know that when I bought the complete Bassani Street thunder system for my bronco (ceramic headers, Y, catback), I got a discount on the whole purchase. Its still early, I am just drinking my coffee now. If I forgot something, Ill repost in an hour or so .


Rich