Headers....Yes or No?
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Headers....Yes or No?
Hey,
I have a 2001 Ford SuperCrew w/ a 5.4 and I was wondering what kind of trouble I will find if I add a set of headers to my truck. I currently have custom duals from the cats back, K & N intake, underdrive pulleys and a 75Mmm throttle body installed. I am concerned about check engine lights and trouble codes, but I saw some bypasses available for Mustangs, just not F-150's. Any help will be greatly appreciated!!
BigBlackSuperCrw
I have a 2001 Ford SuperCrew w/ a 5.4 and I was wondering what kind of trouble I will find if I add a set of headers to my truck. I currently have custom duals from the cats back, K & N intake, underdrive pulleys and a 75Mmm throttle body installed. I am concerned about check engine lights and trouble codes, but I saw some bypasses available for Mustangs, just not F-150's. Any help will be greatly appreciated!!
BigBlackSuperCrw
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From: Louisville,Ky.
Not much benefit if you leave the stock cats on it. To gain any power, you would need to put true duals with 1 high-flow cat per side. You will probably lose some low end torque, but gain HP further up the RPM range.
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: South Dakota
Sorry Lxman, I have to disagree, the headers that I put on were by far the best mod, hands down.
I talked to a well respected dyno shop in my area, and the very first thing they asked was if I had headers on my truck. They stated that they've not seen any measurable difference between going with headers and true duals, vs headers and the stock cat system.
The restriction is in the stock headers, and it is pretty good at that, basically looks like a 2x4 bolted to the motor. I got a pretty good side by side in my gallery.
The stock cats are very well flowing, and it's not necessary IMO, to remove them.
You won't have any problems with codes or anything, if you haven't already with your current set up.
Check out my gallery for some pics!
http://www.fordtrucks.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=295254
http://www.fordtrucks.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=295836
I wouldn't trade my headers anything.....well maybe a GT.
I talked to a well respected dyno shop in my area, and the very first thing they asked was if I had headers on my truck. They stated that they've not seen any measurable difference between going with headers and true duals, vs headers and the stock cat system.
The restriction is in the stock headers, and it is pretty good at that, basically looks like a 2x4 bolted to the motor. I got a pretty good side by side in my gallery.
The stock cats are very well flowing, and it's not necessary IMO, to remove them.
You won't have any problems with codes or anything, if you haven't already with your current set up.
Check out my gallery for some pics!
http://www.fordtrucks.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=295254
http://www.fordtrucks.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=295836
I wouldn't trade my headers anything.....well maybe a GT.
Last edited by superrangerman2002; Nov 19, 2004 at 04:49 PM.
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From: South Dakota
Originally Posted by CPerry
Did you notice any loss of low end power/torque with the shorty headers?
Where they really shine is going down the open road, the truck rarely down shifts, or kicks out the torque converter on steep hills (we have some pretty good hills here in the Black Hills/Badlands area), even with a full cabin and a 4 wheeler. And that was before I got my predator.
Now that I finally go my predator fine tuned for 93 octane, and with the mods I have, the truck is just friggin awesome.
I have to start being careful, as it's pretty hard not to stomp the pedal every light!
I should note that I did take me quite a while to get the headers on myself (6-7 hrs non-stop), but nothing the average Joe couldn't do over a weekend.
Last edited by superrangerman2002; Nov 19, 2004 at 10:11 PM.
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From: South Dakota
Originally Posted by LxMan1
I stand corrected. What kind of gains did it show on the dyno from just the header installation? In most cases, freeing up backpressure reduces low end torque.
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Thanks for the info guys!
The exhaust shop guys here locally said I would be best off by removing the cats all together and running straight duals back. This is where they said I may run into CEL's due to the lack of a place to put the sensors. Any truth to this? I found a couple good deals on PaceSetter and FlowTech headers, are they worth the discount, or should I spend the money on Gibson's?
Thanks
The exhaust shop guys here locally said I would be best off by removing the cats all together and running straight duals back. This is where they said I may run into CEL's due to the lack of a place to put the sensors. Any truth to this? I found a couple good deals on PaceSetter and FlowTech headers, are they worth the discount, or should I spend the money on Gibson's?
Thanks
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Isanti, MN
Personally, I think it's a really bad idea to pull the cats completely. There's a reason for all of the emissions laws, and there's a reason the manufacturers spend the money to put them in. I doubt you'll have much of a performance increase, and your truck will not pass an emissions test.
IMO you should leave the cats alone.
IMO you should leave the cats alone.
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: South Dakota
I agree, removing the cats is a bad idea.
I like the gibson's I put on, and I managed to get a really sweet deal on them over ebay. From what I was told, the Pacesetters tend to rust out, which is why I went for some SS Gibson's, and by dumb luck I recieved some SS Ceramic coated Gibsons for $320.
Shoot me an email, and I'll give you the Ebay seller's ID if you are interested.
I like the gibson's I put on, and I managed to get a really sweet deal on them over ebay. From what I was told, the Pacesetters tend to rust out, which is why I went for some SS Gibson's, and by dumb luck I recieved some SS Ceramic coated Gibsons for $320.
Shoot me an email, and I'll give you the Ebay seller's ID if you are interested.
Last edited by superrangerman2002; Nov 20, 2004 at 02:23 PM.
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From: South Dakota
Originally Posted by CPerry
Hey super, how much louder did the sound get after the headers? Does it sound a lot better?
