Hello. I am a newbie to the Ford truck scene....just got an 04' F250 FX4 Superduty with a 5.4 to tow my 79' Mustang with. I was wondering what exhaust upgrades you can and can't do to these things. Here is my list of things I plan on getting...give me your honest opinions of whats good and bad about my plan!

shorty headers (wish they made long tubes) don't know if this is even worth it, as my stock manifold is leaking on the passenger side (go figure...I just fixed the driver side....now the passenger side pops!!)

the gas saver y pipe to get rid of the restrictor areas (where the tubes go from 2.5" to 1.5" diameter)

high flow cat, knock mines internals out, or a stock replacement (will I set codes if I knock it out or straight pipe it? The O2 sensors are in the y pipe by the exhaust manifolds....not in the cat...don't want engine codes or check engine light set off)

Magnaflow dual exhaust (again wish they made long tubes, and there way a way to go true duals like the Stang without setting codes...if there is a way or I can do it......LET ME KNOW!! LOL)

And other things I am planning are a cold air (don't know which brand to go with...AEM, K&N?? IDK....help me out), maybe undrive pullys,and a tuner (maybe Edge or Gryphon?...something thats gonna help the slow shifts, tire size, and give this dog of a truck some more ***!), and whatever other power ideas you guys have for me to make this thing more TRUCK like!!

I will have to check what gears are in this truck, and get back with you guys...assuming 4.10s? I could jack it up later and count the rotations I guess!! LOL

Thanks for all your help guys....it's kinda frustrating me at the moment....it will DEFINATELY haul more than my dads 2000 Chevy 1500 Silverado...WITHOUT LEVELING BARS...but his truck gets up and GOES better. I gotta smoke his damn Chevy 1500!!! LOL

 

honestly, all the stuff like removing the cats, putting dual exhaust on, headers, etc is going to do nothing more than give you a better sound. if you dont have more air coming into the engine, theres really no need for it to have more room to get out of the engine. the tuner is a good start, but youre still only looking at another 15-20 hp max. if youre wanting more "***" on your truck, theres really only about two options. and one of those involves taking the 5.4 out of it and putting something else back in lol. or putting a supercharger/turbo on it.

as far as your rear end goes.....you can count the revolutions, or you could just open your door and give us your axle code lol.

and as long as youve got a stock or mildly tuned 5.4, get used to stuff getting up and going faster than you. ive got a 2000 f250 with a 5.4, 4.10 gears and a 5 speed, a 94 f150 with a 5.0, auto and 3.55 or 3.73 gears, and a 97 f250 with a 7.3, 4.10 gears and a 5 speed. all three are bone stock and the 5.0 will smoke my 5.4 any way i want to run them. the newer 5.4's with the PI heads are supposed to run a little better, but mine is an absolute dog when it comes to anything above 3k rpm. for towing, it does pretty good as long as im on fairly level ground, but it does not like it on the hills. but thats why ive got the 7.3.

 

Sounds to me like I should just sell this dog then. I know if I dont make the intake side breathe better, the exhaust stuff is a waste....I mainly just want the mid range to be stronger than it is. And without setting off every engine code possible!! LOL So for now....give me the can dos and cannot dos of the exhaust on this truck.

I am no stranger to fast stuff. My engine builder for my Mustang is a former IHRA Pro Mod driver/ owner....and I helped my dads buddy build a 632ci Ford motor to put in a 90' Mustang (steel shell/fiberglass everything else/ tube chassis car) that runs 7.60s!! My dads tube chassis 90' Dodge Daytona runs 8.70s, and my 79' Stang runs 10s (haven't had it back out for the new ET yet!! LOL). And we build, paint, fabricate, chassis work, welding, just about EVERYTHING we can at home...except machine the blocks! Screw paying someone else when I am capable!

I am considering maybe a 351w swap in this truck!! EFI with some big torque numbers for towing and getting after it! As soon as I strike oil!!LMAO

The axle code is C1. The truck has 315/75-R16s on it....which is alot of the reason for it feeling slow, but it makes bucking snow drifts easier here in Ohio!! Yeehaa

 

some people love their 5.4 and some hate it. some say it will tow a house, others say it wont pull their jet ski. but a lot of it has to do with where you do your towing, and what you used to doing your towing with before you got your 5.4. when im on flat land or small hills, i wouldnt think twice about hooking 10-12k lbs up to it. its not going to be a speed demon, but itll pull it easily. but ive been on hills where mine has struggled with 3500lbs. hills that my 7.3 will pull 12k lbs in 5th gear without batting an eye.

if youre just concerned with getting from point A to point B and having a reliable engine that will tow a decent amount of weight, then the 5.4 is great. but for what you are saying you want it for, a supercharger or a different engine is about the only thing i would recommend. there just really isnt an aftermarket for them like there is the 5.0.

i do quite a bit of drag racing myself. ive got a 90 with a mildly built 351w(runs mid 11's) and im working on a 91 that im putting a 351w stroked to a 427 in. itll probably be a year or two before i finish it though. im hoping to get it in the mid 9's when im done. they are both full bodied/interior cars, but i drive them on the street some and the wife needs a place to sit lol.

 

Just put one seat in the car...that way she has to ride on your lap!! LOL Yeah I just need it to tow my little 2700??lb car...it weighed 2880lbs. before....I took ALOT of weight out....but I will just pray for 2780lbs. that way my hopes aren't too high!!

So basically I have a leaky exhaust manifold on the PS that I will fix (pray it goes easy like the DS did), and add the y pipe that I seen on ebay to get rid of the restrictors, knock the internals out of the cat or add a high flow Magnaflow one (I am not pay 800-1500 for a factory one!! I just pray it doesnt set codes and the check engine light), and a catback Magnaflow. AEM coldair...as I heard horror stories about K&Ns ruining MAF sensors due to the filter oil you use on them...plus they allow to much grit to enter?? IDK...opinions on that subject appreciated. And an Edge or Gryphon tuner to aid in the tire swap and slow shifts of this thing. What do you think??

 

Hey I till you what I just bought me a 05 f150 with the 5.4 in it and was overwhelmed about all the different exhausts out there. After looking for about a month I went with the Banks Monster exhaust (single side exit) and its kick ***. Right at 2,000 RPMs it just has the deepest tone that I have heard for those engines. Its not load and annoying like those more aggressive exhausts out there or like just giving up and putting a straight pipe. Banks is the way to go for me. They wanted to charge me like 500 bucks plus another 80 for shipping but after about 2 minutes on the phone with the sales rep he got it down to 450 including shipping, just tell them that you can find it online fro that price. Also this is straight from banks so its got warranty and it sounds great I highly recommend it.

 

Will an 03 cold air fit on an 04'...for some reason its hard to find 04' F250 Superduty 5.4 stuff!! Does Banks make an exhaust for my truck? I was just gonna have a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust made for my truck at my local muffler shop...in stainless (if not hurrendous in price, with a Magnaflow muffler).

 

I just checked in their website, and they don't make one for an f250. But you can just buy the muffler and then get the rest of the piping made at a shop I guess. Its kind of a hassle but I think it just sounds great and forth it. As far as the intake I don't know.