MichaelTJD60

I'm sure this topic has been beat to death several times before since everyone's opinions are different. But I'm looking for some assistance in upgrading the exhaust on my 2000 with the 5.4. New to this stuff so I want to pick the right exhaust setup that will be good for my truck. I like loud exhaust but not loud and cackling. I want an exhaust that sounds aggressive and has a deep rumble when I open up the throttle, but doesn't scream. I also want it to idle a little bit louder but not sound too throaty or sound like it has a lope. I do a lot of highway driving and around town driving and I like to really open up the throttle no matter where I am. In the state of NJ the only thing the inspection station checks for are your emissions, so the cats must stay on the truck, I cannot have them removed. I can't have the exhaust too loud especially around town, for obvious reasons. I also don't want an exhaust that has a lot of drone when going down the highway.

My uncle has a 2010 F-150 with the 5.4 and the full cat-back Magnaflow exhaust and I really like the sound. It has that deep aggressive rumble and sounds great when you open it up, and it doesn't scream. Also doesn't have much drone when we are going down the highway. But the idle is just a tad too quiet for me, so I'm not sure if I want to go with that setup.

My cousin has a Dodge 1500 Hemi with a Flowmaster setup and it is much louder than the Magnaflow 5.4, idles loud which I like, but really cackles when you open it up (has the cats on it obviously). Sounds good running down the highway but around town is a little too loud.

So I need some tips as to which exhaust setup would be best for my needs. I know you can change the muffler (in and out), cats, and the tubes/tips at the end of the exhaust. I think I would want dual pipes straight out the back, or one 3" pipe behind the right rear wheel. To get a deep and aggressive sound, what would I have to do? And how would I reduce drone and extra noise? Like I said this is all new to me so I'm not sure what works best. I thought about the Magnaflow high-flow cats and muffler with Flowmaster or Dynomax Race Bullet tips. But what do I know...

One more time, just so we know the parameters.

-Loud but not cackling
-Loud idle but not too throaty
-no drone
-deep and aggressive rumble
-dual rear pipes
-must keep the cats installed

270shooter

You won't get a loud idle out of these trucks no matter what unless you delete the cats. I'd recommend a magnaflow magnapack with a single 3 inch tail pipe behind the rear tire. Little drone, very deep sounding, and can be loud when you get on it. Flowmasters don't sound good on modular engines.

MichaelTJD60

What specifically does the tailpipe do to the overall sound? I was wondering if maybe just a simple Magnaflow muffler would get me what I want. Also, I see a lot of high-flow cats being run on these trucks. Since I have to keep my cats on, would the high-flow ones make a difference?

Carcrazygts2

Larger tail pipe will project the sound better.

ScrewThat

Look at Aero Turbine mufflers. The round body ones. Really low deep grumble and idles louder than stock without being raspy. I plan to run aero turbine on my truck. They built them for diesel trucks but have been used on cars with great success.

Then just have a shop install it along with your tail pipes.

Also, carcrazy is correct. I'm catless and once it isles down its still not very loud.

Wolvee

Borla and Magnaflow first then Flowmasters. Some of Cherrybombs new stuff sounds pretty good too but I haven't used them.

If your cats are still going to be used I wouldn't worry about drone too much so long as you don't hang at the top of second or third without shifting.

GOOD stainless will last forever. Cheap stainless is just a way to sell cheap stuff at a higher price and I wouldn't spend my money on it.

Here is a thread I made that has a sound lip of my exhaust. I personally wouldn't buy the Flowmasters but the previous owner did and I can't imagine replacing it until something goes wrong. It sounds pretty good but still has a stock truck kind of sound.


https://www.f150forum.com/f6/exhaust...-si-do-307542/

LariatDriver

Why don't Flowmasters sound good on these? Was just about to put some on.

Wolvee

The same people that don't think Flowmasters sound good on Modulars are also the same people who like LM1's and LM2's. They're secretly yearning for GM LS *****.. er ..I mean LS engines.


Flows sound great with the right setup but tend to drone and they use cheap stainless on the few stainless mufflers they have.

270shooter

Maggies and borlas are straight through designed mufflers that allow you exhaust to flow freely, they don't use chambers and baffles like Flowmasters do which slows down flow. Will you notice a difference on a stock truck? Probably not. My magnapack is 4x10 inch round body muffler and it's a lot deeper sounding than the 40 series flow I had on it at first. Also magnaflow and other mufflers of similar design take some time to break in, they will get a bit louder after you run them for a few thousand miles.

MichaelTJD60

Thanks for the info. I forgot to mention the thing about stainless steel. They are always heavy with salt on the roads during our New Jersey winters, so all these trucks rust out underneath as a result. My cousin's Dodge with Flowmasters has already rusted out underneath and in fact one of the two pipes completely broke off so he had to replace the muffler with a single-in, single-out. My uncle's 2010 F-150 with the Magnaflows still looks brand new with stainless and he has not had a problem. Plus they issue a lifetime warranty too. I should have mentioned that in the first place. I'm really leaning towards Magnaflows, at least for the muffler and cats, due to the stainless steel.