Custom Ford F-150 Exhaust System Provides Perfect Sound
When one F-150 Online member wasn’t satisfied with his exhaust sound, he tinkered with it until he was.
Aftermarket exhaust systems for the Ford F-150 are plentiful. They’re also one of the most popular modifications truck owners perform on their beloved rides. But sound is subjective, and every system offers up its own unique set of acoustics. For F-150 Online forum member tbear853, none of them was quite what he was looking for. Thus, the solution to this problem was rather simple – he went out and made his own using a variety of parts.
“I bought my 2007 F-150 in August 2009. It already had a few minor mods, including a near new shop bent catback exhaust someone did using aluminum tubing. It was a mix of OEM 2.5″ and 2.25″ in front, and 2.25″ for both rears. Muffler was a Flowmaster, maybe 14″ long. While I did like the tone, I did not like the loudness or drone. So a couple days later, I was at my muffler guy’s shop. He priced out a new muffler and then told me a cheaper solution was to add a glass pack ahead of the FM. I added a 28″ long 2.5″ core Cherry Bomb that night and it was OK. Recently, I started hearing a noise. That’s when I found a hole in the muffler.”
So much for saving some money. Thus, the OP decided to simply ditch his entire new setup in favor of a Legato Performance stainless steel catback system. He soon cut out the old exhaust and began laying out the new pieces. The new system was pretty cheap as well, so the OP had to take his time installing it. He was worried about the shorter muffler potentially making more noise than the old one. But thankfully, that didn’t turn out to be a problem.
“It was a pleasant surprise when I started the truck the first time. We took it to supper last night, at highway speed it seems a little quieter than the FM alone. The only a bit of drone occurs at about 1,700-1,800 rpm in 2nd or 3rd gear. Shift up or down, and it goes away. Get it to 1,900 and it’s better. I can even just let off and it goes away.”
Eventually, however, this quirk wore on the OP. So he went ahead and made some changes.
“I decided yesterday to add a Dynomax 25″ long 3″ ID glass pack ahead of the muffler like I did with the old system. After pricing out the 24242 Red Cherry Bomb and the same muffler in stainless steel at work today, I went with the 24241. That will keep my whole system S/S. All added up, the system as installed with the additional stainless steel glass pack will still be under $500 for the whole system.”
Since then, the OP has made a few additional tweaks to get his exhaust sound exactly where he wants it. Thus, if you’re thinking about changing up the sound of your F-150, this thread is well worth the read. So be sure and head over here to check out all the details on this fascinating build!
Photos: Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
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