Call me crazy but if I am going to spend $400 on an exhaust then I want to feel a little more kick in the seat of my pants when I stomp on the pedal, not just a kick in the ear. My point is most car forum members talk about the difference they feel in acceleration after the installed their cat-backs....I only hear things about just...hearing!

Many websites have dyno comparisons as to which exhaust or intake delivers the most hp....here everyone is more worried about looks and/or sound ot the different mdoels rather than which one delivers the most.

No hard feelings, but let's talk performance a little more.

 

Beef...I hear ya. And no, you're not poco loco. But, let's be very candid here. Yes, you can compare dyno claims 'til hades freezes over, but the fact remains that there isn't any exhaust system on the planet that will substantively improve the performance of a nearly three ton vehicle...same goes for intake systems (excluding 'chargers). Most buy the systems for the sound, appearance, and some perceived performance (HP, torque, and/or mpg). I don't fool myself about performance when I modify my intake/exhaust, but I suspect many do.

 

A Magnaflow Cat-Back system for instance, could net you about 10hp or so but you ain’t feeling that in the seat of your pants

 

No matter which way you look at it, exhaust will create performance, depending on how you do it. When you combine exhaust with air intake, you will be able to feel a power difference. You have more air coming in, and at the same time, your exhaust lets that air flow out. Face it, an exhaust system is one of the better things to do with your truck if you want it to "perform" better

 

Every little bit of hp helps performance. A good Intake Kit & Cat-Back Exhaust are excellent mods for performance. They are ranked 2 & 3 for “Bang For The Buck” mods. A custom tuner is the #1 “Bang For The Buck” performance mod.

An Airaid Intake Kit can get you a 20 HP gain at the rear wheels at just 3000 rpm & a Magnaflow Cat-back Exhaust System can give you gains anywhere from 11 HP at the rear wheels on the 4.6 to as much as 14.7 HP at the wheels on the new 300 HP 3-valve 5.4 motors.

 

I can't give actual HP increase numbers but I can tell you all this. I just instaled a Magnafow cat back SI/SO on my 05 Scab and I do feel an increase in driveability. Low end grunt off the line feels (at least to me) to be improved. I still have that annoying bog when the tranny shifts into second @ WOT but it does pull harder to the shift.
I would say a slight increase in performance was had, I'm happy and the exhaust note is sweet....doesn't sound like a shop vac anymore.

 

If, hypothetically of course, your cat back exhaust system did not make your truck sound better, would you have still purchased it for the performance and fuel efficiency?

It's kind of like the question of it beer didn't get you drunk would you still drink it?

 

If you’re looking for better overall performance the answer is yes. 10hp here and 20hp there add up. The only mod that’s going to give that huge “seat of the pants” feel is a custom tuner but any hp gain is a positive thing IMO.

[edit]
…and don’t you want to sound good when you’re blowing somebody’s doors off

 

So theoretically how much hp is added from an xcallibrator?

Sow much from a superchip?

 

To be honest I ordered the Magnaflow SI/DO system because of looks, not to much the sound, anything else it does extra for my performance is a +

 

I purchased mine for the fuel mileage increase(hopefuly), any performance gains and better sound are a bonus.

As a side note, if I had of been replacing for sound (ie louder) I would have gone true duals out the back.
I read on this forum many times that the SI/SO systems showed the greatest increase in fuel economy and performance.

My $0.02...YMMV

edit spelling (my !@#$% "L" key is broken)

 

I spent $400 on a Magnaflow SISO system for my 2003 F150 4.6 SCREW. What I got was a bunch of noise. I'm not going to make that mistake on my 2004. If you want noise ...just change the muffler and save yourself some $$$...maybe for a tuner.

 

Look, for your $400 you will get sound and looks. You will also get a marginal amount of extra HP. Will you feel it in the seat of your pants? Only if you have a very sensitive tushy. An exhaust is meant to be used in conjunction with other mods for better exhaust scavenging. If you expect $400 worth of HP, your not going to get it with an exhaust system alone. If you only want the sound do as said before and just replace the muffler. Save your money for other performance enhancing products. Or better yet buy the performance products first then add your exhaust system last.