I purchased a 2002 FX4 F-150 with the 5.4 last year and really didn't have the chance to tow anything with it, as all my toys were already tucked away for the winter. The guy who had the truck before me had dual pipes running out the back end of it which I thought was sweet looking. He removed the stock muffler, and welded in a "Y" pipe and ran dual pipes out the back. The "rumble" from it was mellow and nice. However, I have begun to think more and more about it. How does this setup affect my towing capabilities? Would it be better to weld in a muffler? (magnaflow, flowmaster..etc) I like the sound, but I don't want to give up my towing power!

The only other aftermarket thing I have done to it is a K & N Drop in. No real plans to do anything else at this time.

Thanks in advance!

Steve

 

no drawbacks here and thats exactly what i did on my 98 4.6. I have stragiht pipes and K*N drop in filter. I swear i picked up some low end power, i can feel it when i hook on something to pull.
Has a nice rumble dont it? Sounds like a big block when youve got a couple thousand pounds pulling up a hill at low speed. GROOOWWLLLL

 

I have to take the opposite side with you here. I have straight pipes and I have always liked the sound. But, I can tell a big difference when I hook to a trailer. I can also tell a difference when the bed is loaded. Before the straight pipes I could break my tires loose pretty easily. Now, I don't even try anymore. SO, for me, the pipes made a big difference in my low-end.

For towing and hauling, I recommend a muffler.
Rich

 

hikerrich--do you have true duals? if you do,then you might have lost some low end torque.
I swear mine pulls harder with the straight pipes/filter.

 

Green,

No, I have the y-pipe and the split from there. I have 2 1/4" duals with 3 1/2" tips around 24" long. My bottom end is gone. I'm going back to a single with a muffler before long. I've run straight pipes for years and never really noticed a big loss; however, I do pull more often and seem to load this truck up more often.

Rich

 

Thanks for the reply guys!

I would venture to guess in the lower RPM's my power would be down a bit due to lack of back pressure. I suppose what I will have to do is monitor my fuel mileage both when it is towing and when it isn't and also try and see if there is a difference between towing.