DirkR
Sorry it took so long to reply(I had a paintball tournament this weekend).My truck is a '97 ext cab,stepside,4x2.I have the 12 bolt rearend,so it may be the reason for the closeness of the system.As for mileage gains I'm not sure.I installed the chip and exhaust before I fully checked my mileage in stock form.Right now I get about 14 mpg with fast starts and speeds around 70 on the highway,with some city driving.If I take off easy and drive about 65 with all highway driving I average about 20 mpg.To me it doesn't seem bad for the 5.4L and 3.55 LS gears.I'm going to add a K&N this weekend and try removing the silencer.Maybe it'll get better.

 

I am curious what series flowmaster you all are running i have a 4.2 and am looking for the right series. Flowmaster says 70 series but i dont think i want that one can i get a different one.

 

pony: Before I put my new Flowmaster muffler on, I drove around the block (several times) with no muffler, just a turn-down. It was loud, but I wouldn't say too load. (I think the four cats help quiet it down.) Depends on your preferences. But, as I posted somewhere else, Flowmaster claims their muffler makes more power than a straight pipe. And I don't want people looking at me as I drive by.

Sure it's possible to put true duals on a V6. I don't think you would gain anything over a properly sized single system, though.

leeadam: In their catalog, they say that their recommendation is the one that will be the quietest. The 70 Series is very quiet. Too quiet for me. You can run any series they make depending on how much you want to hear it. I've got the 4" 50 Series on my V6 and it sounds good, not anything close to being too loud.

Danny

 

Four Cats? Before my F150 I had a '98 Mustang GT. It was equipped with what I would call a true dual exhaust system. It had four cats, two mufflers, and an h-pipe. My F150 is a '99 ORP with a 5.4. It has a single exhaust system. I see only two catalytic converters, not four. Each is attached to a pipe that goes to the exhaust manifolds. On the other side of the two catalytic converts is a y-pipe that leads to a single muffler and single tail pipe. It seems to me that since the 5.4 displaces more than the 4.6 and makes more power, it could also benefit from a true dual exhaust system. Does anyone know of an aftermarket system that would resemble the one in the GT. I would also hope that it would come close to sounding like the GT. The 5.4 in the truck sounds comparatively weak. Most of the dual exhaust systems that I have seen for the F150 are actually single systems that maintain the restrictive y-pipe and single muffler setup, and simply send two pipes out the muffler. I am really not sure what the advantage is to that? Maybe it makes it sound better? Anyone have any info?

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...Stephen

 

There are no dual exhaust kits available for the F150. You will have to have a system made by an exhaust shop. The aftermarket companys want their products simple to install, cheep to make, and still be EPA compliant. Do some searching here. You'll find some good info.

 

How much difference does a flowmaster muffler only make. Im looking for a louder than stock sound but still mellow. Of course better performance would be a benefit. I am new to the f-150.

99 F-150 S/C 5.4 ORP

[This message has been edited by Ender11 (edited 05-04-99).]

 

Update:

I ordered the Flowmaster 17137 kit (single in dual out muffler, tailpipes to rear for the 1997 F-150) and should receive it on Friday. I ordered it from Legal Performance in Texas (888-336-8001) for $229.00. The owner's name is Will, and he is great to deal with.

I hope to install the kit this weekend. I will post with results when the installation is complete. I'm going to try to make a recording of before and after, if I can find a microphone...

Hi Ender11,

Welcome aboard. I am a fairly new member myself. The Flowmaster web page (www.flowmastermuffler.com) shows two systems for the 98-99 F-150 trucks. You have your choice of dual out rear and dual out side (after rear wheel). I am looking for the same features you are - increase performance and a somewhat louder but still mellow tone. It would have been nice to have seen and heard one of these systems installed prior to purchase. I will keep you posted.

DirkR

97 F-150 S/C 5.4 ORP

 

Hey DirkR,

Thanks for the welcome. Just got finished installing a kenwood cd head unit in the new truck. Crutchfield was awesome, only people to have the new dash kit for the 99, and they give it to you for free. I agree with you on hearing one of the new mufflers before ordering. I kinda like the single outlet look. I want to keep the truck as stock-looking as possible. Since it is awesome anyway.

Looking forward to the K&N filter arriving here in the next two days.

anyway, looking forward to hearing from you on the new muffler.

F150 S/C ORP 5.4. AMAZON GREEN

 

I will keep you posted. The kit should arrive via UPS tomorrow. A Saturday installation. I spoke with the Flowmaster tech support folks this afternoon, and they said they were working on a CD that would have samples of that "Flowmaster Sound" in different installations. I told them I thought that would be a great selling tool.

The Gibson product does sound good. You can hear a sample either here (in the product review section) or at their website (www.gibsonperformance.com). I wonder about a straight flow through muffler though. Too little back pressure?

DirkR

 

Okay, the report...

I installed the system on Saturday. Box looked like it was through a battle, but the muffler system was fine. Missing one hanger and instructions - all other parts present (I had called Flowmaster earlier in the week to have them fax instructions so I could get a head start - lucky for me).

The toughest part (this step required two hours) was removing the stock muffler. Keep in mind I am a CPA, though mechanically handy, this was my first muffler job. Because of this aspect alone, I will not do another job like this. I don't have enough of the proper tools.

Installation of the Flowmaster muffler started off well. Had to bend the hanger posts some to get them to line up with the muffler support bracket. Step one of the installation instructions state to tighten muffler securely. Done. When the tailpipes were slipped on the outlet of the muffler, the problems began. I have yet to confirm this (Flowmaster is researching), but I believe the muffler inlet or outlet was cut too short. As a result (long story short here) I had to have two extensions made to slip between the supplied muffler and tailpipes (I concluded that they were four inches short on the length). Once that was done, the kit worked nicely. I suspect this is an aberration, and most of the time, the kits mount up nicely. The local muffler shop confirmed this with me. They were very surprised to learn it did not fit correctly.

To keep my spirits up, at one point, I started the truck without the tailpipes mounted on the outlet of the muffler. A very nice rumble and DEEP tone was heard. Shake your pant legs when your standing close kind of tone. So, after having extensions made, I hooked up the rest of the system. I started the truck, and 80% of that rumble and DEEP tone went away. Turned into a little rumble and a civilized mellow, but deep tone.

Now this is important. In the cab, the increase in exhaust tone is equal to maybe 50% of the stock tone. So, I hear it more, but not much louder than stock. Outside the truck, standing at the side, a deep mellow rumble is heard - again, more noise than stock, but not much more. Here's the kicker. Behind the truck when I accelerate, that "Flowmaster" sound is heard - loud and clear. There can be no doubt that a V8 resides in this truck when you are behind it. Bottom line, for some, this is great news. For others it is not. I actually wanted a little more tone to be heard in the cab. However, I am pleased with the installation overall. The muffler shop confirmed that the muffler I installed is Flowmaster's "Mellow" toned muffler. He said, if you want to hear it, you will need a 40 series.

The installation portion took four hours. The total time for installation was six hours. Lesson - unless you have all the great tools and know what you are doing, you may want to opt to let a shop do the labor.

Conclusion: Today I christened the system with chrome tips and had the shop that made the extensions tack weld the joints for rigidity.

I will post mileage results after I get five tanks fill-ups after installation (to be compared to five before installation).

One last note: If you have the 12 bolt rear axle and 17" tires (part of off-road package), this kit is a tight fit.

Total cost:
Muffler $229
Extensions 15
Tips/Tack 40
Total $284

If you have any questions, please let me know. Also, if anyone would like to hear or see my system, I live in Escondido and work in San Diego, CA. I would be glad to meet you somewhere and let you check out the system.

DirkR
97 F-150 S/C 5.4 ORP + Flowmaster

 

I would love to get an exhaust on my truck, but I cant since I lease it. Oh well!

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1999 Ford F150 XLT ,Cloth Seats, CD Player, 4.6 Liter Triton V8, 3:55 LS, Towing Package, 4 Speed Auto, K&N Airfilter, and soon Superchip and Airaid

Fast46Triton The Freaky, fast engine from the factory!
The 4.6 is a strong runnin engine, so dont be dissin it! Oh yeah, Shovies, watch out! This aint no ordinary truck!

 

Fast46Triton:

Why can't you put an aftermarket exhaust on your truck with a lease. Do they really keep that kind of tabs on what you do to it. I would think they only care if you plan to turn it in after the lease. Most people either keep it (buy it) or at least trade it off or sell it for something else. In which case, the lesee shouldn't really care.

I guess I should have checked into this. I am leasing my truck and just put a performance exhaust on mine.

Let me know what you were told about this. Do the lesee's send out the lease police? Not being a smart elic, being serious.

 

Heh. I had a '96 Honda Civic that I leased. I turned it in this past May with a completely different engine in it, from a '94 Civic. Heh. Don't ask. (Who woulda thought the engine would stop working when it didn't have any oil in it...) It had also had $9000 worth of damage done to it in a wreck in late '96.

But they don't care.... Just so you return it in good working order... The only thing to worry about is just wasting your money on aftermarket parts that you won't be keeping...



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keith@myf150.com
http://www.myf150.com
Rocky Mount, NC

1999 F-150 XLT Styleside, Black On Black, SuperCab, Short Bed, 4x4, ORP, 4.6L Auto, 3.55LS

Mods: DrawTite Class III Hitch, Smittybilt Outland Grill Guard/Brush Guards, KC Daylighters, Custom Dual Exhaust-Straight Out The Back, Airaid FIPK, SuperChips Chip, Bug Deflector, Pace-Edwards Roll-Top Bed Cover