2002 F150 Screw
Superchips 1715 Programmer
AF1 CAI

I have had a long debate with myself about my next performance upgrade; Magnaflow 15609 Cat Back Exhaust or electric fans.
Presently, the debate is swinging towards the efan. I have torque and HP waiting to be released with this upgrade, as well as improvment in overall efficiency by lowering "drag" on the driveline. The exhaust would be great, "everyone is doing it", and I would like to have a sound better than stock, but the cat back system is fairly big $. It seems for the money, and practically speaking, I am ahead with the fans.

Regarding the cat back, what will I gain with the exhaust pipe vs. a magnaflow muffler + tailpipe on my stock pipe. Troyer site claims the 15609 has enough flow to handle some 600+ horsepower. I don't have that and never will, so can I do a lesser system, free up only the flow I need at ~300hp for less? What system is this specifically that won't have adverse impact on my low RPM torque numbers? Please be certain with these recommendations!

Speaking of Troyer, I am sold on his fan kit. I have searched and searched, and get the best "peace of mind" with his kit as being complete and specific for connections on my truck. I have found other options at various direct manufacturer sites, but they seem generic. I don't have much confidence in my ability to make my own modifications for mounting, electrical connections, etc.

So, I have laid out my debate, posed some questions/comments along the way. If anyone would like to add their $.02, sure would like to hear it.

 

I hear the fans have a tendancy to burn out. theres a lot of info in this site about them.

I would do the exhaust - magnaflows dont lose power anywhere that i'm aware of. Plus they sound great. That old exhaust pipe is ugly and the truck is too quiet.

fans wont do much for sound or look, and the difference in gain you pick up with either wont be noticable.

go with the ehaust you'll love the sound and feel better about it

 

Here are my thoughts on the subject

The E fans will increase your gas mileage, make your A/C kick out cooler air and will give you more power from idle to redline. The performance difference with an exhaust you probably would not feel, the difference E Fans make will be something you will notice.

Sadly Shortbox is right about the controllers for the Troyer kits. Many here have had problems with them and it seems the manufacturer is working on a "fix" but as of yet the problem still exist.

I badly want E Fans but I want it to be a bolt up affair and I have to have faith that everything will work with the temps here in Tx getting out of control. To me the E fans just offer more benefits with saving on gas, bumping power and letting the A/C blow colder air. Last e Fans can pump more air than the manual fan meaning in harsh conditions the motor can stay cooler longer

 

I believe the fans will give you the best gains as well. Expect a slight mpg increase(maybe 1-2 mpg) and possibly a small increase in felt response. However putting together a reliable system seems challenging. The fan system in question is made by Derale. Troyer sells this system as does several other performance stores. I'm not sure if Troyer modifies the system at all from what Derale supplies. I had the kit and imo the fans are great and the relatively new mounting brackets were solid and low profile. However I found the Derale controls were not good. Check into a SPAL controller. If I do fans again the Derale fans and SPAL controllers would likely be what I'd do (assuming it all works together).