rite now i have just a flowmaster 40 series cat back si/do dumped, i was looking into haveing it plumed out to right behind the rear tire on either side but i dont kno how it would sound. how much quieter will it be? will it rumble more or less?

also i believe i have a leak in my manifold as its the only part of the system rusted and i cant put my hand near it while running purely because i cant reach, i was gunna buy headers to replace them but wasnt sure if it was a good idea, will i gain or loose power and how will it affect the tone?

and i wanted to delete my rear cats, but i obviously dont want to loose power or mpg's, and again im worried about the sound, louder is good but not if it is just obnoxios

by the way its an 01 5.4, and i tried the search but couldent find what i was looking for

 

Exiting before tire will give it a tiny bit more rumble, and guide the tone towards the right side of the truck.

Shorty headers will change the tone a little bit, will not have any performance gains/losses. Longtrube headers will increase sound majorly, and performance gains will follow, 30hp & 35lbs or torque more.

My economy has increased .2mpg by cutting my rear cats out, and I have not lost any noticeable power, infact, my WOT punch seems to pull a little harder and faster than it did with all factory 4. If you dont want to cut your rears ( You would have to get MILs to elliminate the CEL on your 01 anyways ) you could invest in Magnaflow hi-flow cats, part #94006 or #94306 will work perfect. The loudest Magnaflow hi-flow cat you could run is the #94106.

 

i actualy wanted it to exit just like yours, your truck is were i got the idea

 

one more thing will deleting my rear cat make me fail inspection in n.y., even with the cel off

 

If they visually check for it, and if they plug a sniffer in your tailpipe to see if it gives too much carbon and smell out. My truck smells a little bit on cold starts, and I believe side swept out the back tips are the very best for trucks, especially the real working 4x4 trucks