ok, so my question is, do i need to put in an x pipe if i'm gonna run true duals?

 

you need either an x pipe or an h pipe if you are going to run true dual exhaust

 

you dont need one. but theyre good to have

 

You do want one with true duals, if not your exaust will sputter when climbing down RPM's due miss use with pressure decrease. The X pipe will keep equal pressure between both pipes which you want and will sound awsome!

 

u dont have to have one it will pop more when u let off the gas without it but an x pipe makes it sound real smooth. just dont use chambered mufflers with an x pipe. i got a magnaflow x pipe for sale if ur interested

 

I got a 97 F-150 5.4L, headers, magnaflow cats, cherry bomb strait mufflers. Built the TRUE dual system myself with 2.5" pipes front to back and NO X or H. It sounded AWSOME, snapped. crackled and turned heads (expecially towing!)
Was told I "NEEDED" a crossover pipe to bring my torque back (suposably it will drop with a TRUE dual system without a crossover). so I installed a cross pipe behind the cats, but now it sounds POOR, no snap, no crackle, sounds like any old generic cat back system. but I think it holds better in OD now. Almost would rather have the sound over, what ....maybe 2 or 3 ft/lb of torque.
If your gonna do the crossover do it rite off the bat....so you don't notice the downgrade in sound quality later on. You can't miss what you never had!

 

what kind of crossover did you get? i would think it would sound better with one.

 

Would definitely have more low end energy with an X pipe than no crossover.

 

Take you damn muffler off then if you think it sounds too weak! lol the cat and x pipe without a muffler sounds alot better than any snap crackle pop. Personally it makes your truck sound like crap if its popping and mumbling when you down shift, my truck is loud as hell but is a true solid muscle sound!

 

H pipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

^x2 h pipes do sound pretty nasty

 

I built my own H pipe, not rocket science- Blast a hole in both pipes with plasma torch, take a measured peice of ex. pipe and cut it with a radius the same as the pipe, and weld it in. Since my pipes run about 2" apart you only need about 5" of 2.5" pipe. And it does sound lame, maybe if I did it behind the muflers it would be better, but for torque reasons it should be better behind the cats.
I think the reduced exhaust gas velocities don't let the glass packing do there thing.
And It only pops coming down from a free rev of about 5000rpm, snaped nice at WOT accel.! This could be compleetly different with better mufflers (my cherry bombs are like $10 ea!) and a muffler like the thrush 2 chamber probably likes the slower, less intense pulsing of a crossover system (droning sound compared to POP POP POP??)

 

..? Not at all necessary.

 

it works GREAT for me right before the mufflers. im trying to get a video on here of my exhaust but my phone sucks. it was finally warm enough to roll the windows down and my exhaust sounds amazing it is very loud and has a great tone with dynomax bullets they were like 35 bucks a piece from summitracing.com well my phone wont let me send a video again i think ill get a usb cord for it from tmobile whenever i can come up with some money and hopefully post some exhaust vids.

 

Id recommend it. Im running true duals and no X or H pipe and it needs one. It makes your exhaust sound funny or at least i think it does when you are idling