So I'm a new Ford owner, I currently have a 2000 F-150 5.4L and am wanting get an improved exhaust system installed. The truck has a tow package so I don't want to sacrifice pulling power after installation. Any suggestions about what setup I should invest in?

 

n/a

 

Keep it stock 2.5" just get a direct flowing muffler, nothing baffled/chambered.

Don't bother with an intake, maybe a nice Amsoil air filter but that's about all you really need.

 

Yeah, what Darren said.
Magnaflow is what a lot of people on here will recommend. I recommend Borla. They sound amazing.

 

^ x2

 

With regards to exhaust..........

Ultimately, it is the quality of the material and the installer which 90% of the time leads to a successful installation. I also want to emphasize that it is not necessary to spend a fortune on a muffler ($100+) or system to have an excellent sounding, performing and long lasting result, meaning a local shop can build an excellent system for you.

Conventional "glass packs" are proven in flow testing to out perform many of the so-called "Free Flowing Real Mufflers". To put this in perspective,
broaderperformance.com/muffler_flow_tests.htm (Independently tested cfm flows of the more popular mufflers, glasspacks and resonators @ 15” wc:
2 ½” diameter straight pipe 521
2 ¼” diameter straight pipe 365
2” diameter straight pipe 283
2 ¼” diameter tailpipe 268
2 ¼” round glasspack- no louvers 274
2 ¼” round glasspack- with inward punched louvers 133
2 ¼” round glasspack- inward punched louvers/installed backwards 141
2 ½” inlet/outlet Dynomax SuperTurbo 268
2 1/4” inlet/outlet Thrush CVX 260
2 ½” inlet/outlet Flowmaster 2-chamber 249
2 ¼” inlet/2 ½”outlet Cherry Bomb turbo 249
2 ¼” inlet/outlet Flowmaster 3-chamber 229
2 ¼” inlet/2 ½”outlet Maremount Super C (OEM Replacement) 149
2 ¼” inlet/2” dual outlet Maremount 183
2 ¼” inlet/outlet California Turbo 229
2 ½” inlet/outlet Hooker Aerochamber 324
2 ½” inlet/outlet Hooker MaxFlow 521
2 ¼” inlet/outlet Maremount Cherrybomb Vortex 298
2 ½” inlet center/outlet offset Borla Turbo 373

I have listed here a muffler shootout test done by CAR CRAFT:

MUFFLER Idle dB WOT dB
DynoMax Super Turbo 89 123
DynoMax Race Magnum 94 133
Flowtech Afterburner 92 124
Hooker Competion 92 122
Hooker Super Competion 90 125
Summit Turbo 89 124
Summit Fully Welded 92 125
Thrush Boss Turbo 90 123
Thrush Magnum Glasspack 92 128

DYNO TEST
All mufflers were dyno-tested on a 355-cube SBC with 10.0:1 compression, Air Flow Research 190 aluminum heads, a CompCams 292 hyd. a Victor Jr. intake, a Holley 750-cfm double-pumper, and 1 5/8 Headman headers.

While there are mufflers that will out flow a glass pack design, it also depends on the design. Allied resonators (that sell for $20-$40) each and available at any muffler shop) in independent test flowed 90%+ of a "race spec muffler". Others using other brands consistently showed similar results- I and my family combined have used these for 40+ years, very well constructed, latsts typically 15+ years, deep tone and low rumble of accel/decel.

Now for the CAI...

If you do an online search for “air filter test” there is a lot of very good information. IMHO, the CAI units are NOT WORTH THE $$! Unless you are talking about a system that was specifically designed for a specific application there are very little hp/tq gains actually achieved in a street use vehicle and there are very few docs that these mfg’s can produce that actually show an increase in hp/tq in the power-band range of a relatively stock street vehicle.

I would avoid oil impregnated filters. While they have their purpose in off-road applications, Ford/GM/Dodge all have “watch-out” bulletins where the oil has contaminated intake sensors. - they even have a training video for the techs on this (flatratetech.com) .

If you look at the flow data, WIX HP filters flow 98+% of K&N and have a much smoother flow post filter plus excellent filtering, for a fraction of the price! The OE’s have an excellent air intake system.

Recently, Testand Corporation conducted an ISO standards test on automotive air filters which can be viewed at this link: http://www.dieselbombers.com/chevrol...r-testing.html. All I can say is this explains in detail the reason for

(Arlen) SPICER wrote,

“Now that I am not doing the tests and my objectivity is not necessary, let me explain my motivation. The reason I started this crusade was that I was seeing people spend a lot of money on aftermarket filters based on the word of a salesperson or based on the misleading, incomplete or outright deceiving information printed on boxes and in sales literature. Gentlemen and Ladies, Marketing and the lure of profit is VERY POWERFUL!

 

Anybody else not read that ^ ?

 

I know what I'm getting into when I see them, yet I still read every word

 

I haven't been reading that copy n' paste paragraph for 3 years.

 

^ exactly

 

So, what did you end up doing? I recently put a Banks Monster exhaust on my 2010 Screw & LOVE it! Didn't notice any power loss though.