I just bought a '97 extended cab with the 4.6 V8 after driving sports cars for 25 years. So far I really like it, but I have a question: my exhaust is a single pipe that exits in front of my right-rear tire. Is this the stock setup? I would like to change my exhaust to give me a little more sound...I'm thinking about the Flowmaster 50, but I'm not sure if I'm stock or not.

BTW, I really enjoy this forum, as well as other F-150 forums I've been to. Truck people seem to be more friendly than other forums I've been to.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

you,ve got the same as i got. i went with the flows for this model when i originally got it but i always thought it was to quiet, so when the muffler went out after five years,i went with the 40 series flow for the 350chevy. 3"in 21/2 out dual.sswwweeeettt and the cabin noise goes down when you get past 65(it,s not that bad to begin with,got a good stereo,no problem). find a good muffler shop that will custom the pipes in for you with the muff of your choice and happy truckin

 

Welcome to the boards!

Go to www.flowmastermufflers.com and www.dynomax.com and look for sound/video clips and you'll see OE v.s. aftermarket sound. Also try to get some sound clips elsewhere. I've got a couple from a user on www.fordf150.net that I can email you if you like. It's just under 400kbytes for both mp3's in a zip file.

Most aftermarket mufflers are either aluminized steel or stainless and come in two variations... either a turbo muffler internal style, or straight through like dynomax ultra-flo or magnaflow units. There are also the delta-flow from flowmaster which is a variation on turbo/straight designs. Generally turbo will sound medium loud with a mid-rpm resonance, straight through has muscle car sound, and delta flow is in-between.

Everyone has their own preference and taste when it comes to mufflers.

Check out this thread for good reading: https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...threadid=73370

There will be an article posted on my personal site and on www.fordf150.net after this weekend with a complete exhaust system install on my truck including a flowmaster y-pipe... stay tuned.

Have fun!

EDIT: I just got my Dynomax ultra-flo 3 inch system on today... sounds awesome. Not that loud either. I was surprised as you can look right through the muffler.. it's like a glasspack with a larger body. I can see why a lot of guys just put in a pipe to replace their muffler. Those 4 catalytic converters suck up all the sound. The pants-o-meter says she's faster now. I'm having a hard time keeping my foot out of it though... love that sound.

 

Look at your muffler if it is big you still have the stock system in it.

 

The 1997 F-150 trucks stock exhaust dumped out in front of the right rear tire and the stock muffler is pretty big too. The 1998 and newer models have a more conventional exhaust that dumps out the back with a single pipe. The factory y-pipe is pretty restrictive too. I have a true dual setup with straight through
turbo type mufflers and it has a nice mellow rumble to it.