Bronco Forum - Full Size Ford Bronco Forum banner

THE EXHAUST THREAD.

165K views 320 replies 140 participants last post by  Kade.jeremy 
#1 ·
I keep seeing all of these questions asking about exhaust setups.
Some people ask for diagrams to see how their exhaust will be different from the stock setup.
I made some diagrams in MS Paint to show people what the difference is between a bone stock setup and a basic new exhaust setup.

This is a diagram of the stock setup:


This is a diagram of a basic "dual-out" setup:


The modified setup above is a basic "New" system. Headers, y-pipe, High- flow Catalytic Converter, Single in/ Dual out Muffler, and chrome tips.

Im going to address the Stock Setup and its Common Downfalls first. i will explain parts from left to right in the diagram- starting with the manifolds.

Stock Manifolds often crack when going through high water. the heating and sudden cooling of the cast is too much for the metal and causes it to crack.
These stock manifolds were not made with performance in mind. they work- but they dont do anything for MPG or HP.

The stock Y-pipe is a basic thing. besides rust, nothing really goes wrong with it.

Dual Catalytic Converters are not needed. they block alot of sound and cut down performance. After so many years, they get clogged up and can cause engine trouble such as spuddering.

The Stock Muffler is pretty basic. many times, these will rust out, and they arent any good for sound.

The stock Tailpipe often rusts, or the hanger will break- causing the tailpipe to hang lower to the ground. this isnt good because it can drag against speed bumps, and also adds stress to the other exhaust components.


The New Exhaust System.

Headers (shorties or long tube) will increase performance and MPG. They do so because of the smooth bends in the tubing- which means less restriction of air flow.

New y-pipes can be either bought and modified or custom made. Exhaust shops will usually need to make a custom y-pipe to plumb a new system. you can buy a bassoni y-pipe and modify it to fit also. you CAN use you stock y-pipe- but you might need to cut and modify it to fit the new components.

High-flow Catalytic Converter replaces the two stock converters. this high-flow converter will increase performance by allowing exhaust to flow out easier.

New Mufflers can be single in/dual out or single in/single out- all depending on what you want. you will get a better tone out of an after-market muffler.

Chrome Tips can be used for a nice appearance- but some people prefer to save the money and just get plain tube tailpipes. this is really just a personal prefrence in apperance.

I, and many others, suggest a 2.5"-3" diameter tubing through the new system to help with air flow and to "open up" the system.


The following is information about the different options in components for a new system.

HEADERS:
there are two types of headers: Short tube ("shorties") and Long tube.
short tube headers are easy to find and are great for people who either have or plan on doing an SAS (solid axle swap).
long tube headers are also fairly easy to find for your application, but cannot be used on SAS trucks becuase they interfere.

You can get headers at Summit racing.com, JEGS.com, Autozone, Checkers, etc.

As for brand names for headers, there are MANY to choose from.
Hooker, BBK, PaceSetter, Summit (PaceSetter with a Summit logo), Hedmen, FordRacing, etc.

Summit shorty headers are cheap- but the
quality of the product is said to be lacking.
Hooker is a good brand, but are a bit pricey.
BBK has a great reputation, but people have had problems with them bolting right up to their truck- you might find the holes to be ovaled instead of circular. BBK is also a bit pricey- but their quality is great.
PaceSetter is a fair medium. they arent too expencive (around $200-250 depending on where you find them). their quality is fairly good, but have had reports of minor leaking without gaskets.
Hedman headers are priced fairly for their quality and are common among this site. some boltup issues have been covered recently here.
Ford Racing headers are also a good quality product. a bit pricey- but youre getting what you pay for.

Y-PIPE:
If you plan on having an exhaust shop install your new system- they will most likely make a custom y-pipe for your truck. you can make them yourself, but you need to have WELDING skills.
you can also buy the Bassani Y-pipe or the Catco Y-pipe. the Bassani is mandrel bent 2.5" tubing merged into 3" tubing.
the Catco is compression (normal bend) bent 2" tubing merged into 2.25" tubing.
most people here have said the bassani is better.
depending on the year of your truck- YOU MIGHT NEED AN O2 SENSOR PORT ON THE Y-PIPE.


HIGH-FLOW CATALYTIC CONVERTER:as with the other components- there are many different brands to choose from.
The only thing you should REALLY keep in mind is to buy the converter that matches the diameter of tubing you are using to plumb your exhaust. YOU ONLY NEED ONE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WITH YOUR NEW EXHAUST SYSTEM. the factory put TWO on- but you will only need ONE high-flow cat.


MUFFLER:most people go for a single in/dual out muffler because it is hard to run "True Dual" exhaust (a setup involving an 'X' pipe instead of a 'Y'. giving each header its own muffler)
Flowmaster, Magnaflow, Dynomax, Borla, and Flowtech are just SOME of the brands to choose from.
Things to keep in mind are:
Cost
Interior sound preference
Exterior sound preference
Diameter of tubing
Number of exiting ports

you may want to consider going to your local exhaust shop and asking them about different mufflers to find one that best suites the sound youre looking for.


CHROME TIPS/ TAILPIPES:usually- people dont go for a "name brand" tip. the local exhaust shop has them for sale, and so does your local parts store.

you can run your tailpipes MANY ways:
dump before the rear axle (hidden pipes)
exit behind rear tires (side exit- behind bumper)
exit straight out the back (routed around the gas tank)

there are pro/cons to each of these:

dumping before the rear axle:
Pros- some people dont like seeing their exhaust- and you have less of a chance of damaging the exhaust while wheeling.
Cons- if you have weak floor pans- you might get exhaust fumes in your cab...not good.

exiting behind the rear tires:
Pros- you can use chrome tips and make it look nice. you also have the protection of the bumper and tire.
Cons- the tire can kick up debris and possibly damage the tips. They get dirty EASILY.

exiting straight out the back:
Pros- alot of people like the look.
Cons- if you ride with your rear window down- prepare to suffer!

there are many other ways to run the tail of your exhaust (depending on your state's emissions standards)- these three are most common though.



i PERSONALLY run
PaceSetter shorty headers with custom collectors
custom y-pipe (2.5" through out)
Magnaflow High-Flow Catalytic Converter
Magnaflow "Wide Open" single in/dual out muffler
21" long/ 3.5" opening chrome tips
The tips exit at ~45degree angles between the tires and rear bumper.
I used 2.5" tubing through the system.


I hope this will answer some questions, if you still havnt seen the answer to your question- use the search to look through past threads on the subject.

GUYS WHO ALLREADY HAVE A NEW SYSTEM- POST UP YOUR SETUP SO OTHERS SEE THEIR OPTIONS!

Ace
 
See less See more
2
#4 ·
Good post man... Only one thing. Stock Ford setup is 2 pipes going INTO the first cat. You have a Y-pipe, then 1 pipe in.

But damn... that's a good post. lol.

Aaron
 
  • Like
Reactions: CZ Eddie
#6 ·
blackbronco92 said:
Good post man... Only one thing. Stock Ford setup is 2 pipes going INTO the first cat. You have a Y-pipe, then 1 pipe in.

But damn... that's a good post. lol.

Aaron
fixed it.
thanks!
ace
 
#9 ·
BigBlue 94 said:
wow that must have taken you a while to type....anyways.. i run hedman full-length headers, true duals through flowmaster 40s and out some stainless tips behind the rear wheels. no cats
Me too...'cept with Hooker headers.:beer

Very good post, i really think this was needed. Maybe throw up a general true dual diagram, ya know, cover all the bases.:thumbup
 
#10 ·
5.0L vs 5.8L headers




Bassani STAINLESS 5.0L Y-pipe without Catalytic Converter
Part # 50150B2



Bassani STAINLESS 5.8L Y-pipe without Catalytic Converter
Part # 58150B2



Bassani STAINLESS 5.8L Y-pipe with Catalytic Converter
Part # 58150B3



Bassani STAINLESS 3in Tail Pipe & muffler
Part # 50150B5



Bassani STAINLESS 1993-95 Lightning 5.8L X-pipe without Catalytic Converter
Part # 58150L2



Bassani STAINLESS 1993-95 Lightning 5.8L X-pipe with Catalytic Converter
Part # 58150L3
 
#12 ·
You forgot the Ford Racing Headers in your list, they have very good quality. A word of caution for the BBK headers quality, see HERE


WheelinElvis said:
the Catco is compression (normal bend) bent 2.25" tubing merged into 2.5" tubing.
FYI: The Catco setup is 2" tubing merged into 2.25" tubing.
 
#15 ·
topfisherman said:
You forgot the Ford Racing Headers in your list, they have very good quality. A word of caution for the BBK headers quality, see HERE




FYI: The Catco setup is 2" tubing merged into 2.25" tubing.
i added FordRacing and fixed the tubing diameter for the Catco y-pipe.

systolic- ill draw up that True Dual setup tomorrow and get it posted. thanks for the suggestion.

Fireguy- great pics. thanks for showing the different y-pipes!


if the MODS think this is Sticky worthy- throw it up top. i think it would be nice to have a thread on this subject so we dont have to answer the same "what should i do with my exhaust" questions.

keep adding your info guys- this should be a one stop thread, so post up whatever you have to offer!
ace
 
#16 ·
i made a True Dual diagram and hyperlinked it.
MUFFLER:most people go for a single in/dual out muffler because it is hard to run "True Dual" exhaust (a setup involving an 'X' pipe instead of a 'Y'. giving each header its own muffler)
ace
 
#17 ·
WheelinElvis said:
i made a True Dual diagram and hyperlinked it.

ace
Thats not the way you run true duals on these trucks. If you want to run true duals you run both pipes stacked down the pass side till you get past the transfer case.

Just like the pics off the Bassani "X" pipe that Ryan posted.
 
#18 ·
i was just showing the basic setup and components you would use.

it would be hard to show (in MS Paint) the stacking on True Duals for a Bronco.

thanks.
ace
 
#19 ·
I actually had mine ran the way he did his diagram. Since I have a body lift, the shop ran the drivers side up over the transfercase. I still have cats also. Im stuck with my body lift now but it doesnt bother me.
 
#20 ·
Is an "H" or "X" pipe necessary for a dual set-up? I have a dual set-up that I just got off another Bronco so everything is already bent and ready to go in but he wasn't running cats or any kind of crossover pipe. Could you use a dual in/out cat. conv. to act as the balance point for the exhaust?
 
#22 ·
Good post. No real need for duals, a big 3" single will flow as well and weigh less (talking small block that does not see over 5,500 RPM). I don't see the need for two pipes coming out of the muffler unless you like the way it looks.

Any pipe sticking out the back or back corner can get smashed when wheeling. I beleive this is the way out for a trail rig:



I run JBA Shorties, "Y", high flo cat, 3" single into a small muffler, 3" over the frame and out the quarter panel in front of the passenger, rear, wheel. Simple, flows, low weight, and out of the way.
 
#23 ·
TCHDNSD said:
Is an "H" or "X" pipe necessary for a dual set-up? I have a dual set-up that I just got off another Bronco so everything is already bent and ready to go in but he wasn't running cats or any kind of crossover pipe. Could you use a dual in/out cat. conv. to act as the balance point for the exhaust?
A crossover can help performance on a dual set-up. I stole this from mustangnet:

The firing order of all production V8s, regardless of make, has one cylinder in each bank that will fire within 90 degrees of crankshaft rotation of another cylinder in the same bank. This occurs twice during completion of the entire firing order. These two cylinders will be exhausting almost simultaneously into the same exhaust manifold system.

Full-length four-tube headers help separate these pulses until the collector is reached. If this is a full race car running "open exhaust", you will notice the collector dumps into a short open pipe at least 2.5 times the size of the header pipes, or the header pipes dump direct without a collector. This is done to avoid the conflict of pressure caused by the timing of the 2 counter firing cylinders, which will create back pressure and degrade torque, horsepower and general performance, especially at higher RPM.

On a full exhaust system, after the header tubes dump into the collectors, the two close firing cylinders are fighting each other for space in the collector and exhaust pipe. The result is reflected pressure waves traveling back up the exhaust system, backpressure, lost power and poor economy.

At the same time two cylinders exhaust in one bank, there is no activity in the opposite bank. The traditional H-pipe equalizer allows some of the excess pressure to bleed over to the 'quiet side' of the exhaust system, resulting in some low and mid-range torque improvements. At high RPMs, however, in traditional exhaust systems, the gases cannot bleed across the H-pipe fast enough to help power significantly. Performance systems with the H pipe design, attempt to over come this by using a shorter cross over pipe which is also slightly larger in diameter as the main exhaust, then would be used in a standard exhaust.

To overcome the power loss of "over loading" the H pipe design, Exhaust manufacturers came up with the X pipe design, which features a tangentially Siamese crossover junction to synchronize exhaust pulses. The X-pipe concept is to split the flow in the crossover junction, so the pressures on both banks will be equal and pulse-free after the crossover, regardless of the rpm. Volumetric efficiency and power are therefore improved at all engine speeds. The negative aspect to the X pipe design is, because of the crisscrossing of the flow stream, harmonic pulsations will develop on some systems at certain RPMs, which will be perceived as a buzzing or humming sound.

A newer concept is a "Channel Pipe", where as two pipes are welded together in parallel with a baffle in between them which allows for mismatched pressures and pulses to cross to the idle side while allowing full, uninterrupted or redirected flow of the exhaust stream through the system.

Also... There is yet another option.... The MAC Prochamber.

It looks like a box, or a muffler where the 2 header leads enter one end and then exit the other in the location of the H or X pipe.

It is essentially a combination of all three basic designs I discussed, incorporating the crossover flow of an X pipe – the open buffer of an H pipe and the passive pulse control of a ported baffle channel pipe. MAC is the ONLY maker to have this design.

Basically it combines the exhaust into a single box, where the 2 inlets extend into the box a few inches to prevent reversion and open dumping exhaust into the box. The outlets are flush with the back of the box and there is a baffle between the sides with ported slots directing the flow of the inlets to cross to the other side. The Box holds backpressure at a steady rate, which eliminates scavenging.

There are many who believe the Prochamber will give increased performance values. Everyone using them will tell you they make a deeper yet quieter tone to the exhaust note.
 
#26 ·
buster said:
Good post. No real need for duals, a big 3" single will flow as well and weigh less (talking small block that does not see over 5,500 RPM). I don't see the need for two pipes coming out of the muffler unless you like the way it looks.

Any pipe sticking out the back or back corner can get smashed when wheeling. I beleive this is the way out for a trail rig:



I run JBA Shorties, "Y", high flo cat, 3" single into a small muffler, 3" over the frame and out the quarter panel in front of the passenger, rear, wheel. Simple, flows, low weight, and out of the way.
Couldn't agree mo' Buster

While it's true duals work great on Stangs and other high horsepower (at the expense of torque) muscle cars, they ain't the hot ticket on trucks, ESPECIALLY due to our ground clearance issues.

Start adding crossover pipes and extra mufflers and tailpipes to the mix and you're just giving the rocks and boulders more stuff to target and wreck(and you have to replace$$$) on the trails.

Just about every 4X4 magazine has written at least one article detailing how, time after time, a large single exhaust beats out duals on torque delivery (every time).

Just to add to Wheelin' Elvis's excellent potential sticky (with kudos to Fireguy for his contributions too), here's a link to an "affordable" ($37.04) mandrel bent 3" tailpipe;

http://www.supremeperformance.com/DisplayPart.aspx?pid=147

It could well solve the age old FSB question; "where can I get a mandrel bent 3" tailpipe cheap ?".

My two cents to this excellent thread (good work Elvis)

Sixlitre
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top