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3,988 Posts
I have an excellent condition 1990 Eddie Bauer Bronco with a stock 5.8L. Last year I decided to upgrade the engine. I started with a K&N 57 Series Gen2 FIPK, Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold, BBK Twin Throttle Bodies and MSD 6A Ignition. I was surprised with the performance difference, but my stock 2 1/4" exhaust still felt very restricted.
I chose to upgrade to a Flowmaster Cat-Back Exhaust with a Flowmaster SUV Muffler. Mistake! There was minimal sound from the exhaust unless you really get on it. Minimal sound at idle and at freeway speeds, only on hard acceleration. My truck still had the original stock exhaust manifolds and stock Ford dual CAT’s. I became disappointed in the 2 1/4" Flowmaster Cat-Back set-up as it rapidly showed signs of discoloration and rust and still felt overly restrictive.
I then decided to back-up and look at my entire exhaust system, including the many different Pre-Cat headers, Y-pipe and high flow CAT designs. After much research, I ultimately went with all Bassani because of their easy bolt together configuration of components where others have had difficulty in modifying connections, especially with dissimilar brands. Other main reasons for Bassani were their ceramic coated equal length headers, high quality mandrel bent design, all stainless steel option, fitment and lifetime warranty.
Bassani also allowed me to further reduce restriction by once again upgrading the Cat-Back exhaust, this time to 3". It all fit together beautifully. The Bassani muffler fit perfectly flush in it's place where the larger heavier Flowmaster had to be installed at an angle very close to the driveshaft and noticeably reduced my ground clearance. Cosmetically, the Flowmaster muffler looked like I slapped a heavy oversized part in place where the lighter golden colored stainless Bassani muffler appears custom to the truck.
The muffler sounds fantastic at idle and when cruising with a very tolerable drone at freeway speeds on long trips. The great sound is mostly due to the headers, high flow CAT and 3" exhaust but for all the reasons mentioned I really like the Bassani muffler much better. You can feel the increased exhaust flow from the entire system with performance, better fuel economy and sound.
The complete Bassani exhaust is sleek, clean and smooth from the equal length tuned headers to the cool Bassani SS tailpipe. In 4 months, there is minimal discoloration and no apparent rust. With standard ratchet wobbles and extensions, I have become good at spark plug access, which I was initially worried about.
My summary is without a pre-CAT system, you will not be as happy with exhaust sound and performance. This should be considered first. The secondary Cat-Back system may be of less importance as long as you consider a high flow muffler, larger diameter pipe and, most importantly, fitment. Although there are many good systems out there, IMO Bassani provided me with the highest quality, easy install/repair and, if you go with stainless steel, a lifetime warranty.
Like many others, I truly enjoy learning, maintaining and installing upgrades to my truck, yet I am self-limiting enough to understand that I am not a professional mechanic. Many of the repairs and modifications that I do I am doing for the first time. I look for quality, performance and minimal install problems. Henceforth, Bassani was the right system for me, even at the higher price.
Just my humble opinion. I hope this helps others to make an informed decision. :beer
$490.00 - Bassani SS Headers #58150BC
$375.00 - Bassani SS Y-Pipe w/Cat #58150B3
$440.00 - Bassani SS Aft-Cat #58150B5
-------------------------------------
$1305.00 parts
I chose to upgrade to a Flowmaster Cat-Back Exhaust with a Flowmaster SUV Muffler. Mistake! There was minimal sound from the exhaust unless you really get on it. Minimal sound at idle and at freeway speeds, only on hard acceleration. My truck still had the original stock exhaust manifolds and stock Ford dual CAT’s. I became disappointed in the 2 1/4" Flowmaster Cat-Back set-up as it rapidly showed signs of discoloration and rust and still felt overly restrictive.
I then decided to back-up and look at my entire exhaust system, including the many different Pre-Cat headers, Y-pipe and high flow CAT designs. After much research, I ultimately went with all Bassani because of their easy bolt together configuration of components where others have had difficulty in modifying connections, especially with dissimilar brands. Other main reasons for Bassani were their ceramic coated equal length headers, high quality mandrel bent design, all stainless steel option, fitment and lifetime warranty.
Bassani also allowed me to further reduce restriction by once again upgrading the Cat-Back exhaust, this time to 3". It all fit together beautifully. The Bassani muffler fit perfectly flush in it's place where the larger heavier Flowmaster had to be installed at an angle very close to the driveshaft and noticeably reduced my ground clearance. Cosmetically, the Flowmaster muffler looked like I slapped a heavy oversized part in place where the lighter golden colored stainless Bassani muffler appears custom to the truck.
The muffler sounds fantastic at idle and when cruising with a very tolerable drone at freeway speeds on long trips. The great sound is mostly due to the headers, high flow CAT and 3" exhaust but for all the reasons mentioned I really like the Bassani muffler much better. You can feel the increased exhaust flow from the entire system with performance, better fuel economy and sound.
The complete Bassani exhaust is sleek, clean and smooth from the equal length tuned headers to the cool Bassani SS tailpipe. In 4 months, there is minimal discoloration and no apparent rust. With standard ratchet wobbles and extensions, I have become good at spark plug access, which I was initially worried about.
My summary is without a pre-CAT system, you will not be as happy with exhaust sound and performance. This should be considered first. The secondary Cat-Back system may be of less importance as long as you consider a high flow muffler, larger diameter pipe and, most importantly, fitment. Although there are many good systems out there, IMO Bassani provided me with the highest quality, easy install/repair and, if you go with stainless steel, a lifetime warranty.
Like many others, I truly enjoy learning, maintaining and installing upgrades to my truck, yet I am self-limiting enough to understand that I am not a professional mechanic. Many of the repairs and modifications that I do I am doing for the first time. I look for quality, performance and minimal install problems. Henceforth, Bassani was the right system for me, even at the higher price.
Just my humble opinion. I hope this helps others to make an informed decision. :beer
$490.00 - Bassani SS Headers #58150BC
$375.00 - Bassani SS Y-Pipe w/Cat #58150B3
$440.00 - Bassani SS Aft-Cat #58150B5
-------------------------------------
$1305.00 parts
