Catted long tube headers! Want the performance without the drone. Help!

[KingDavid]

So I want to get long tubes, but I don't want the drone. What's your header + exhaust setup? Do you have a video? Does it drone on the highway?

Having a Borla ATAK side exit is lovely as it's loud without the drone. But I want catted headers that won't introduce much drone if any at all. What do you all suggest? TIA!

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[Gooner5643]

I don’t have it installed yet but I’ve got catless long tubes and borla touring ready to go on once the whipple arrives and can be tuned.

 

[JohnMcClane]

If I ever go full exhaust.

Stainless works for a real dual exhaust, obviously with there performance cats and performance connect.

https://stainlessworks.net/header-2015-f-150-5l/

Call em to confirm fitment, but I’m very sure they do.

 

[KingDavid]

I don’t have it installed yet but I’ve got catless long tubes and borla touring ready to go on once the whipple arrives and can be tuned.

Which brand long tubes? I immediately crossed off catless. I can't have that smell trickling into my cabin. The ladies and my daughter will hate it lol. I'm going for high flow cats even though it's not needed in Florida.

Your truck is going to sound so sick with that Whipple and headers. Are you getting a stage two Whipple kit? I was going that route this winter, but with my current mods and just getting this Livernois tune a few weeks ago, I love the power and how smooth the trans is now. Headers will pick up more power and frankly, that's enough for me for a good while. So maybe next spring/summer I'll go for a Whipple.

In the meantime, I'll just order the long tubes headers and swap the ATAK muffler for a Borla Type-S muffler if there is too much drone after I install the headers. The volume doesn't bother me, I love it loud. But I don't want it to drone like my old, clapped out Silverado ?

 

[Gooner5643]

Which brand long tubes? I immediately crossed off catless. I can't have that smell trickling into my cabin. The ladies and my daughter will hate it lol. I'm going for high flow cats even though it's not needed in Florida.

Your truck is going to sound so sick with that Whipple and headers. Are you getting a stage two Whipple kit? I was going that route this winter, but with my current mods and just getting this Livernois tune a few weeks ago, I love the power and how smooth the trans is now. Headers will pick up more power and frankly, that's enough for me for a good while. So maybe next spring/summer I'll go for a Whipple.

In the meantime, I'll just order the long tubes headers and swap the ATAK muffler for a Borla Type-S muffler if there is too much drone after I install the headers. The volume doesn't bother me, I love it loud. But I don't want it to drone like my old, clapped out Silverado ?

They’re 2m fabrication catless headers, guess I’m weird but I actually like the smell of catless exhausts. Mainly wanted them because I heard horror stories of the last gen trucks melting the stock cats and blowing the motor. And yea stage 2 whipple. There are good gains to be had above 4500rpm if you want to stay n/a with a ported 18+ gt intake manifold. Much cheaper than a whipple

 

[Mtnman1]

So I want to get long tubes, but I don't want the drone. What's your header + exhaust setup? Do you have a video? Does it drone on the highway?

Having a Borla ATAK side exit is lovely as it's loud without the drone. But I want catted headers that won't introduce much drone if any at all. What do you all suggest? TIA!

What are you calling drone?

 

[KingDavid]

What are you calling drone?

Had a clapped out Silverado that droned like mad. A deep pressure/bass/tone constantly resonating in the cab at certain cruising rpms. You can't really have conversations over it either. I don't mind the volume we hear when accelerating, I love that actually, but not the drone I described.

What made me get the Livernois tune on this truck was hearing the drone of the cylinder deactivation kicking in on the highway. I ordered the tuner as soon as I got home that day. That was pretty bad iirc (I only did it once or twice and stuck to sport mode after that on highways). That's drone.

As I've researched more and more since I've made this post, I'm leaning towards LTH hi-flow catted headers. Apparently their flange design is modular? I'd have to call and confirm that. 2M wants us to cut and weld old exhaust flanges; not doing that. I'd rather get something that bolts up. In the 14th gen, Ford flipped the male/female y-pipe adapters (connectors? Flanges?) where it mates to the exhaust.

 

[KingDavid]

They haven't replied yet so I looked underneath at the resonator/y-pipe connection. The Borla ATAK resonator and all 14th gen resonators are female comnections to the y-pipe unlike the 13th gens. So they won't connect to any female y-pipes, which all headers thus far are. I think if I get a 13th gen ATAK resonator, I can swap out the 14th gen ATAK resonator and mate it to the y-pipe that comes with the long tube headers. The resonator is a separate piece from the rest of the catback, but the length should still be the same.

To anyone else searching for answers, the easiest thing you could do is get a full exhaust (headers, y-pipe, catback) from LTH. As of today, no current long tube headers are made to account for Ford flipping orientation of the flanges on the 14th gens without cutting and welding the exhaust to make the flanges work.

So I'll see where I can buy the 13th gen ATAK resonator separately (maybe a muffler shop?), order the LTH long tubes, and put it together and hope for the best. I guess I can try to sell my current resonator after that to a 14th gen 5.0 owner that wants something louder than the touring or s-type resonators on their borla catback.

If my plan doesn't work, I can sell the longtubes to my best friend who has a '19 lariat that would love to have it on his truck. Maybe I'll do a proper write up and video for others. We'll see.

 

[Gooner5643]

They haven't replied yet so I looked underneath at the resonator/y-pipe connection. The Borla ATAK resonator and all 14th gen resonators are female comnections to the y-pipe unlike the 13th gens. So they won't connect to any female y-pipes, which all headers thus far are. I think if I get a 13th gen ATAK resonator, I can swap out the 14th gen ATAK resonator and mate it to the y-pipe that comes with the long tube headers. The resonator is a separate piece from the rest of the catback, but the length should still be the same.

To anyone else searching for answers, the easiest thing you could do is get a full exhaust (headers, y-pipe, catback) from LTH. As of today, no current long tube headers are made to account for Ford flipping orientation of the flanges on the 14th gens without cutting and welding the exhaust to make the flanges work.

So I'll see where I can buy the 13th gen ATAK resonator separately (maybe a muffler shop?), order the LTH long tubes, and put it together and hope for the best. I guess I can try to sell my current resonator after that to a 14th gen 5.0 owner that wants something louder than the touring or s-type resonators on their borla catback.

If my plan doesn't work, I can sell the longtubes to my best friend who has a '19 lariat that would love to have it on his truck. Maybe I'll do a proper write up and video for others. We'll see.

You can call up borla and they should be able to sell you a 13th gen mid pipe that theoretically connects to the rest of your borla system and to aftermarket headers. Also just a heads up I was told all three borla systems use the same resonator, where atak is no muffler, type s is a louder muffler and touring is a quiet muffler.

 

[KingDavid]

So...quick update below.

Thank you for reaching out to us.



We would be glad to review your information and details in order for us to make an exception and offer you a quote for interchangeable parts that are not typically sold as individual items if applicable. Please provide the following information:

1. Clear photos of the current exhaust system installed on the your vehicle
2. Your daytime phone number.

That's an email from Borla.

If you don't have a Borla exhaust installed, they're not going to sell you the part you need. I wonder if this is the case with their competition? Anyway, if you have it installed you'll have to provide photos proving it's installed on your vehicle. I installed it so I sent a few photos. That portion of the front muffler assembly (the part that has the flange and connects to the y-pipe) has different tuning from the 13th gen made to possibly accommodate for the Cylinder Deactivation our generation has (to be brutally honest, they did not do a good job with that. Cylinder Deactivation sounds crazy bad with an ATAK exhaust, but sounds heavenly when in V8 mode; it's why I bought the Livernois Tune). The 13th gens don't have CD apparently. So the sound might change and the part I'm purchasing is non-refundable. I don't care. As long as the longtubes and muffler swap don't cause unbearable drone, I can live with the results.

Speaking of non-refundable parts; I told the salesman who was extremely helpful & accommodating, that if it didn't work, I could sell that part to my best friend since he has a '19 Lariat. He said the problem with that is they will not sell the rest of the exhaust to my friend to complete the kit; which is understandable to me from a business perspective and he could always get the rest custom made if he wants to.

The part is about $400 before shipping. So my current front muffler assembly is going to be a $400 paperweight unless I can sell it to someone with a 14th gen that wants to make a custom exhaust? Lol we'll see. Smiles are always worth the dollars. It's got less than 1k miles on it, I'll polish it up and hang it in my garage if it can't get sold, it's a pretty piece with "Borla ATAK" stamped on it (pictured above).

Anyway, I'll keep you all updated and may start a new thread showing the differences between the two once I'm ready to install the headers.

Surprised no one made an adapter sandwich plate/flange for this. I suppose it wouldn't make much business sense to do so. But I'd pay an extra $100+ for that part and the bolts; 4 holes. 2 for the exhaust (the exhaust can rotate to make the appropriate bolts line up to the flange perpendicularly) and two for the y-pipe (y-pipe is in a fixed position). If anyone wants to take this idea and make it, do it. I'd love to see it.

 

[KingDavid]

LTH longtubes arrived Friday. Still waiting on Borla to ship the front muffler assembly before I start the install. Also waiting on MMR 5.4 modular dipstick that LTH says we'll need for these headers.

In the meantime, I made temporary muffler inserts out of a pool noodle, a couple of microfiber towels, and all weather gorilla tape. On my loud catback it's as quiet as a whisper now so the cam phaser starts aren't scaring my neighbors; especially after I install the longtubes. ? I keep them in my truck, pop them in while I'm getting ready for the day and then remote start when I'm almost ready. Walk out, take them out, pop em in the truck and go.

Everywhere else will get a full volume blast.

 

[KingDavid]

Got the front muffler assembly from Borla and mated it to the LTH y-pipes. It fits and the pipe is the exact same length as the muffler I already have from Borla. Not installed yet though, my friends and I won't have time until August for the install. Here's some pics of it today. Turbo Camaro as a bonus lol.

Yeah I'm a 4x4 on stilts. Eventually I'll be going to dv8dz9 to purchase & install a drop with stock BAP 20s. All the chrome will be replaced with gloss black bumper covers. Same with the door handles. Dunno what spacers to install on it though. If anyone knows, lmk.

The orientation is flipped as we all know. If you ever plan on getting headers, get a full exhaust kit or else you'll be cutting and welding your expensive catback or like me, unwilling to chop up a $1400 exhaust and end up buying the front assembly for a '15-'20 f150 ($$$). If you already have a catback for 21+ & you still want headers, welp...

 

[troy12n]

What is an XTR?

 

[tony72cutlass's']

What is an XTR?

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[KingDavid]

What is an XTR?

chrome package

Bingo. I had no clue myself when I bought the truck. Funnily enough I'm looking to blackout all that chrome because I'm switching to BAP 20s. Swap the grill for an stx grill I think. Whichever is that dark gray that's similar to the BAP wheels.

I get lots of compliments and looks on my truck, maybe because I keep it clean and shiny? And it's loud? Maybe I'll keep the chrome and swap the BAP 20s for some other polished 20s? Idk yet. But a dv8dz9 3/5 drop kit is in my future. I go into triple digits often and quickly, so I'd prefer to do that while a bit lower to the ground.

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