califRVers
Santa Rosa, California
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We are new to the RV world, but I just read this thread and we were looking to add a K&N Filter and a Flowmaster exhaust to our F150, is this a good combination?
Tim and Julie
Our Blog | Our Outback
2010 Outback 260FL 31'9" GVWR 7800 - Atwood 3500 - Eaz Lift Elite - 2 Interstate 6V
2006 F150 4x2 Supercrew Lariat 5.4L Triton V8 3:55 LS 139" WB 20,000K Miles
Prodigy - Flowmaster - K&N Filter
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fla-gypsy
North Florida
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Aftermarket filters and expensive exhaust systems do not give you ROI, or any measureable performance enhancement. IMO they are a worthless. The Reese Dual Cam system on the other gives you real performance for investment dollars.
09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)
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DavidP
Raleigh
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fla-gypsy wrote:Aftermarket filters and expensive exhaust systems do not give you ROI, or any measureable performance enhancement. IMO they are a worthless. The Reese Dual Cam system on the other gives you real performance for investment dollars.
And you base your statement on what? Dyno's don't lie, in fact they actually measure the "performance enhancement" very accurately. Real world test results counter your statement entirely.
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martipr
Haltom City, Texas
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Road2Show wrote:Did you do the install of the dual cam yourself? I'm getting everything ready for a trailer that I'll have soon and this is what I'm looking at now. Just trying to decide if I should go ahead any pay the dealer or do it myself.
also, jsut curious where you get teh figure of 157" WB for your supercrew. I have an '04 screw and if I'm reading the manual right I've got 138". That's a significant difference.
In my opinion DO NOT PAY A DEALER (yes I am shouting). I have been to three dealers (I am not physically able to do it myself) who assured me that they were experts. Of the three only one technician said he had ever installed one before and he said about 5 years years ago. I'm not sure but I don't think the Strait-Line has been around that long. One said he had seen one before and one wanted to know,"what kind of hitch is that.
The instructions that come with the hitch are clear and easy to understand. E-trailer http://www.etrailer.com/even has videos showing how. If you are able, do it yourself. If not, read the instructions, watch the videos and then hire someone to follow your instructions.
Old Navy Chief (AOC) Retired Aircraft Mechanic/Inspector
2007 29' 27FBV Trail Bay V Series
2007 Dodge Ram 1500 Mega Cab 5.7 V8 3.92 Rear End
Reese Strait-Line Dual Cam Hitch
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olddesertrider
SoCal
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Joined: 05/01/2005
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I recommend that everyone using a K&N filter add an Outerwears filter wrap to the K&N.
Outerwears filter wraps
I have no connection to the Outerwears company, just use their products
Outerwears filter wraps were developed many years ago due to the inefficient filtering of K&N filters used in offroad applications in the southwest deserts. Before Outerwears came about womens panty hose was cut and fitted to our K&Ns to stop dirt and sand particle intrusion into the intake tract. K&Ns do add power but suffer deficient filtering because of that.
All of my tow rigs for the last 20+ years use the stock paper filter(no filter wrap needed) and all of my offroad vehicles use oiled foam filters with filter wraps(no more sand damaged engines.)
olddesertrider
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Terryallan
NC
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califRVers wrote:We are new to the RV world, but I just read this thread and we were looking to add a K&N Filter and a Flowmaster exhaust to our F150, is this a good combination? ..
Much depends on which Flowmater cat back you get, as to if the filter will be enough. If you open the exhaust a lot, Say a series 40 dual 2 1/2 pipe cat. You may need a complete cold air intake to full utilize the cat.and it's gonna be LOUD. But will give you a big HP gain.
However. If you just go to a series 50 Delta Flow, with a 3" pipe. Then the filter should be enough to complement the exhaust. Together. They should give you 15 to 20HP gain. So it depends on what you put at one end or the other, as to what you want to go with it.
BTW. the 50 series. Puts a purr out the back, but NOT so much in the cab. Can hear it a little in the cab. But not too bad.
I like my cat back. Got some rumble, but not so that we can't talk in the truck. Not a Flowmaster, but the Turbo equivalent.
Course, if you want a deep loud performance sound. Nothing sounds better than a Ford with a open exhaust. OOOOMAUWWW!
Any time you help the engine breath. It's a good thing.
Terry & Shay
Pioneer 23T6
04 F150, 5.4, Lariat SuperCab
Lazy Campers
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mosseater
Dillsburg, PA
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Quote:Any time you help the engine breath. It's a good thing.
I would agree and that's the key. It's an interesting subject.
I don't think changing the intake and exhaust increases the amount of air into the engine, just makes it easier for the same amount of air to flow and do it's job (less restriction). An engine is basically an air pump. The throttle valve has a maximum open setting and the crank stroke and compression ratio remain constant. At a certain RPM, it is pumping a given CFM of air because the throttle valve, formerly the carburetor, allows a certain amount of air in to be compressed and expelled through the exhaust. Volumetric efficiency aside, I don't see much change in that, with the exception of what the relative atmospheric pressure changes are at intake and exhaust. How densly the air/fuel mixture is packed into the cylinder and burned determines how much specific output you get. Doesn't really change the AMOUNT of air in total. The thing to see by changing the intake and exhaust is what it does with that quantity of air and how effectively it makes it work to produce power. In fact, it could be said that a better intake and exhaust system would require LESS RPM to do the same job since it should produce more HP at the same engine speed, hence requiring less engine speed, and fewer CFM, to get the same work done (ie, pulling the trailer). The engine may produce higher manifold vacuum with the stock set up (restrictive), but in the end, it will basically pump the same amount of air at a given rotating speed. I believe I'm correct on this. Can anyone comment further with absolute certainty?
"It`s not important that you know all the answers, it`s only important to know where to get all the answers" Arone Kleamyck
"...An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper
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nickelAF
Charleston, WV
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Not a fan of K&N, AFE is a much better product.
07 Fox 31WRB
04 6.0L 4X4 Excursion
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DavidP
Raleigh
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mosseater wrote:Quote:Any time you help the engine breath. It's a good thing.
I would agree and that's the key. It's an interesting subject.
I don't think changing the intake and exhaust increases the amount of air into the engine, just makes it easier for the same amount of air to flow and do it's job (less restriction). An engine is basically an air pump. The throttle valve has a maximum open setting and the crank stroke and compression ratio remain constant. At a certain RPM, it is pumping a given CFM of air because the throttle valve, formerly the carburetor, allows a certain amount of air in to be compressed and expelled through the exhaust. Volumetric efficiency aside, I don't see much change in that, with the exception of what the relative atmospheric pressure changes are at intake and exhaust. How densly the air/fuel mixture is packed into the cylinder and burned determines how much specific output you get. Doesn't really change the AMOUNT of air in total. The thing to see by changing the intake and exhaust is what it does with that quantity of air and how effectively it makes it work to produce power. In fact, it could be said that a better intake and exhaust system would require LESS RPM to do the same job since it should produce more HP at the same engine speed, hence requiring less engine speed, and fewer CFM, to get the same work done (ie, pulling the trailer). The engine may produce higher manifold vacuum with the stock set up (restrictive), but in the end, it will basically pump the same amount of air at a given rotating speed. I believe I'm correct on this. Can anyone comment further with absolute certainty?
I’m not trained or certified in any automotive capacity. I’m a hobbyist that likes tinkering with my vehicles or any engine for that matter.
If you would like a comment with real world “absolute certainty”, gains are only determined on a dyno. In the real world its at the rear wheels on the road. This is where my results are based. My truck is now used only as a TV and I don’t make a habit of smoking the tires and have only done it a few times (not my bag) but it does bring a grin to my face. With VDC off, prior to the installation with 8k on the ODO I was able to get moderate break loose spinning from both rear wheels out of the hole and IMO good strong towing power in the mountains. After the installation of my K&N CAI and Borla Stainless Cat-Back exhaust I can spin the rear tires (Both tires are stock BFG AT KO’s) into cloud of smoke if I want to. The out of the hole throttle response and power delivery is in your face, instant on, and not comparable to stock. It truly let the beast out. In fact I just replaced my KO’s after 60K and gave em a nice spin prior to getting the new ones installed. Nothing like the sound of a big V8 making power! The power is night and day, especially in the mid to upper RPM range. But more important for a TV I have enjoyed much more noticeable power in the mountains where it counts. That’s about as “certain” as one can get.
Those that have done this modification with quality performance parts know what gains they received, and usually it is very substantial. Seems many in this thread knock the idea of a good aftermarket exhaust and intake with no first hand experience in seeing the difference it can make. A high-end CAI and Exhaust will give you on average 20-25 more HP....that is substantial. A quality Cat-Back will also give you a nice deep rich exhaust note. Not too loud but just right. I personally am not into loud but do like the sound of performance.
Now, Can “anyone comment further with absolute certainty”? 
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BurbMan
Long Island, NY
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OEM engineering is a balance between performance and longevity. Let's assume K&N increases power, and maybe they use them in race cars. The engine of a race car is torn down after every race, so they want power and plenty of it. Longevity is not an issue. In a street car, a more restrictive paper filter and a higher degree of filtration is required to protect the engine under a wide range of conditions to ensure longevity.
IF they could run the K&N's OEM and get the extra power WITHOUT sacrificng longevity, they would. They can't and you can't either. Most OEM set ups already have CAI from the factory, I know my '01 Suburban has one, it draws cold air from under the fenderwell, not hot air from under the hood.
Talk about exhaust systems, you need to be careful....most cat-backs will improve flow at high RPM and WOT, but reduced backpressure may reduce torque at lower RPMs, depending on the engine. More HP claims are almost always noted at high rpms and do not automatically equate to an increase in towing torque at lower rpms. Banks Engineering never produced an intake/exhaust kit for the GM 8.1 because they determined that there were no significant gains to be had over stock. That didn't stop K&N and Borla from posting +15HP claims for their set ups.
Not saying these are bad mods, just need to be aware that you are changing the "balance" of the tune engineered by the mfr.
A good example is the Ford 6.0L diesel...yes, it makes MUCH more power running with a chip, BUT tilting the balance so far towards power output really produced undesirable results on the longevity scale.
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