Ford F350 Exhaust System Tips

Also known as a SuperDuty, the F-350 is the nearly identical twin of Ford’s larger F-250. Between the years of 1999 and 2010, Ford offered the following engines on the F250:

• A 5.4L V8, identical to the 5.4L found in the F-150, it’s fairly rare to find an F350 with this engine.
• A 6.8L V10 that can be found in all types and sizes of vehicles – from recreational use trucks to full-fledged heavy service fleet vehicles.
• A 7.3L Diesel V8, the most popular of many PowerStroke diesel engines offered by Ford.
• A 6.0L Diesel V8, plagued by problems when it was launched in 2003, the 6.0L went on to become one of Ford’s most powerful truck engines of all time.
• A 6.4L Diesel V8, the last of the Navistar-sourced diesel engines.
• A 6.7L Diesel V8, a brand-new diesel designed and built completely by Ford. This is different than previous diesel engines, which were built and designed by Navistar.

If you own an F350 with a gas engine, you’ll find that there are quite a few after-market mufflers available. For a V-10 one ton Ford, a less-restrictive exhaust might save some gas.

Diesel F350 owners have a tremendous number of performance accessory options, and one of the most important is an after-market exhaust system. In order to minimize cost and to try and make the trucks a little quieter, Ford placed fairly restrictive exhaust systems on their diesels at the factory. After-market Ford diesel exhaust systems can add significant amounts of power – as much as 40lb-ft of torque.

If you’re considering adding a less-restrictive exhaust to your diesel truck, you can expect:

• Improved throttle response
• Better fuel economy
• More noise, but not necessarily harsh noise. A lot of after-market diesel exhausts emphasize the sound of your truck’s turbo, which can make your after-market exhaust truck sound more like a jet engine than a rattling, crackling diesel.

As always, you get what you pay for when it comes to after-market exhaust systems. Less expensive systems are louder and harsher than more expensive kits (usually, but not always). Some of the more popular exhaust system manufacturers for the F-250 are:

• Banks
• Borla
• Bully Dog
• Flowmaster
• Gibson
• Magnaflow
• MBRP

F-350 Exhaust Recommendations

1. Diesel owners must be aware of exhaust gas temperatures. If your truck doesn’t already have one, a pyrometer is a smart add-on that you can have installed at the same time you’re adding a new exhaust system to your rig.

2. Like all trucks, knowing your wheelbase is important. With two bed lengths, three cab styles, and a DRW option – not to mention all the re-designs during the last decade – there are a lot of different possible configurations…be sure you know what your truck’s wheelbase before you order.

3. Consider a diesel performance package. Many of Ford’s diesel trucks can benefit a LOT from a new air intake, new exhaust, a power programmer, and some odds and ends. While some diesel owners suffer a stroke (kidding) the first time they check out the price on a Banks Power Pack, the Banks kits are nothing short of amazing when it comes to improving performance and fuel economy without impacting reliability.

If you own a Ford diesel, you owe it to yourself to take a look at a kit from Banks.