Hey, everybody, I'm Justin with americanmuscle.com and this is my detailed review in install
of the CGS Aluminized Steel Cat-Back Exhaust system available for your 2015 and newer 3.5
liter EcoBoost-powered F-150.
This quick review is gonna cover my thoughts on the sound profile you can expect when bolting
up the CGS system to your EcoBoost-powered F-150 what you can expect as far as materials
from this very affordable Cat-Back.
And then, finally, we'll briefly talk about the install and right on the surface, guys,
I can tell you if you're a super crew or SuperCab owner out there, this is gonna be a one out
of three wrenches on the difficulty meter with a little bit more detail coming up later
on.
Plain and simple, you should be checking out the aluminized version of the CGS Cat-Back
if you're after one of the most affordable exhaust systems for your EcoBoost-powered
truck, period.
Now, this thing is not going to be the fanciest system out there from a feature or material
standpoint but if your number one priority is increasing the volume on your Turbo Six
Banger for pennies on a dollar, this is going to be the system for you.
Well, let's start off with the sound profile here using a CGS system and in my opinion,
for the price, this thing produced a very enjoyable tone.
Now, let's be honest here, guys, the EcoBoost platform is capable of a lot of things.
Unfortunately, sounding good is just not one of its strong suits, so the CGS does a great
job of slightly increasing the volume both outcrossing that too much line.
Breaking out my "Wake the neighbors" scale, I'm going to go middle of the road here, three
out of five on my one to five or "One to wake your neighbors" scale.
The tone is deep.
It's not very raspy whatsoever.
You pick up a little turbo noise but I've heard more with other systems.
You do hear this thing on the inside of the truck as well but I wouldn't categorize it
as a dronie [SP] system and it's certainly not something that will bug you on a long
trip.
With the sound covered, let's talk about how this system comes together here and it all
starts with the CGS high flow muffler responsible for shaping that sound.
Now, this muffler here along with that 4-inch slash cut tip,these parts are actually made
from stainless steel which is nice because yes, this is their aluminized steel version
of their Cat-Back but you're still getting two big components here with this system that
do offer the full stainless build which is great from a longevity standpoint.
Now, the aluminized steel does eventually enter the picture, however, with the piping
here mainly, all of it three inch, all of it mandrill bent and again, all of it aluminized
steel.
Now, is there going to be any drawback to using that aluminized steel tubing?
And my short answer on this topic would be "Depends."
It really depends on where you live, what kind of climate your truck is gonna see and
if you're gonna see a lot of road salt during the winter months.
If the answer is yes, then I might advise against going with aluminized steel and opting
for a stainless option instead because that aluminized steel is going to be more prone
to corrosion over the years.
Now, from a performance standpoint, the aluminized steel is gonna perform just as well as those
more expensive materials.
However, if longevity is your number one concern, then I would strongly recommend checking out
a full stainless steel option.
In fact, CGS offers a very similar option to this here but with full stainless steel
including the tubing here.
You can't find it on this site.
It'll cost you a little bit more but it's still very affordable in the land of aftermarket
exhaust.
Now, I keep dancing around the price here with this system.
I've mentioned it a few times throughout the review but here's the deal.
For the aluminized steel version of the CGS Cat-Back, just north of 300 bucks which is
crazy affordable, again, in the land of aftermarket exhaust systems.
If you did want to step up to that full stainless build, you're only looking at another 100
bucks more on top of that which, again, I think is still very affordable, all things
considered.
As far as the install is concerned, well, like I mentioned earlier here, if you have
a super crew or a SuperCab F-150, you're looking at a very straightforward job, no cutting,
no permanent modification.
One out of three wrenches on the difficultly meter.
Maybe an hour or two in the shop or garage before you're making some noise.
Basically, if you have a socket set and the smallest amount of mechanical expertise, you're
going to be able to tackle this job.
Wrapping this system up here.
In my opinion, this is going to be one of the most affordable ways to increase the volume
on your EcoBoost-powered truck.
Sure, the features and the materials might not be the nicest out there but the tone,
the fitment and the build far exceed the price in my opinion.
So that is my review here of the CGS aluminized steel Cat-Back for your EcoBoost-powered F-150
which you can grab right here on americanmuscle.com.