The Heartthrob four-inch aluminized cat-back is available for any 3.5L EcoBoost owner,
who's looking to get the most budget-friendly cat-back on the market with a single side-exit
design, coming in right around the $400 mark.
Now, for everything you see here, this is all just barebones material, so it's for the
guys out there who are not concerned about appearance, just concerned about the sound.
This one will arguably produce the best sound for the 3.5L EcoBoost F-150, which we all
know is saying a lot, because the EcoBoost produced a pretty much less than favorable
noise.
Now, with that said, the install is going to be very, very simple, so expect a one out
of three wrenches on our difficulty meter.
The first thing I want to touch on here is going to be the exhaust sound, which honestly
does not disappoint.
Now, obviously, it's not the most attractive system in the world, all natural materials,
no real exhaust tip.
But as Justin would say, this is a "don't judge a book by its cover"-type of exhaust,
because arguably it produces one of the best sounds for your 3.5L EcoBoost.
Now, we know from the factory, they produce pretty much a less than favorable sound.
Now, in this case, in my personal opinion, you're getting a very unique sound that kind
of beefs up that 3.5L motor and gives it an aggressive note.
This, however, I will say, once you get on the street will start to give up a slight
growl.
But once you hit the highway, or even at idle, dead quiet.
I'll be giving it a very, very generous three out of five on our loudness meter.
[00:02:23] [sound clip]
[00:02:29]
Now, to reiterate, this is in no way, shape, or form, meant to be any kind of styling part
with the single side-exit design.
It's manufactured right here in the U.S. out of a four-inch aluminized steel tubing from
top to bottom.
Obviously, it's a massive bullet-style muffler.
This aluminized steel that we here isn't the highest-quality materials.
Honestly, it's more of an entry-level product meant to keep the pricing down.
But it does come with unrestricted mandrel bends for a more free-flowing design.
This is definitely not the best choice for the guys out there in any wintery weather
areas, seeing a lot of salt on the roads, as it might shorten its lifetime.
But as I mentioned, that is simply just to keep the price down, making this one the most
budget-friendly option on the market.
Now, with that said, this does come with the four-inch diameter tubing, which the turbos
do love.
So it does produce a very, very nice sound from the turbos, of course.
But on top of that, it also deletes the factory resonator.
So keep all that in mind when you're shopping around.
Speaking of that price tag, everything you see on the table here from the Heartthrob
option is going to come in right around the $400 mark.
Nothing flashy done to this option, barebones materials, no polished finishes, no powder-coatings.
So if that is what you're gearing towards and you'd like a more attractive tip coming
out the side exit, there are tons of different options out there, including the MBRP, which
is probably your best bet as far as budgets are concerned.
Shifting gears over to the install portion of the video, as I mentioned in the very beginning,
this one is going to be pretty simple, straightforward, one out of three wrenches on our difficulty
meter.
However, I will say there's one added extra step that you might have to tackle.
What I mean by "might" is, you can see here with our extension pipe, depending on your
cab size and your bed length combination, you might have to make a single slice to this
[peer] extension pipe.
You'll measure twice, cut once, and you'll be done with that, and you can move on to
the bolt-on install portion here.
Which by the way, just a simple ratchet and socket set will do the trick.
All the clamps and flanges are included in the kit.
A very simple swap here, aside from the cut you'll be making there.
Overall, you should be able to tackle this one in one, two hours, tops, at the absolute
maximum.
So when it comes down to it, getting to the nitty-gritty stuff, you'll have to unbolt
your factory cat-back, obviously, starting from the tip, moving your way back to the
mid-pipe, and just toss all that stuff aside.
It's really just a matter of unclamping everything and pulling them out of their hangers, and
then removing it from the mid-pipe flange.
Once that's taken care of, just work your way backwards after you make the cut to the
extension pipe, if you need to do so.
Once that's taken care of, you can start by putting up this front extension pipe, going
up to the mid-pipe, attaching the flange, which is already on the tubing, to the one
already on your mid-pipe.
From there, work your way back to the muffler, and then of course there is no tailpipe tip.
So just it kind of ends with the end of the piping.
With that said, an hour or two at the absolute maximum, one out of three wrenches on our
difficulty meter.
That pretty much does it for me.
If you're the owner of an '11 to '14 3.5L EcoBoost F-150, check out the Heartthrob four-inch
aluminized cat-back exhaust system, available right here at americantrucks.com.