Posted by Jason Locke on 6/10/2022 to
Before you Buy
The stock exhaust system on the 2009-2014 F150s, 2015-2017 F150s, 2018-2020 F150s, and 2021-2022 F150s just doesn't inspire much...of anything. The factory exhaust with its huge chambered muffler and forward resonator just doesn't make much of a sound at all, and while a complete cat-back system is usually one of the go-to upgrades, a more and more popular exhaust upgrade for the F150s are resonator deletes. What an F150 Resonator Delete actually does is pretty self-explanatory once you know how the stock F10 exhaust system is set up, but why should you grab a resonator delete when there's other options that seem to offer a lot more? Well, F150 resonator deletes offer up excellent bang-for-your-buck sound improvements for your F150 in a kit that's extremely easy to install onto your tough F150 build.
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How is the F150's Stock Exhaust System Set Up?
Before we get in to resonator deletes and what they do, it's helpful to actually dig into all the components of the factory exhaust system of the F150s and what they actually do. Starting at the motor, the headers/exhaust manifolds allow exhaust gasses to flow out of the exhaust ports. The headers connect to either downpipes (on EcoBoost F150s) or Y-pipes (on naturally-aspirated F150s) which also contain the catalytic converters, which both reduce emissions and are the first component of the stock exhaust system that lowers sound. The Y-pipes/downpipes feed into the resonator which further reduces sound and helps to combat cabin drone at cruising. The resonator then leads into the the muffler, which has a huge, chambered design which further tamps down on sound output. The muffler leads into the tailpipe which exits behind the passenger's side rear tire in it's OEM configuration.Why a Resonator Delete over a Full Cat-Back?
With the resonator seemingly playing such a small role in the stock exhaust system over everything else, why would you ever choose a resonator delete over a complete cat-back kit? The biggest benefit of a resonator delete is their price, which is practically always a fraction of a complete cat-back system (especially these days). With less tubing and fittings, a resonator delete is much less expensive and easier to manufacture, thus costing much less to actually sell. The second major benefit over a cat-back is that resonator deletes are much easier to install, since you only have to replace one section of the factory exhaust system. Last, but not least, a resonator delete offers just "enough" sound increase without adding a ton of drone. The huge size of the stock muffler, and the fact that it comes so far forward means that deleting the stock resonator doesn't cause a massive amount of drone, but does produce enough additional sound to at least be noticeable.