So what is a Cutout?
It is a Y-pipe that is installed prior to your vehicles muffler. One part of the Y-pipe being in-line with the exhaust system and the other part splits off and lets the exhaust come out unimpeded by mufflers, additional catalytic converters and resonators. This part of the Y-pipe can be opened and closed, electronically (with a valve) or manually (with a block-off-plate). When opened exhaust will naturally follow the path of least resistance and bypass the remainder of the exhaust system, when closed the truck will utilize the exhaust system and sound more civilized for daily driving duties.
How it work and where to install?
When you open the valve on your cutout your truck (or car) will get very loud as your exhaust normally gets routed through resonators and mufflers. It is recommended that the electronic circuit breaker be installed behind the resonator and in front of the muffler. If it is installed in front of the resonator, it can bring loud sound, but it will be accompanied by large noise. If you want to increase the volume, it is better to install the muffler and resonator.
Do Exhaust Cut-Outs Increase Horsepower?
As I mentioned before, when you activate your cutout your exhaust follows the path of least resistance. By not going through your mufflers/cats/resonators you exhaust is less restricted, or to put it another way, there is less back-pressure. On a turbocharged F-150 this means the turbo can spin up quicker providing more power earlier on in the RPM range and there will also be more power overall throughout the RPM range. In some applications, 30-40 horsepower was gained by doing this on an EcoBoost 3.5 liter powered F-150.
Will fit any car or truck!
