Tinkering with the expo

[fatboy]

Hello folks, I'm new to the site and have a few questions about some mods to my expo. Its a 1998 xlt with a 4.6. I've read on this site about the gotts mod, which I'm gonna do, my question with that is would it defeat the purpose to still run a stock filter or would i have to get a better flowing filter like a K&N. Also I noticed a lot of these trucks running with straight pipes. I like the way they sound. But do they hurt low end performance at all, seeing that the back pressure is greatly reduced. I dont want the truck to be a rocket, but would like a little more go. Thanx

 

[JDMitchell]

You can still do the gotts mod with the stock filter. It will flow more air but not quite as much as a K&N. I bought a used K&N off ebay for around $25 including shipping.

 

[Sierra Lima1470]

oh snap! You got yours from ebay for $25? I wish I thought of that... oh well.
AS far as straight pipes, I'm pretty sure you lose some low end torque. I know I did when I went from stock muffler to a flowmaster one.