Exhaust Ford F-150

I am collecting parts to put an exhaust system on my [canoe]. I have hedmann longtube headers, 2 Flowmaster delta 40s in hand and 2 Flowmaster high flow cats on the way. 

When i have it all installed im not sure if i want to go x pipe or H pipe. Or what size pipe would be ideal. I have Mustang friends that have offerred advice. But im not in a car. I need advice from truck owners. 

So Xpipe or Hpipe? Why?

Pipe size? Why?

Do my pipes have to be equal length for each side to be properly "tuned"? [canoe removed]

im new at this so please be patient with my amature questions 

All advice greatly appreciated.

This is the Mustang chart. The location of the crossover here vs an F150 is different so it’s probably not a valid comparison.

The information I’ve seen for trucks says the X is the one you want but do you have a good reason for not just running true duals all the way back?

Not sure what engine you have but on my '93 Cobra Mustang I went with the "Dr Gas" "X" pipe when I installed equal length shorty headers and a racing style exhaust. That is no mufflers as it was a race car.  Before I did this the car had the stock shorty headers and an "off road H" pipe.  I never had either setup on a dyno but the sound the "X" pipe produced convinced me that it didn't matter. I liked the sound of the "X" pipe as it gave the engine a higher note as the rpms went up.

For as long as I owned that car I would have people come up to me and tell me that they loved the sound the car made.

X pipe or H pipe or true duals or big single is gonna come down to noise, not performance.  You are still pushing a brick through the air, a few HP or Ft/Lbs isnt the biggest concern.

I ran shortys, 3" high-flow cat, and 3" flowmaster copy, single sided stock routing on my 95 F150 with the 5.0 and it sounded decent.  

Not sure what year F150 you are dealing with but remember the 5.0 truck motor and the 5.0 HO Mustang motor ai not the same.  You won't get Mustang sound from a non-Mustang motor.  

On our F-350, we used headers, and I believe 2.5" pipe and Magnaflow mufflers. It sounds good and is not too loud. You definitely need a cross-over tube or H or X-pipe.

What is the desired end result?  Maximum horsepower, a good sound, a quiet exhaust?  For an average truck being used for average things, I don't think an X or H pipe will matter all that much.

The pipe size will depend on what engine you have and what kind of power you want to make.

Xs and Hs are totally your choice.  Both will add a tiny bit more HP and TQ, but the differences between the two are negligible.  And in my opinion, not worth the extra effort.

Placing an X pipe is pretty easy.  Just put it where its easy.  H-pipes work on the theory of giving exhaust pulses a path to the other side where there isn't a current pulse happening.  A properly placed H-pipe would go at the points where they are most effective (where the sound waves get piled up on top of each other).  The old school way to find where to put an H pipe was to paint a stripe of spray paint down each side from the cat to the muffler.  Drive it and keep checking until you find where it has burned the paint off... the theory being that where the pulses linger longest will be the hottest.

But again, the benefits really only matter in the smallest of margins.