Video Review & Installation

What's going on, guys? I'm Justin with americanmuscle.com and this is my detailed review and install of the Borla ATAK Cat-Back Exhaust system, featuring the dual split rear exit configuration, available for your 2015 and up 5.0-liter powered Supercrew and Supercab F-150. In this video, I'm gonna talk about some basics you can expect here with the Borla ATAK. Basically what you can expect as far as overall sound with the ATAK, what you're gonna be looking at as far as construction and materials with the Borla, and then finally, a quick little touch on the install itself. And right up front, guys, I'm gonna tell you, this one isn't going to be a knuckle buster. Instead, expect a pretty simple one out of three wrenches on the difficulty scale, with a little bit more detail coming up later on. Plain and simple, you should be checking out the ATAK from Borla if you're after one of the most aggressive systems available for your Coyote-powered F-150 and you don't mind throwing down a good chunk of change to get a premium brand or premium system like Borla. Now this is also gonna be a great choice for truck owners out there who are really after that dual split rear exit configuration, a tried and true setup that looks good on just about every truck out there. So with all that said, let's take a closer look at the ATAK. Now as an exhaust company, Borla has definitely been one of the biggies for a long time now in regards to aftermarket exhaust systems for the Mustang and the F-150 alike. Now they're definitely more of a premium or high-end option in the category, but in exchange, you're getting an awesome system, from materials to sound down to fitment. And at first glance, the ATAK here for the F-150 checks all of those boxes. Let's start with the construction and the materials first here with the ATAK and then we'll touch on the sound. As we already established, you are dropping a pretty decent chunk of change on this system, but you probably want to know why you are, right? You don't wanna be throwing money blindly at an exhaust system. Well, as far as materials, guys, nothing but the best here from Borla. T304 grade stainless steel throughout, the benchmark in materials, and something you almost come to expect when shopping in this price range. Let's take that construction a step further and talk about what you're getting here with the ATAK. Three-inch tubing going through the ATAK Series muffler before stepping down into two and a quarter-inch tubing, all mandrel bent, finally exiting out the rather large four-inch slash cut tips, embossed with the Borla logo, polished to a mere shine. You know the deal there. But from start to finish, just a very well-made system. Great welds throughout. Again, you are getting that T304 grade stainless steel included with the ATAK Series muffler. Now sticking with that ATAK Series muffler quickly here, it actually stands for Acoustically Tuned Applied Kinetics, and that's Borla's patented tech that says, yes, this thing is gonna be very loud, but it's not gonna dirty up the sound or muddy up the sound as it gets louder and that's sometimes a problem with those more aggressive systems. But as you heard with the sound clips here, guys, Borla definitely delivers on that promise. You are getting a boatload of volume with the ATAK, though, guys, so keep that in mind. Breaking out the wake the neighbors scale, this thing's waking up everybody, so five out of five. An easy one for me because, again, this is one of Borla's most aggressive systems. Before we totally get away from the sound clips, I do wanna mention, again, this thing is very aggressive. Yes, you're getting some volume, but you're just also getting a bad-ass sounding system for your Coyote-powered V8. A lot of pop, a lot of backfires coming down off the revs. If you want to piss your neighbors off, this might be the system for you. Now for as much noise as you're getting on the outside, yes, you are hearing that under full throttle from the inside of the cab. But when you're cruising on the highway at 60 and just basically lugging it around town, it is pretty quiet on the inside, which is something that can be a little rare when you're shopping for an aggressive system. Before I talk about the install, let's quickly touch on the price. And I've mentioned it throughout the entire video, this is a premium system. Fans of Borla know this already. You know what you're getting into and that is the case with the ATAK here or any Borla system, for that matter. You're looking at right around 1100 bucks for this guy, which is gonna put it right in line with some of the CORSA offerings and also the Ford racing stuff as well, which, by the way, is also made by Borla. As far as install, well, like I mentioned at the top of this video, one out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter. Maybe an hour or two from start to finish in the garage or driveway before you're making some noise. Now as far as tools, well, you're not cutting. There's no permanent modification here. Basic stuff including a socket set, maybe a cordless impact or air will definitely help make life a little bit easier. But overall, stuff that you can find in just about every garage. Now Borla specifies starting from front to back here when installing the ATAK. They do include a slightly longer adapter pipe to be used with those longer wheelbase trucks and a shorter adapter pipe for the shorter wheelbase trucks, so just make sure you use the correct one for your application. Luckily for you, guys, Borla includes some very detailed instructions that should help you along the way. All right, guys, wrapping this one up, I do enjoy the Borla ATAK, but it's not gonna be for the faint of heart. This thing is very loud, very aggressive, and very in your face. It will certainly turn a lot of heads. Along with that, you are getting Borla's top quality build and fitment, which is one of the best in the category, I will add, but granted, you are gonna pay for that. So that's my review of the Borla ATAK Cat-Back, which you can find right here at americanmuscle.com.