X pipes
The X-pipe is just
1)a means of tuning the noise out and ensuring the car doesn't rumble.
2) A means of equalising pressure pulses without creating standing waves which snarl-up the gas flow. The work hydraulic enginers do with flow equalisation is directly applcable to a fluid in its gas state.
3) What the X-pipe avoids is the most common six cylinder mess up.
The moment you group a big pipe a lower tone and you get a deaper rumble which drones at the 1200 to 2000 rpm mark, right when you use it.. In Aussie, the Holden Commodore boys with even fire GM 3800's always mess up the exhast by shoving in a big single, and then it rumbles and drones, and sounds like a Model A, or worse, a VTEC with a 3" phart can. Same with after market XR6 normally aspirated exhasts. XR6 Turbo kits wit big singles seam to quiet things down, but they still sound bad
The balance pipe allows the slugs of exhast gas to move on out quicker. Each leg of the dual out header has a higher velocity when they are X'd via a small cut.
NASCAR and AVESCO, and now the latest aftermarket Holden kits go right to an X pipe, and it makes them sound nice. V8's benifit more than sixes, but Aussie sixe cylinder owners always have been told to go for a big single, and I've never heard it produce a nice exhast note yet.
Dual Rear Mufflers
Consenus from the Americans are that the best dual mufflers are the Borla's and then the Flowmaster 40, and to a lessor extent, the louder Flowmaster 50 and 60's.
The key is finding a near stock muffler that flows 300 cfm at 25" H20 pressure on each side, and then make it out of common V8 pipe. Even two stock V8 pipes is better than a big single for sound, cost, and ease of fitting.
Back end Issues
Ford XE-AU's had nasty Watts Linkages which made grouping the pipes mandatory. All post 71 US Fords tended to run nasty cross flow mufflers or were gas tank restricted by the crash bumpers and safety aspects.
Items which work.
The first EB XR6's I've seen came with was
a single shorty header exhast to a single cat,
to a dual muffler system under the back seat floor pan kick,
and then joined back to a big single.
Everything after that was just crap.
The aftermarket sells what fits and is cost effective, not what makes power and good mellow noise.
My best advice is to follow the OfenokeeComets set up. Way in the distance, you can see the two dual out pipes look like they siamese, but don't.
http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=135404&highlight=#135404
In my opinion, copy his set-up, and weld the x pipe together just 4" along from the cross member humb.
This would allow you Aussie guys to run an X pipe like Wsa111's with a little less pipe, and a smidgen less effort.
Heres one with an H pipe
http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=146840&highlight=#146840
Whatever, do something different!