Exhaust Systems: What’s Right for Me?

We’ve all heard the saying “If it’s too loud, you’re too old”. In many instances, this can be true, and most car guys would agree that roaring exhaust system is music to the ears. But when it’s something you have to live with everyday, you might want to take the time to make an informed decision before you commit to buying a replacement exhaust system. After all, there is nothing more frustrating than spending time, money and effort installing an exhaust system only to find out it’s not how you’d imagined it would be. So lets take a quick look at the typical components of an exhaust system and then define what’s going to make them louder or quieter.

Exhaust systems start at the engine block. The headers take the combustion gases from each cylinder and combine them into either one or two exhaust pipes. Shortly after the headers, you will find a few catalytic converters. The cat’s convert noxious fumes into more environmentally-friendly gases, reducing pollution and keeping our air clean for generations to come. After the catalytic converters, the gases flow through a series of exhaust pipes and then through the mufflers and out to the atmosphere. The muffler acts as a resonator, often quieting the tone of the engine into something more pleasant. The problem with quieting the tone of an exhaust is that it often requires restrictions in the exhaust gas flow to achieve the target decibel rating. These restrictions can often make an engine work harder to push out the exhaust gases. This makes the engine consume horsepower, thus reducing it’s output. Many people want to change out the restrictive factory exhaust for something that will provide more power and engine note, but the real goal is to get something that won’t drive you bonkers.