Why should I buy a performance exhaust system?
Because your vehicle has a team of horses baying to be unleashed. Stock exhaust systems are designed simply to provide a conduit for spent gases to move from your engine to your tailpipe - no more, no less. On the other hand, performance exhaust systems are engineered to maximize your engine's exhaust flow, giving you:
In case you skipped out on Auto Shop back in high school, AutoAnything is here to give you a quick lesson on the mysterious inner-workings of your engine's cylinders. Without cylinders, your vehicle could not drive around, unless you could convince your friends to lend you their backs and push you all over town. That's because the majority of your horsepower is generated right there in your cylinders through a fairly straightforward process, called combustion.
First, the cylinder sucks a mixture of oxygen and fuel (gasoline or diesel) into its chamber, where it is then ignited by a spark plug or glow stick. These three ingredients create a controlled explosion, or combustion, which generates both energy and waste gases. That energy transforms into wheel-turning torque to propel you down the road, but the exhaust is a cloud of useless particles that would clog up your engine if left to linger in the piston chamber.
That's where the exhaust system comes into action. The spent gases are exhaled, traveling out of the engine through your exhaust manifold, and they eventually exit out the back of your vehicle. The faster the exhaust gets out of the way, the easier it is for your engine to breathe, which means more horsepower, torque and fun behind the wheel.
The problem with stock exhaust systems is that they are not optimized for the best possible flow. Auto manufacturers spend much more time thinking about the shape and placement of your air vents than they do planning your exhaust pipes. What's the result of their neglect? Your motor has to work harder during combustion, which robs you of valuable horsepower, torque and fuel economy. A performance exhaust system will harness the potential power that your engine is wasting because of its inefficient stock exhaust. AutoAnything's quick-installing, bolt-on performance exhaust systems improve your power by:
Just as the word implies, a restriction in your exhaust system is anything that slows the continuous flow of spent gases from your engine to your tailpipe. Poorly bent pipes are the leading cause of power-robbing restrictions. In order to cut corners wherever they can, auto manufactures use a second-rate bending technique known as "press" or "crush" bending.
This type of bending is quick and easy for the manufacturers, but it causes massive restrictions in your pipes because it reduces the pipe's diameter. This may not sound all that dramatic, but picture this: what happens when a busy freeway goes from 5 lanes down to 2? Horrific gridlock! The same thing happens with your exhaust. The waste gases slow down when they hit a press bend, which clogs up the whole system. In automotive lingo, this gas traffic problem is called back pressure.
There is, however, a more efficient way to form an exhaust system for your vehicle. Rather than using low-tech "press" bending methods, performance exhaust systems use a state-of-the-art mandrel bending process. When a pipe is bent using a mandrel method, a flexible rod is fitted inside the piece of pipe. This bendable insert stops the pipe from changing diameter during the bending process. What makes mandrel bending so much better? This consistent diameter is like an express super-highway for your exhaust, eliminating the restrictions in stock systems that steal precious power and torque.
All of our performance exhaust manufacturers, from Corsa to Flowmaster to MBRP, mandrel bend their systems for torrential flow and peak performance.
Besides how your pipes are bent, their actual size affects how much horsepower your engine can deliver to your power-hungry tires. Always looking to cut costs, auto manufacturers often skimp on the exhaust, using piping that's barely bigger than a straw. While this might shave a few bucks off the sticker price, it diminishes your overall horsepower and torque.
With a performance exhaust system, you get larger pipes that allow the maximum amount of exhaust to flow through. This rapid release of your spent gases dramatically improves your system's overall efficiency, giving a high-octane boost to your vehicle.
Now, the diameter will vary greatly based on your engine size and type. A cat back exhaust system for a Honda will be significantly smaller than a diesel exhaust system for a Dodge Ram 3500. But, bigger is not always better. A good performance exhaust system's tubing is properly sized and tested for your particular vehicle.
AutoAnything wants to let you in on a little-known secret: performance exhaust systems not only provide a faster escape route for your spent gases, they're also tuned to pull along straggling fumes through the pipes. That's right; our bolt-on performance exhaust systems greatly improve engine scavenging. Engine scavenging is a lot like an internal exhaust siphon. As the exhaust gases shoot down an unrestricted, properly sized exhaust pipe, they leave a vacuum in their wake. This vacuum sucks the exhaust out of the next cylinder, and each new burst of fumes creates its own vacuum, so the process repeats itself until you shut-off your vehicle.
What do you get when you mix radically-reduced restrictions, properly-sized piping and excellent engine scavenging? A roaring performance exhaust system that delivers full-throttle horsepower throughout the RPM range. You can expect to see real gains of up to 25 extra horsepower coursing through your engine, as well as massive torque increases up to 60 ft lbs! Even more gains can be seen if your vehicle uses forced-induction to create horsepower and torque: Banks turbo kits were put together by Gale Banks to provide an all-in-one solution for turbo diesel trucks that don't just need high performance, they need Banks performance.
With a performance exhaust system, you not only feel the power every time your foot hits the peddle, but you also hear it thundering and rolling around you. Nothing quite improves your vehicle's presence as a throaty, rumbling exhaust system. When you hear each and every piston firing in rapid succession, you truly comprehend the unbridled force lurking under your hood. Stock exhaust systems try to hold back your engine's naturally forceful tone with thick-walled exhaust manifolds and mufflers that stifle your vehicle's rich resonance, rather than enhance it. But, a performance exhaust from companies like Magnaflow, Borla and DC Sport rips away the sound restraints.
When it comes to the sound of your vehicle, the muffler has the most impact. Of course, you can tell by its name that a muffler's job is to dampen the sounds pouring out of your tailpipes. Without a muffler, your vehicle would sound like a string of M80 firecrackers exploding in a metal trashcan. On the other hand, a stock muffler suppresses the naturally aggressive rumble of a strong engine to a spineless wimper. Take control of the tone of your vehicle with a performance exhaust system for the perfect balance of sound and suppression. AutoAnything's Cat back exhaust systems come with mufflers that range from a deep guttural roll to a warm poppy purr.
Most exhaust manufacturers, such as Flowmaster and Magnaflow, offer a range of tone to choose from. That way, you can pick the perfect volume for your vehicle.
Unless you've got your own oil derrick churning out barrels of Texas Tea in your backyard, chances are you too are feeling the pinch at the pump due to the rising costs of gasoline. While it might sound too good to be true that you can get better fuel economy from a performance exhaust system along with serious power boosts, we're not pulling your leg. That's because the same overall improvements that lead to greater performance are improving your engine's overall efficiency.
You see, when the exhaust is flowing unrestricted down wider pipes with the right amount of vacuum left behind to keep the cycle running smoothly, your cylinders empty themselves of more and more waste gases. And when there are fewer impurities in the cylinder, your mixture of gas and oxygen burns purer, giving you greater horsepower without having to have a serious lead foot. These straightforward improvements in efficiency from a performance exhaust system can result in around a 1 or 2% overall increase in fuel economy, saving you big every time the fuel gauge in your vehicle starts creeping down towards "E." For even more tips on getting the most bang from your fuel buck, check out our Gas Saving Devices Guide.