All the Good That Can Come from Using an Aftermarket Exhaust System
Besides tweaking the tyres and wheels, tweaking the 4×4 exhaust system on your beast is the next best thing that will improve how your vehicle performs, sounds and looks. It will give it an improved growl and increase the fuel mileage. Moreover, it will improve the air flow, torque and horsepower while reducing exhaust temperature.
The 4×4 exhaust system is designed to accomplish 3 main tasks. First and foremost, it removes combustion byproducts which are made by burning fuel from inside the engine and venting it in the atmosphere, preferably at a far enough distance that won’t impact the driver and the passengers. Secondly, most exhaust systems try to reduce or completely silence the noise that the exhaust makes during its operation, for both the surrounding people and the passengers. The third task is to clean up the exhaust produced and vent as low pollutants in the atmosphere as possible.
This makes the 4×4 exhaust system somewhat contradictory, as the 2nd and 3rd task interfere with the 1st. Because of this, exhaust systems are cleverly designed to work together in order to do all three tasks, although it’s pretty much impossible to get a 100% efficiency from the three tasks at the same time.
Exhaust systems are made of metal – steel, to be more specific. Some types of steel have properties that allow them to perform much better for exhaust systems than other types of steel. Nowadays, most exhaust systems are made of one of the 3 types of steel – aluminised, T304 stainless and T409 stainless steel. The three types vary in performance characteristics and in price, and it’s important to have some basic knowledge of each when purchasing a new exhaust system.
Aluminised steel is the most inexpensive type of steel for exhaust systems. It’s coated in aluminium-silicon alloy that’s corrosion resistant and this type of steel works in high-heat situations. It doesn’t expand to heat and because of this it’s often used in many aftermarket exhaust systems as well as OEM exhausts.
T304 is used in many aftermarket exhaust systems but very rarely in OEM systems, except in high end vehicles. It’s a mid-range priced option and is extremely rust and corrosion resistant. It doesn’t harden and crack when heated up, which makes it a great choice in aftermarket exhaust systems. However, it does expand so it may rattle during most cold starts until the steel swells into a proper fit.
T409 is the top shelf of exhaust systems and it’s definitely the most expensive option. It’s stabilized with titanium and it’s the most corrosion resistant type of stainless steel available for exhaust systems. Because of the titanium stabilization, the rattling when cold is reduced and the swelling from the heat is reduced as well.