Q: Does an Aftermarket Exhaust System Benefit My Car?

An aftermarket exhaust system MAY be of some benefit to your vehicle. One of the most restrictive and power-robbing systems on cars today is the exhaust system. Having a free-flowing exhaust system and being able to get all of the exhaust gases out of the engine in an unrestrained manner is usually a good thing. It promotes good scavenging inside the cylinders and helps with better cylinder filling from the intake manifold.

However, too much of a good thing can also be a bad thing. Exhaust systems need some flow restriction to create some exhaust backpressure. Exhaust backpressure is still needed so that the EGR system (exhaust gas recirculation) can function normally.

If an aftermarket exhaust system is in your future, it should be combined with improvements in the intake system, as well. The intake and exhaust systems work in conjunction with each other to provide a means of getting air and fuel into the combustion chamber and getting the combustion gases out. When you change one system, you have to change the other in order to obtain the optimum performance benefits for your alterations.