The unique sound of a car is part of what makes it special. From the throaty rumble of a muscle car, to the purr of a supercar, to the rumble of a flat-four—the sound can be as unique as the car itself.
For gearheads, car lovers, and people who just want their vehicle to sound cool, tuning the exhaust can help get you that sound you’re after. Tuning an exhaust can also improve the performance of your car.
The exhaust system guides the gases leaving the engine’s cylinders away from the motor and the vehicle’s occupants. Since these gases are poisonous, it plays a vital role.
The sound of a car begins with the engine, but the exhaust system shapes it.
Manifold and Headers
The exhaust system begins at the motor. The manifold (a single cast piece of metal with internal pipes) or headers (individual pipes welded to a larger, single pipe) collects exhaust gas from the engine cylinders. Regular, everyday production vehicles roll off the factory floor with a manifold; headers are an after-market replacement.
Replacing the manifold with headers is a good place to start. Equal length headers will reduce rumble. Unequal length headers will give your vehicle a louder rumble. This is especially true on boxer engines used by Subaru, Porsche, and vintage air-cooled Volkswagens.
If volume is your goal, adding cutouts to the pipes (just after the headers) will have the most effect.
Tubes
From the headers, the exhaust gases run through either a single or double tube. Varying the diameter of this tubing will give you pops and backfires due to the varying expansion and contraction rates of gases.
Using pipes of a uniform diameter will give you the least amount of pops and backfires.
Muffler
Once your exhaust gets to the muffler, there are several options for modifying the sound.
A glass pack muffler uses a perforated tube and sound deadening fiberglass. If loud is your main objective, this is your best option. It will also deepen the engine’s sound.
Chambered mufflers use baffles instead of a tube. The effect is an added rumble with sound canceling properties.
An active, or multi-stage, muffler has adjustable baffles that can be used to sculpt the engine sound.
Turbo mufflers use several tubes within the muffler to reduce noise while smoothing out the sound.
Once the exhaust leaves the muffler, it has one more short bit of tube – the downpipe – to go through before exiting at the tip.
Tips
The end of the exhaust downpipe also offers sound modifying options. A larger tip will have a throatier sound, while a smaller tip will sound raspier. Adding a double-walled tip will give a fuller sound. Compared to other options, modifying the tip has the least effect on the exhaust sound.
Need work on your headers or exhaust system? McKinney Motor Company are experts at building custom exhaust systems and headers. Whether for performance, looks, or sound, we would love to work on it! Give us a call today.
