What are Performance Mufflers and how can they Boost Car Efficiency?

The engine expels waste gases out in a pulse-like manner and flows out through the exhaust system, which is composed of many parts that work together to reduce engine noise and the toxicity of the gases. So the exhaust system is an essential car part, but did you know that there is such a thing as performance mufflers that can boost the overall efficiency of your vehicle? Read on to find out their variations and how exactly they help improve your car’s performance.

Chambered

The inside of this design is composed of chambers at specific lengths such that when the pulses travel through, certain frequencies essentially cancel themselves out, resulting in a deep, throaty roar. They are a good upgrade in terms of sound, but the chambered muffler offer little to no performance gains because they still restrict flow.

Turbo

Derived from the early application for turbocharged engines, the turbo muffler, tbe design contains no turbine whatsoever inside the muffler. Instead, there is a series of perforated pipes that force the exhaust to travel in an S-shaped path. This particular design is very restrictive, but it offers the best noise reduction because the exhaust travels through more pipes.

Glasspack/Straight-through

This design is for maximum flow of exhaust gases out of the engine at the expense of noise reduction. The glasspack muffler is simply composed of a straight perforated pipe wrapped by sound-absorbing material like fiberglass. The simplicity makes it more compact and it is the choice for racers and enthusiasts looking to maximize the performance of their engine.

If you want to cut costs, a simple exhaust system comprised of just steel pipes with a uniform diameter is all you need to significantly boost your engine power. But alas, this method produces so much noise that your car can be classified as street illegal, not to mention the lack of a catalytic converter, the component that reduces the toxic gases present in the exhaust. This kind of setup has been discouraged as carbon footprint have actually become top priority in the racing industry.

The efficiency of an engine is dependent on how fast it can take in air, combust it with fuel and expel out the burned gases. Tweaking any step of the process is sure to give a boost in efficiency, and for exhaust tuning, unimpeded flow of waste gases is the ultimate goal.