If you are an automobile enthusiast in Edwardsville, IL, you should have already heard that an aftermarket exhaust system will help add power to your car. The general idea is that with a less restrictive exhaust, your car gains more power. Many people do not understand why this would have such an effect on a car. There are other things such as scavenging, thermal efficiency, total flow, and velocity which are important when factoring in a good exhaust to a subpar one. Here we want to talk more about aftermarket exhaust systems and how they can help increase the horsepower of your car.
Exhaust System Basics
It is important that you know more about exhaust gases before we go any further. Once the engine has gone through the intake, compression, and ignition cycles, it will have hot gases it will need to release in order for it to continue the cycle. The exhaust valve will open and the piston will come up which forces the air out of the engine straight to the exhaust system. These gasses will be very hot as they were created by an explosion, and they enter the exhaust system rapidly. The exhaust system’s purpose is to take those gases and get them out of the vehicle’s cab and out to the side or rear.
Scavenging and Flow
The first point of contact the exhaust gasses have is with the headers. OEM exhaust manifolds are usually constructed with heavy cast iron and do not have the best design. You can replace the OEM headers with tubular headers which have a larger diameter and improved design. Whenever there is an exhaust pulse sent through the header, it will create areas of low pressure behind it.
By having a good design, the low-pressure area will help pull those exhaust pulses behind it in a process known as scavenging. Having a good header will improve scavenging leading to a better flow. Past the headers lies the remainder of the exhaust system. Depending on the size of your engine and how much power is being made, the optimal diameter of the piping will vary from vehicle to vehicle. The idea is that a larger diameter will increase the flow, which means the piston will not have to do nearly as much work when it pushes the exhaust gases out of the cylinder, leading to more power.
The Heat of Exhaust Gases.
The heat of the exhaust gasses plays a big role in increasing the power of your vehicle in Edwardsville, IL. The hotter the gas is, the higher its velocity will be, and when those gases enter the turbocharger, its turbine will spin faster which will lead to better spool times, more power, and improved terminal efficiency. You can use an exhaust wrap which is designed to help keep the heat within the header rather than it cooling from the heat under your car’s hood.
Myth About Back Pressure
A common misconception that has spread through both word of mouth and through the internet is that four-stroke engines need to have a certain amount of back pressure in order to run properly. It also says that if you do not have enough back pressure it will decrease power. This information is false. Decreasing the pressure as much as you can, it will allow for a greater flow of exhaust gases out of the cylinder. If the piping is too big for the exhaust system is not designed properly, exhaust scavenging can decrease, resulting in a decreased flow.
If you have any more questions on how you can increase the horsepower of your car in Edwardsville, IL, give our team of experts at Rob’s Discount Mufflers a call today!
