Stainless steel exhaust holds the edge

As the love of speed and the embracing of low emission technology prepare to collide head on, the back end of the vehicle becomes ever more controversial. The exhaust on any vehicle serves several purposes. It will remove all the by-products of combustion from the engine and send them into the air, away from the driver and any passengers in the car. It will help to silence the noise of the engine and on cars built after 1992 it will help to clean up the emissions of the engine before sending them into the atmosphere.

As the performance of the car becomes more and more popular there is an ever-increasing range of options to consider before making an informed choice about the kind of exhaust that suits the requirements of the buyer. There is always going to be a trade off when choosing a new exhaust and what is ideal for one will not be for another. There are some factors that need to be considered before buying the new exhaust such as:-

–          What are the different costs?

–          How long will it last?

–          What is the weight and performance of the exhaust?

–          How much sound will it make?

–          Is the quality of the exhaust good?

–          And will it be compatible with the car?

There are basically two materials to choose from when thinking about buying a new exhaust (mild steel or stainless steel). Mild steel is a lot cheaper but will rust, so expect a mild steel exhaust to last around 3 years. Stainless does not rust much at all and so it will last a lot longer. A lot of stainless exhausts now come with a lifetime guarantee. Unfortunately a stainless exhaust is considerably more expensive than mild steel items but it is a very good investment if the car is going to be kept for the long run. More information on what type of exhaust is right for your car can be found from expert suppliers such as http://www.longlife.co.uk who will give an unbiased appraisal.

Because stainless steel will not rust, these exhausts will often come with a very attractive polished finish as opposed to the dull and eventually rusty look of a mild steel exhaust. The polished look will only last if the system is kept clean as stainless steel, like almost all other metals, will still tarnish.

One of the main reasons people will upgrade an exhaust system is noise, both more of it and tuning the noise to create a sporty sound. More noise is achieved by simply using less silencing. This is done by either reducing the number of silencers or using sports silencers that will flow more gas at the expense of silencing. Silencing will often slow down the flow of air through the exhaust, meaning that more performance will also be accompanied by extra noise. A lot of standard exhausts are designed to be cheap quiet and inoffensive, with performance near the bottom of the priority list.