Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Exhaust Question

Ok, I know you all get these loud exhausts and all, but my question.....since I don't know much about this part of things......these huge wide exhaust tips the ricers get, is there a purpose to it other than to make their lawnmowers louder? Better air flow or something??
Thanks in advance.

Exhaust tone and better flow rates are achieved through the muffler. Bigger exhaust tips are just for the cool ricer boy image. Since the ricer boys are so small in their shorts, putting on big a$$ tail pipes make them feel a little bit better, plus they think the chicks dig it. The bigger the exhaust tip is, usually means the more of an A-hole the driver of the car is.
I will post a picture giving you an example of this theory...

A muffler is definitely a restriction in the exhaust system. However, for a 2" piping network, adding a 4" tip at the end will not make the rest of the system move more air. These "coffee can" exhausts in some cases where it is actually a muffler too are a less restrictive muffler with an echo chamber built in to accent the noise which explains their size. Holler into a coffee can and you will notice the amplification of sound. Same principle. There is a misconception that the louder it is, the more powerful. I can take open headers and make it louder, but for performance purposes the open headers are enough... I don't need the echo chamber. Turbulence can actually hurt the performance of an exhaust system.

For our Contours and other modern vehicles running computer controlled engines the open headers technique doesn't work anymore. From looking at dyno sheets and talking to different people it was apparent to me that there is a point in which you can open the exhaust system too much and lose HP in the process. Apparently there needs to be a certain amount of backpressure for the engine to run at its best. Basically when getting an exhaust system, you really have to plan and design it to get the best performance out of it. The right amount of backpressure plus minimal turbulence is what will yield the best HP gain. Sounds like a lot of b.s., but before installing my Borla on my Contour I took it out with just the catalytic converter. Yeah, the noise was there but it didnt feel as powerful as when I installed the Borla.

My verdict? Most of the coffee can exhaust systems I have seen are there so you can hear the car coming and see the tip sticking out the back, but don't serve much more of a purpose than that. Anyways, hope this answers the question.

Aaaaahhhhh, that's what I thought. LOL. Thanks guys. I do agree with that theory though. Some guy in a sh*tty looking Honduh today, thought he was bada$$ with his buddies until mom & her two kids in their 4 cyl. Contour flew by, and then so did the other Contour behind them. HAHAHAHAH.