What Goes Into Designing An Exhaust System

Richard Waitas from Magnaflow sat down to run us through exactly what goes into designing exhaust systems. One of the first steps is determining what it’s for. The whole job is to evacuate the exhaust from the motor. Is it the correct size for the power level of the motor? Then it needs to be determined if you want to put a piece on that fits with stock geometry suspension or frame or do you want something that’s custom-fabricated or bolt-on.

When you’ve determined you want a completely custom car, Magnaflow’s custom builder kits are the direction you’ll probably want to head it. It provides you with the most options if you have the means to assemble it.

As far as the basics of exhausts there are a few key things.

1) Does it route in a place where it will be free of any interferences? Taking into consideration you’re working with stainless steel that expands when heated. Also taking into consideration bends that may be affected by that growth rate. Make sure the routing is away from things that could be damaged by the temperature (i.e. fuel lines, brake lines, etc.)

2) When welding exhaust lines there are a few different ways to go. Sticking with a MIG is the easiest way to get things going. But if you’re looking at spacing, keeping it clean, and looking more visually pleasing you can move to a TIG. You can use either a rod or a fusion.

At the end of the day, what you choose depends on the necessity of the exhaust system and the desire of the appearance that you want.