If you’ve always wanted your ride to sound like a race car and you’re wondering how you can get your engines to roar when you hit the gas pedal? The answer for you is a straight exhaust pipe system. Most of the spiffed-up cars that cruise down roads sounding like they’re about to play out a scene from a fast and furious movie have this system added to their rides.
The key to revving up your engine and increasing the horsepower is setting up a straight pipe. It will allow your car to flex its muscles since the gas flow will be smoother. If you want a few tips on how to straight pipe a truck, keep reading for the best tips and tricks and a few other details about straight pipes.
What is a Straight pipe exhaust system?
Before we go into detail about taking apart a section of your truck for the upgrade, you have to understand the workings of an exhaust system. Standard exhaust pipes are put into the structure of a vehicle to muffle the engine’s sound.
In the case of straight exhaust systems, the muffler or resonator is removed for better gas flow to increase the vehicle’s horsepower. Mind you, they can be very noisy, and there’s a chance this modification is not allowed in your state unless you’re using your truck for drag racing.
How does it work?
This system uses straight pipes that begin at the exhaust headers of the vehicle and run all the way back to the rear of the vehicle. These systems do not have a catalytic converter to muffle the engine’s sound, which is usually why vehicles with straight exhaust systems are extremely loud.
These pipes are not just installed for the sound; they also improve engine performance. They control the fumes and gases produced by the engine, dispelling them into the air without any disruption to block their flow.
What does it do?
The exhaust pipes, be it straight or the standard kind, are crucial for the proper maintenance of your car. These pipes ensure any harmful gases or fumes that are produced while your engine is running are released from your car correctly.
These gases can be harmful to the health of your vehicle as well as your own, so you’ll need to make sure that you’re completing the installation process appropriately. If you aren’t so sure about a DIY installation, there’s no harm in getting a professional to do it.
The system will also provide more horsepower and torque to the engine, making it a valuable enhancement for racing.
How to straight pipe a truck.
If you install a straight pipe to your system, you’ll have to make sure that you’re installing it properly so that there is no leakage of harmful fumes.
Here are a few tips on how you can get the pipes installed for your truck.
Step 1: You will have to raise your truck so that you can assess the underside of the vehicle. You code do this by using a Jack.
Make sure your jack is secure and on jack stands, and there’s ample space so you can access the frame of the car before you begin your work.
Step 2: Locate the brackets that keep the exhaust pipes in place near each wheel. Once located, you can remove them with an impact wrench, racketing socket or breaker bar.
You’ll have to de-attach 4 pieces that make up the exhaust system.
Step 3: Now, you can go ahead and disconnect and remove the hangers from under your truck, so they don’t get in the way while you are installing the new system. You can loosen the nuts using a wench or a socket on them.
Step 4: Once step 3 is completed, you can move on to the muffle and the tailpipes. These can be removed using an angle grinder with metal cutting discs or any kind of cutting blade. Once they’ve been cut through, you can yank them out until they come off.
Ensure that you clean the area with acetone and the frames after removing the old pipes. This step is vital if you do not want any rust forming on the new pipes.
Step 5: After cleaning the area, it is now time to install the new system. Grab your ratchet and socket or wrench, which has extensions and tighten the nuts and bolts thoroughly. You can use zip ties if necessary to secure the hangers. This is necessary for the installation process.
Using your tools, you’ll have to tighten 4 new bolts into the truck’s frame. Take the new straight exhaust pipe system kit and have them installed on top of the old brackets removed from the old tailpipes. After installing the pipes, you can go ahead and tighten them up.
Step 6: Finally, use a torque wrench set on high torque mode to tighten the bolts to ensure they do not come loose over time and provide coverage against any corrosion.
Benefits of a straight pipe exhaust.
There can be many benefits to upgrading your exhaust pipes to a straight pipe system. Here are a few of them:
1) Better performance.
They improve the removal of fumes from the engine and also relieve pressure. The horsepower of a truck and the torque will also improve drastically.
2) Light Weight.
Eliminating the conventional exhaust system with the catalytic converter will make the vehicle slightly lighter, making it run faster.
3) Fuel consumption.
It reduces fuel consumption by a lot since; the system is very simple and straightforward.