Exhaust style comparison (long)

Sep 05, 2003 6 Replies
S

OK, the whole question of X vs H brought me back to something I've been trying to figure out for awhile. I know that different exhaust styles are better for different missions for the car. My question is...Is there a "matrix" or "primer" out there that says what the different style parts do in an exhaust system. Not just, "X pipe is better than H pipe because...", but something along the lines of; Long tube headers do such and such, Shorties do such and such. Then compare the advantages and disadvantages of each. Then doing the same for X and H pipes, and exhaust tube diameter. Then comparing what components work best with each other for what type of driving. Like, Shorties with an X pipe @ 3" diameter, vs Tri-Y's with an H and 2.25" diameter. What works best for the role of the car??? Anybody know of a site that has honest, unbiased info? Or is anyone willing and knowledgeable enough to set aside their own personal bias and discuss the pro's and cons of each style system? What about breaking it down even further into motor class (SB, BB, EFI, Carb, Forced induction, etc.)



Scott Williams '66 High Country Special


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I

You can probably go to the 5.0 Mustang web site for reprints of their articles and do your own comparison. In a street driven car with your engine making max torque at 2500 rpm the difference is non existent.

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L

They sound different. Sound is a personal taste so in this respect one is not better than the other.

Performance wise, H-pipes offer slightly more torque down low and X-pipes offer sightly more horsepower up top. If you have an engine that falls off fast at high rpm, you will not get the X-pipes advantage and an H-pipe will perform SLIGHTLY better on that engine. On the other hand, if you have an engine that loves to produce power up top, an X-pipe will perform slightly better on that engine. That being said, NASCAR uses X-pipes.

LJH

95GT (with Bassani X-pipe on my 331 stroker.. it LOVES to rev)

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A

Larry hit it on the head -

I dyno my cars, and have intsalled x and h pipes - get an h pipe if you want the torque down low (on a modified 5.0 gave 14 lb ft versus x at

3100, but the x gives 9hp at 5800) - if your car is not modified, I'd go with the h, but if you get intake/injectors/computer work done, go to the x. But the real truth is it's a matter of sound for most situations, the x seems raspier, and the h sounds lower.

I ran an x on a 67 with a 332 (289 punched) that was just great, but I had it opened up so bad I could only idle down to 1100rpm, car was scary though -chassis not up to motor.

Andrew

Larry Hep>They sound different.

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S

Okay, so what about long tubes vs shorties vs Tri-Y's?

Scott Williams

66 HCS C8 302, gasket matched C8OE heads to Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake, Edelbrock 650 Performer Carb, T5 tranny, 8" 3.00:1 open rear.

because...",

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L

Long tubes will produce more power than shorties. They are, however a big pain to install and NOT emissions legal. They are perfect for race cars but not very practical for street machines. You can expect about 5% more power at the top and bottom over shorties and a little less in the midrange.

Equal length shorties have more midrange power than unequal shorties. But unequal length shorties have more power down low and up top. These differences are on the order or 2%.

LJH

95GT (331 stroker now running unequal length shorties as the equals were not worth the hassel)

disadvantages

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L

The short answer is NO. As you can see from the above power comparisons, the best to worst is only about 5% difference. On a race car, you'll sell your momma for 5%. For a street car and especially a daily driver, go for looks, sound, or anything else that floats your boat. Powerwise its not going to make a noticeable difference.

LJH

95GT

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