ben muffler tail pipe question

It may put more back pressure on the engine. Since it's not closed off, this won't be a real problem, but power and efficiency may suffer.

Be more specific about which pipe. Is it the muffler pipe (Between the muffler and cat converter) or the tail pipe (behind the muffler).

If it's the tail pipe and it's a small bend it'll have little effect. If it's before the muffler, it could effect back pressure and you could lose some performance. (Keyword: could). If you don't notice the difference, don't worry about it. Wait until you need to replace the rest of the system. If you notice the difference in peformance, have it replaced.

Just curious as to why you think it would make more difference if the restriction was upstream of the muffler? Surely there where the gasses are hotter and less dense it would cause a lesser restriction? Either way i dont think it'd cause an issue unless its a noticable reduction in cross sectional area. A lot of cars use the same exhaust rear end across the range of engine sizes IME, which means that originally if you had the lower end engine the rear end is fairly large diameter to start with.

Unless the pipe is bent enough to pinch off the flow of exhaust gas, you probably do not have a problem.

It's hard to tell from here, I can't see the bented parts very well. I suggest that if the car seems to be normal despite the too-close encounter with a rock or log, then don't worry.

BINGO.

If you were driving your in NASCAR, the pipes would make a difference to your chances of winning, but you're gonna get to work witout any problems.

A lot of cars use the same exhaust