How to Customize Your Mitsubishi Exhaust for Power and Efficiency
You're probably already pretty familiar with the exhaust in your Mitsubishi; you know it for what it does --remove the toxic byproducts left over after combustion (namely, after the air and fuel that the air intake and fuel system pull into your engine burn up for power).
What you may not know is just how the whole thing works, and how it can be modded to do it even better, with two perhaps equally surprising consequences. For one, improved efficiency; the exhaust can be made to make better use of fuel relative to horsepower and torque. Secondly, significantly enhanced performance; exhaust backpressure can be relieved, delivering more of that power that drives the ride you love.
Would you believe the upgrades you need to do to get there are straightforward, too?
Here's everything you need to know, from how your exhaust works to what customizations are best for enhancing it.
How Mitsubishi Exhausts Work
Put simply, if your car, truck, or SUV didn't have an exhaust, its fumes would sicken you and your passengers, pollute the environment, violate emissions standards, and even break a few laws. Luckily, you're covered by a process that keeps practically nothing but water vapor and carbon dioxide from getting into the air. Here's how it goes.
First, contaminants from combustion pass through a catalytic converter (cat, for short). There, they get split into nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) by platinum-group metals like rhodium, palladium, and platinum itself. The N gets held back, while the O flows onward; in the meantime, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons burn up, and the muffler and resonator help make sure air flows as freely as it can through the system while keeping a lid on its noise. The exhaust manifold then shunts cleaner gases (CO2 and H2O vapor, mainly) down an exhaust pipe; they go through the muffler's tail pipe, flow out, and dissipate.
With a few updates, your exhaust can do all this more efficiently, giving your ride a pretty good power bump in the process. There are five ways you can go.
The Best Exhaust System Upgrades for Mitsubishi
1. Install a Cat-Back Exhaust System
This means doing a total exhaust replacement, from cat converter to tailpipe. Typically, it includes putting in a mid-pipe, a muffler, and a tailpipe and exhaust tips; these often have larger-diameter tubing and higher-flow, more-efficient mufflers; and often, installation's as easy as bolting on parts. A cat-back system can even give your ride a more aggressive exhaust note while cutting some overall vehicle weight -- something that performance enthusiasts (Mitsubishi 3000GT and Mitsubishi Eclipse drivers, for example) appreciate.
2. Put in an Axle-Back Exhaust System
This means only replacing the mufflers and pipes behind the rear axle. Usually, it involves changing the muffler, the tailpipe, and the tips. Of course, the mod doesn't offer as much of a power boost as a cat-back system, but it's a simpler option, and more affordable -- one mostly for getting that growling sports-car exhaust tone.
Note that cat- and axle-back exhausts are installed after the systems in a Mitsubishi that control emissions, so one shouldn't impede the other. Either way, know restrictions like your local noise laws beforehand to stay above board.
3. Mod to a Straight-Pipe Exhaust System
This means getting rid of the muffler and resonator. In other words, it's a custom job that's almost exclusively for changing the sound of the exhaust; it makes it a lot harsher. Sadly, in most cases, having straight pipes is illegal, not to mention more than likely to run afoul of noise ordinances (and that's putting it lightly). And there's a downside for sports-car drivers looking to get more power: lack of a muffler can cut low-end torque, making it a little harder to get up to speed.
Other options from here vary by this or that exhaust part.
4. Swap Out for a Header System
This means replacing the factory exhaust manifold, the result being the kind of enhanced exhaust flow that increases horsepower and torque. Header types range widely, from long- and short-tube to tri-Y; the differences between them are nuanced and can get complicated fast, so if you need help deciding which to go with, let alone with getting one installed, you'll want to get in touch with a Mitsubishi dealer.
5. Replace the Factory Cat with a High-Flow Converter
One of these is less restrictive than a factory cat, so, being designed for higher exhaust gas flow, it can also dramatically improve performance. The thing is, high-flow cats aren't always street-legal, so you'll want to get familiar with emissions regulations before installing one.
Shop OEM Exhaust System Upgrades at Mitsubishi Motors North America
We've got a huge inventory of everything you need, right down to the gaskets. It's genuine Mitsubishi, and competitive pricing. Buy today, and your order will ship out in no time, anywhere in the States, right to your door; you'll be customizing your exhaust in no time. Have any questions? You're welcome to contact us.