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Everyone wants a reliable, safe, and value for money vehicle without the rugged look and unpleasant ride. Well if you’re one of those people then you should consider the Hilux. Toyota is known for making efficient and reliable vehicles, and with the Hilux, they’ve proved that they can produce a vehicle that can conquer any terrain without causing you a headache.
As a matter of fact, the Hilux can do all that whilst having a stylish body which not many 4×4 vehicle owners can brag about. A Hilux comes with a user-friendly cabin that is tailored to make your drive less distracting and more intuitive with easy to reach controls. When it comes to the performance of the Hilux, there is some room for improvement and why not make the most out of it by working on the exhaust system.
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What is the Main Purpose of Exhaust System?
As you already know the main purpose of an exhaust system is to prevent toxic fumes coming from the engine get into the air. A quality Hilux exhaust system does that thanks to filters that have a honeycomb structure that the particles stuck to when passing through.
What Are the Three 3 Functions of the Exhaust System?
While there are a lot of exhaust components such as mufflers, flanges, hangers, filters and so on. There are only three functions an exhaust system has – keeping engine noise under control, improving fuel consumption, and improving engine performance. When it comes to improving performance, there’s a thing or two that you can also do.
Types of Exhaust Upgrades
Axle-Back
The least invasive and most affordable exhaust upgrade you can have on your Toyota Hilux exhaust is an axle-back upgrade. With this upgrade, you only replace the components from the rear axle and back (to the exhaust tip). This means you get the least performance improvements and not a lot of control over the exhaust note.
Header-Back
If you want the best increase in performance and total control over your Hilux’s exhaust note then a header-back upgrade is your best option. This type of Hilux exhaust upgrade replaces every single exhaust component starting from the very first one the header (manifold). A header-back upgrade is both time-consuming and expensive but it is well worth it especially in the long run.
Cat-Back
If you don’t want to go with the most expensive nor the least beneficial upgrade, then you should consider getting a cat-back Hilux exhaust upgrade. Why? Because a cat-back upgrade does not cost as much as a header-back upgrade nor does it provide the performance “improvement” of an axle-back upgrade. You get the best of both worlds since you can replace everything starting from the catalytic converter and back.
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What to Look for in an Exhaust Upgrade
Material
There are two types of metals a Hilux exhaust system can be made of – stainless and mild steel. Stainless steel Hilux exhausts are stronger and much heavier than ones made of mild steel. Mild steel exhausts may not add a lot of weight but they also don’t last as long. Because of this mild steel exhausts are more affordable but not as performance-oriented as stainless steel which is fair enough. Stainless steel exhausts are also able to resist corrosion better than mild steel exhausts. This makes stainless steel exhausts ideal if you live near the coastline.
Bends
Like the materials a Hilux exhaust is made of, its bends also come in two different variations – mandrel and crush. Mandrel bends are a lot better for the flow of gasses since they do not feature wrinkles. These wrinkles are found on exhausts with crush bends and they restrict airflow which makes affects the performance of your Hilux negatively. Mandrel-bent exhaust won’t be as affordable as crush bent ones but they will without a doubt make for a better running Hilux.
Configuration
The layout or the configuration of the piping of your Hilux exhaust can be either X-pipe, H-pipe, or Y-pipe. A Y-pipe mid-pipe configuration splits one pipe into two which does improve exhaust flow but only marginally. An H-pipe configuration is able to improve exhaust flow a bit more than a Y-pipe since it starts with two pipes and ends with them too. The same can be said for the X-pipe configuration which offers a way better exhaust flow since it has fewer bends than an H-pipe configuration which means fewer restrictions.
Conclusion
No matter how new or how big your Hilux is you can always do something about its performance. Even if it is the bare minimum (the installation of an axle-back upgrade) you are still able to get a more efficient and powerful vehicle than what it used to be. As long as you know what to look for you will get exactly what you want from your Hilux from a performance point of view.
