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Aftermarket vs. Stock
Exhausts —
Factory exhaust systems are
designed and engineered to be unobtrusive and
to last at least as long as the factory
warranty period. Tradeoffs in performance,
longevity and aesthetics are not an issue with
many automotive consumers.
Aftermarket exhaust systems
are typically designed to increase
performance, provide a lifetime exhaust system
and to upgrade the looks of the vehicle on
which it is installed. There are important
factors involved making all replacement
exhausts not equal.
Size Does Matter! So Do the
Bends —
Most car enthusiasts want
an exhaust system that is "free-flowing", with
a great, but not super obtrusive, sound.
The diameter and wall thickness of the tubing
is critical to both of these requirements. The
bends that are used are also critical, and
should be mandrel bent to maintain the
interior volume constant throughout pipe.
Non-mandrel bends "crimp" the tubing at each
bend, causing disruption in the flow of
exhaust gasses.
Stainless Steel vs.
Aluminized Steel
For our money, a superior
exhaust system should be made of stainless
steel. The PT's factory system is
stainless, so why would someone want a lesser
quality from their aftermarket provider. Of
course the answer to that question is cost.
The
stainless systems that
we sell under our own BTG™ brand are high
quality, mandrel-bent thick walled systems
with limited lifetime warranties. We also
sell an aluminized duals system for those on a
budget, however we can't recommend this system
to those living in states or localities where
salt is used on the roads in winter, as
corrosion can be a problem within a short
period.
Excessive Sound with PT
Exhaust Systems
Many have found out the
hard way that all PT aftermarket exhaust
systems are not equal in sound quality or
loudness. Forgive us for getting extremely
technical here, but it is a tech page, and we
will try to explain this phenomena and offer a
solution.
The PT's body shell was
designed to be an extremely rigid structure.
It's harmonic (sound level at which is begins
to vibrate) is very low, which is a very good
thing.
Factory exhaust systems are
carefully tuned not to have any sound
frequencies that would "excite" the body
structure of the vehicle. It is paramount for
a stock system to be as unobtrusive as
possible, even on some of the
"high-performance" models by some auto makers.
Aftermarket exhaust systems
are more oriented toward performance, and many
buyers want more sound — some a LOT more!
Others just want more power without a lot of
"sonic disturbance" inside the vehicle.
When a free-flow system is
mounted on a PT, the frequency of the exhaust
pressure wave often matches the harmonic of
the PT's body shell, causing a loud "droning"
in the 3100 - 3500 rpm range and again just
above 4000 rpm. It can even cause a "pressure
wave" inside the PT that is quite intense!
PT-Tuning challenged its
engineers to solve this problem and they did!
Our unique tip designs on the BTG™
systems tames this frequency, eliminating the
pressure wave and even adds torque that you
can feel! The sound is deep and mellow,
with none of the "rice-burner" 4-banger
exhaust notes.
ABOUT BTG™ Products:
BTG™ products are made for PT-Tuning (Bauhaus Corp.)
by industry leaders in each category. All BTG™ systems are designed and
engineered to an extremely high level of performance and quality. We price
our BTG™ products as competitively as possible, but sometimes the best
just costs a little more!
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