A straight pipe allows smoke from your car to come out without any delay, like water on a free fall from a cliff. Nothing is stopping it, and so, gases that should be converted in the catalytic converter are simply shipped out of the exhaust system.
But the question is, does straight pipe hurt your engine?
A straight piper does not hurt your engine because it doesn’t have the power to do so. Rather straight piping your car will increase the overall performance of your car, save more gas for you and give you a better driving experience.
Does Straight Pipe Hurt Your Engine?
Depending on the engine, a straight pipe does not have what it takes to hurt your engine rather, they increase the performance of your car by giving a better driving experience and saving more gas for you.
However, although it causes an overall increase in the performance of your vehicle’s engine due to zero hindrances from the smoke that doesn’t get retained in your exhaust system, in the long run, the number of gases combusted from the engine will increase, to keep up with engine flow.
This will gradually lower the initial peak performance that your engine was functioning at, and you will find that it becomes a lot harder to launch your vehicle from a certain spotlight as you drive.
Also, as time goes on, the vehicle begins to lose control, with steering issues or even tire issues while on the road.
Is a Straight Pipe Bad for Your Car?
Yes, a straight pipe is bad for your vehicle, especially when it isn’t a race car. This is because driving a car with a straight pipe in the town without a catalytic converter will land you and your car in trouble. Your car might be impounded.
A straight pipe exhaust system is a straight pole or pipe acting as the exhaust of your vehicle. It allows combustion to simply flow out of your car immediately it occurs, such that there is no time, chance, corners, or space for retention or conversion of smoke or gases to take place.
Once the engine starts and combustion occurs, the smoke that ensues is freed through the straight pipe without passing through the catalytic converter.
The straight pipe is very effective for enhancing the horsepower of your vehicle, as since there is little or zero smoke retention, the engine will perform at a much higher rate.
It will cause the swifter and freer overall performance of the engine, and this is why a lot of people opt for the straight pipe exhaust.
Cons of Straight Piping Your Car?
Here are some of the reasons why you should not straight pipe your vehicle:
1. Increase in Exhaust Gas Emission
Since there are no restrictions on the way gases come out of your vehicle, there will be an increase in the emission of gas.
The catalytic converter that restricts the flow of gas and converts it into nontoxic fume is absent, therefore, gas will flow freely out of the vehicle immediately after combustion, leading to an increase in exhaust gas emission from your car. And this can cause environmental pollution.
2. Deafening Noise From your Engine
Straight Piping your car also causes the sounds of your car to change and it makes it noisy. For some cars, depending on the installation of the straight pipe exhaust system, they can develop very good sounds that are pleasing to the ear.
However, for most cars, especially streetcars, it causes unnecessary noise and increases the sounds erupting from the engine of the car, causing the vehicle to be frustrating to drive.
3. Environmental Pollution
As explained before, an increase in gas emission due to a lack of restriction because of the absence of a catalytic converter will release a lot of toxic gas into the environment.
The catalytic converter is present in vehicles to convert the toxic gas released during combustion into a nontoxic carbon that can be accepted in the environment. Its absence is injurious to the atmosphere and the environment.
However, if you are in a city where it is mandatory for every car to have a catalytic converter, then you will suffer in the hands of the police because they will keep pulling you over for not having a catalytic converter.
4. An Expensive Option
Straight Piping your car is very expensive, as you would have to completely change its set up, and once you do that, to change it back is a lot more expensive option, so it is better to maintain the regular exhaust system to avoid spending unnecessarily to what will cause more harm than good to your vehicle.
5. It Affects Car’s Resale Value
Since straight pipe exhaust systems have been banned in a lot of states in the United States, and even a lot of other countries, it is very hard to sell a straight pipped car when you eventually get bored of your car or want to sell it for any other reason.
To successfully and easily sell a straight pipped car, you might have to reverse the straight pipe exhaust system to a normal exhaust system as nobody will willingly buy an illegal item.
What Other Things Can Hurt Your Engine?
Asides from Straight Piping your car, there are other things that you can do to your engine that can hurt it and cause it not to function at peak performance.
To ensure a long-lasting engine, you should know the things that can hurt it. Here are a few:
Hydrolocking
When water gets into your engine cylinders, because it can’t be compressed, it goes into hydro locking mode, and once your engine gets hydro locked, it stalls, sputters, or fails to start altogether.
Lack of Engine Oil in your Vehicle
When the engine oil in your vehicle is low constantly, and you don’t check it even when there is an indication of it on your dashboard, it can cause damage to your engine.
Your vehicle’s engine should be lubricated often as this is what makes the parts of your car glide and move together without hassles. Low engine oil levels can also cause overheating, which is also bad for your car.
Overheating
When your engine isn’t cooling, usually because there is no water in your radiator, it heats up and gets overheated, and overheating can damage the engine of your car.
Once you notice your car is overheating, the best way to attend to this is to park your car, stop driving and open your bonnet and allow the car to cool for thirty minutes, then fill up your radiator to activate the cooling systems. This will prevent overheating.
Final Thoughts
Straight pipes might be good in the short run, causing fluidity, speed, and smooth performance, in the long run, it increases the pressure on your engine and causes it to break down and lose control on slopes and slippery roads.
Also, it causes check engine light to indicate on your dashboard, which tells you that there’s something wrong with your engine.