The exhaust system that comes with your performance car from the factory is engineered to work best with the engine with the stock settings when it leaves the factory. If you make any performance changes, the stock exhaust may no longer be the best exhaust system for the car.
Exhaust Upgrades
Upgrading or replacing the factory system may be important if you are trying to get a little more performance from your performance car. The more power you make in the car's engine, the more free-flowing the exhaust system needs to be to quickly and efficiently remove the spent gases from the engine.
Most exhaust systems do an excellent job of removing the exhaust gases from the engine, but there are some bottlenecks in the system that can hinder the performance of the engine. These bottlenecks are the areas that need the most attention in the stock exhaust system, and sometimes replacing the entire exhaust system is the best option.
Performance Mufflers
One of the most restrictive areas in the stock exhaust system is the mufflers. They are required on the car, and they are designed to reduce the sound level coming from the exhaust system of the car. To do the job, the mufflers use baffles that slow the flow of gases through them and often cause turbulence in the system that can further reduce the system's ability to scavenge the gases from the engine properly.
Replacing the mufflers in the exhaust system with high-flow mufflers can help reduce the restrictions, and even if you are keeping the rest of the stock exhaust, add more performance to the car than it had with the stock mufflers in place. Buying high-flow mufflers and exhaust systems online is a great option if you plan to install them yourself and have the tools to do the job.
Performance Exhaust Systems
If you are making a lot of changes to your engine and looking for peak performance from your car, replacing the entire exhaust system from the engine to the tailpipes, with a high-flow, performance system may be necessary. A good exhaust shop can take a look at what you already have on the car, and help you determine what needs changing to keep up with the current engine modifications if you are not sure what to buy.
In some cases, it may be worth having an exhaust shop fabricate an entirely custom system for your car, but the cost of these systems will far exceed an exhaust system online that is premade. The value is in the performance gains, so you will need to determine how much you want to spend and your budget when you start shopping for performance exhaust systems for your performance car.