What Does a Car's Exhaust Do?

You love and appreciate your car. You depend on it too! That doesn't mean you necessarily understand how it works, though. You know the basics of it, like turning it on and pressing the gas pedal. You know to put gasoline in before you run out and have your oil changed and tires rotated every few thousands miles. If that's pretty much the extent of what you know, you're not alone.

Let's learn a little more today! We will talk about your car's exhaust system. It's very important to the performance and function of your car. For the purpose of this article, to make it easier to understand, we'll discuss a Mazda Miata exhaust.

The Mazda Miata exhaust system consists mainly of a series of pipes. It removes the harmful gases produced in your engine, as well as controls noise, improves engine performance, and improves gasoline consumption. You see, the quicker exhaust leaves your vehicle, the better fuel economy you’ll see due to the fact that your engine is free to take in more, fresh oxygen. The longer it takes for exhaust gases to leave your vehicle, the longer it takes to take in oxygen and generate more power. Having an exhaust system that’s in good working condition, or installing a performance exhaust system like a MX-5 stainless steel exhaust, allows your car to "breathe" better. This better and faster breathing means more power and better performance! This is why race cars don't have the same kind of exhaust system that your average sedan does.

It's more than just a way to make your Miata really fun and fast, though. It's about your health and safety! All car exhausts produce six gases as emissions. Of these six, three are toxic. These are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and nitrogen monoxide. That's some pretty nasty stuff you definitely don't want to be breathing in! Your Mazda MX-5 Miata's exhaust emissions system is the only means of channeling away those noxious fumes away from you and your passenger as you drive.

It all begins in the engine. Engine exhaust gases are collected by an exhaust manifold. The exhaust manifold acts as a funnel, diverting exhaust gases from all cylinders of the engine through a single opening, the front pipe. These exhaust gases then travel through a catalytic converter which removes harmful elements. The gases then pass through the muffler, which greatly reduces how loud this whole process is. It is named for what it does, reducing or muffling sound. At the end of the process, the exhaust fumes exit your Miata from the tailpipe at the rear of the car. The tailpipe comes out of the muffler and extends past the rear bumper. This carries gases away from the car and the passengers riding inside.

This is a pretty complex system that we often take for granted. Next time you're driving and don't get knocked out by toxic fumes or hear an incredibly loud engine noise, thank your exhaust!