Custom Bay: Pipe Music

It's no secret that an exhaust upgrade is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to improve a vehicle's performance. No surprise, then, that it's high on the popularity list of aftermarket products that service professionals and independent shops offer.

But here's an interesting little secret that can have a direct impact on how you can market this type of product: Performance isn't necessarily the main reason customers modify their exhausts. Aside from the need for replacement because of age and wear, most folks simply want their vehicle to sound better. The factory exhaust usually strives for reduced noise to appeal to a broad range of consumers. But for owners of muscle cars, such as the late-1960s Mustang shown above, more is better — more rumble and more power.

Flowmaster's aptly named American Thunder is a case in point. While the company makes no specific claims about the power gains (that can vary from car to car, but obviously a low-restriction exhaust can increase output), Flowmaster emphasizes the richer tonal characteristics of this system, which are really what most customers associate with improved power.

Even so, Flowmaster operates an R&D facility centered around the SuperFlow SF-7100 engine dynamometer that features E.C.A. (engine cycle analysis) equipment and also SuperFlow chassis dynos. Through use of these dynos, Flowmaster's engineers track the complete engine cycle in millionths of a second and can obtain exact technical data of each degree of cam rotation, from induction to the tip of the exhaust system, while also showing the power numbers put "to the ground."

Flowmaster also utilizes Spectrum Analyzers to fine-tune the sound of each of the 11 different series of mufflers that Flowmaster currently offers, both for peak performance and the right sound levels and tones.

So service pros should take note: When promoting this type of product to prospective customers, they are more likely to want to hear the exhaust, as much as feel any power gains. After all, a muscle car is really about getting noticed, and what better way for a customer to beat their drum than with a booming exhaust?

On a more technical note, fitting a new exhaust is usually much easier than taking off the old system, due to rust and corrosion. Use lots of penetrating oil and have a die grinder, Sawzall or welding torch handy to make removal an easier job.

Before putting on a new exhaust, prep the clamps by removing the nuts and applying a thick lubricant such as white grease or anti-seize compound to the threads. And when installing the new exhaust pipes, welding the joints makes for a much more secure and long-lasting system. In addition, if the car is in an area with harsh winters or high precipitation, apply high-temperature paint over the welded areas to prevent premature corrosion. After all, even though a louder exhaust can be a good thing in some cases, you don't want to increase the noise level too much due to a faulty weld or rusty muffler.