How to Choose the Right Exhaust for a Mitsubishi
Every internal combustion engine generates gasses and fumes that go into the atmosphere but before they do so they pass through a vehicle's exhaust. The exhaust is essentially made up of a long tube or collection of tubes that stretch along the entire length of your car with different parts fitted to it.
These parts help reduce the harmful particles the engine produces and make your car quieter too. This happens thanks to the use of a catalytic converter, mufflers, a resonator, the midpipe and a manifold. When the right exhaust is mated with your engine you can also get some performance improvements. For this to be the case you should look into aftermarket options.
Types of Exhausts
Axle-Back
The next step up from a stock system is to replace a handful of components which is what an axle-back exhaust does. Axle-back systems replace parts from the rear axle back which makes them the most affordable exhausts for Mitsubishi vehicles. This is good news if you only want a different exhaust note but not if you want to improve performance figures too.
Cat-Back
With a cat-back system, you get to replace components starting from the catalytic converter to the tailpipes, hence the name. Cat-back exhausts are able to not only change how your Mitsubishi sounds but also how it behaves when you put your foot down on the pedal. You also improve fuel economy since you're replacing nearly the whole exhaust which is a bit more expensive than if you get an axle-back Mitsubishi exhaust, but not as expensive as a header-back system.
Header-Back
Header-back exhausts are essentially whole exhaust systems that are meant to give your Mitsubishi some character. They are made to give you the ultimate boost in performance when it comes to undercarriage improvements while they also give you the option to get a fully custom Mitsubishi exhaust. This can cost even more than a regular header-back exhaust but the end result is going to completely change your vehicle.
What Matters in an Exhaust
Diameter
The size of the exhaust's piping determines how well engine fumes will pass through it. The larger the diameter of the piping the larger the amount of gasses that can move at once. This makes for a more free-flowing system and one that works a lot more efficiently at filtering out harmful particles and reducing annoying sounds.
Bends
Not even stock exhaust systems come with crush bends nowadays which is why you should look for an exhaust with mandrel bends instead. Mandrel bending exhaust systems may be a more complex manufacturing process but also make for an exhaust that has the same diameter from beginning to end and with smooth bends no matter how many there are.
Material
In the same way, there are different types of exhaust Mitsubishi exhaust systems, there are different types of materials used to make said exhausts. The most common materials are aluminised steel, stainless steel and titanium.
Aluminised steel exhausts are the most affordable of the three as they are quite light and also the least impact-resistant. Aluminised steel exhaust systems are able to withstand corrosive conditions well and can survive high temperatures too.
Stainless steel exhausts for Mitsubishi are much better at surviving not only through high temperatures and corrosive conditions but also hard impacts. They are even lighter than aluminised steel exhausts but, as you would expect, they are more expensive.
Titanium Mitsubishi exhaust systems are even more expensive than stainless steel ones, but it's exactly because of that they perform well in extremely high temperatures and survive corrosion without an issue. Titanium is an impact-resistant material too and one that is 100% recyclable.
Thickness
The thickness of an exhaust matters as much as the type of material it's made of. The thicker the system the better it is at taking hard impacts but it's also able to reduce annoying frequencies much better than one made of a thinner material.
Benefits of a New Exhaust
Power
As you already know, a new exhaust be it a performance-oriented one or not, you get to add some HP to your stock Mitsubishi. That's because the components on it are new and unused and if you go with a slight change in diameter and a system with fewer bends you can notice the difference in power even more.
Efficiency
An exhaust system is not just about performance. It can also be used to improve your Mitsubishi's fuel efficiency but the level of improvement depends on the type of vehicle you have. If it's a small hatchback then you will notice a bigger difference but if it's an SUV or a crossover vehicle you might not feel as much of an improvement.
Sound
While a stock car isn't made to sound like a track-ready vehicle you can make yours sound that way with the right Mitsubishi exhaust. It's entirely up to your personal preference if you want a deep growl or a high-pitched whine.
