A vital component of every vehicle that allows gasses to exit easily and protect the environment at the same time is the exhaust system. Found on all cars including your Hilux, this component or rather a mix of components work by making it extremely easy for exhaust fumes and gasses to get by. Although when looked at from under the vehicle your Hilux exhaust system has a lot of bends. These bends may interfere with the path of the gasses but if they are of the right type they can make things goo smoothly. Your Hilux exhaust is also made to reduce the noise of the engine to an acceptable level without sacrificing a lot on performance. Every little part has its own role to play and if all of them work well with each other your Hilux exhaust will work extremely well.

While not all exhaust systems have all these parts in the same exact order as the exhaust system on your Hilux they are all included. No matter the type of upgrade you make on your Hilux exhaust you will first encounter the manifold. Sometimes a new Hilux Exhaust Upgrade will make up of an entirely new system which is often the best option. This is because the manifold plays a crucial role. It connects the exhaust system to the engine. The gasses from the engine enter the exhaust through the manifold.

The entrance of your exhaust system is connected to the downpipe. The main piping of the exhaust system. The downpipes connect the header(s) with the muffler(s) and on the way to the muffler(s) is usually where you'll find the catalytic converter.

All vehicles produced after the year 1975 come with what is known as a catalytic converter or cat. To reduce the number of harmful emissions exhausted int the air a catalytic converter uses a ceramic honeycomb structure. The gasses pass through that structure which catches the harmful particles with the help of coatings on the honeycomb structure itself. A chemical reaction happens as soon as the particles get in contact with the coating that converts them to other compounds which are not as harmful or harmless. These are usually carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, and oxygen.

Sometimes the muffler comes before the catalytic converter and other times it comes after it but what's important here is that the muffler is needed to keep decibels down. The tone and exhaust noise are regulated by the muffler. With the help of chambers, baffles, perforated tubes and sound-deadening materials the muffler is able to reduce the noise of the engine.

This can sometimes be too much and affect the performance of the engine. If done at a moderate level a muffler will reduce the noise of your Hilux without affecting performance as much. A muffler affects engine performance, either way, you should just avoid having it being too restrictive. This can lead to increased fuel consumption.

To balance the exhaust flow without many restrictions a Hilux Exhaust Upgrade may come with different types of crossover pipes. Again this depends on the type of upgrade you make to your Hilux's exhaust. There are two different crossover pipes H and X-pipes. H-pipes are more restrictive than X-pipes but are also more affordable since they are easier to manufacture.

The last part of your Hilux exhaust system is the tailpipe. This is the part of the system visible from the backside of your Hilux. The exit for the gasses comes in many different styles and it can be spread out on both sides. Meaning you can have more than one tailpipe. This is usually done for aesthetic purposes when you want to make your Hilux have a sportier look.

If you decide to go with a cat-back exhaust upgrade for your Hilux, you're going to be replacing all the components from the catalytic converter and back. This type of upgrade requires a little bit of modification and thus is the most affordable. But with a cat-back exhaust upgrade, you will only get a better exhaust flow than what your stock system offered. This will lead to better fuel efficiency but don't expect to gain a lot of horsepower.

An axle-back upgrade includes all the components from the rear axle to the exhaust tip (tailpipe). This upgrade is the easiest to perform out of the three and it mainly affects the exhaust tone. You can get power gains from a well made axle-back system but it will give you a slight advantage over the stock exhaust system. You're better off going with a cat-back upgrade.

With a header-back upgrade, you're replacing the entire exhaust system - from the header all the way to the tailpipe. Although this is the most demanding upgrade in terms of installation it will provide maximum power gains and control over the exhaust tone. You can never go wrong with a header-back upgrade for your Hilux.