benckie
Well-Known Member
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How does a tuned pipe exhaust work? Why will it increase the performance of my engine?
A "tuned pipe" is the common name for a Helmholtz resonator. An example you are probably more familiar with is an organ pipe, which resonates or is "tuned" to a particular frequency. 2-stroke engines also make a sound wave with a particular frequency. As the RPM's of your engine get higher, the pulses of exhaust gas coming out of your engine bounce back and forth inside the pipe and create a "standing wave". Areas of high and low pressure are created. The exhaust is sucked quickly out of the low pressure areas. Tuned pipes create a low pressure area directly behind the cylinder, and exhaust is sucked quickly out of the cylinder! This makes more room for fresh air and fuel, and thus: more power for your vehicle. Additionally, return waves help push back incoming fuel/air mix, keeping it in the cylinder to be burned. This is why tuned pipes are an excellent investment, despite the cost. Other systems, such as aftermarket mufflers with two exhaust tubes, simply reduce the back pressure from the muffler. They cannot create a standing wave which leads to low pressure at the exhaust port.
A "tuned pipe" is the common name for a Helmholtz resonator. An example you are probably more familiar with is an organ pipe, which resonates or is "tuned" to a particular frequency. 2-stroke engines also make a sound wave with a particular frequency. As the RPM's of your engine get higher, the pulses of exhaust gas coming out of your engine bounce back and forth inside the pipe and create a "standing wave". Areas of high and low pressure are created. The exhaust is sucked quickly out of the low pressure areas. Tuned pipes create a low pressure area directly behind the cylinder, and exhaust is sucked quickly out of the cylinder! This makes more room for fresh air and fuel, and thus: more power for your vehicle. Additionally, return waves help push back incoming fuel/air mix, keeping it in the cylinder to be burned. This is why tuned pipes are an excellent investment, despite the cost. Other systems, such as aftermarket mufflers with two exhaust tubes, simply reduce the back pressure from the muffler. They cannot create a standing wave which leads to low pressure at the exhaust port.
