4 Exhaust Brands for Your Car Tuning Shopping List

Shopping for the ultimate car performance upgrade? Tuning cars and engines can be unnecessarily complicated, but setting realistic expectations and budgets is one step closer to a faster, more fun ride. If you’ve peered into the inner workings of any tuning house, you’ll know that exhausts are the first parts that see a complete makeover.

Stock piping gets thrown out and replaced with better-built, better-engineered parts aiming to get the most out of any engine, stock or otherwise. While exhaust separates are one way to get your tuning kicks, complete systems with pre-assembled parts make more sense money and performance-wise. And they’re easy bolt-on options that set the stage for further upgrades down the road.

Where most car enthusiasts stumble is choosing from the huge selection of complete exhaust system manufacturers. These differ with varying levels of R&D and engineering smarts, the choice of materials, promised power gains, and how they tickle the senses with sound profiles and overall aesthetics. And let’s not forget price. To make purchasing simple, here are four brands to have on your exhaust shortlist:

MBRP

Based out of Huntsville, Ontario, Martin Barkey Racing Products (MBRP) has been making performance exhausts for 20 years. The company started with bespoke systems for snowmobiles, then transitioned to aftermarket exhausts for diesel trucks and now specializes in exhaust systems and parts for both gas and diesel vehicles. Current lineups include the Armor Pro Series in tough T304 stainless steel as their top-tier offering, real-world tested for durability and corrosion resistance and with proven performance gains (suitable for the likes of the F-150 Raptor and Ram 2500).

Spend less on the Armor Plus Series in 409 stainless while retaining the same class-leading performance or go with the Armor Lite Series for a balance of cost-effective performance and durability with aluminized steel. All products slot in the mid-range in terms of price, while offering decent power gains, quality mandrel-bent builds, clean welds and simple installation. Ideal uses are on (but not limited to) pickup trucks.

Borla Performance

This is another contender in the mid-range, offering proprietary tech such as the company’s CrateMuffler®s in ATAK®, S-Type and Touring (quiet) sound profiles as well as its Polyphonic Technology when producing throaty roars or dealing with exhaust drone and bespoke SwitchFire cross-pipes to bump up exhaust volumes and boost engine power.

Borla too uses mandrel-bent 304 stainless steel for pipe uniformity in bolt-on and direct replacement exhausts. It offers 409 and aluminized pipes at more affordable prices, besides the long list of exhaust separates and motoring merch for car enthusiasts. Choose a complete Borla exhaust for improved sound in performance and muscle cars, trucks and SUVs.

MagnaFlow

A cost-effective premium choice, with pricing between MBRP at the more affordable and Borla at the high end of the price scale, MagnaFlow has a healthy lineup of engineered complete exhaust system offerings to suit a wide variety of vehicles. The company is known for its signature sound profiles, with the Competition Series going with a loud, aggressive sound in performance cars.

The Street Series in everyday vehicles produce a moderately loud, street-friendly exhaust note, and the xMOD series are meant for customizable sound on the go. A key innovation is the company’s NDT (No-Drone Technology) with engineered resonators, paired with straight-through mufflers for optimized airflow and performance. Choose a MagnaFlow aftermarket exhaust system for smooth performance, no exhaust drone and durability at accessible prices.

Akrapovic

Synonymous with high-end engineering and advanced technology, Akrapovic is seen as a standard or factory option in Euro sports cars, ranging from the Golf R and BMW M cars to the Audi RS and Porsche 911 GT2 (997). Unlike other options in this list, Akrapovic utilizes proprietary high-strength titanium alloys and handcrafted carbon fiber components, all manufactured in-house. These boost heat and impact resistance while cutting weight by 40% in complete systems. Each product leaving the production lines undergoes rigorous testing for hardness and tensile strength, and is inspected for weld quality.

This though is half the story. A dedicated team of NVH engineers tweaks every aspect of the exhaust systems to ensure the best possible sound, both in and outside the vehicle. All Slip-On and Evolution-Line exhausts are model-specific, taking into account engine output and power curves for maximum power and torque gains. Just consider whether the asking price is justified.

Choosing What’s Right

Apart from direct-replacement budget options in lower steel grades, MagnaFlow, MBRP and Borla produce complete exhausts that ready your car for serious stage tuning. These go beyond factory systems with better builds, finer materials, engineered layouts and increased durability. When buying, choose brands that have distinct product lines for your car make, model, trim and production year.

All three brands make bolt-on exhausts that are simple to fit. Akrapovic bucks the trend of mid-range exhaust with superior materials, more attention to detail and a sound that screams performance. albeit at a price befitting of top-spec sports cars. At the end of the day, choose complete exhausts that meet your budget, are compatible with the vehicle and get the performance and sound boost your car deserves.