Mike here again for Summit Racing Quick Flicks. Today we are going to address some questions
you had about the differences between h pipes and x pipes. The question we most commonly
get asked is what the difference between an h pipe and an x pipe is and which is more
beneficial. Before you can understand the differences between the two we have to understand
what savaging is? Exhaust scavenging is an important part of any exhaust system and how
it functions and how it going to go ahead and affect the power that is being produced
by your engine. Exhaust scavenging is when you have the pulses working for you in that
engine combination to where they are creating full evacuation of the cylinder so you don't
have new fuel and air mixing with left over burnt air and fuel so you get a more complete
combustion cycle out of that engine. So know that we know what scavenging is out goal with
both of these components is to equalize exhaust pulses so that the system scavenges the best
that is possibly can, each of these is going to do this differently. In fact you are going
to notice there has been more focus on x pipe technology in comparison to h pipe technology
as of late. The reason for this is we have come to find with h pipe technology which
does work what it does is equalize the pulses but it doesn't really help the scavenging
effect so much because what happens is it will equalize it from side to side from a
typical v type engine but it doesn't exactly draw all the gases and force the pulses don't
work off of one another in the end to really improve exhaust flow. Where is in comparison
an x pipe you are kind of forcing the two to converge together and when that's happening
those pulses are also working together not only to equalize those pulses from side to
side of the engine but to draw on each other to make and speed up the exhaust flow and
force the exhaust out of the system. So we have concluded that in most cases an x pipe
is always almost more beneficial than an h pipe is. The other question we get a lot is
where should I place the x pipe or the h pipe in the system. The reality of this is the
vehicle is going to dictate this, the further upstream you can place it, the better because
you want those gases to converge as soon as possible. But in reality you may have limited
space in where this item can be placed and in some vehicles you cannot even get an x
pipe in general because of driveshaft interference or ground clearance interference issues. So
there are going to be a lot of things to consider before you make your decision one way or the
other in what is right for your vehicle. From a pure horsepower standpoint the x pipe will
always make more horsepower than an h pipe will. That does not mean the x pipe is the
right choice for your vehicle application. If you have a lower performance engine, an
engine that does not have a lot of compression or a lot of wind you may find that you put
the x pipe on and it makes more peak horsepower all day long but it doesn't mean that the
vehicle is going to perform better because it lacks back pressure now. The loss of that
back pressure will go ahead and hurt low end performance so the torque and the acceleration
of the vehicle will then lag and you will find that the vehicle then got slower, doesn't
mean it isn't making more power, this just means it's not producing the power where
it needs to be produced in that engine combination. Therefore, you may find the h pipe may be
more beneficial you may also come to find that neither of these is right choice for
your engine application because it really doesn't require it, it's not going to
benefit from either of these changes and you may be better just going with a standard exhaust
system in the end. If you have any more questions on exhaust components just leave us a question
in the comment area.