What's the Difference Between the Muffler and the Exhaust?

February 10, 2021
What's the Difference Between the Muffler and the Exhaust?

A vehicle's exhaust system encompasses more than just an exhaust pipe. The muffler also forms part of it and as its name suggests it is in place to 'muffle' the loud sound of the exhaust system as a car's engine can be quite noisy.


What does the muffler do?

The idea of the muffler in the system is to reduce the sound the engine makes and the exhaust pipe controls the amount of gas released, while the muffler controls the level of noise.


The effect and benefit of no muffler in the exhaust system

If you've ever lived in a town with very few laws apply to noise levels or experienced unobserved laws pertaining to noise pollution, you'd notice that vehicles, including motorcycles, may be roaring around sans mufflers on their exhausts. This is because some drivers believe that removing the muffler gives the vehicle more power and ultimately more speed, but this is not necessarily true, according to the law.


The drawbacks of muffler problems on the exhaust system

Since every vehicle is usually mandated to have a muffler in good working condition, not to mention that there are laws against vehicles driving in suburban areas and cities with faulty or broken mufflers, loud and unusual noises are more often than not deemed illegal.


Scientists also believe that the noise from a broken, absent or modified muffler and exhaust system have contributed to ecological issues such as the lowering of numbers of bees and other pollutant effects caused by the noise affecting sound waves and ultimately disrupting the balance of nature.


In conclusion, the absence of a muffler on your exhaust system means that harmful emissions spew from the exhaust and may also allow other chemical gasses to enter the cabin of the vehicle, which may be harmful to one's health. The bottom line is that the noise is what is most bothersome and a muffler definitely has a purpose in the exhaust system, being to dampen or muffle the engine sound.


If you need muffler or exhaust repairs done, we invite you to bring your vehicle into our auto repair shop today!

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