How many cylinders to warrant 4 tail pipes?
Discussion
For me it's not the number of cylinders, it's the shape and orientation of the engine. The only justification for having exhausts on both sides of a front-engined car is if the car has a longitudinal V (or boxer, etc.) with a largely pseudo-independent exhaust system for each bank of the engine.
Rear-engined cars where the width of the car sometimes has to be used to fit the silences in are a bit different.
Rear-engined cars where the width of the car sometimes has to be used to fit the silences in are a bit different.
kambites said:
For me it's not the number of cylinders, it's the shape and orientation of the engine. The only justification for having exhausts on both sides of a front-engined car is if the car has a longitudinal V (or boxer, etc.) with a largely pseudo-independent exhaust system for each bank of the engine.
Rear-engined cars where the width of the car sometimes has to be used to fit the silences in are a bit different.
Take your point, but what about classic dual exit cars (from back before every farty car had them) like the XJ6? On the X300 it had two separate downpipes that merged and then split again to go to the back of the car. Can't remember on a Series car, been so long since I was under one!Rear-engined cars where the width of the car sometimes has to be used to fit the silences in are a bit different.
All the same, those symmetrical exhausts are very proper on an XJ (factory fitted to be slightly wonky, of course) and can't really be lumped in with rubbish like those diesel Alfa Romeo turds with four exhaust pipes.
GeniusOfLove said:
Take your point, but what about classic dual exit cars (from back before every farty car had them) like the XJ6? On the X300 it had two separate downpipes that merged and then split again to go to the back of the car. Can't remember on a Series car, been so long since I was under one!
All the same, those symmetrical exhausts are very proper on an XJ (factory fitted to be slightly wonky, of course) and can't really be lumped in with rubbish like those diesel Alfa Romeo turds with four exhaust pipes.

Time has been very good for an XJ6, they look drop dead gorgeous.All the same, those symmetrical exhausts are very proper on an XJ (factory fitted to be slightly wonky, of course) and can't really be lumped in with rubbish like those diesel Alfa Romeo turds with four exhaust pipes.
Back in the 80s I remember seeing an XJ6 where one of the tail pipes was pointing up to the sky, I’m guessing the exhaust had rotted through. I lost one of the tail pipes on my stag in the 80s, it had rotted through.
M138 said:
GeniusOfLove said:
Take your point, but what about classic dual exit cars (from back before every farty car had them) like the XJ6? On the X300 it had two separate downpipes that merged and then split again to go to the back of the car. Can't remember on a Series car, been so long since I was under one!
All the same, those symmetrical exhausts are very proper on an XJ (factory fitted to be slightly wonky, of course) and can't really be lumped in with rubbish like those diesel Alfa Romeo turds with four exhaust pipes.

Time has been very good for an XJ6, they look drop dead gorgeous.All the same, those symmetrical exhausts are very proper on an XJ (factory fitted to be slightly wonky, of course) and can't really be lumped in with rubbish like those diesel Alfa Romeo turds with four exhaust pipes.
Back in the 80s I remember seeing an XJ6 where one of the tail pipes was pointing up to the sky, I m guessing the exhaust had rotted through. I lost one of the tail pipes on my stag in the 80s, it had rotted through.

I sure don't miss having to replace exhausts all the time on crap old cars. Or wheel bearings.
One of my cars comes from the factory with two single tailpipes on an I6, this is fine. Another has a twin exit backbox on one side for the same configuration. Also fine. I've also had a single tailpipe for a fairly meaty V8.
If your contemporaries (cars from that same period) are most commonly likely to be in a position to observe the tailpipe layout from the traffic light drags, do whatever the hell you want.
As long as you can back up the "this person is not f
king about" message with several hundred pounds-feet of torque, you're largely all good.
An odd number of tailpipes, however, if that centre pipe isn't a turbo screamer pipe, that's a crime against God and all his works.
If your contemporaries (cars from that same period) are most commonly likely to be in a position to observe the tailpipe layout from the traffic light drags, do whatever the hell you want.
As long as you can back up the "this person is not f

An odd number of tailpipes, however, if that centre pipe isn't a turbo screamer pipe, that's a crime against God and all his works.
- Yes, Honda, this is explicitly targeting you. The aftermarket is more than capable of handling this one. Stop it.
shirt said:
Warranted by what metric?
People who think they're into cars and bought something that has an Oliver Reed-esque drinking problem which separates out those who really are "into cars", from the people who falter the first time they have to ask the petrol station attendant to restart the pump because they capped out the limit. GeniusOfLove said:
kambites said:
For me it's not the number of cylinders, it's the shape and orientation of the engine. The only justification for having exhausts on both sides of a front-engined car is if the car has a longitudinal V (or boxer, etc.) with a largely pseudo-independent exhaust system for each bank of the engine.
Rear-engined cars where the width of the car sometimes has to be used to fit the silences in are a bit different.
Take your point, but what about classic dual exit cars (from back before every farty car had them) like the XJ6? On the X300 it had two separate downpipes that merged and then split again to go to the back of the car. Can't remember on a Series car, been so long since I was under one!Rear-engined cars where the width of the car sometimes has to be used to fit the silences in are a bit different.
All the same, those symmetrical exhausts are very proper on an XJ (factory fitted to be slightly wonky, of course) and can't really be lumped in with rubbish like those diesel Alfa Romeo turds with four exhaust pipes.
Most cars with fake, i.e. lacking a complete split from manifold to tailpipe, twin exhausts display such symptoms but Jags seemed especially bad for it. Looks really daft.
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