When it comes to your vehicle's exhaust, there seems to be about a million options to choose from. An important component to consider is the mid-pipe. The two most popular choices are X-pipe and H-pipe. So what difference do these mid-pipes make when it comes to horsepower, torque, and pitch?
In short, the mid-pipe equalizes the exhaust coming from the set of headers. The keyword here is equalize. As the cylinders are firing, exhaust gases are being pushed through the headers to the exhaust at various times. The mid-pipe equalizes this mashup of gases before sending them through the rest of the system. This is imperative for your engine to function properly.
What makes x-pipes unique is the design. As you probably guessed, they're shaped like an X. This shape allows for a smooth and continuous flow of exhaust gas.
X-pipes typically have raspy sound accompanied by a higher pitch. They're a popular choice because there's less power lost compared to an H-pipe exhaust.
Similar to the X-pipe, the H-pipe's design also resembles its name. The main difference between the two is the deeper growl of the H-pipe. You could compare it to an old school muscle car. Additionally, H-pipes give a slight increase in torque compared to an X-pipe. However, this increase in torque comes at the expense of slightly less power. Although it's important to keep in mind that these slight differences in power and torque are barely detectable by the driver so it's not always a huge concern to some people.
When trying to decide between an X-pipe and H-pipe, the main variable to consider is sound. X-pipes tend to be higher-pitched and more raspy while H-pipes have a lower pitch and sound more like a deep growl.
In terms of horsepower and torque, there are some differences. X-pipes tend to have better power while H-pipes have better torque, comparatively speaking. If you're debating the two for your daily driver, this shouldn't be much of concern because the difference isn't that significant. However, if this is for your track car then you always want the most power you can get, right?! That's where the X-pipes would be a better choice.
