There’s a common misconception out there that the only real benefit to fitting an aftermarket exhaust is to make your 4WD sound really loud. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. A quality aftermarket 4×4 exhaust brings with it a number of benefits, and a louder exhaust note is only one of them.

In fact, it’s not even close to the number one benefit! 4WD Supacentre sells a huge range of Aussie made exhaust systems to suit most modern common-rail turbo-diesel 4WDs, and they’re all built right here in Australia. Here are the benefits of fitting one to your 4WD;

1. BETTER FUEL ECONOMY: Factory exhaust systems are very restrictive because manufacturers are more concerned with making whisper-quiet vehicles that suit new vehicle buyers. That means they choke the exhaust to make it quiet, but that the engine ends up typically working harder to get rid of the exhaust gases. That puts more load on the vehicle, which means you put your foot down harder in any given driving scenario. An aftermarket 4WD exhaust like the Domin8r exhaust frees the engine up and stops it choking, improving fuel economy.

2. IMPROVED POWER AND TORQUE: The quicker your turbo can spool up, the more power and torque your motor will produce. How quickly your turbo spools up, is directly related to how much restriction there is in the factory exhaust, and in particular, the factory dump pipe coming straight off the turbo. The larger you make the diameter of the exhaust here, the easier the turbo can spool up, and the more boost it can produce earlier in the rev range. That’s why if you fit a larger diameter exhaust, you’ll find that your vehicle makes more power lower down in the more usable part of your rev range – which is exactly where you want it! Perfect for quicker take-offs, and for better over-taking power too.

3. COOLER-RUNNING 4WD: One of the leading contributors to over-heating exhausts is excessive Exhaust Gas Temperatures. When an exhaust is relatively restrictive, as almost all factory exhausts are, it’s harder to get those hot exhaust gases away from the motor. A larger diameter exhaust that’s been designed with mandrel bends means the exhaust gases can flow out of the exhaust a lot quicker. Mandrel bends are a mark of a quality exhaust that’s been designed well. In this context, mandrel bends refer to an exhaust that’s had its curves bent in a special jig that prevents the exhaust pipe from crushing in as it is bent. That means there’s no change in the internal diameter of the exhaust pipe, which would create an unnecessary restriction and rob the vehicle of fuel economy and power.

4. REPLACE YOUR RUSTED OLD EXHAUST: By far and away one of the biggest benefits to fitting an aftermarket exhaust is the ability to completely ditch your old factory exhaust that’s probably starting to rust after years of 4WDing. With the Domin8r exhausts, you have the choice of an aluminised steel exhaust or a 409 stainless steel exhaust. The aluminised steel exhaust is built the exact same way but isn’t quite as long-term resistant to corrosion as the 409 stainless steel exhaust. If you live near the beach or do any sort of river crossings then the 409 stainless steel exhaust has excellent rust resistance, and at 4WD Supacentre it comes with an extra two years warranty as well!

5. MEAN EXHAUST NOTE: Okay, so we started off by saying that a louder exhaust note isn’t the only benefit to fitting a Domin8r exhaust system, but it definitely is one of the benefits! Factory exhaust systems are so quiet that they don’t do justice to an otherwise mean 4WD. Fit a bigger exhaust to your 4WD and it’ll sound tough as well as having all the other benefits listed above. For off-road use only and an even louder exhaust note, 4WD Supacentre also sells a muffler delete pipe that lets you bolt your muffler in and out in around 10 minutes. Perfect for that run on the weekend up the bush with the boys, and then quiet enough to drive to work once you re-fit your muffler!
6. MASSIVELY INCREASED RELIABILITY: Everything about the Domin8r exhausts is built to be bush-proof. Thicker, tougher exhaust hangers almost completely do away with that factory fail-point. 10mm four-bolt flanges are heaps tougher than your typical two-bolt flanges that often blow out the gasket at the first sign of a knock