PontiacJim
Member
That's what I thought. It gets a little scientific and I am by no means a science guy. What it boils down to is "pressure waves" created by the exiting of the burned exhaust gases - and these can change with temperature.Yes.
High pressure exhaust gases exiting the cylinders sets into motion a pressure wave (somewhere about 1700 feet per second) that travels down the entire length of the exhaust pipe/system. The positive pressure wave is reflected at the open end of the exhaust pipe (like the sound wave in an organ pipe) and a negative expansion wave of low pressure travels back along the pipe towards the cylinder. If the wave arrives while the inlet valve/port is open, it will enter the cylinder and create a "depression" which aides in cylinder filling. If the wave arrives while the cylinder filling process is over, it can displace some of the cylinder charge and reduce cylinder pressure before the compression stroke which reduces power from that cylinder.
This process is significantly important on multi-cylinder engines (ie V8's). Not only does the timing of the expansion wave influence the charging process, the positive pressure wave is important. If 2 or more valves/cylinders are open to the exhaust pipe at the same time, the positive pressure wave from one cylinder can cause exhaust gases to return to the other cylinder and create a back pressure to force out the incoming air/fuel mix from the intake.
Using a larger diameter exhaust pipe can eliminate or minimize the effects of a pressure wave. On the other hand, the pressure wave can be used as a tool when pipe diameter and pipe length are fitted (ie headers) to optimize the wave to aide in filling the cylinder.
Bottom line: larger pipe can increase better flow/horsepower.