One of the most obvious reasons why manufacturers add fake exhaust pipes to some of their vehicles is certainly this. It is frequently enclosed in a ring of plastic chrome and sealed off with black plastic to give the impression that it is an exhaust tip.
More crucially, since they don’t need to contact the engineers about the vehicle’s powertrain before deciding on the aesthetics of its exhaust tip, this actually reduces the cooperation between engineers and designers. In most cases, the real exhaust tip is turned down to face the road, which has the advantage of releasing gases below the bumper rather than through it. This gives engineers more freedom to experiment.
It also has something to do with how much it costs to produce a car. The simplest details can actually have a major impact on production line efficiency. To that aim, if a worker can align an exhaust pipe to a bumper cutout in less time, the manufacturing process should be more efficient. Remember that creating an exhaust is easier and less expensive when the chrome tip is removed.
This also has implications for the car’s safety features. The exhaust pipes on your car often become warm, especially when the engine is working harder than usual. Having the exhaust integrated into the rear bumper raises a little risk of bumper melting because of the heat generated, especially if the bumper is covered with plastic cladding.
The metal of the tips could potentially greatly expand due to the extreme heat. As a result, there may be a noticeable difference between an exhaust tip’s position when a car is driving with a hot engine and when it is parked and cold.
Real chrome exhaust tips are susceptible to deterioration over time, particularly if your car has a diesel engine. Some OC car owners may find this to be worrying because the accumulation of exhaust soot could make your car’s tips and rear bumper appear grimy and aged. This is why some automakers choose to direct a car’s initial exhaust downward toward the road rather than directly backward. They will then include phony exhaust tips onto the bumpers and conceal the genuine one beneath the bumper by doing this.
Aside from more recent models, which come with this function as standard, some automobile owners elect to have fake exhaust pipes put in their vehicles to give them a sportier look. They believe it to be simpler to have phony exhaust tips added to the vehicle than real ones. It also should save them money because it avoids the hassle of going via the vehicle’s powertrain division.
As we frequently point out, appearances are purely subjective, and in the case of phony exhaust tips, you either like them or you don’t. Having said that, feel free to customise and tweak your in any way that suits your tastes.
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A fake Audi exhaust system?
We don’t even know when it started; all we know is that many contemporary Audis are covered in small black plastic pieces that, from a hundred yards away, resemble real exhaust tips. These aren’t even the fictitious attractive surrounds that conceal a genuine circular exhaust tip.
What automobiles have phony exhaust pipes?
These days, cars come with a large range of unique exhaust tip forms. You name it, and it’s been done, especially at the more costly end of the automotive scale. Thin rectangles, ovals, trapezoids, etc. The problem is that these unusually shaped pipes frequently can’t be mounted to the end of an exhaust system, so what you’re truly seeing is just a phony piece of trim that was tucked into the bumper to conceal a smaller, more typical circular pipe.
Although some of them are made to protect bumpers from heat and soot as well as for aesthetic purposes, the fakery can occasionally be so blatant that the entire setup comes off as tacky and inexpensive. Some of the worst offenders are listed below:
Audi RS6
Oval pipes are a tradition for the RS, but if you look closely at any modern RS Audi, you’ll notice that the ovals are actually just heat shields that cover four smaller pipes. It is poor-looking and quite evident.
Audi R8
You are looking at a first-generation, pre-facelift V10 R8. As you can see above, the oval exhaust pipes that were used to distinguish these from the V8 cars and their quad setups are actually just bumper trim. Regardless of the engines, all post-facelift vehicles have the same round trimmings, yet with a set of conventional pipes fairly obviously sitting behind.
Lexus IS-F
Even if this one makes us sad, we’ll overlook Lexus’ offense. Although the exhaust system on the new RC-F is also diagonally stacked, this time the pipes that are visible poking out the back are really attached to the back box.
Skoda Octavia vRS
Although not particularly pricey, the top-of-the-line Octavia bothered me so much when it was our old long-term test car that I felt compelled to mention it. You might question why they bothered when it’s so obvious. Even worse, just one side of the diesel vehicle actually has a back box concealed below the trim.
The Octavia of the previous generation had a straightforward, single back-box with two exits, and it looked better for it.
Mercedes C-Class
Every C-Class has “floating” exhaust trim pieces, but as you can see above, some diesel engines don’t even have any gas flowing through them. Yes, they are completely shut off and are only there for display.
Ferrari California
Sadly, the older, pre-turbocharged California proves that even Ferrari is guilty of phony exhaust.
Any further offenses against exhaust fashion that come to mind? Enter them in the comments section!
Why do phony exhausts exist on the Audi SQ5?
The German automaker recently unveiled a facelift for the Audi Q5, which was built in Mexico, which is already halfway through its life. Fans of the brand may like the revisions and even take into consideration the SQ5, a soft performance SUV, even though it isn’t the most amazing upgrade ever.
The X3 M40i and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 are competitors of the SQ5. These two versions outperform the SQ5, as the reviewers at TheStraightPipes note. As a result, you’re actually supporting the design of the Audi brand here.
The headlights on this 2021 model have been redesigned to be more rectangular and to mimic those on the A7. Sadly, almost half of a different grille that has been installed is false. Although the SQ5’s appearance is attractive, it may not be the most interesting shape for an SUV. The 4×4 is the vehicle for you if you enjoy the S5 but prefer a high-riding version, especially now that the Q5 Sportback “coupe” has been out.
Modern automotive designs are plagued by a serious issue with fake exhausts. For economy, manufacturers must streamline the body, thus Audi chose to place faux trim pieces where the tips would have protruded on numerous models. The Q5 received scathing criticism for this when it first debuted a few years ago, and the facelift only partially addresses the issue.
However, the review spends a good minute or so discussing this particular car’s exhaust. The SQ5 often has a false trim piece, but this version offers actual quad tips and even has a decent turbo V6 sound. Unfortunately, power is identical, which contributes to the Audi SUV’s slower speed compared to its BMW and Mercedes rivals.
We particularly appreciate the Canadian reviewers’ thorough investigation of the matter and their use of a clip from Autogefuhl’s assessment of the 2021 Q5. Wow, you guys did your homework well!
What models of Audis have phony exhaust tips?
The fact that the 2020 Audi S6 is no longer available in Europe with a gasoline engine may garner the most attention, but there are other developments worth noting with the second-sportiest model of the German carmaker.
With the new S6, Audi has supposedly taken the fake-exhaust trend to a whole new level as they chose to make it appear as though it has a set of quad round tailpipes. When you look closely or poke them with a stick, as Carwow’s Mat Watson did in his most recent review, the illusion dissipates.
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We make an effort to stay on top of automotive trends and, if we can, make sense of them. However, there are situations when automakers’ choices are completely illogical. Fake exhaust tips are a good example. Why in the world do you need to make it appear as though the exhaust is there if it isn’t? Don’t use the word conventions either; it’s about as helpful as claiming an electric car must have a grille even though there isn’t any actual need for one.
The genuine exhaust pipe is typically located just behind the faux exhaust tips. They don’t actually attach to the wide-mouthed, false tips, which is bothersome. According to the automaker, those tips are just affixed to the rear bumper and are merely there for aesthetic purposes. It’s similar to dressing up as Superman for Halloween by donning a muscle suit. I apologize, but you are misleading no one.
Fake Exhausts Plague Some of the Best Cars
Not all pretend sports vehicles with phony hood and fender vents have fake exhaust tips. They are mounted on fantastic vehicles from the world’s top automakers. Some of the worst offenders include Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Although we want to think Mercedes and Audi are better than that, it’s not a guarantee that other automakers aren’t also engaging in this practice.
There are a few vehicles with the three-pointed star insignia and faux exhaust tips, including the Mercedes C-Class, CLA-Class, AMG C63, and even the AMG GT. The new SQ5 from Audi features very obvious false exhaust tips, and it may be the worst offender thus far. Not just Mercedes and Audi are engaging in this. Volkswagen, Kia, Lexus, and numerous other brands are. This is something that even several supercar and hypercar manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Bugatti do.
A company with the reputation of Bugatti ought to be above bogus exhaust tips, right? Unfortunately, despite the Bugatti Chiron’s uniqueness, its exhaust tips aren’t authentic. Although it has six exhaust pipes (as seen in the image above), the vehicle’s rear only has two obscenely large exhaust tips (shown in the image below).
If the exhaust pipes were all linked, two outlets would be sufficient, but they are not. Instead, the monstrous hypercar’s two outermost exhaust pipes ejected under the rear diffuser. Additionally, there isn’t much use for the two exhaust outlets in the back. Their shape is primarily aesthetic. But at least the exhaust does come out of the apertures in the four central exhaust pipes.
We don’t see why Bugatti has to conceal exhausts at all, but we presume there isn’t a complete attempt at deceit. It would be fantastic if the Chiron (shown above: a Bugatti) had six pipes coming out the back. The 2019 Chiron Sport (shown above) boasts four exhaust pipes that look to be real ones. That’s fantastic, however there are still two pipes missing. We assume that the exhaust from the outside two pipes is still being sent over the rear diffuser. Perhaps Bugatti has a good rationale for this, but we are unable to come up with one.
Fake Exhausts Aren’t Necessary
Fortunately, not every car does this. The Chevrolet Camaro and the beloved Ford Mustang still retain authentic exhaust tips. Real recommendations go to the Volkswagen GTI and Honda’s Civic Si and Type R. The Honda Civic is a little shocking because some of its front plastic components are false, but we’re delighted to see Honda avoided using fake tips. There are many vehicles with genuine exhausts; these are just a few.
With regard to those automobiles, it is safe to assume that the main cosmetic benefit to automakers of installing artificial tips on vehicles. In essence, the artificial tips give a designer a bit more latitude to style the back of the car. Exhaust tips become hot, thus you can’t have your oddly shaped exhaust tip in contact with the bumper’s plastic without melting anything. To maintain the styling, phony exhaust tips are fitted on an automobile and called nice. The problem is that the car only looks cheap because of those artificial tips.
On the Civic Si, Honda produces a genuine exhaust, even with a peculiarly shaped tip. (Photo: Honda)
We still question why they feel the need to place the tip right near to the plastic. Use the Civic Si as an illustration. It has an exhaust that is large and oddly shaped, yet it is still genuinely a part of the exhaust system. We don’t see any issues with this. If automakers are going to insist on non-round exhaust tips, they should at least make them workable.
Why are false exhausts present in current cars?
Gases from exhaust are warm. If the engine is working hard, it can get REALLY hot, and the majority of the plastics used in car bumpers have a tendency to melt into polymer goop when heated up.
As a result, it’s bad practice to have a real exhaust pipe close to a rear bumper, especially at the kinds of clearances that contemporary automobile designers normally choose.
Remember that heat causes metal to expand considerably, thus the position of an exhaust tip on a car with a hot engine compared to one that is parked and cool might vary noticeably.
There is a chance that hot metal will come into contact with plastic and hurt it if there is not enough room around the exhaust to accommodate for that dimensional expansion. Physically separating the exhaust hardware from the bumper hole is frequently just simpler.
Why are there false vents in cars?
Nowadays, almost all newly released vehicles, especially facelifts, include some form of false vent. Nearly every brand in recent years has unavoidably embraced this trend. While some have followed the “formula,” others go above and beyond. We’ll see a few examples of this tendency today.
Beautiful exhaust pipes are quite important in highlighting a car’s personality. We have interesting methods to the exhaust pipe when driving enjoyment is not the primary goal of the vehicle. The first one is denying their existence! If you look closely at the back bumper of many mass-market cars, you won’t see an exhaust cutout. This makes sensewhy praise the customers if they aren’t the ones who desire an exhaust note?
However, the modern method, which includes false exhausts, may irritate some individuals. The best option for installing a styled exhaust tip is to use plastic because it is less expensive than authentically formed exhaust mufflers. While in other instances, like as the Tata Harrier, the cutout actually leads to an exhaust pipe that has a typical appearance. In other instances, such as the Mercedes C-Class pictured above, the bumper is designed to resemble an exhaust.
Up until it affects sports automobiles, this trend is perfectly good. Examples that cater to vehicle lovers, like the Mercedes C63, shouldn’t have a phony vent in them. Instead of accomplishing the exact opposite, I believe that’s where this movement turns into a cosmetic eyesore.
Even though many modern automobiles with smaller engines don’t actually require the cooling that these front vents provide, they do give the car a more aggressive image. These phony vents are present in so many variants with sporty styling, such the Honda Civic Type R. These false vents also damage a number of expensive vehicles.
The wheel-arch vent is another artificial vent found in many automobiles. Some manufacturers include a vent to let air pass through the wheel arches, improving aerodynamic efficiency and smoothing airflow around the front or back. The Ford Figo Aspire makeover is only one instance that springs to mind. The rear bumpers include phony airflow vents that look like real ones.
It’s probably a stretch to say this. But when an automobile makes an attempt to imitate something while offering no utility, I believe it to be false. Large vents that allow air to circulate to the engine are what grilles essentially are. Up until brands started using grilles as an identity, it was the primary reason they were used. Nowadays, grilles are a fundamental component of design languages.
Opening the entire grille has the drawback of adding drag. BMW developed a technology that closes the majority of the opening when cooling is not required when they started producing large grilles. By doing this, the car will slide through the air as opposed to punching through it.
As was previously indicated, phony vents reveal where the producers’ money is actually coming from. Many buyersI emphasize the word “buyersdon’t dislike the presence of phony vents, despite the fact that the majority of us enthusiasts do. Most sportier versions of everyday automobiles include false vents.
I believe this is the case because a significant portion of consumers don’t really care that these vents are artificial and instead value the visual improvement they offer. Most products that aim to delight enthusiasts will decide to do away with these phony vents. It’s likely that the typical E-Class or C-Class buyer won’t mind learning that the exhaust-looking component is actually just a chrome liner. Mercedes won’t include them even in their newest cars if they did!
That is why I believe these vents will continue to exist. However, I believe they are a good addition to a car’s appearance as long as they are not mounted on the incorrect vehicles.