One of the more popular modifications around may be the sports back box or silencer.

In case you are after additional information on the performance aspects of a sports exhaust then you will require our tuning article.

This article will focus purely in the cosmetic benefits and considerations when fitting a sports silencer.

It seems in terms of silencers have concerns that bigger is better. This is often detrimental towards the power production of the engine but while we promised to stick to the visual aspects here we will not labour the point.

Big bores usually require that the rear bumper be cut. This needs to be done properly and neatly smoothed and finished off. Some bumpers are usually thin and also you would then want to build up around the hole.

Heat is a huge problems and you should ensure that there may be sufficient space around the exhaust to avoid experience of the bumper. At best you might end up having an unpleasant vibration but also in a worst case scenario you can end up with scorching and melting due to the heat.

There are no end of options when it comes to silencers but you would be daft not to think about the performance implications of your choice.

The best solution to these complications are to cut a good sized gap throughout the exhaust then fit metallic shield or plate to manage the additional heat.

Some drivers opt to drop their silencer lower than the bumper but this can easily get snagged on road bumps, potholes and humps and is very likely to vibration. Keep the exhaust mounts fairly tight and use rubber mounts, these dampen the shock and noise a bit and allow the exhaust to expand as it gets warmer.

You can find of course numerous legal restrictions. Generally speaking the larger the bore the deeper and louder the exhaust note will probably be. Most countries have laws preventing the use of loud exhausts. In the UK there is also to ensure that the exhaust is not going to stick out further than the outermost edge of the rear bumper.

You will find certainly lots of tailpipe designs to choose from. The very best looking exhaust have a nice shiny chrome finish which although fairly resistant to corrosion and soiling will still need to be clean. Some of our members use standard household metal polish frequently to keep their exhaust in shiny condition.

Rolled exhausts and the ones with a branding stamp look good and you often times have a choice of shape from square, oval to triangular and round. Then you need to decide when your car will appear better having a twin pipe or single pipe as well as on some vehicles you may want another exhaust pipe from the opposite edge of the rear bumper to balance it out.

Internal construction of the sound deadening will also modify the noise and lots of Japanese exhausts give a very distinctive rasp.

Before you go out and purchase an exhaust purely for aesthetic appeal we strongly urge you to definitely consider the nuisance and satisfaction implications of fitting a huge silencer.