[Who_are_you]

Recently while browsing on the internet, I saw below pic of Audi S6 (Audi S6 priced at 85.99 lakhs, ex-Delhi) fake exhaust pipe.



I really hated it, it looked cheap, despicable and dishonest.

And Audi is not the only one doing this. Merc C 300 (My Rooh: Mercedes-Benz C300d AMG Line!)



This made me wonder, why luxurious car makers like Audi/Merc will cheap out on the exhaust system? IMO this was done for aesthetic purpose only.
I tried to find some more information on this design philosophy but didn't find any concrete answers.

The reason it is like that is because it's a Diesel (unlike all the former S6). Audi S-Models traditionally have a double-twin exhaust. In Germany (not sure about other countries) Diesel exhausts have to point down towards the street so they had to follow that law but wanted to keep the traditional style. Not saying it's a good reason, but it's the reason

Source

I know why car makers like to fit them. The peashooter-spec exhausts on many modern cars would look a little embarrassing without a little dress-up, after all, and designers like the back ends of their cars to look powerful and sporty. In some instances, they also act as heat shields, which is handy if you don’t fancy melting your rear bumper.

Source

Can someone please verify, if there is any regulation regarding exhaust in Germany.


Indian cars with fake exhaust tips.

Suzuki Kizashi



Tata Safari




Tata Hexa



Tata Harier




What is your opinion on Fake exhaust design and its purpose?

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

I absolutely HATE this trend. Before, some enthusiasts used to add fake pipes on their cars in the after-market. Now, manufacturers are doing the same

Here's the E-Class:

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Who_are_you

Indian cars with fake exhaust tips.

Suzuki Kizashi

The Kizashi actually had functional exhausts, pic from our own forum:





Regards,
Shashi

[lazy]

Originally Posted by Who_are_you

Tata Safari

Attachment 1926059


What is your opinion on Fake exhaust design and its purpose?

Minor correction for the Safari, the exhaust pipes indeed are housed inside those trapezoidal chromed ends. These aren't fake.

Otherwise, yes, cheap move by the manufacturers.

cheers
lazy

[tharian]

Wouldn't call the Indian cars you listed as fake tips since the comparison is with the cars that have downward facing pipes in reality.

Not sure about the Harrier, but the rest of them actually have pipes inside those tips. It is just an extension. They don't look bad or fake IMO.

[condor]

That S6 is an unforgivably atrocious act by Audi.


But the Storme does have two exhausts, just that that chrome tip is separate from the exhaust pipe. The gases however do pass thru this chrome piece

[iliketurtles]

As far as I know, the exhaust pipes of a diesel need to point downward for the regen process to take place. Clearly, this would look horrid aesthetically (as you can see from the pic of the S6, and so the faux exhaust comes into play.

It's not a trend many of us will like, but it's here to stay. Hell, we have fake exhaust audio being pumped into the cabin too. Guess enthusiasts just have to grin and bear it.

[SideView]

Could it be that they are facing downwards so people dont see the smoke? And look like the vehicle is smoke free/clean?

I have seen sometimes downward facing exhaust make more noise (better?)

(Also if exhaust gas comes out of those chrome tips sure that it would become black in couple thousand kms, maybe premium manufacturers dont want that)

[SS8939]

EU Regulations state that the tail pipe should be facing downwards towards the tarmac. A real exhaust tip facing downward would look just as weird. (Photoshop opportunity for our members to visualise what that would look like!). You will see that all European cars shared here will always have the pipes facing downwards.

The S6 sold state side has real exhausts (has a petrol engine).

There are other such restraints like an OPF filter, not allowing the car to rev more than 3k rpm in idle and so on.

Meanwhile cruise ships polluted more than all the cars in Europe combined, I believe. (there's a patriot act episode on Netflix about this).

Thanks

[ram87pune]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

I absolutely HATE this trend. Before, some enthusiasts used to add fake pipes on their cars in the after-market. Now, manufacturers are doing the same

Though I also hate this trend of fake exhaust tips I think since more and more manufacturers are doing this can mean only one thing and that is the designers are trying their best to hide those exhaust pipes sticking out of the back. And for a layman who is almost never going to bend down at the back of his car and take a peek below the rear bumper, what matters more is how his car looks from the back to the onlookers and does it make a purposeful statement.

I like how Carwow's Mat Watson goes around poking every car he reviews with his "stick of truth" and mentions this as a sort of a negative point in his judgment of the car if the car has fake exhausts. Love his facial expressions and his tone when the car fails this test.

[DrCar]

I prefer such fake exhaust in Indian cars atleast.
My first generation Swift diesel's exhaust pipe use to dance around while the car was in motion. This feels cheap and gives the impression as if bolts from the exhaust pipes have come loose.
My wife's WagonR exhaust does the same.

My Etios diesel's exhaust pipe is stable but are very thin and looks out of proportion to the car's size.

Anyone remember Dolphin shaped Honda City's VTEC version? The end of the exhaust pipes had a thick extension around it. Not sure whether it was functional or purely aesthetic. But atleast it helped me to differentiate between a regular and VTEC version. Sure, there were other differenting features, but for me those thick exhausts were the first to grab my attention.

I feel that manufacturers should atleast provide thick fake exhausts in higher variants to make them stand out because nowadays we can't judge the variants of the cars just by looking at them, as the variant badges are slowly and steadily disappearing. Can anyone judge the variant of a Baleno just by looking at its rear? I bet, most can't.

[landcruiser123]

Is this India specific? I don't mind one fake exhaust pipe on one side for sportiness, but a shorter exhaust has potential problems.
1. You can't catch potential problems at first sight. Nipping the bud?
2. Emissions testing (especially real world) will be a little complicated with shorter exhausts under the chassis

[TSIVTEC]

Originally Posted by DrCar

Anyone remember Dolphin shaped Honda City's VTEC version? The end of the exhaust pipes had a thick extension around it. Not sure whether it was functional or purely aesthetic. But atleast it helped me to differentiate between a regular and VTEC version. Sure, there were other differenting features, but for me those thick exhausts were the first to grab my attention.

Yes you are correct.The dolphin city VTEC did have a thicker exhaust tip compared to the IDSI engine ones which didn't have any tip.

[thedragonreborn]

Originally Posted by Who_are_you

Recently while browsing on the internet, I saw below pic of Audi S6 (Audi S6 priced at 85.99 lakhs, ex-Delhi) fake exhaust pipe.


Tata Safari

Attachment 1926059


Tata Hexa

Attachment 1926060

The Safari and Hexa, both have functional dual exhausts, housed in the chrome rings.

The 2019 Hexa dropped the dual pipes for a single one, though.

I drive one with the dual exhausts.

[saisailendra]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

I like how Carwow's Mat Watson goes around poking every car he reviews with his "stick of truth" and mentions this as a sort of a negative point in his judgment of the car if the car has fake exhausts. Love his facial expressions and his tone when the car fails this test.

I stopped watching TopGear after the great hosts changed and now I'm addicted to Mat Watsons videos. He surely does a great job of showing these fake exhaust tips of almost every car he reviews.

Just out of enthusiasm, I would like to ask people here a question which apparently popped in my mind when I was thinking about fake exhaust tips. Did any manufacturer (The Premium Ones) try a design without exhaust tips in their bumpers ? (Excluding EVs).

Oh Yes, and another trend is the fake engine sound in the cabin that's made by the marvelous speakers in some powerful cars.