A straight pipe is a car exhaust system that removes all the components that divert and regulate the flow of the vehicle’s exhaust. This includes the back pipes, catalytic converters, oxygen sensors, and muffler. This frees up the engine to burn more fuel with less resistance, improving the torque and horsepower. There are claims that it improves the fuel economy, too – but these depend on the specific model of the vehicle and how much power it can generate.

The cost of the straight pipe itself can vary widely, depending on the quality and location of the shop, as well as the price of the parts. You can do this work yourself, but it’s better to take your car to a professional mechanic so that you don’t end up with a bad result. There’s a lot of room for error, and any mistake can be expensive to fix.

One of the biggest downsides to straight piping is that it can make your vehicle louder inside the cabin. While this is not a problem on the street, it may not be ideal for regular commuters or those who use their vehicles to haul heavy loads. It may also be too noisy to pass emissions testing, which could lead to a ticket and the loss of your vehicle.

There’s also the possibility that straight piping will cause your engine to wear out more quickly than it would with the original exhaust system. This is because all the additional equipment that was designed to reduce emissions puts a strain on your engine that can make it wear out more quickly than it should.