We spend a long time behind the tiller of our 4WD’s and regularly wear out components and break things that have quite obvious mechanical symptoms like clanging, popping, hissing or annoying flashing lights on the dash. However, every 4WD has a series of components that you more than likely consider indestructible and requiring no maintenance ever and probably tend to ignore when doing your regular maintenance checks!

If you haven’t already guessed we’re talking about your exhaust system!

Wear and tear happens to just about every component of your 4WDs exhaust system, from the header all the way back to your tail pipe and without regular checking for faults and flaws, like with any other components within your 4WD you may be running with less efficiency than is ideal, with restricted flow preventing your exhaust gasses from escaping, and preventing your vehicle from producing as much power than is possible!

An exhausts job is to take hot waste gasses away from your engines exhaust manifold/turbo and evacuate it in the most efficient way possible, and when driving the entire system tends to get quite hot which is fine, however when you drive through cold mud and water there tends to be rapid contractions which can be uneven and result in cracking along with salt water corrosion..

So here are five different ways you can tell if your 4WD’s exhaust needs upgrading with a quality Aussie-built Domin8r exhaust from 4WD Supacentre!

IT’S RUSTY
One of the first indications that your 4WD’s exhaust that needs replacing is that it is getting rusty. A small amount of surface rust is a fairly typical thing; However, a 4WD with a crusty exhaust that is rusting through at the seams from the turbo all the way to the tailpipe is just about toast!

Unfortunately, because your 4WD exhaust is subject to some pretty serious abuse offroad it’s one of those parts of your vehicle that will be the first to develop obvious issues.

So the next time you’re turning spanners underneath your vehicle or doing your next post trip inspection have a good look at your 4WD’s exhaust and checkout just how bad the rust is. Wait for your exhaust to cool and give your exhaust a tap with the side of a spanner and a poke with a screwdriver this will uncover any hidden demons hiding in your exhaust system. Rust holes in exhaust systems sound horrible and a leaking exhaust can be a massive safety issue!

IT’S LEAKING
No matter what vehicle you drive all the joins in your exhaust are sealed by the use of exhaust specific gaskets. Over time, the gaskets between the exhaust join flanges can develop leaks because of their continual hot and cold cycles.

Whilst a gasket kit for your 4×4’s exhaust may not be too difficult to install (ignoring rusted fasteners) the gasket is a good indicator of your overall exhaust’s condition. A damaged gasket means the rest of the exhaust system has undergone quite a bit of stresss. So if you find yourself grinding loose fasteners on your exhaust to start replacing gaskets then it’s a pretty good indication that your 4WD exhaust’s time has come and gone.

If you can hear a leak somewhere, often a ‘puff puff puff’ or even a ‘hissing’ kind of noise, then it is time to look for tell-tale black soot where the exhaust is leaking out past the gasket, and use your nose to help indicate where you may be encountering potential problems with your exhaust

WELDS AND MOUNTS ARE CRACKING
4WD exhausts cop a serious hiding when you’re driving around offroad!

The engine end of the exhaust is bolted hard to either the turbo dump pipe or the exhaust manifold, and the rest of the 4WDs exhaust is held in place with mounts and hangers that are typically rubber. Rubber hangers and mounts are essential to dampening vibrations but over time they can perish and become less effective at dampening the load across the whole exhaust system from vibrations.

As a result the welds around the exhaust flanges and the mounting hooks on your 4×4 exhaust can crack. Welding a cracked exhaust is a futile repair job because you’ll constantly be chasing the next repair and the next one. If you’re dealing with cracked welds and mounts on your 4WD exhaust, it’s time to bite the bullet and get a completely new system!

YOUR 4WD’S PERFORMANCE FEELS LIKE IT’S LACKING
Over time, 4×4 exhaust components such as your mufflers and catalytic converters (the ‘cat’) can disintegrate and break down internally. The internal baffles and catalysing componets of these “high flow” systems can actually degrade over time, blocking the exhaust flow to a point where your engines performance is inhibited a noticeable amount. Imagine trying to drive around with a potato wedged hard up your tailpipe.

The really tricky thing about these components failing in your 4WD exhaust is that the failure is gradual and there is never a “lightswitch” moment, meaning you may not even notice this performance loss over time.

If your vehicle seems to be down on power compared to an identical model and the exhaust looks old and worn out, then chances are it’s the factory exhaust to blame.

YOU FREQUENTLY DRIVE ON THE BEACH
Sometimes prevention is better than cure! If you do a lot of beach driving with your 4WD during the summer months then fitting a Domin8r 409 stainless steel exhaust on your vehicle will ensure that you don’t run into the problems listed above. Fitted with quality gaskets and heavily reinforced 4 bolt flanges, a Domin8r Stainless steel exhaust will last a really long time in corrosive environments and  through hot cold cycles and when compared to a factory exhaust are much tougher in construction

409 stainless steel prevents rusting when in contact with salt water and is extremely resistant to hot and cold cycles compared to just about any other type of stainless steel out there. A stainless steel 4×4 exhaust is a fantastic upgrade for any 4×4, but especially for one that gets used on the beach a lot.

Get more power under your pedal and feel your engine breath freely again to ensure