Backpressure And Other Types Of Mufflers - Auto | HowStuffWorks

• Science
• Tech
• Home & Garden
• Auto
• Culture
• Health
• Money
• Animals
• Lifestyle
• Entertainment

• Quizzes

Submit Search Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close ​ HowStuffWorks Newsletter Mobile Newsletter chat close Mobile Newsletter chat dots Mobile Newsletter chat dots Mobile Newsletter chat dots Mobile Newsletter chat avatar Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe Prev NEXT

Advertisement

HowStuffWorks Auto Under the Hood Exhaust & Emissions How Mufflers Work Prev NEXT By: Karim Nice

• Share Content on Facebook
• Share Content on LinkedIn
• Share Content on Flipboard
• Share Content on Reddit
• Share Content via Email

Backpressure and Other Types of Mufflers

One important characteristic of mufflers is how much backpressure they produce. Because of all of the turns and holes the exhaust has to go through, mufflers like those in the previous section produce a fairly high backpressure. This subtracts a little from the power of the engine.

There are other types of mufflers that can reduce backpressure. One type, sometimes called a glass pack or a cherry bomb, uses only absorption to reduce the sound. On a muffler like this, the exhaust goes straight through a pipe that is perforated with holes. Surrounding this pipe is a layer of glass insulation that absorbs some of the pressure pulses. A steel housing surrounds the insulation.

Advertisement

These mufflers produce much less restriction, but don't reduce the sound level as much as conventional mufflers.

Previous 1 … 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next Page ​ Cite This!

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article:

Copy Karim Nice "How Mufflers Work" 19 February 2001.HowStuffWorks.com. <https://auto.howstuffworks.com/muffler.htm> 26 February 2026 Close Print | Citation More Awesome Stuff

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement