Diesel Truck Exhaust Stacks
Exhaust stacks are a fairly unique car part because everybody has seen them, but most people don’t recognize the name. When you look at a big truck (like an 18-wheeler), the exhaust stack is the vertical pipe the smoke comes out of. The exhaust stack is a replacement for a regular car’s muffler; it serves the same function of letting out exhaust fumes, it’s just placed differently. The reason they are usually on these oversized vehicles is because extremely large vehicles create more pollution. Exhaust stacks, in addition to their different placement, also are bigger than most exhaust pipes.
There are several reasons for their placement in extremely large vehicles. The most important of this is to keep the pollution from harming the driver behind them. Bigger vehicles create so much exhaust at times that it could literally blind the passenger behind the truck. The fumes would also be dangerous to the actual driver, as inhaling the smoke is very unhealthy. Even off the road, releasing the smog created by running a large vehicle high up in the air keeps passersby from having to breathe in the exhaust. But while exhaust stacks are universal on large commercial trucks, you’ve probably seen exhaust stacks on other vehicles as well, especially trucks.
Most of the time, exhaust stacks are put on passenger vehicles purely for design, especially for trucks. There aren’t many ways to make a truck look more powerful than adding a huge exhaust pipe blowing out smoke whenever you accelerate. And most truck drivers actually put on two instead of just one. Let’s face it: if you want your truck to look more powerful, making it look more like an 18-wheeler is probably the way to go. While exhaust stacks work best with bigger trucks, they are sometimes attached to cars as well, mostly cars with beds. That’s not as popular, mostly because exhaust stacks usually look unnatural on a passenger car.
Although they are usually installed for design purposes, there are a lot of other reasons why a person would buy exhaust pipes, especially for diesel trucks. Diesel trucks expel more exhaust than regular trucks, and that can actually be a bad thing for your cargo. If you’re hauling anything in the bed of your truck that is absorbent, the exhaust fumes from behind your truck can actually pollute whatever you’re carrying in the bed. Even if the materials aren’t absorbent, the smog can still make the bed dirty over time. Having exhaust pipe can completely eliminate this problem, especially if it’s facing in a different direction.
If you are thinking about adding exhausts stacks to your diesel truck for any reason, you’ll be relieved to know that it’s actually not a very expensive process, at least as far as design options go. You may have a slight problem finding a good stack, or pair, especially at local auto stores. It’s easiest to find them online. Also, if you buy them online, you’re more likely to find exactly the right design and fit, because the selection is so much greater. The least expensive exhaust stacks usually cost about $120, but that price can vary greatly depending on the design, size, and condition of the stack. And the price will double for a pair of stacks.
Of course, that doesn’t include the price of having the stacks installed for you. If you’re very good with cars, you should be able to do that yourself, but it’s not a job for just anybody. If the most you’ve ever done with a car is change the oil and filters, this definitely isn’t the job for you, and you’ll want to take it to a mechanic. Most exhaust stacks are sold with a kit, which will make the job a little easier, but that’s still not enough to make this an “easy” installation.
