Regarding exhaust systems, most vehicles on the road use crushed, bend exhausts; crushed bends are cheap to manufacture and can be bent on a basic tube bender using dies on the outside. The downside to crush bends is that as the tube goes through the bending process, the centre point starts to crumple, reducing the tube diameter. In addition, the sharper the bend, the tighter the crush area becomes, restricting flow.

Whereas having crush bends on the average car is acceptable and is suitable for petrol or diesel vehicles, the same cannot be said for any performance vehicle; this can include smaller engines where the cars are either tuned by the manufacturer are an aftermarket tuning upgrade.

On the other hand, mandrel bends are manufactured on a mandrel bending machine. A mandrel bending machine is expensive, and the process is very different. A mandrel is inserted inside the pipe when the tube is bending to maintain the tube diameter uniform throughout the bend, allowing maximum flow.

You will find performance cars or cars of high value, all have mandrel-bent exhausts, and when it comes to replacing the exhaust, it should be replaced with a mandrel exhaust for continuous flow without restrictions. Yet, we see many performance vehicles with crush bends conducted by budget companies.

In conclusion, when replacing the exhaust system in a performance or high-value vehicle, it is recommended to use a mandrel bend exhaust for optimal performance.