Beyond these incremental advantages, there’s not much to tell cat-back and regular exhausts apart, as they are commonly made from the same types of materials in roughly the same shape. Most newer vehicles have electronic fuel injection systems, and do not require air injection systems in their exhausts. Instead, they provide a precisely controlled air-fuel mixture that quickly and continually cycles between lean and rich combustion. Depending on your make and model, cat back exhaust systems can lead to an increase in fuel economy. The engine doesn’t have to work as hard pushing exhaust gases through the piping which reduces its load and leads to higher efficiency and MPG. For car enthusiasts and performance drivers, upgrading the exhaust system of a vehicle is a no-brainer.

Cat-back exhaust systems will include any pipes that run from the catalytic converter to the muffler, the muffler itself, any pipes that may run from the muffler to the exhaust tips, and the exhaust tips themselves. Some cat-back exhaust systems have a muffler delete, which means no muffler is included. This is typically found on vehicles that function primarily for off-road use