Any Advantage To Exhaust Cross-over

Is there any torque advantage with a cross-over pipe in the exhaust system ("H" pipe/"X" pipe)? I've been working on a preliminary drawing for the exhaust system for my latest project and wanted to find out if it's worth putting one in.

ive always loved the way and "H" pipe sounds ......


but in my opinion it seems the H pipe would lose its effect after 2000 rpm and the X pipe would help with back pressure ....... most of it a marketing tool to sell more exhaust ......or maybe they will hep with getting better fuel milage .....sorry i just had too !!!
nascar uses the x pipe alot .....

but they do sound better

bruno wrote:ive always loved the way and "H" pipe sounds ......


but in my opinion it seems the H pipe would lose its effect after 2000 rpm and the X pipe would help with back pressure ....... most of it a marketing tool to sell more exhaust ......or maybe they will hep with getting better fuel milage .....sorry i just had too !!!
nascar uses the x pipe alot .....

but they do sound better

I like the way they sound too!

Here's screen grab of what I've got in mind.

it seems like in the pic the xover pipe in the bend mite cause an issue in air flow ???

Ford Motor Co. have been using them (H-pipe) for yrs. in there street cars. Soo maybe just maybe they mite know something.
Long before they used the windage tray. but you'll have to keep it at 7200 get that extra 5mpg. just saying.




Flowmaster strongly recommends using a crossover tube, otherwise known as an "H" pipe or balance pipe on all true dual exhaust systems. The crossover pipe equalizes the exhaust pulses and allows the sounds waves to communicate between both banks of the engine. Not only does this usually improve torque in the low to mid rpm range, it also creates a deeper mellower tone both inside and outside of the vehicle and helps eliminate "back-rap" on deceleration.

And you can paint your hot rod Yellow. and then you'll have a Mellower-Yellow

The Devil made me do it.

[quote="res0rli9"]Ford Motor Co. have been using them (H-pipe) for yrs. in there street cars. Soo maybe just maybe they mite know something.
Long before they used the windage tray. but you'll have to keep it at 7200 get that extra 5mpg. just saying.

So would one see any gains if he chugged at, say, 2000 rpm?

Seriously, from what I've seen an X-pipe is the way to go for street stuff, sound-wise and power-wise.

bbf-falcon wrote:
My 03 Taurus w/dohc duratech engine has one.

"quote"466....Yes, yes it does, and it has 4 valves per cylinder, 4 bolt mains, an aluminum block, and will shift at 6,500 or so stock.


Doug,imo it couldn't hurt and it should sound better.BUT,I would ask someone who knows a brother of someone that works for Ford moco,before I built it.

know it alls........

Doug my Dad is a long time Ford man from the 60s and 70s he was a Ford machanic and has always told me when I had run dual exhuast to run a cross over pipe.He said it helps with backflow and help balance the exhuast system sould so you don't have one side louder than the other.I had a 82 Dodge 150 I ran dual exhuast on 1 side was louder than the other side he ask if I had a cross over pipe in it told him no he said put on in it and the sound would level out.After I added the cross over pipe the sound leveled out and I could see a different in the tq in that weak 318 I mean a weak 318.Some say it don't help but after the deal with the dodge 318 I say it is worth putting in one.

Doug Rahn wrote:Is there any torque advantage with a cross-over pipe in the exhaust system ("H" pipe/"X" pipe)? I've been working on a preliminary drawing for the exhaust system for my latest project and wanted to find out if it's worth putting one in.

DEPENDING ON TOTAL lenght of ehx system ,YES it makes a diff on the dyno,it also depends on the size of the pipes ,placement of h pipe etc.,and really is a plus on a heavy street car

We have run X's on some really fast Stock Suspension NOS Grudge cars. We have never had any cars slow down with an X but have had some pick up and some stay the same. I love the way an X sounds. Especially with 600+ cubes and exhaust.

Thanks for the input! Any thoughts on Nick's comment about making the connection at the bend?

Like anything else without testing is hard to know where is the exact best spot. Old timers would paint a line down the pipes, run the car for a few days and put the cross over where the paint stopped burning off. IMO as long as the cross over is atleast 3/4 the diameter of the exhaust pipe and put the crossover where it is not in the way of everything you should see some improvement.

Doug Rahn wrote:Thanks for the input! Any thoughts on Nick's comment about making the connection at the bend?

if you look at your pic and cut out the section were the H pipe will be its goign to hit a wall on the curve

There are series of low and high pressure pulses moving thru the exhaust at any given time. The crossover allows the high pressure pulse to go to the side of least resistance. If there is a high pressure pulse passing the x-over and the other side has a low press pulse at the same time, the high will go to the side with the low press pulse. It lets the exhaust pipes compliment each other.It has nothing to do with sound only. When I hear a dual system popping like on some pickup trucks with too small dia, no x-over, that exhaust system is fighting itself. Thats why a sweet x-pipe system sounds so wicked, there is less pulsating and the exhaust is just flowing freely. I think I said that right LOL!!

bruno wrote:

Doug Rahn wrote:Thanks for the input! Any thoughts on Nick's comment about making the connection at the bend?

if you look at your pic and cut out the section were the H pipe will be its goign to hit a wall on the curve

I'll second that. The design looks like the main flow is running into the wall of a tee. I know that with fluid flow its restictive.
You need to put the cross over in the straight section or buy a fabb'd X pipe. The X pipes scavenges well to reduce back pressure.