Aftermarket exhaust parts restrictions in the system—can similarly increase performance, though would likely be illegal in areas where tampering with emissions devices is prohibited, particularly when placed in front of the catalytic converters. Aftermarket exhaust parts Aftermarket exhaust parts are intended to replace the factory fitted exhaust components of a car, motorcycle, or other motor vehicle in order to improve the performance, visual appeal, or sound of the vehicle. Generally, performance enhancements are achieved by reducing the back pressure of the factory exhaust system. Frequently a side effect of a free-flowing exhaust system is either a "different" sound, a higher noise level, or
Exhaust system tandem with smog abatement legislation rendered lake pipes, as a bona fide performance prerequisite, obsolete. No meaningful performance gain to be had for contemporary vehicles, lake pipes persist into the 21st century as a superfluous, retrograde aesthetic, usually chrome plated with various options, allowing the driver to control whether exhaust gas is routed the standard exhaust system, or through lake pipes, which are commonly fashioned by laker caps which, affixed by fasteners at the terminal end of exhaust tips, serve to (1) "cap" the exhaust system when not in use, and/or (2) signal authorities that the presence of lake pipes