VW Exhaust Systems & Parts

Whether you are shopping for a VW exhaust to replace an old rusty one or a performance Porsche exhaust to look and sound great too, you have come to the right place. We stock thousands of VW and Porsche exhaust parts, from Beetle silencers and Type 2 tailpipes through to Golf Mk1 manifolds and 997 stainless steel exhaust systems.

The best exhaust brands for VW and Porsche

We pride ourselves on offering the best quality VW exhausts and Porsche exhaust parts from all the biggest brands. We work closely with manufacturers such as Milltek, EMPI, SSP, Vintage Speed, CSP, Jetex, Jopex, SSI, Ernst and Dansk. Please speak to our team if you have a specific requirement or brand of choice.

How does a car exhaust work?

As you may be aware, exhaust gasses are created in the combustion chamber as a result of the fuel and air mixture being compressed and ignited. These gasses exit through the exhaust valve in the cylinder head and are directed swiftly into your Porsche or VW Exhaust manifold, ready for the next lot to be created.  

What is an exhaust manifold?

On an inline 4-cylinder engine, the manifold is attached to the cylinder head and merges from 4 pipes (one for each cylinder) into a collector, which then attaches onto your Porsche or VW exhaust downpipe. The downpipe as the name suggests, takes the waste gasses under the vehicle through a catalytic converter (if fitted) and into the main exhaust system. If you have a front engine vehicle, you will have at least one, if not two, exhaust silencers fitted under the car.

The role of the VW centre silencer is to reduce the noise of the exhaust and this is done by sending the gasses through a series of perforated tubes. Once through the first silencer, the VW Golf rear silencer performs a similar function again and exits the fumes through your choice of VW tailpipe to the rear of the vehicle and out into the atmosphere.

How does a heat exchanger work?

Flat 4 and Flat 6 engines also have exhaust manifolds, but because of their aircooled nature, these also double up as a collector of warmth for the heaters. Each aircooled cylinder head would typically have a heat exchanger attached to its exhaust ports. A VW heat exchanger is a ‘j’ shaped piece of pipe, surrounded with fins and then encased in a metal box or plenum. The fins help radiate the heat from the pipe and this is caught within the heat exchanger, heating the air being blown towards the cabin to keep passengers warm in winter.

Does your car smell of exhaust fumes?

Faulty VW or Porsche heat exchangers however can be deadly. Should the Porsche J Tubes develop a rust hole (which isn’t uncommon due to the collection of moisture inside from condensation) it will contaminate the warm air with poisonous exhaust gasses (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and nitrogen monoxide) and then these will be blown inside the vehicle. If you are feeling sick or getting headaches whilst driving, this could be the problem and you need to fix it urgently.

What are J tubes?

If you live in a warm climate, drive a Beach Buggy or are on a tight budget, Beetle or VW Bus heat exchangers can be replaced by VW J Tubes. These are simple connecting pipes which keep the gasses moving but no longer collect the warmth. This would, however, render the original heating system redundant.  

Why fit a performance exhaust system?

When it comes to releasing power from your VW or Porsche engine, a performance exhaust is a good place to start. By removing the centre silencer or fitting a performance back box, the gasses can flow more quickly and with less resistance, equaling more power. A new Golf Mk2 performance exhaust system could release up to 5bhp over the standard system.

If you are searching for a bigger power gain, then a performance VW exhaust manifold is a great choice. With equal length pipework, mandrel bent to avoid any kinks, the exhaust gasses can travel more freely and directly from the cylinder head. Partnering a 4 into 1 manifold with a stainless steel exhaust system is a well proven way to improve performance and generate more engine power.

What is a merged header?

For aircooled VW owners these performance manifolds are often called merged headers, but the same principles apply, only with a single collector at the rear of the car and either a stinger tailpipe, turbo muffler or single quiet pack fitted depending on preference.

Why buy a stainless steel exhaust?

A stainless steel VW exhaust system will cost you more initially, but it won’t rust, so in the long term it will save you money. We stock the hugely popular Vintage Speed exhausts which are a best seller with customers searching for a performance VW Type 2 exhaust. We also stock CSP exhausts and their power focused CSP Python exhaust range. When it comes to style, SSP Exhausts have captured the classic designs and reproduced them in stainless steel, including a stainless steel VW header and single quiet pack.

There are numerous choices for Porsche owners and we stock exhausts for Porsche 911, silencers for Porsche Boxster and Porsche 944 backboxes to name but a few. From original Porsche exhausts to stainless steel 996 exhaust systems and even Porsche Cayman cat back exhausts.