ATVPT

Most people think that anybody can make an aftermarket exhaust system.  In the industry, it is often joked that anyone with a hacksaw and a welder can do it.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  Designing and producing a high quality, good performing aftermarket exhaust system is a lengthy and involved process.  We recently had the opportunity to spend some time with SuperTrapp Industries as they went through the development process for a new exhaust for the BRP Outlander 800.

The process began by doing some rather thorough benchmarking.  First, the stock vehicle and exhaust were tested on a state of the art dyno to determine detailed horsepower and torque information as well as air to fuel ratio measurements.  The air to fuel ratio measurements give a very precise readout of how efficient the combustion process is occurring throughout the RPM test range.  After this initial testing, further work was done to establish stock sound level readings and flow characteristics.  The weight of the stock system was also measured for future comparison.

With this baseline information properly recorded, it was time to start testing some of SuperTrapp’s existing product designs to see if any of them would do the job.  After considerable testing, it became evident that the Outlander 800 has a very high peak horsepower to displacement ratio which is great news for Outlander owners but it meant something new would be required. 

As it turns out, SuperTrapp had already been well into a new exhaust design specifically for large displacement ATVs.  Having seen the situation earlier and also having made high performance sport bike exhausts through its Kerker product line for over 20 years, they had already prototyped a new exhaust utilizing this proven street technology.  This was a perfect opportunity to put this new design to the test.

The new design was prototyped and installed.  Again, thorough testing was done to see how it measured up.  The initial results were very favorable but it wasn’t good enough to satisfy the guys at SuperTrapp.  After some fine adjustments, the testing was repeated and the performance results were right where they needed to be.  The next step was to check sound level readings for the new design.  Sound is a big issue these days and it is very important that it is properly controlled. 

The results were not good enough so it was back to the drawing board for some additional fine tuning.  Changes were made to the internal configuration of the muffler that would address the sound issue and still maintain the flow characteristics needed for optimum performance.  Another round of testing proved it had done the trick.

The final steps were to address the final appearance of the exhaust and conduct durability testing.  With all of this completed, it was time to hit the trails and enjoy the results of all of that hard work.