A Guide to Nissan Patrol Exhaust System - Share A Word

The current Y62 Series 5 Nissan Patrol undercuts its major rival, the Toyota Landcruiser by almost $20000 in comparable trims. These are the two cars that you’d want for serious off-roading, as they have all the grunt, the 4-wheel drive credentials and ground clearance, and the space for heaps of gear. The price difference though means you can outfit the Patrol with a lot of goodies to make for a more memorable and enjoyable trip. Patrol owners can modify the throttle response in the 400hp 5.6 litre V8 for even more thrills and add an aftermarket exhaust for audible pleasure playing at the back. Both accessories though offer higher performance gains in older Y61 and GU Patrol variants with turbocharged diesel engines.

Restrictions in Stock Patrol Exhausts

The stock exhaust in the Patrol is one factor that hinders performance. This is in both petrol and diesel variants. The tubing is narrower and thinner, snakes its way around the engine and underbody, and negatively impacts how the engine breathes. The design by default causes gas flow restrictions, with exhaust gases taking some time to exit the piping. This leads to an increase in temperature and pressure and robs the car of the new air it needs for the following combustion cycle.

A revised and uprated Nissan Patrol exhaust system literally straightens this out. The piping is wider, with thicker walls in better and more durable materials, and pipe designs and configurations that get exhaust gases out much faster. Bends and tight spots are limited meaning improved exhaust scavenging, reduced backpressure, and increased exhaust velocity. These are technical terms that simply translate to lower engine stress, easier breathing, and more efficient combustion. In a word, a Nissan Patrol exhaust upgrade awards the engine with higher power and torque numbers, something that was found lacking in the older diesel and petrol variants.

Other Benefits

While most buyers will need the extra oomph in technical terrain when off-road, a new Patrol exhaust also has a few other things going for it. The use of mandrel-bent, high-grade stainless steel leads to pipes that can withstand more abuse, both in terms of the hot and pressurized gases, as well as being battered by rocks and uneven road surfaces, or when traversing through water and mud. The high strength prevents kinks and nulls the effects of vibrations and coatings reduce the risk of corrosion.

The addition of parts like high flow and cat-less converters, revised manifold downpipes, dump pipes and wider mid-section extension tubes reduce backpressure while also producing a unique and rumbling exhaust note. This is further conditioned by the use of different resonators and muffler combos to fine-tune exhaust volume. Owners can go with silencers to drone out the exhaust note or straight pipes if they like things louder.

Lastly, while you won’t be really concerned with the fuel use in a car weighing nearly three tons, an aftermarket exhaust can help with lowering fuel consumption. This is largely down to the improved efficiency, with the engine not having to work as hard. For a car that sips over 20 litres of unleaded as the 5.6 V8 does, you’ll be more than grateful.

Types of Exhausts for Your Patrol

Simpler and shorter exhausts, with wider tubing from the rear axle to the exhaust tips, are good for changing the exhaust note. This is an axle-back Nissan Patrol exhaust system and comes in as the cheapest option since it involves fewer parts with less metal. The upsides are slight gains in power, better-looking tips, and gurgling sounds depending on whether you choose a straight pipe muffler.

DPF-back versions are reserved for the 3 and 4.2-litre diesel engines. Here the piping is wider, at 3 inches in diameter for the whole length of the exhaust, from the particle filter to the tips. These also have an added dump pipe to significantly reduce back pressure. The wider tubing aids with engine breathing and the spooling of the turbine, meaning you get more horsepower, a wider power band, and low-end torque. Another bonus is the reduction in emissions, with DPF exhaust doing a better job than stock exhausts in dealing with toxic particulates.

Header and Turbo-back exhausts include all stock tubing removed from the exhaust manifold to the tips themselves. This is also known as a complete exhaust replacement and gets the most gains in terms of performance. Header-back exhausts are good for the inline 6-cylinder aspirated petrol engines in the Y61 GU cars and V6 and V8 petrols in the current model. However, they make the most of the available power in the 4 and 6-cylinder GU turbodiesels (in 3 or 4.2-litre capacity). Estimates are of up to a 10 per cent increase in horsepower and torque, an addition that works well when off-roading, towing and overtaking.

What Else to Look for

Get the Patrol exhaust that is compatible with the engine in your car. Most are bolt-on systems that fit within the stock recesses in the Patrol. Installation is best left to a pro, but this is still a job that you can do on your own. Look for all the necessary mounting hardware, such as bolts, nuts, flange plates, and brackets that connect the different parts.