Exhaust Flanges: The Ideal Way to Ensure Unobstructed Path

The exhaust system is quite complex, comprised of smaller parts that rarely any vehicle owner pays much attention to. Such is the exhaust flange, which might be simple and small, but it’s as important as every other part in the exhaust system, providing connection between tube segments and the manifold – ensuring an unobstructed path for the exhaust gases.

So if you find yourself in need to replace the exhaust flanges on your vehicle, you need to consider the material and size that fits into your vehicle’s exhaust system. OEM exhaust flanges will fit a vehicle, given that the vehicle hasn’t had aftermarket modifications done to it. Avoid cheap steel flanges since they are corrosion prone and have low tensile strength. Usually, the higher the price, the higher the resistance that exhaust flanges will have to corrosion. This consequently means that they’ll most likely be made of quality metals like aluminium.

There are a few different exhaust flange designs, all of them sharing the common function – mating an exhaust pipe to the manifold. The flange is usually held in place with a collar fitting around the pipe; the collar usually contains 2 or 3 holes for bolts that tighten the manifold to secure the flange into place.

Flange Gaskets

Some flanges use gaskets to seal the flange to the exhaust manifold and prevent gases from leaking. The design of gaskets can vary, depending on the model and the make of the car. Common types include metal flange seal rings that look like piston rings with an open compression gap. Tapered rings, steel rings, gasket material rings and crush rings are also commonly used. Where a combination of gasket and metal material is used, the gaskets are designed for high-temp applications due to the abnormal heat generated by the exhaust gases.

Ball Type Flanges

This type of flanges doesn’t have a gasket between the manifold and the flange. The head of the flange is bulged out and rounded to match the attachment point of the manifold. The two surfaces bond together cleanly and are held by the collar, which fits the bulge on the flange. When the bolts are tightened, the two parts form a tight seal.

Flange Kits

Depending on the vehicle’s model and make, as well as on the type of flange design used on it, flange kits come with a variety of parts. New bolts are almost always included in kits, as well as seals, collars and gaskets whenever possible.