Why round exhaust pipe?

[SuperBuickGuy]

seriously.

[squirrel]

A circle has the most area for the circumference. More airflow for less steel.

[BBR]

Because square exhaust clamps wouldn't work right!!

[boxer3main]

I just watched a video on that..but my eliptical internet lost it..have to wait for next july for it to come back.

a tiny squish, lke half inch making an oval, knocked out several cc, and the guy proved it on video with beakers and fluids..and thoroughly explained something simple.

as heat is an ongoing chemical process..round does something for that as well. not just volume of blasting the crap out.

like mandrel at the head..it is a big thing to notice.

[CDMBill]

A corollary to Jim's post is that boundary layer losses in laminar airflow are minimized in a round pipe. That said other concerns can out weigh the round pipe theory. This is usually a situation where packaging, sanctioning body rules or aero concerns have a greater impact on the overall exhaust system.

In my case I used Dr. Gas frame clearance tubes, oval shaped with transitions from round to oval and back in order to squeeze the engine and trans I picked into th car I picked and still maintain some degree of street able ground clearance. Is it ideal, is it a good compromise? IMHO yes. Look at the boom tubes, flat ' mufflers the NASCAR guys use for another example.

BTW Dr. Gas shut down their retail business last year.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Boundary losses should be eliminated in a large enough box

There is a point to my question - I need to lose the pipes from under the IRS on the Corvette, but I'm not looking forward to unflattening side exhaust pipes every time I drive this lowered car into a driveway ramp or speed bump (where it goes under the frame) so - mathmatically speaking, pi *r2 = ~ 5 square inches (on 2 1/2 pipe).... which would be neat if 1 1/4 x 5 side exhaust tips would be no net loss in flow..... unless, of course, there's something I'm missing about airflow of round pipe.

[BigBlockMopar]

Why round exhaust pipe?

So you/the factory can bend it more easily/cheaply.

[oj]

If it ain't round then it is an exhaust duct not pipe.

[squirrel]

Boundary losses should be eliminated in a large enough box
......
which would be neat if 1 1/4 x 5 side exhaust tips would be no net loss in flow

A flat box has more boundary loss than a square box.

I'm getting a chuckle out of this discussion, remember I just put some new front springs in my 55, now I can get under the car without jacking it up first

[studemax]

Have you ever considered that the exhaust pipe is round because that's the easiest way to make pipe?