Fart Cans

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
toss in that 'smoke stacking' practice: half-burning your fuel so you belch our black sooty smoke from the stacks.. EPA be damned!

View attachment 468710
Perfect picture and example.
Audi raced a TDI (Turbo Direct Injection diesel) at Lemans and Won!
Made tons of power but didn't smoke much at all.
I bet if they could have obtained more power with black smoke that they would have done it!
1623604864859.jpeg
You wanna make power, you burn all the fuel!
 
Before we moved to Las Vegas, my wife and I lived in Kingman, Arizona. That is one serious car town (probably because Kingman is on Route 66), with some of the nicest street rods I've ever seen.

Friday and Saturday nights during the summer, the rods were out in force, with impromptu car shows in parking lots along the main drag. The Sonic Drive In was a good place to check out the rides.

But the most interesting aspect of all this to me—a kid who grew up street racing in the '70s—were the Kingman Street Drags. Organized by the local car club in conjunction with the city, they would block off a half-mile section of a city street, put up barriers, and have a full-blown (literally) drag meet. After the first couple of years (it was an annual affair), word got out and cars were coming from all over the southwest to race. Seriously, dragsters, funny cars, pro-mods, all racing on a city street. It was insane!

This youtube video was from the first annual street drags when they were on Beale Street (downtown):



This web site shows the state of the race now, held on Andy Devine Avenue (Route 66):

https://www.kingmanrt66streetdrags.com/
 
Before we moved to Las Vegas, my wife and I lived in Kingman, Arizona. That is one serious car town (probably because Kingman is on Route 66), with some of the nicest street rods I've ever seen.

Friday and Saturday nights during the summer, the rods were out in force, with impromptu car shows in parking lots along the main drag. The Sonic Drive In was a good place to check out the rides.

But the most interesting aspect of all this to me—a kid who grew up street racing in the '70s—were the Kingman Street Drags. Organized by the local car club in conjunction with the city, they would block off a half-mile section of a city street, put up barriers, and have a full-blown (literally) drag meet. After the first couple of years (it was an annual affair), word got out and cars were coming from all over the southwest to race. Seriously, dragsters, funny cars, pro-mods, all racing on a city street. It was insane!

This youtube video was from the first annual street drags when they were on Beale Street (downtown):



This web site shows the state of the race now, held on Andy Devine Avenue (Route 66):

https://www.kingmanrt66streetdrags.com/

OMG!! That is so cool and looks like fun. See this is what I'm saying. Real muscle cars under the city guidance and the residents are aware and they are not causing a nuisance. I'd been hanging all day long at this event. Geezzzzz this is really cool. True muscles cars. That's music to my ears!! It's loud, but pure raw horse pure like it should be.
 
Well those "fart cans" are not "Expansion Chambers".
Expansion chambers are a highly tuned component of a well designed 2-cycle exhaust system.
And as for not sounding good I disagree. If you've ever heard a TZ250 wound-up to 10,500 rpm under load you might change your opinion on that sound. Or a KZ1000 with a Kerker with a race baffle. Four cylinders can sound fantastic.
But I agree that just making a engine loud doesn't make it sound good. There are plenty of poorly tuned Harleys running around with shorties that don't sing, they just squawk! Tune the exhaust and it's a whole n'other story.

You have to tune the exhaust to the engine and vice versa otherwise you aren't making anymore power, maybe/probably less.
I stand corrected. Are the pipes and mufflers [?] sticking up in air mufflers.
 
That road looks like it was purpose-built to be a drag strip!
It does, doesn't it? It's actually just a city street, lined with businesses (NAPA, Martin Swanty Chrylser Jeep, National Bank of Arizona to name a few. The police department is out of the shot, but just behind where the photo was taken.
 
Sweet ride! I had a 69 SS too. 350 4spd posi. Same hood too. Bought it back in the early mid 80's paid $2500 I also had a 68 SS with the same hood, but 350 Turbo 400 also paid $2500 for it in 81 I really miss those cars. At one point I was going to buy a 69 Z-28 302 DZ w/ Muncie 4spd and12 bolt posi. It was Hugger Orange w/ white strips. It was a #'s car too!! In 1985 they were asking $7800 it drove great and was tight. I should have bought that car. One of my biggest regrets, but in all fairness I think I only had $8000 to my name. IDK just figured I would come across another. Back then you could buy muscles all day long between $2500-3500 and some of them had the big blocks. Heck 69 Vettes w/427's were selling for $6500-7000 These were California cars too!! I miss those days...would love to get another one, now that I have plenty money, but what are they now $30-40k for an 68-69SS depending on condition. Back in the mid 70's my brother bought a #'s 70 Boss 302 yeah and paid only $1700 and he still has it!
I share your love of the original muscle cars.
Once in a while I think I should go to one of the big auto auctions and pick one up, but prices are double or more what they sold for new. Many times WAY more.
But then reality sets in and I realize I'm not a show-car guy, I like to drive them and there really isn't a good place to ring-out a good car anymore. They'll through you in jail for it.

But objectively, what you can buy new from the factory is miles ahead of what we had in the 60s and 70s, in performance, handling and safety!
But while buying a a Dodge Demon would be fun, short-lived, I could not feel the same sense of pride from just buying the performance. Pride came from scratching together your small paychecks and building a good car yourself.
Seems today they just don't get that.
It's part of the "instant gratification" trend.
 
I share your love of the original muscle cars.
Once in a while I think I should go to one of the big auto auctions and pick one up, but prices are double or more what they sold for new. Many times WAY more.
But then reality sets in and I realize I'm not a show-car guy, I like to drive them and there really isn't a good place to ring-out a good car anymore. They'll through you in jail for it.

But objectively, what you can buy new from the factory is miles ahead of what we had in the 60s and 70s, in performance, handling and safety!
But while buying a a Dodge Demon would be fun, short-lived, I could not feel the same sense of pride from just buying the performance. Pride came from scratching together your small paychecks and building a good car yourself.
Seems today they just don't get that.
It's part of the "instant gratification" trend.
Like spending late nights in the garage pulling the transmission or dropping a motor and the gratification putting it all together and firing it up. Hot oil on your hands lashing the values and always the nicked knuckles. Yeah I get it. Saturday afternoons buffing out the paint and putting three coats of wax on it because it's what you want and that glass mirror like finish. Yeah and an ice cold beer as you pop the top and admire the work you have done....been there.
 
I stand corrected. Are the pipes and mufflers [?] sticking up in air mufflers.
Depends what you are looking at.
If it is a 2-stroke bike then they MIGHT have a muffler after the expansion chamber, but usually not. Chambers will look like a blend of funnels and tapered cylinders welded back to back and exiting through a tip that almost looks too-small. But it is designed to provide the best exhaust scavenging for a 2-stroke to make the maximum power in a certain RPM range.
Nothing down low but when they "come on the pipe" you better be holding on and have your weight in the right place or you will be on your butt on the track.
Hope I understood your question correctly.
 
I like the low grumble of my Zed. Lets you know it's there without being obnoxious. Doesn't sound like a tightly wound up rubber band choking a parrot.
 
toss in that 'smoke stacking' practice: half-burning your fuel so you belch our black sooty smoke from the stacks.. EPA be damned!
It's called "rolling coal"...

I actually wished my F350 would do that once, but it had more to do with the behaviour of the clod behind me than thinking it was cool in any way... 😒

Familiar. Quite familiar indeed.🧐 🍸🔫🕵️‍♂️
26cd60ef91f6a774a4e34a6310751649.jpeg
 
It's called "rolling coal"...

I actually wished my F350 would do that once, but it had more to do with the behaviour of the clod behind me than thinking it was cool in any way... 😒

You are on to something. That would be a great feature to repel tailgaters.

I've considered building a scale model of a couple Sidewinder Missiles, and attaching it to a 12 volt gate actuator I have. Place it in the bed of my pickup truck. Push a button and it lifts up out of the bed, pointed directly behind me.

But I'm thinking the ATF might want to cuff me and give me 3 hots and a cot for the rest of my life.

Decisions.... decisions..... decisions. :music1:
 
Expansion chambers are a highly tuned component of a well designed 2-cycle exhaust system.
And as for not sounding good I disagree. If you've ever heard a TZ250 wound-up to 10,500 rpm under load you might change your opinion on that sound.

Agreed! Bring back two-strokes!

Incidentally expansion chambers also work on rotary engines, which are essentially two-stroke in design. A friend of mine I used to pit for made a set for an RX-3 race car in the early 80s. They were big and had to be routed through the cabin, but Hells yes they worked. He went on to become a successful business owner (Asia Motorsports Services) and supplier of race parts in China. I became a mango farmer...
 
I'm not sure, but that Aston Martin looks like it blew a head gasket. White smoke out the tailpipe usually means water in the combustion chamber. Or it's just a really cool smoke generator.

I think the latter. The car looks like a recreation of the Bond DB5. It has a slot behind the rear window for the bullet-proof screen to rise out from.
 
I'm not sure, but that Aston Martin looks like it blew a head gasket. White smoke out the tailpipe usually means water in the combustion chamber. Or it's just a really cool smoke generator.

I know nothing of the car, only the legend.
 
Perfect picture and example.
Audi raced a TDI (Turbo Direct Injection diesel) at Lemans and Won!
Made tons of power but didn't smoke much at all.
I bet if they could have obtained more power with black smoke that they would have done it!
View attachment 468731
You wanna make power, you burn all the fuel!
I have a 2005 Golf TDI. 235,000 miles on it. Still runs great & gets 41 MPH. Only smokes when I wake it up in the morning when it is cool/cold. And it starts at -35F just fine. Great car. The Poor Man's Porsche.
 
Perfect picture and example.
Audi raced a TDI (Turbo Direct Injection diesel) at Lemans and Won!
Made tons of power but didn't smoke much at all.
I bet if they could have obtained more power with black smoke that they would have done it!
View attachment 468731
You wanna make power, you burn all the fuel!

Lemans is a 24 hour race. Fuel efficiency needs balanced against power. That engine isn't set to max power.

And a smoking chimney of a race car would not be good advertising for Audi's new "clean diesel" technology.

But make no mistake, that car would make a ton more power if it was set to roll coal. An inefficient piston diesel engine just can't burn all of its fuel at max power settings. It'll keep making more and more power as you add fuel, way past the point where it started smoking.

At least until the DPF clogs. If the racecar had one?
 
I purchased a new Jeep V8 about 18 months back. The young salesman asked "Are you going to change out the exhaust system to give it a good roar?!" "God no!" was my reply. I like cars that get the ponies to the road, no mess, no fuss. Noise is superfluous, unless it helps producing horsepower.
 
I purchased a new Jeep V8 about 18 months back. The young salesman asked "Are you going to change out the exhaust system to give it a good roar?!" "God no!" was my reply. I like cars that get the ponies to the road, no mess, no fuss. Noise is superfluous, unless it helps producing horsepower.

One of those $75,000 Jeep Rubicons?

1623674207447.png
 
Even more disgusting than fart cans, are Harley Davidson motorcycles with no mufflers. There are way too many motorcycles wandering around with loud farting exhaust sounds. Two cylinder John Deere tractor sounds coming from a motorcycle are ridiculous. To top it off, it's always old guys with lots of money so the cops l;eave them alone. Seems like the cops go after the kids cars instead of the old man motorcycles.
 
Perfect picture and example.
Audi raced a TDI (Turbo Direct Injection diesel) at Lemans and Won!
Made tons of power but didn't smoke much at all.
I bet if they could have obtained more power with black smoke that they would have done it!
View attachment 468731
You wanna make power, you burn all the fuel!

Not always true.
Top Fuel Dragsters push 2000+HP and it's still flaming out of the pipes.
But that is 1/4 mile, doing 24 hours at LwMans would require you get the distance out of your fuel.
To many pit visits can put you behind everyone.
And I would wager there had to be rules on emissions.
Leaving black clouds behind would cause visibility problems for other drivers.
And with the current Global Warming problems, Racers are under scrutiny big time on emissions.
 
Back
Top