Getting more power down to the wheels and a faster car or bike starts with changes to airflow. How much air comes in for combustion, and the speed the exhausted gases leave the vehicle. The first is done is with a beefier air intake and allows for a bigger bang. The second with an uprated exhaust. The ultimate aim is to let the engine breathe.  

Changes to the stock exhaust need to be felt, heard and seen to be appreciated. Engines will approve the added breathing space, and award you in more ways than one. More speed, better looks and a raspy exhaust note. Achieving these in healthy doses is done with the best exhaust systems currently available – Akrapovic. 

Why Akrapovic?

The brand has been synonymous with performance exhausts for over three decades. Founder Igor Akrapovic turned his passion for tuning and racing into the world’s foremost exhaust maker. Just years into the business, Akrapovic sealed their first triumph with the 1997 Kawasaki WBSK team. Racing teams were soon sold on the innovative designs, and only two years later, every Japanese team in the Superbike World Championship were running Akrapovic exhausts. Motorcycles is where the brand hit hard, and 17 of 22 bikes in the 2021 MotoGP Series turned to their services.  

Success flowed from two wheels to four. The 2004 F1 Honda Bar team (placing second in the constructor’s rankings) helped the company expand its lineup. Similar feats were pulled off in the German DTM Series, with Audi Sport and BMW MotorSport the proud bearers of the Akrapovic scorpion logo. The number of world titles across varying racing competitions exceeds 140 to this day.  

Buyers are treated to a range of systems, from the Akrapovic slip on exhaust line to the full Evolution line in various car and bike categories. Each exhaust is tailored to the specific parameters of bike or car to bring the most in terms of outright performance gains and a richer, fuller vibrant sound. 

Slip On vs Full Exhausts 

Slip-ons are what Akrapovic built its name on, and these first appeared in bikes. Systems today centre on lighter weight, more durable materials and designs intended to extract more horsepower and torque at rated rev ranges. Bikes can also benefit from modified headers, in what Akrapovic calls the Racing Line. All bike categories, road, off-road and scooters are catered to and have European ECE approvals.  

For cars, there’s more variety in terms of designs. Here an Akrapovic slip on exhaust equates to the traditional axle and/or cat-back configurations but differs considerably in pipe layout and shape. Torque and bhp gains vary among vehicles. For instance, a slip-on exhaust for a tuning favourite, the VW Golf GTi VII adds 3kw of power and 7.2Nm of torque over the stock exhaust, while the use of titanium alloys in the tubing and carbon fibre in the tailpipes cuts off 3 kilos in overall weight. Additions like carbon fibre diffusers reduce weight, increase downforce and complete the aggressive look.  

Slip-ons are the basis for further modifications under the bonnet. Akrapovic however has full Evolution exhausts, complete with redesigned headers and down pipes from the exhaust manifold, reconfigured mid-sections (often in X designs with included resonators) or Evolution link pipe sets and dual muffler setups for most vehicles.

Again, the use of lighter titanium drops the weight substantially (over 10 kilos in the Evolution line exhaust for the BMW M5 F10) while increases in torque and horsepower over the stock exhaust (10bhp and a more sizeable 17Nm of pulling power in the same car) are numbers hard to pass up. What also changes is the exhaust sound profile, in line with vehicles’ valve electronics, and going for more depth and resonance.  

Materials and Production Processes 

Akrapovic reached fame with unconventional designs (the hexagonal bike muffler) and the use of ultra-light and durable materials engineered for the specific engine. While for most manufacturers stainless steel is the pinnacle in exhaust strength, this features only on minor parts. Instead, heat-resistant titanium alloys, three times stronger than steel, are used in all critical parts (outer and inner sleeves) along with nickel-based super alloys like Inconel for better heat management. Weight is further reduced with the use of impregnated, ultra-strong carbon fibre. Lower-cost steel exhausts are still a cut above rivals, as only high-grade austenitic stainless steel with superior corrosion and heat resistance, is used.  

Exhaust parts are formed using the latest in high-tech manufacturing processes. Down pipes for instance are hydroformed (with water jets under extreme pressures) to ensure tight tolerances and optimal airflow throughout. All materials are tested for hardness and defect checks before separate parts are machined, bent, formed, welded or cast.  

There’s also unrivalled attention to detail. Exhausts are first elaborately thought out with the use of 3D CAD mapping of the undercarriage of each car. All parts are optically measured to ensure shapes and contours align with predetermined and calculated performance gains and sound profiles. Carbon fibre is hand-assembled to the highest standards. Each part is then signed off by the employee. 

What to Expect?  

Akrapovic exhausts have no peers. If you want the best exhaust, this is the one to get. Period. Nothing else performs, looks or sounds better. And years of continual improvements have brought the brand where they are today. 

Early examples revolutionised motorcycle exhaust designs and urged on a devout following in the racing community, as well as countless imitations from the competition. But few companies are rivalled for pure engineering prowess. Even racing teams with multi-million-pound budgets lack the expertise, experience and above all passion that Akrapovic put into each and every product.  

This brings us to the performance side. The company was born out of the racing track. And each exhaust, slip-on or full, strives to get the best of what the engine has on offer. It goes above and beyond to wring each watt and joule in the optimised design for each specific vehicle. 

There is no generalisation here, no one-size-fits-all, but thoughtful consideration for even the most minute details. A customised exhaust system for your bike or car, giving you the utmost in performance numbers, made of the strongest and lightest materials and with an instantly recognisable exhaust note.  

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