can anyone, maybe everyone tell me the difference between these, back fire and after fire? whats going on with both, and how to tell them apart? thanks for the help. -William... p.s. im getting popping sounds when engine breaking, if that helps any.
My car makes that sound too... It is unburnt gas in the exhaust exploding in the exhaust system. My hypothesis is to why this happens is when you are engine breaking, the exhaust gas velocity is much lower, so it has more time to be heated up by the hot exhaust system, or the A/F is richer b/c of low boost (or both). Anyone know for sure? I looked on Wikipedia and it claims a backfire is "an explosion in the intake manifold, carburetor/throttle body or air cleaner of an internal combustion engine." And an afterfire is an explosion in the exhaust system (meaning you can never have a backfire in your exhaust). But I think that last part is a load of horseshit. Everyone I have ever met has called an explosion in your exhaust a backfire, not an afterfire and no douche waffle from the internet can tell me otherwise. Hope that was somewhat helpful. :wavey:
The differences are a common misconeption. The wiki definitions are completely correct. The popping you are hearing on Engine break is Afterfire, unburned gas in your exhaust that is igniting. Backfire is what Uncle Bucks car does in the movie. Most people don't know there are two different terms, based off where the ignition is happening in the system, hence everyone refers to any popping sound similar as a backfire.
Your car does it between WOT shifts too. They're not as loud as the engine braking afterfires. Those are loud and not very noticeable. The WOT afterfires shoot fireballs!!!
Heh my fireballs are under partial throttle. I got pulled and given a warning by the local po po for a afterfire the other day. He said I could've burnt the front bumper of the car behind me.....cool :ddirty:
i've shot fireballs on 14psi. if you stick a lighter behind a STOCK WRX exhaust at idle you WILL get little flames.
I agree, most of my good afterfires are at very low throttle and low rpm. I get a good one coming up the hill to my apartment, shifting from 1st to 2nd at about 4000 rpm and maybe 5-10 psi. When I let off the clutch, in second, if I catch at the right moment, bang, and a good 1 footer comes out my exhaust. WOT I rarely get afterfire.
I just want to know how you guys see your flames...I want to see mine...maybe I should ask alex to let me borrow that mount he used to show exh. sound!!! LOL
yeah, i've only seen one or two. you just have to happen to be looking back at exactly the right moment. i usually don't see the flames, just the flashes at night.
:rofl:I just dont know about trying to get the Ms. to shoot flames for me....she may look at me like I'm crazy when I ask her to shoot some flames for me!!!:rofl:
ok, so its normal to hear that popping on engine break. ive always liked engine breaking, its something about the break pedal, i dont know, maybe it has something to do with the fact that breaks slow you down, who wants to drive slow :werd:
Exactly. Only seen it myself once, and it was a very lame afterfire. Let Milo drive my car home from a meet a while back and I drove with his brother, just so we could ride behind and watch for ignition. Before that people were telling me all the time about the huge fireballs coming out of my exhaust. I want to see a big one, and I also want to be able to make it happen on demand, but that doesn't seem to work. When I want one, I can't get it. When I don't want one, that seems to be when it happens the most.
Yeah RamblinWRX saw mine when we did a highway pull the day I got my WRX. I was happy to hear I had fire in my tailpipe. not like that.
LOL... afterfire is fun. My exhaust system is still stock so I haven't gotten them yet with the wagon... but I had a lot of fun with my SR20DET S13 240SX and my FC3S RX-7 Turbo with them. The RX-7 was quite spectacular with them, used to entertain myself on the long dark roads home by blipping the throttle and watching the road light up around me. The S13 I could do them on command and more than one tailgater wound up with a carbon spot on their front bumper when I'd finally had enough. Almost had a sticker made saying "If your car catches fire from my exhaust... you're following too close." Didn't do it because that eliminated "Plausible Deniability" if the cops ever pulled me for it. My car will be 3" and catless from the turbo back shortly... very much looking forward to the after fire.
My car makes popping sounds now but I've yet to see a fireball. But then again I havent really driven it around much yet.
i mostly hear a loud BANG when shifting in low rpms in any gear and then hear couple of pop pop when boost braking. I nvr let anyone drive my car so nvr seen the flames. Lol it is so true you can't nvr do them on command...always happenes randomly. Always puts a big on my face tho.
Mine pops coming up the hill into the apartment, and at night, I can see the flash from the fireball.
i hear mine pop. It was real loud when I just had the dp on so Im sure there were flames. have yet to see em though
Is there any special technique to create an afterfire? I get maybe 10 a day while im cruising but its almost always at random.