The muffler in your car does what its name suggests. It muffles the sounds that your car makes. It doesn't make your car silent, but it does make it significantly quieter. In some places, you could even get pulled over if your muffler isn't working well because your car is making too much noise. 

Exhaust System

Your car's muffler is part of your car's exhaust system. While it doesn't do anything for your exhaust, it needs to be part of that system. That's because the exhaust system is the primary way that the noise of your car escapes. The muffler has baffles in it that help with the noise reduction. It can also lower your car's power output. However, that can be handled by putting in an aftermarket muffler. There are several kinds of mufflers that you can choose to use. 

Spiral Muffler

This is probably the kind of muffler that came with your car. The baffles in this kind of muffler go in a spiral pattern. The exhaust gasses and anything else have to go through that spiral and that helps to reduce the noise. If you need to replace your muffler, you can easily go anywhere and find a replacement muffler. However, you may find that the spiral muffler can reduce the power you are seeing in your car, which can be frustrating if you are specifically looking for power. 

Glasspack Muffler

A glass pack muffler is sometimes called a straight through muffler. These are generally aftermarket mufflers and are generally found in high-performance vehicles or in cars where people are trying to get a little more performance. They have a single exhaust tube in the middle of the muffler. That tube has been perforated. Depending on the type of glass pack muffler, the tube may run straight through from inlet to outlet, but there is also an option to go with a muffler that has an angled tube. Mufflers with an angled tube tend to be quieter. The tube is then wrapped up in steel wool or fiberglass. The tube and packing is then sealed into a metal case that you can put in your exhaust system. If you choose to use a glasspack muffler, it's important that you realize that they are going to be louder than other mufflers. The loudness can range from a little louder than a typical muffler to much louder, so you may want to check noise regulations before you install one. 

Mufflers are an important part of your diesel truck and knowing what one you can choose will help you get the right thing for you.