On a high mileage (300K) Toyota V8 engine that exhibits no problems and runs great; Would replacing the restrictive factory exhaust manifolds and muffler system with long tube headers and a free flowing dual exhaust system reduce engine strain and possibly extend the life of the engine?
Probably not, after all, the engineers designed the engine to run with those "restrictive" components in the first place. That doesn't "strain" the engine and wear it out like driving like a freak or towing heavy things constantly does. It more restricts the engine's ability to breathe. All that will do is let the engine breathe better and increase your horsepower somewhat. It will likely cause the check engine light to come on because the flow parameters are well outside of what was programmed into the ECU at the factory.
