• Compared to chrome, stainless steel exhausts tips better resist corrosion and pitting.Motorcycle exhaust image by Crisps85 from Fotolia.com
  
  The Cadillac CTS, introduced in 2002 as a sports sedan, but now also available as a coupe or wagon, offers horsepower ranging from 181 for the 2.6L V6 model to over 400 for the 6.0L and larger V8 engines. The Cadillac CTS performance is not solely determined by the engine. The transmission, suspension and exhaust system all help determine the drivability and performance of the CTS. The Cadillac CTS styling is noted for the dual exhaust pipes in the rear of the vehicle.
  
  

Stainless Steel or Chrome

• While stainless steel and chrome exhaust tips appear very similar when installed on the Cadillac CTS, the performance of each metal differs. Due to the corrosive and pitting resistance of stainless steel, exhaust tips made from this metal require less maintenance to retain their shine. Stainless steel is generally more expensive, but will last up to five times longer than chrome.
  
  

Bumper Exhaust Grooves

• When purchasing and installing exhaust tips for the Cadillac CTS, you should determine whether or not your CTS has grooves in the rear bumper to allow exhaust porting, and whether or not you intend to fit the exhaust tips within the grooves. Depending on the vehicle type, the model year, and the exhaust system installed on your vehicle, you may need to bend or otherwise alter the exhaust pipe to allow the exhaust tip to fit properly. You may also need to purchase exhaust tips with a bend to fit the profile of the grooves.
  
  

Exhaust Tip Shapes

• Cadillac exhaust tips are available as an aftermarket product in a variety of shapes and styles. If you intend to install dual tips (a single inlet and two exhaust outlets per pipe), ensure you have sufficient room for installation. Tip shapes available include oval, rectangle, square, round, triangle, beveled and flared. Exhaust tip outlets are available in angle cuts, slash cuts and straight cuts. Each cut may also have rolled tips where the metal is rolled into the tip to provide a smoothe edge. If selecting a dual wall exhaust tip, you may wish to investigate whether or not it will alter the sound profile of the CTS' exhaust system before makeing your purchase.
  
  

Sound Control

• Beveled tips, flared tips, some dual walled tips and exhaust tips which have a smaller pipe inlet than outlet may amplify the sound presence of the exhaust system. Resonated exhaust tips are available to reduce the sound profile. Resonated tips are lined with fiberglass or other sound dampening products. Tips without sound dampening are referred to as non-resonated tips.