Visible Exhaust normal?

[BBB]

I've noticed as of late that there is quite a bit of visible exhaust when idling at a light; quite a bit more than the cars around me. The outside temp is hovering around zero. Also, while flooring it from say 40MPH, a huge plume of visible exhaust is displaced. Is this normal?

 

[Rango]

I've noticed as of late that there is quite a bit of visible exhaust when idling at a light; quite a bit more than the cars around me. The outside temp is hovering around zero. Also, while flooring it from say 40MPH, a huge plume of visible exhaust is displaced. Is this normal?

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/r/advice/cars-101/what-your-car-exhaust-system-is-telling-you

 

[MerlintheMad]

I've told my wife for years not to worry about the dribbles of moisture spattering the driveway from the end of the exhaust, especially during cold weather. What annoys me is the cleanup around the inside lip of the fake exhaust pipes; the drips leave black marks behind. They're easy enough to wipe away, but still annoying to have to do that.

 

[Josh16162]

Completely normal...

Gasoline is a hydrocarbon, so when it goes through combustion it creates water, mostly in it's gaseous phase. Cold air can't hold as much moisture, so what you're actually seeing is the water vapor condensing.

 

[Oryan]

^ What he said. When it's cold, pretty much every car does this. Now, if this exhaust comes with odd odors, is black or blue, or accompanied with loud noises that aren't exhaust note...That's a different story.

 

[POS VETT]

I've noticed as of late that there is quite a bit of visible exhaust when idling at a light; quite a bit more than the cars around me. The outside temp is hovering around zero. Also, while flooring it from say 40MPH, a huge plume of visible exhaust is displaced. Is this normal?

What color?

 

[BBB]

What color?

It’s whiteish. Definitely not grey, black or blue. It’s more like steam. It looks the same as all the other cars that are idling around me. Mine just appears to be more than what other cars are dispensing.

 

[POS VETT]

It’s whiteish. Definitely not grey, black or blue. It’s more like steam. It looks the same as all the other cars that are idling around me. Mine just appears to be more than what other cars are dispensing.

If it's steam, then it's likely normal. Coolant steam is also white, but it smells differently. Even slightly dark (black) exhaust gas appearance is normal due to fuel enrichment during WOT or near WOT.

The more displacement and the more cylinder mean more exhaust gas volume, consider that when comparing with emission from other cars. During a quick take-off, the turbochargers load up the cylinders more than a naturally-aspirated engine does, meaning more visible steam.