Patent ID: 8191677

Claim:
An exhaust system for a reduced-size vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle, the exhaust system comprising: a muffler positioned within a mid-section of the vehicle such that the muffler is substantially forward of the rear axle of the reduced-size vehicle, wherein (a) the muffler includes an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet, (b) the muffler further includes a plurality of stacked internal chambers including a lower chamber and an upper chamber positioned vertically above the lower chamber, (c) the exhaust inlet and exhaust outlet are respectively in fluid communication at least indirectly with an interior region within the upper chamber at least partly by way of a first tubular passage and a second tubular passage, respectively, and (d) the first tubular passage extends vertically upward from a location beneath the upper chamber so that an opening of the first tubular passage by which an interior of the first tubular passage is in communication with the interior region is positioned above a middle of the upper chamber and proximate an uppermost portion of the upper chamber, whereby a backflow of a fluid from the exhaust outlet to the exhaust inlet is hindered, wherein the muffler includes an exterior housing having a central axis that is at least substantially vertically oriented with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle corresponding to a direction that is substantially horizontal when the reduced-size vehicle is ready for use or in use, and wherein the muffler further comprises an interior chamber that includes at least the plurality of internal chambers and an exterior chamber located between the housing and the interior chamber, and wherein cooling air, when provided to the muffler, proceeds into the exterior chamber and swirls around and within the exterior chamber in a generally downward manner until exiting the exterior chamber at a cooling air outlet located along a bottom of the muffler.