EPA is preparing to propose a heavy-duty diesel particulate emission standard. One possible control technique is the trap-oxidizer. The addition of a trap-oxidizer will require the use of an exhaust system that will last the lifetime of a vehicle (i.e., a stainless steel system). The trap-oxidizer has also been shown to reduce engine noise as well as current mufflers. Thus, its use should eliminate the need for the muffler. This elimination would reduce maintenance costs, since the muffler would no longer need to be replaced. These savings would need to be taken into account when determining the net cost per vehicle of adding a trap-oxidizer. To estimate these savings, the aftermarket costs of mufflers must be known. Representative aftermarket muffler costs will thus be estimated in this report for the various heavy-duty vehicle classes.

Includes bibliographical references (page 12). Technical report. Cover title. "July 1980." "EPA-AA-SDSB-80-13."