I took off the tips for about a week to do some enhancement work on the pipings because they were starting to rust. I also wanted to see whether there was any marked difference with and without them. The answer is yes, there is a difference without them. Firstly, the sound factor. Without the end caps, the exhaust sounds thin. With the caps on, the exhaust sounds fuller but quieter. Secondly, performance. I realised there was a substantial loss of torque. Without the caps, it felt like the car is not pulling as strongly as compared to having them on. Thirdly, efficiency. With the caps on, the engine idles more steadily with little hesitation. Without the cap, there seems to be seem some peaks and dips in the engine revs when at idle. Not that this is important but personally, I like my engine to idle smoothly. Fourthly, consumption. Unbelievable, fuel consumption was better without the end caps. I get 13.9km/l compared to 13.7km/l with the caps on. That also means the engine is probably running slightly richer with the caps on.
The tips looked out of place in its original chrome. I had them sprayed black so as to blend in with the rear diffuser.