Exhaust valve assembly

The invention relates to a vehicle exhaust system which includes various exhaust components. A passive valve assembly is associated with at least one of the exhaust components. The passive valve is spring biased toward a closed position and is movable toward an open position in response to an increase in exhaust pressure that exceeds a biasing force of the spring. One aspect of the invention relates to a location of the passive valve in relation to other exhaust system components. Another aspect of the invention relates to the passive valve in combination with a packed resonator. Another aspect of the invention relates to the passive valve including a stop pad that facilitates noise reduction while also improving valve performance and durability. Another aspect of the invention relates to using the passive valve in a non-bypass configuration with a high percentage of coverage when in a closed position. Another aspect of the invention relates to providing an offset passive valve configuration in the vehicle ex