Exhaust system for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle with the exhaust system

The exhaust system has an exhaust with at least one silencer and/or catalytic converter which has a housing having a housing casing with a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm and having housing ends, and metallic pipes which are rigidly connected to the latter and at least one of which has a wall thickness of, likewise, not more than 1 mm. The retaining means for holding the exhaust on the vehicle body have, for each housing end, a metallic retaining member connected to the pipe adjacent to the housing end. The at least one pipe with a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm is surrounded by a sleeve to which the retaining member is fastened, for example by welding or brazing or adhesive bonding.

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What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust system for a motor vehicle having a vehicle body and an internal combustion engine, the exhaust system comprising an exhaust for connection to the internalcombustion engine and having at least one housing of at least one of a silencer and a catalytic converter with the housing including a housing casing having a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm, and two housing ends, the exhaust further having metallicpipes which are rigidly connected to the housing and at least one of which has a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm; and retaining means for holding the exhaust on the vehicle body,

wherein the retaining means have a holder for each pipe connected to a housing end,

wherein a sleeve surrounding the at least one pipe is fastened to the at least one pipe, wherein each holder comprises a retaining member adjacent to a circumferential section of one of the sleeve and the at least one pipe and is fastened to atleast one of the sleeve and the at least one pipe by at least one of welding and brazing and has, at opposite ends of the circumferential section of the at least one of the sleeve and the at least one pipe, arms projecting away from the sleeve or fromthe at least one pipe,

wherein each holder further comprises a substantially rigid metallic connecting element rigidly connectable to the vehicle body, and two damping elements, and

wherein each damping element comprises a vibration damping member and connects one of the arms of the retaining members to the connecting element.

2. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each retaining member is adjacent to a circumferential section of one of the sleeves and the pipe and is fastened to at least one of the sleeve and the pipe by one of welding and brazing.

3. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the or each retaining member fastened to the sleeve has two edges extending along the circumferential section of the sleeve and adjacent to the sleeve, and wherein the or each sleeve is weldedat these edges both to the retaining member and to the pipe surrounded by the sleeve.

4. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each retaining member has a web and two limbs and is U-shaped in cross-section, and wherein the two limbs have edges which face away from the web and rest against one of the at least onesleeve and the pipe.

5. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing has a housing axis and two end walls facing away from one another and making an angle with the housing axis, and wherein a distance b, measured along the housing axis, betweenpoints located closest together of each of the end walls and of the retaining member located in the vicinity of the housing end as respective walls is 5 cm.

6. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing has a housing axis and two end walls facing away from one another and making an angle with the housing axis, and wherein a distance b, measured along the housing axis, betweenpoints located closest together of each of the end walls and of the retaining member located in the vicinity of the housing end as respective walls is 3 cm.

7. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing casing has a wall thickness of not more than 0.8 mm.

8. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing casing and retaining means associated with the housing casing do not contact each other.

9. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each vibration-damping member is elastomeric.

10. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 11, wherein each vibration-damping member is fastened to one of the arms of the retaining member and to the connecting element.

11. A motor vehicle, having a vehicle body, an internal combustion engine, an exhaust system, and wheels which rest on a horizontal surface when a motor vehicle is in a normal position, wherein the exhaust system comprises an exhaust which isconnected to the internal combustion engine and has at least one housing of at least one of a silencer and of a catalytic converter with a housing casing having a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm, and two housing ends, and metallic pipes which arerigidly connected to the housing and at least one of which has a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm, the exhaust further having retaining means for holding the exhaust on the vehicle body, wherein the retaining means have a metallic retaining memberfor each pipe connected to a housing end, wherein a sleeve surrounding the at least one pipe is fastened to the at least one pipe, the retaining member being fastened to said sleeve, wherein, in the normal position, a lowest point of the at least onehousing is below a lowest point of the retaining members associated with the housing, wherein the vehicle body has a vehicle bottom having a tunnel which is open at the bottom and in which at least one cross-sectional area of the at least one housing isarranged, wherein the retaining member associated with the at least one housing is arranged completely in the tunnel, is formed of a metallic material and is connected by damping elements, each of which has a vibration damping member, to a metallicconnecting element which rests on and is fastened to the vehicle bottom on both sides of the tunnel.

12. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein each vibration-damping member is elastomeric.

13. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the retaining member has two arms projecting away from the sleeve and each of which is connected to one of said damping elements.

14. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein each vibration-damping member is fastened to one of the arms of the retaining member and to the connecting element.

15. A motor vehicle having a vehicle body, an internal combustion engine, an exhaust system, and wheels which rest on a horizontal surface when a motor vehicle is in a normal position, wherein the exhaust system comprises an exhaust which isconnected to the internal combustion engine and has at least one housing of at least one of a silencer and of a catalytic converter with a housing casing, having a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm, and two housing ends and metallic pipes which arerigidly connected to the housing and at least one of which has a wall thickness of not more than 1 mm, the exhaust further having retaining means for holding the exhaust on the vehicle body, wherein the retaining means have a metallic retaining memberfor each pipe connected to a housing end, and wherein a sleeve surrounding the at least one pipe is fastened to said pipe, the retaining member being fastened to said sleeve, wherein, in the normal position, a lowest point of the at least one housing isbelow a lowest point of the retaining members associated with the housing, wherein at least one retaining member rests against a circumferential section of the sleeve and has arms projecting away from the sleeve, wherein each arm has a damping elementwith a vibration-damping member and is connected thereto, and wherein each of these damping elements is connected to a metallic connecting element fastened to the vehicle body, and wherein the vibration damping members are arranged in such a way that inthe normal position, the vibration damping members of the damping elements are subjected essentially only to a pressure load by a weight of the exhaust.

16. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein each vibration-damping member is elastomeric.