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Different name, Same thing.

Sorry to be pedantic, but we actually call that bit of the exhaust "the silencer".

The US version seems more accurate. Not absolutely sure, but I believe "silencer" refers to an attachment for a handgun in the US that makes it easier to whack someone without being too annoying.
 
It does also apply to the part you attach to a gun, presumably to avoid getting caught!
 
Here's one where the British version steals a word from German, while the American uses an entirely different word. The American version means "reminder" in French, although I'm sure the etymology is different.

US rappel UK abseil
 
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