Ok so visiting my exhaust guy next monday. Getting a screamerpipe setup done on the car. Now my question is, i was thinking of running a test pipe instead of a cat. No cats are illegal here, so i thought about gutting the cat, now i know thats just a waste. So i was thinking, if i could run a test pipe inside a cat? Like have the cat welded around it, so it would look as though i have a cat but the usage of a test pipe. Good idea or jsut extremly retarded?

 

It will be retardedly loud with no cat or test pipe. So unless they dont care about that or you go for it.

 

No i mean like a test pipe inside a "fake" cat, running through my normal exhaust. Currently running a 3"downpipe into a 2.5" y-pipe, so ill probably switch to a 3" straight at the same time. Not going for an open downpipe, tried that once in the driveway and everyone in my street(small street) came out to see what the noise was. =s

 

It would work but if u have emissions in ur state then ur gonna have to take it off and put a cat back on there before u go test for emissions.

 

Get a Borla XR1 muffler and weld on a couple flanges.
It is straight through, sounds nice, and looks similar to a cat.
Unless a cop is behind you with his windows rolled down you'll probably be safe... it will smell strong though! Or just buy the bonez free-flow cat! HP loss will be minimal, dyno testing has shown a difference of 1 HP using a free-flow cat compared to a test pipe.

 

In some instances a resonator style test pipe will help muffle the sound a bit, or at least deepen the tone. There is no emissions testing where I live and it's a rare modder that still has a cat in this town, so I'd started to even forget they exist. Some test pipes come with bracketry for the heat shield that is often found above a cat, what the guys in Atlanta would do on their S13's and S14's (we didn't get SR20's from the factory here in the states) would do is flip that test pipe upside down and put the heat shield on the bottom so it looked like they still had a cat, was usually enough to fool the authorities on a roadside inspection. Now, if you're still running an airpump and all related equipment, it's up to you to decide if the risk of being caught catless it worth the potential fines you'd have to pay if you're caught, in addition to replacing the cat after you go to court for it.

 

I bought a catless cat form eBay it was $69 +S&H, it looks like the real thing. Then just ran muffs. Sounds great, fakes the inspectors. Good Luck!

 

A screamer pipe is just as illegal as not having a cat. Anyone inspecting the exhaust who notices the missing car is likely to also notice the screamer pipe too. In fact the screamer pipe is far more likely to attract unwanted attention than the cat. So if you're worried about being caught without a cat, plumb the wastage properly. As a bonus the car won't sound like it has a huge exhaust leak...

 

Well the guy who does my exhaust work is a cool guy. If i have to go EPA(emissions testing) he can switch it all back over for me. the screamer shouldnt be seen because i dont go thrashing the car, usually never, stock turbo ect so it should be hidden away, unless the cop jacks the car up when he pulls me over it cant be seen right?

And cops around here aint all that smart, so if it looks like a cat i would be ok, thats what ive been aiming towards.

 

The common way is to run a pre-silencer and swap it out for a cat every time you go to pass smog. But I'd just get the Borla cat so you never have to worry.