I just gutted my 1st and 2nd precats because they were cloggin it up. But my question is, would gutting these cats affect my chance of passing smog emmission tests? And are there real performance gains doing gutting these?

 

umm you would fail really bad, especially in cali

 

if you stand by the exhaust your eyes would start burning, its not a good feeling.

 

(slaps forehead) DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

if your main cat works good then you can still pass.

Removing the pre-cats will free up performance since there wont be such a high erstriction in the exhaust

 

Yes and yes.

 

High chance you wont pass. You'll free up some power, but make sure your 5th and 6th ports are still activating correctly, as this can greatly affect it.

 

is there anything i can replace the 1st and 2nd precats like an aftermarket part and still pass smog emmissions testing here in cali?

 

you can pass with a downpipe and a hi-flow cat

 

you wont pass visual with any kind of modification to the OEM emissions equipment. CA law states that any modifications to the factory emissions equipment is not permitted, and is subject to corrective actions and fines if caught.

I believe bonez has a nice precat eliminator.

i wouldnt recommend removing the main catalyzer as the car will be extremely loud, and will make you very easy to target by the police. At the very least, i would get a high flow cat, or use a straight through muffler in the midpipe like the Borla XR1 to dampen the sound output.

 

why cant i just leave the gutted 1st and 2nd precats? wouldnt that be the same as gettin a downpipe or the precat eliminator?(kinda) and still pass emmissions?

 

you could leave it, but the gains wouldn't as significant as gutted precats will create a bit of turbulence and are not as efficient for exhaust flow. Turbo or NA?

Gutting the precats just frees up lost horsepower if they were clogged to begin with. Actual gains over stock can only be realized with a downpipe/header which is designed for efficient exhaust flow/exhaust gas velocity.

 

you can pass smog and visual with the bonez hi flow cat $315 at rx7.com

 

I have one with very little use that I can hook you up with. PM me with an offer below the $315 retail. It's the Bonez Superflo system that eliminates all of the precats and replaces the main cat with a high-flow one.