is this worth it, or should i get a test pipe..??

thanx-the guy at the dyno said it should give me a couple HP??

 

well....i am not sure how it is in NC for emissions controls but im guessing that they arent too tight if you are considering this. if i were you, and if you are sure you want to get rid of the cat then i would just gut it out. this way you can still have the appearance of the cat, without the internals. it will be just like a straightpipe on the inside. however, you wil probably have some slight black smoke in your exhaut after this (emissions that cat would normally take care of). so if you really dont care about killing the environment then i would just punch it out. good luck.

CHRIS

 

On the contrary, I would recommend NOT gutting the cat. This has actually been shown to loose power. This creates major turbulents in the exhaust flow. You wouldn't have spent all that cash on a free-flowing cat-back exhaust system if you didn't care about a smooth, high-velocity exit for the exhaust gasses.

If you plan on running without a cat, get a test pipe (straight pipe). You can get them in coated mild steel or stainless. The good ones have perfect fitment and include an O2 sensor mount. If you are concerned at all about "visual" inspection of the emissions equipment, just put the heat shield back on over the pipe, or simply swap the cat back on for inspections. Here in TX, we only have to pass "visual" inspection of emissions equipment (unless you live in a few select counties). And, I have yet to see an inspections guy get on his hands and knees to look under a car, let alone a lowered Integra with barely any ground clearance.

 

Yeah, what he said.

Save your cat just in case. How much is a 12-14" tube gonna cost anyways?