i have no resonator and i need to cut my cat, what should i do with exhaust?

[surfermatt95]

i have the resonator in my room, the cat is clogged, i want a mean and growl of exhaust but not enough noise to have people look at me like an idiot, after i take the cat off should i just put on a universal cat and just put a pipe where the resonator goes? what do you think?

[AaronGTR]

The muffler is going to make more difference than anything. If you go without a cat though it will sound like a chainsaw, so I would definitely get a universal high flow cat. Resonator or no resonator is up to you. I've gone with and without, and didn't notice a huge difference, but it may depend on what muffler you have.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

If you don't have an OEM style cat, you'll be stuck with the P0420 code on.

Running without a cat on a street car is just stupid. Run a good muffler and resonator setup.

[surfermatt95]

Originally Posted by AaronGTR

The muffler is going to make more difference than anything. If you go without a cat though it will sound like a chainsaw, so I would definitely get a universal high flow cat. Resonator or no resonator is up to you. I've gone with and without, and didn't notice a huge difference, but it may depend on what muffler you have.

should i put the old resonator back on though? any cons or pros to having it on or off

[locoman99]

sorry, we don't give stupid, illegal advice on this website...

[[ChaosweaveR]]

It's not a racecar, and it's not boosted. Getting rid of the cat on a stock GA has no beneficial results, other than cause the car to run more rich, smell bad and throw codes.

[locoman99]

or incorrect technical advice either...

[[ChaosweaveR]]

How would it it be cheaper and "less complex"? The LA1 isn't some carb'd Chevy 350 small block in a Nova, you eliminate the cat, resonator and muffler, you get rid of the back pressure in the exhaust. For an N/A setup, no back pressure = loss of power.

Like I said, it's not a racecar, getting rid of the cat only nets you a 1HP gain. It's not worth getting rid of. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[locoman99]

cats don't cost $300...

[[ChaosweaveR]]

The fact that you say that an N/A setup doesn't need back pressure shows me your lack of knowledge.

1HP, do you honestly think you're going to feel that gain? Seriously?

Again, it's not a racecar, there's no need to delete the cat on a street car.

[FromTheInside]

You want your car to smell like rotten egg farts? Your new converter will ideally not go bad for many many years as long as you take care of the engine. If you don't run on bad head gaskets, spark plugs, injectors, etc. for extended periods of time, it should be fine. My 99 has 184,000 miles on it and the converter is perfectly fine. Why? I make sure that I tackle every problem as soon as I see a symptom. Otherwise, I keep up on my preventative maintenance.

I think you (OP) should get a good sounding (not fart can) muffler and/or resonator and replace your converter. You will be doing the environment good, make your car operate as intended, and not have a check engine light and have to deal with clearing a code 45 minutes before getting your car inspected.

[locoman99]

irrelevant to thread.

[FromTheInside]

When did he say that it increases max hp?

[locoman99]

same as #1.

[locoman99]

irrelevant to thread.

[FromTheInside]

Okay. I agree with you that it will be cheaper in the short term. The lack of back pressure may make more power but I do not know. However, will the engine run properly without the back pressure? The mixture is created and the ignition is timed assuming a certain back pressure inside of the exhaust system. I do not know the effects but I wonder if it could hinder operation in some way or cause a later problem.

Good for you if you can get away with it but in my personal opinion, I would not do it both for the environmental factor and the annoyance of the SES light and getting an inspection.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

Originally Posted by FromTheInside

Okay. I agree with you that it will be cheaper in the short term. The lack of back pressure may make more power but I do not know. However, will the engine run properly without the back pressure? The mixture is created and the ignition is timed assuming a certain back pressure inside of the exhaust system. I do not know the effects but I wonder if it could hinder operation in some way or cause a later problem.

Good for you if you can get away with it but in my personal opinion, I would not do it both for the environmental factor and the annoyance of the SES light and getting an inspection.

Glad to see I'm not the only one with some common sense here.

Also: no back pressure = loss of all low end torque.

[locoman99]

Originally Posted by [ChaosweaveR]

Glad to see I'm not the only one with some common sense here.

Also: no back pressure = loss of all low end torque.

He said that he doesnt know, which is what you should be saying. And yes it will, just like almost every other mod push the t.c. Up the powerband. But we are talking just the cat, so the effectwill be minimal

[[ChaosweaveR]]

also not relevant.

[locoman99]

not relevant