question on test pipe and headers

[schultz9008]

alright so here soon i am going to get the hks carbon ti catback exhaust for my n/t eclipse.. when i do this i am also going to get the test pipe and headers which brings me to my two questions. what kind of headers will give me the best performance gain but at the same time give me a little bit louder of an exhaust? my next questions is about the test pipe. would it be the same thing if i went down to the local shop and just got a peice of pipe to put in place of the cat, instead of buying a test pipe. i just thought it would be the same thing but i may be wrong. just let me know all of you genius's out there thanks

 

[coryf1233]

yeah the testpipe is litterally pipe with flanges on it. and not to discourage you , but i had header on my 92 talon n/t and it made it sound like CRAP..

Just use the catback and a highflow, should sound pretty decent

 

[Fotowntalon]

i believe most people like the 4-2-1 headers for performance, as for sound not sure, just search around. Also, an even cheaper route to buying a pipe, take out your current cat, and gut it, will work the same.

 

[Boost92awd]

Personally there is no point in putting a $600+ cat-back on your car, thats all your paying for is the name and the hp gain will be the same with an ebay cat-back. Ebay cat-back, ebay test pipe, ebay headers thats the way I would go. I had a ebay header on my old N/T for 2 years and didnt have one problem with it. N/T's can get away with the ebay header because they dont see the heat that turbo cars produce.

 

[skatershawn]

id say.... put a turbo mani on it and turbocharge that mama!
but if thats not an option then.... id got will a cat back from a local muffler shop for cheap.... let them weld up some 2.5'' piping and throw any muffler you want on it and you will be loving it, and saving money!!

as for the headers.... not sure never had any! cant tell you much from experiance but just search more!!!

 

[schultz9008]

yeah well i have found some dc headers that i want and they are 4-2-1 and i always thought that dc was a good brand but i just wasnt sure

 

[Fotowntalon]

I am currently running DC 4-2-1 headers on mine, and have no complaints, its hard to say though how much a performance i gained out of them becuase I did my headers, test pipe and catback all at once, and right after I had a clogged cat. =P As for what Boost92awd was saying on the ebay products... yeah for the most part u are paying for a brand name if you go the brand name route, but i would like to add that if you pay for the name brand you are also paying forlooks as well as a tad bit different sound =P Also research sounds on youtube, I have found there is normally a wide array of people doing sound comparisons.

In the end homework, budget, and personal taste will decide it for you.

 

[junkyarddsm]

im running all ebay bought parts on my n/t 4-1 headers with a cat (damn smog law in ca) and a 2.5 cat back it sounds great. I paid like 200 for every thing and it works just the same as all the name brands. It bolted right up with hangers and all.

95 96 97-99 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE N/T 4CYL CATBACK EXHAUST:eBay Motors (item 220307286252 end time Aug-02-09 17:13:46 PDT)

Eclipse 95 96 97 98 99 RS GS 2.0L N/A NT Exhaust Header:eBay Motors (item 160351698462 end time Aug-03-09 09:22:11 PDT)

$100 for the cat back and 40 for the header this is the exact kit i have but with a magnaflow cat.

 

[Locke]

"Best performance gain" from a header is relative to both you and the condition and build level of the engine. The style of header, either 4-2-1 or 4-1, will generally dictate whether gain will be made in the low to mid rev range, or the mid to high rev range, respectively. Different brand use different pipe ID, collectors, and radii of bend; these things all contribute to how much power could be gained, and at what part of the rpm spectrum gain will be focused.

Any tube header will add noise, usually of the raspy type.

As far as the test pipe, yes, a shop installed piece of pipe would be the same as one purchased from eBay or where-ever, except that federal law prohibits any person or business from removing a functional catalytic converter for any reason. Removal of a non-functional cat is only legal when replacing with a functional cat. Most shops won't have a problem replacing the cat with a real high-flow cat, but you'll be hard-pressed to find one that will install a test pipe for you, even in good-old-emissions-testing-free Indiana. This would be best done yourself. This will also add a lot of ruckus to the exhaust note. If you like that raspy, ear-piercing, headache inducing Honda sound, then this is the route for you, otherwise consider a real high-flow cat (such as offered by MagnaFlow, for instance) or at least a resonator.

 

[schultz9008]

alright yeah when i get the exhaust i will most likely put everything i get, on myself im more of a do it yourselfer then pay a shit ton of money to have someone else screw with your car. but in your opinion should i buy a high flow cat or just straight pipe it

 

[bullettdsm]

but in your opinion should i buy a high flow cat or just straight pipe it

I use a high flow cat (cheapie off E-bay) because it will allow me to pass visual inspection in Connecticut.

MB

 

[gudz519]

well in Ma. we get the real inspection (dumb) anyways my cat is rusted and when i through a catback on i want to replace my cat with out modification any one ever see or use ones

 

[Fotowntalon]

how will you lose power by gutting your stock cat? You are simply removing the impediance, increasing air flow and basically turning it into a pipe.

 

[RoninEclipse2G]

how will you lose power by gutting your stock cat? You are simply removing the impediance, increasing air flow and basically turning it into a pipe.

It messes with exhaust velocity and scavenging because of having a big open chamber. it's about a 50/50 shot if you'll make or lose power.

 

[bullettdsm]

DONT gut your stock cat, you will lose power.

bullet do you have the high flow on your turbo or na?

I put them on my dailies (NA). Reminds me, I gotta get to the current daily.

Both race cars have straight pipes like this;

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MB

 

[VelocitàPaola]

because with a gutted cat exhaust gases become turbulent as they pass into the cats open reservoir which increases backpressure and hurts power

That's a little fanciful. If it does hurt performance, the losses are negligible and the actual reasoning is probably closer to what RoninEclipse2G said. On the other hand, I can't see how no catalytic converter would inhibit exhaust gas velocity and scavenging any more than having a catalytic converter.

Gas flow is a pretty complex thing that can't really be estimated using one's intuition.

 

[dsm9]

That's a little fanciful. If it does hurt performance, the losses are negligible and the actual reasoning is probably closer to what RoninEclipse2G said. On the other hand, I can't see how no catalytic converter would inhibit exhaust gas velocity and scavenging any more than having a catalytic converter.

Gas flow is a pretty complex thing that can't really be estimated using one's intuition.

using my intuition? im using results ive seen off a dyno.
and i didnt say NO cat converter. i said a gutted cat converter.
a gutted cat is worse than a regular cat but a test pipe is the best for more power