Turbo Back exhaust necessary?

[afunkygbeat]

I just bought a 98 eclipse gsx, and it came with a turbo back exhaust. I want my car built to have around the 300 awhp. But I was wondering if the turbo back exhaust is necessary ( specifically the cats ) because In the state of VA having no cats is illegal, and Ive been pulled over once. Your input would be appreciated !

 

[BoxheadTim]

I'd just get a high flow cat fitted then.

Usually turbo-back or cat-back exhausts reduce the back pressure, which is especially important with a turbo car as less back pressure helps the turbo spin up a bit quicker/better because you have a bigger pressure difference to work with.

 

[04bls84]

My 97 has a straight pipe where the cat is suppose to be and it's really quiet. Maybe try a different muffler, mine is a duramaxx muffler.

 

[BoxheadTim]

I'd hazard a guess that the OP is more worried about Johnny Law having a look under his car and noticing said straight pipe and the absence of a cat .

 

[Boostinsideways]

I would just buy a box of cats and let them roam around in the trunk.

 

[afunkygbeat]

I'd hazard a guess that the OP is more worried about Johnny Law having a look under his car and noticing said straight pipe and the absence of a cat .

Exactly ..err. But going back to the original post, would having cats greatly effect my targeted performance?

 

[2gmummy]

100% sure you could make the power with a full oem exhaust, it would be counter productive but it is possible. You could always get a cat or axle back system or a high flow cat. Some people keep the full oem with an electronic cut out

 

[BoxheadTim]

Exactly ..err. But going back to the original post, would having cats greatly effect my targeted performance?

Depends if they tabbies or not .

OK, stupid feline jokes aside, I would say you can get that sort of power with a cat - after all, there are plenty of examples out there that do. I would probably get a high flow cat instead of an OEM-spec one simply because they pose less of an obstruction in the exhaust and thus contribute less to the exhaust's back pressure.

 

[afunkygbeat]

thanks for all the inputs, inlcuding the cat jokes -.- made me crack up a little. But thanks for all the advice, I guess im going to remove the straight pipe and put some cats on

 

[DirtyDSMDan]

make sure you read up on your states emissions law, just because you have a cat doesnt mean you will pass. some states require CARB exempt or full OEM emission controls. if that is the case, find an OEM cat, or a CARB exempt, and then you are looking at a few bucks, but remember, Emissions are just for johnny law, if you live in a highly populated area, you will be smelling your exhaust and everyone elses for a long time coming

 

[afunkygbeat]

make sure you read up on your states emissions law, just because you have a cat doesnt mean you will pass. some states require CARB exempt or full OEM emission controls. if that is the case, find an OEM cat, or a CARB exempt, and then you are looking at a few bucks, but remember, Emissions are just for johnny law, if you live in a highly populated area, you will be smelling your exhaust and everyone elses for a long time coming

thanks for the advice, I forgot about that. I will be looking into that this weekend when I get the car checked out.

 

[GsxEcutioner]

I have this, Catalytic Converter.
-shane

 

[sbeck]

I have a 3" muffler that looks like and is the same dimensions as the factory one and I don't get messed with. Its a Summit with a offset inlet and center outlet. It only cost about 30 bucks if I remember. Cops always go after any of the bazooka looking muffler cars.

 

[Boostinsideways]

Cheapest solution would be to find a large enough cat on a junkyard, get the heat shields from it, and tack weld them to the exhaust pipe. Will fool a visual inspection, but a poorly running car will not fool a sniffer.

 

[badbluething]

the straighter the pipe = less restriction = less back pressure = more power.
running no-cats where i live is illegal also. pigs don't check under your car he, noise complaints could land you some fines tho. only hassle is replacing your stock exhaust system every 1-2years to pass aircare.

 

[afunkygbeat]

the straighter the pipe = less restriction = less back pressure = more power.
running no-cats where i live is illegal also. pigs don't check under your car he, noise complaints could land you some fines tho. only hassle is replacing your stock exhaust system every 1-2years to pass aircare.

yeah, its too much of a hassle for me. Decided to put cats on so I can pass emissions and put on a less flashy muffler