I just got my '02 lancer ES (automatic ). Right now it is 100% stock.

I've been looking around at the different headers and exhaust components and I feel I'm in over my head a little. So my question is, what is the best street legal header/exhaust set-up to get the most power out of my car? I would also appreciate it if you could tell me good/inexpensive places to get these parts. One more thing....what is the best order to get everything in so it works with all the stock ****? I can't afford to get it all at once.

Please help out this newb....thanks!

 

there aren't any legal headers so all you can do the exhaust legally is catback, but putting a better air intake on it will make more of a diffrence than the exahaust stuff will

 

eh...in that case forget about being legal. how about just passing emissions?

by the way I've got the intake in mind...I just don't know what to do about exhaust.

 

there are rpw, rrm, rmr and kamakazi headers that i know of, i've got a kamakazi and i'm gonna be installing it later today or tommorow, all of the headers i would guess would have about the same amount of gain, but have diffrent power and torque curves, and none of them will pass an emissions test because they remove the first cat and that isn't legal.

 

I see...thanks a lot. Where did you get your headers? Or wheres a good place to order online?

 

well it depends which ones you want, rpw you get from vision imports, rrm you get from rrm, rmr you get from rmr and i'm not sure where you get the kamakazi, but i bought mine used

 

who cares about emissions, in michigan they longer check for that and probably never will again. cut your cat off and you can add 15-20 hp plus a nice throaty sound.

 

Well I guess emissions is out of the question too then. Nex...you just made me realize that we never do emissions tests in Arizona anymore either. Anybody know of a good way to get a lot of HP from a little money?

 

there really is no way to get cheap hp, all of your questions have been answered before dude, run a SEARCH

 

It all depends on where you live. Of course where you live you'll have that problem of passing emissions, but here in NY you can pass with only one cat. If not, then there is always someone willing to take a $20 under the table to give you a sticker

 

There are two ways depending on what you define as "a little money"

First way (not very practical):
Take off the entire cat-back system
Remove that plastic schnozzle thing going from the intake box to the front of the car.
Drop in a high-flow filter element from K&N

Second way:
Get an RMR, Flowmaster, Magnaflow muffler
Go to a muffler shop and get custom 2.25-2.5" piping put in
(probably around $200-250 total there)
Make a custom short-ram intake
(I am going to start mine and make an instruction and part sheet for everyone. This is going to run around $50 for everything).

 

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/features/0208_scared/

In all seriousness however, there are simple ways to go faster without spending much cash. Any DSM owner will tell you that. Simple things like opening up your airbox, getting smaller wheels or better rubber, even simple weight removal will make you much faster.

 

is this true? i mean, i know that tampering with the emissions equipment on your car is illegal, but as far as emissions...i don't think you need TWO cats. one is enough, no? the first one is put there to help reduce emissions while the second one heats up to proper temperature. if your car has been running for a while and your cat is hot, i'm not sure the first one is needed at all, and you should produce the same emissions numbers with or without the first one. the only problem i guess would be if someone actually looked and saw that you had tampered with the first cat.

someone correct me if i'm wrong.

 

besides, i don't know about your state, buy in NJ they only inspect cars every two years, giving you plenty of time to bolt on the OEM manifold before inspection.

 

i've never had my hood popped on my while at inspection. they just check the lights, switches, and they stick the thingie in ur pipe to check for emissions. even if it fails emissions i doubt they would pop the hood. they'd probably just give u a fail sticker n tell u to take care of it and come back. i dunno tho, i've only gone through inspection twice in my life.