if you are lazy, i'd go for a high flow cat. but many places won't replace ur cat just because it aint' broke.

uhm you could get a test pipe and just keep the stock cat in the garage and yea bolt on the test pipe when u need to and the stock cat when u need to. i shouldn't be that hard to do.

emptying out the cat might decrease peformance too if you didn't know. i mean you're messing up the way the exhaust flows and as a result decreased peformance. gutting out the cat will just help u to pass the visual inspection

 

I think all in all it is better to just go with the high performance cat instead of a test pipe that could hurt ur car, and besides ur car is brand new buy only the best. Most likely our Lance's are not reall rally cars and do not really need a downpipe/test pipe. I would stick with a high flow cat (performace) for the car and still pass emissions and get alittle more horespower and better sound. But hey what do I know I'm no car inclined person. Just the everyday average bear trying to make his car nice and get lots of LOOKS

 

just here to agree with whats been said . . .
definitely don't want to gut the cat . . . . . if u want the test pipe, ur gonna have to put the stock cat on every time you want to get your car inspected, if you want to replace the cat with a high flow then your set . . . . . no changing out cats come inspection or anything . . . of course its not gonna be as high flow as a straight test pipe, but it's legal . . .

 

Well, a high flow cat is MORE legal (or it's less likely to get you busted) that a test pipe. <<whiny brown noser voice>> Let's not forget that it's against federal law to mess with a functioning cat<</whiny brown noser voice>> (bastards ).... but then, as has been pointed out so many times before, it's technically illegal to mess with your suspension, to have not-amber turn signals, etc.
High flow cat? rock on!

 

most things done to cars are illegal according to law it is illegal to put any aftermarket part son a car. But no one follows it.

 

OK-first let me start off by saying: There is really no such thing as a "High Flow" cat here in the States. The Catco and that other brand are basically just a misnomer. That said. There is a high flow cat that is called a "Metal" cat and is sold in Japan but made in Germany. Zero Sports sells one, and there are a couple other. These are truly "High Flow" as far as cat converters go, but they are VERY expensive at around $800.

I run a gutted cat in my WRX on a 3" turbo back. My Turbo back it a $1200 unit from Australia with a so called "High Flow" cat in it. Let me be the first to tell you that it made all of the difference in the world when I knocked the ceramic out of that cat.

Just a little insight.

 

at least one person liked my idea : ) now i think im gonan do it

 

let me know when youre done poking it with a screw driver....im curious of how it will work. i promise I will not laugh if it screws up

 

I would like to know what happens too. I don't recomend doing it at all, but its your car.

 

well i just got done from under my car and i didnt have any tools that would get the bolts of the cat, i tried everything, the 2.5 inch piping makes it hard to get **** around it, one of the bolts seems like it got some of the welded **** on it.....

 

Also, with an OBDII system, if you are going to throw a cel, you are going to throw a cel. Your ECU does not know the difference between a stock, or an aftermarket catylitic converter. If you have no cat, or if you have a hollow cat, the cel that you will throw is called a "Catylist Effeciency" cel. Basically, Your OBDII system has 2 O2 sensors. A wideband in the front, and a narrow band 1v after the cat. When the Signal taken between the front and rear does not deviate enough, it will throw a cel. I throw CEL's all the time...no big deal because the WRX does not have a "Limp" mode. I don't know about the mitsu's though.

What I did to gut my cat was I tood a 6 ton jackstand, and pulled out the cradle piece (The one that the car sits on). I then proceeded to drop the end of the 15+lbs piece of steel down into the cat until the brick busted and then I poured it out onto the floor...clean as a whistle, it all poured out. Don't breath that crap though as it is all full of heavy metals that are *NOT HEALTHY*!!! I don't want anybody to have 3 headed babies or anything!

I did get popped here in CA for having a (Modified) emmisions system. You do not have to go the next day. They give you 6 weeks. I just put the stock setup back on, went down and passed the test, payed my $40, and drove away. My modified emissions system was a stupid Blitz intake! The fine was $154! Cops do not know if your cat is gutted or not. All they know is what they can see!

Good luck...do it!

Andy

 

i heard that a cop might bang on your cat to see if the sound is hollow. just what i heard.

 

OK- A test pipe is a cat that has been cut open, and a piece of muffler has been put in place of the catylist, and then the cat is sealed around it. Thus giving the appearance of a cat being in place when in realityl it is a straightpipe!

I high flow cat is mearly an aftermarket catylitic converter. Still a cat, and still has the exhaust blocking ceramic honeycomb block inside of it.

Straight pipe=**** it...no cat or anything...just run a pipe straight through with no attempt at visual deception.

I hope that I cleared things up for you.

Andy

 

I have heard this as well. A good remedy for this is to run for office, and fire that **** cop!

No really though. Just have your car sit low enough that they will not even bother. I am sitting on TEIN RA's and he could not see if he tried. They like to write me up for my exhaust though. In KALIFORNIA, they like to stick it to us import guys.

Andy

 

Thats because Kalifornia likes to think its the richest state in the union...with all those big wigs and what not...but what they dont relize is that their oil stock is out of Texas...lol So texas is the richest IMHO. That and those idiots probably think youre smuggling illegals into the country under youre ricer...lol

I heard(now this might be a rumor) that they like pulling over out of state cars and fining them because they are not CA standard approval on emissions. Anyone know if this is true?