Exhaust/Cats

[Kiljosh]

Ok, I've heard the stock cats can gunk up pretty bad and be a real chokehold on power. Question is, how do you know when they've gone bad? Noises, mileage, no way of telling?

If I were to replace my cats could I pass an emmisions test with highflows or could I just buy new ford ones and only use 2 instead of the 4 stock cats and still pass?

Also, how much do you guys think a muffler shop would charge to convert my fake duals to real duals. I have mac's truefit duals and I want the muffler shop to just cut my y pipe, weld in new cats, and make an H pipe for me.

Here's another one of my crappy drawings. The one one the right isd what I'm talking about. Color coded for your reading ease!!! :p If it makes a difference everything connects with ball/sockets, now welding or cutting was done to my exhaust.

[cjd10]

that was deep
what year is your car and do you live in cali?

[Kiljosh]

Car is a 97 with 46k miles on it. I live in pennsylvania.

[cjd10]

not great to do probally get some people screaming at me but i would got no cats (or gutted) and get some o2 simulators. youll pass emissions just fine. not sure what a shop would charge but probally be high.
i would consider putting a or an h off road with some simulators. the mac is a three peice set isnt it?
the blue in the left pic is a seperate piece right?

[Kiljosh]

The blue is MAC's "reverse Y" and the green is what I want the muffler shop to keep/cut. I just want them to eliminate the blue piece, cut the green piece and the red behind the o2 sensors, then weld either 2 straight pipes or make me an H.

And wtf are o2 simulators? haha

[Dark02Pony]

gorgous art work

[Kiljosh]

Thanks again!!

[Brent]

Buy a mac catted high flow h pipe and get some gt take offs and your set.

Take them to a exhaust shop and they will install them for you.... only thing ya gotta do.

[cjd10]

simulators tell your ecu everything is ok so you wont need to worry about emissions. i got my exhaust done by a buddy for 50 bucks excluding mufflers and headers

[Kiljosh]

Pennsylvania sniffs your exhaust if I'm not mistaken so simply telling my ECU everything is ok won't work.

And brent I don't want GT takeoffs, they sound like ass if you ask me. :p
I wanna keep my MAC mufflers, just want straight pipes or a custom H.

[cjd10]

are you sure they sniff 96 and up?? i know dallas sniffs but not after 96

[Kiljosh]

Quote: if I'm not mistaken

I'm not all that sure. But I'd rather be safe than sorry, but I'm going to talk to a bunch of shops tomorrow.