exhaust opinion...

[Karna]

allright, so i have a 3" cat back (1 cat deleted) on my car right now that was made by a local muffler shop and my question is this....i want to get a 3" downpipe now aswell and im not sure if i should just get rid of the remaining cat aswell, is it worth it performance wise? will it sound bad? engine lights?


please help me made my decision

 

[mazdaspeedwerx]

I have no cats thanks to ohio doing away with echeck.

 

[lisevolution]

The only reason to keep cats on your car is if you have to pass emissions... if I didn't live in NY I'd be catless for sure... If you're going to do a downpipe, I'd suggest the GHL as it's a full downpipe, meaning it comes from right off the turbo. Most others are only J-pipe back or mid-pipe back...

 

[Karna]

what about sound wise? this is my first turbo car but from previous experience on n/a cars, ive noticed they (straight-pipe) sound horible , very raspy and are very loud

 

[Karna]

oh forgot to add, i am in canada so no emissions here...thank god

 

[MSpeed2397]

Straight pipes will not sound crappy on this car...if you have a less restrictive exhaust you will see better gains as well as a nice deep throaty sound.

 

[Karna]

so after asking around, it looks like its a go with the exhaust...my only concern is that it will be too loud, but i think im willing to compromise

 

[MrDiggler]

The only reason to keep cats on your car is if you have to pass emissions... if I didn't live in NY I'd be catless for sure...

You forgot the even bigger reason- our environment, and the reason why there is testing. I'm not about to go all tree huggin' on you guys, but do at least think about it. On some level, somewhere, you care about the world we live in. As you guys get older (like my old ass) you'll care even more. It's not like one more 4 cyl. car spewing unfiltered emissions is going to melt the ice caps and doom the planet... but keep in mind that as long as you're doing that, you forfeit the right to b**** about anything that happens regarding our environmental situation, because you'd then be a hypocrite. I want to be able to look my kids square in the eye and for them to know that I at least wasn't part of the problem.

 

[lisevolution]

You forgot the even bigger reason- our environment, and the reason why there is testing. I'm not about to go all tree huggin' on you guys, but do at least think about it. On some level, somewhere, you care about the world we live in. As you guys get older (like my old ass) you'll care even more. It's not like one more 4 cyl. car spewing unfiltered emissions is going to melt the ice caps and doom the planet... but keep in mind that as long as you're doing that, you forfeit the right to b**** about anything that happens regarding our environmental situation, because you'd then be a hypocrite. I want to be able to look my kids square in the eye and for them to know that I at least wasn't part of the problem.

Remember that South Park episode where they all drove Hybrids??? J/K I hear you, and it's irrelevant to me as I have to run a cat, but I'm not about to trade in my MSP for a Prius... that new Toyota Super Car Hybrid maybe another story!

 

[lisevolution]

In terms of sound without the cats, the MSP compared to an N/A car is totally different sounding. It will be loud, mine was very loud even with a cat until I put a resonator on it. I'd suggest adding at least one to your setup... Try the GHL see what you think. It will be loud but everyone's standards are different. I personally didn't care about the volume but I love my girlfriend more than the volume of my exhaust so resonator it was!!!

 

[mazdaspeedwerx]

You forgot the even bigger reason- our environment, and the reason why there is testing. I'm not about to go all tree huggin' on you guys, but do at least think about it. On some level, somewhere, you care about the world we live in. As you guys get older (like my old ass) you'll care even more. It's not like one more 4 cyl. car spewing unfiltered emissions is going to melt the ice caps and doom the planet... but keep in mind that as long as you're doing that, you forfeit the right to b**** about anything that happens regarding our environmental situation, because you'd then be a hypocrite. I want to be able to look my kids square in the eye and for them to know that I at least wasn't part of the problem.

I guess I should stop burning tires in my backyard also?

 

[MrDiggler]

I guess I should stop burning tires in my backyard also?

Dude, that's between you and your conscience. I don't think a few a day would hurt though.

 

[jeffmsp]

pretty sure 1 transport truck running out of tune makes more pollution then a hundred cars with no cats so dont worry about it.

 

[Karna]

does anybody have sound clips of how loud this might be?...the only thing holding me back is that i am not a huge fan of loud cars and we have a law here againtst loud vehicles

 

[NateDogg11587]

alright i have a question for everyone, I have a 2001 mazda protege ES and i am wanting to have a catback exhaust made by a local shop. Now if I have a2.5" piping from the cat to the muffler, will it sound good and run well, or will it be not worth the money? Also give me some ideas for a good universal muffler...if u all could help me that would be awesome.

 

[Kypatrick]

what about sound wise? this is my first turbo car but from previous experience on n/a cars, ive noticed they (straight-pipe) sound horible , very raspy and are very loud

I have had the same horrible experience with an Escort ZX2. Thought the custom cat-less exhaust would be cool. Sounded like POOP!!! A Nasty Metalic Clang sound from the exhaust. What a waist of $520.

 

[crashkelly]

buy something dyno proven or from a reputable company...dont waste money on a custom exhaust from one of those shops that will just build something that fits and will rot off in a rusty mess. Do a search or check out that sticky about exhausts...theres already like 5000 posts on different exhausts. If you want a quiet exhaust get a silencer for the muffler. (looks stupid, but if you want a quiet aftermarket exhaust that sounds kinda stupid also...anything aftermarket is gonna be louder)

 

[crashkelly]

oh wow i just read your original post again...dude the downpipe for our car is cheap from CorkSport and if you are already running 3" catback you are going to need a midpipe before you get a downpipe...

 

[Karna]

thanks for the advice...the question is mainly based on the cat and if i should run catless or not, the sound and issues are the only thing that were concerning me...the rest like what is needed and what to get and where to get it is no problem at all (drinks)

 

[biondos1]

i have a 3" ghl downpipe and about 7 inches away from the turbo outlet i have a 3" electric cutout. it sounds amazing and you don;t have the annoyance of a loud exhaust ALL the time. just my opinion though. and i still have a cat, teh cutout is installed before the cat